Page 46 of 452

SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-73,Securing
a Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat Position on
page 1-56
,Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the
LATCH System (Rear) on page 1-46orSecuring a
Child Restraint Designed for the LATCH System (Front)
on page 1-46
, andAir Bag Off Switch on page 1-68for more on this including important safety information.
Wherever you install it, be sure to secure the child
restraint properly.
Keep in mind that an unsecured child restraint can
move around in a collision or sudden stop and injure
people in the vehicle. Be sure to properly secure
any child restraint in your vehicle ± even when no child
is in it.
Top Strap
Some child restraints have a top strap, or ªtop tether.º It
can help restrain the child restraint during a collision.
For it to work, a top strap must be properly anchored to
the vehicle. Some top strap-equipped child restraints
are designed for use with or without the top strap being
anchored. Others require the top strap always to be
anchored. Be sure to read and follow the instructions for
your child restraint. If yours requires that the top strap
be anchored, do not use the restraint unless it is
anchored properly.
If the child restraint does not have a top strap, one can
be obtained, in kit form, for many child restraints.
Ask the child restraint manufacturer whether or not a kit
is available.
1-40
Page 47 of 452

In Canada, the law requires that forward-facing child
restraints have a top strap, and that the strap be
anchored. In the United States, some child restraints
also have a top strap. If your child restraint has a
top strap, it should be anchored.Anchor the top strap to one of the following anchor
points. Be sure to use an anchor point located on the
same side of the vehicle as the seating position
where the child restraint will be placed.
If you have an adjustable head restraint, route the top
strap under it.
{CAUTION:
Each top tether bracket is designed to anchor
only one child restraint. Attaching more than
one child restraint to a single bracket could
cause the anchor to come loose or even break
during a crash. A child or others could be
injured if this happens. To help prevent injury
to people and damage to your vehicle, attach
only one child restraint per bracket.
Once you have the top strap anchored, you will be
ready to secure the child restraint itself. Tighten the top
strap when and as the child restraint manufacturer's
instructions say.
1-41
Page 50 of 452
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers
for Children (LATCH System)
Your vehicle has the LATCH system. You will ®nd
anchors (A) for the front passenger and the center rear
seating positions.This system, designed to make installation of child
restraints easier, does not use the vehicle's safety belts.
Instead, it uses vehicle anchors (A, B) and child
restraint attachments to secure the restraints. Some
restraints also use another vehicle anchor to secure a
top tether strap (C).
1-44
Page 51 of 452
In order to use the LATCH system in your vehicle, you
need a child restraint designed for that system.
To assist you in locating the lower anchors for this child
restraint system, each seating position with the
LATCH system has a visible metal anchor point in the
seat where the seatback meets the seat cushion.
{CAUTION:
If a LATCH-type child restraint is not attached
to its anchorage points, the restraint will not
be able to protect the child correctly. In a
crash, the child could be seriously injured or
killed. Make sure that a LATCH-type child
restraint is properly installed using the
anchorage points, or use the vehicle's safety
belts to secure the restraint, following the
instructions that came with that restraint, and
also the instructions in this manual.
1-45
Page 52 of 452

Securing a Child Restraint Designed
for the LATCH System (Rear)
1. Find the LATCH anchorages for the seating
position you want to use, where the bottom of the
seatback meets the back of the seat cushion.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
3. Attach and tighten the LATCH attachments on the
child restraint to the LATCH anchorages in the
vehicle. The child restraint instructions will show
you how.
4. If the child restraint is forward-facing, attach and
tighten the top tether to the top tether anchorage.
The child restraint instructions will show you
how. Also see
Top Strap on page 1-40.
5. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, simply unhook the top
tether from the top tether anchorage and then
disconnect the LATCH attachments from the LATCH
anchorages.
Securing a Child Restraint Designed
for the LATCH System (Front)
Your vehicle has a right front passenger air bag. There
is a switch on the instrument panel that you can use
to turn off the right front passenger's frontal air bag. See
the following illustration. Your switch may vary slightly.
See
Air Bag Off Switch on page 1-68for more on
this, including important safety information and
illustrations of alternate switch designs.
1-46
Page 54 of 452

Never put a rear facing child restraint in the right front
passenger's seat unless the air bag is off. Here is why:
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger's air bag in¯ates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the in¯ating air bag.
Be sure the air bag is off before using a
rear-facing child restraint in the right front seat
position. If you secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the right front seat, always move
the right front passenger seat as far back as it
will go.
A rear seat is a safer place to secure a forward facing
child restraint. See
Where to Put the Restraint on
page 1-39. If you need to secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the right front seat position, move the
seat as far back as it will go before securing a
forward-facing child restraint. See
Power Seats on
page 1-3.
{CAUTION:
If the air bag readiness light in the instrument
panel cluster ever comes on when you have
turned off the air bag, it means that something
may be wrong with the air bag system. The
right front passenger's air bag could in¯ate
even though the switch is off. If this ever
happens, have the vehicle serviced promptly.
Until you have the vehicle serviced, do not let
anyone whom the national government has
identi®ed as a member of a passenger air bag
risk group sit in the right front passenger's
position (for example, do not secure a
rear-facing child restraint in the right front
passenger's seat). See ªAir Bag Off Switchº in
the Index.
1-48
Page 55 of 452

1. Your vehicle has a right front passenger's frontal air
bag. SeeAir Bag Off Switch on page 1-68andPassenger Sensing System on page 1-73. If your
child restraint is forward-facing, move the seat as far
back as it will go before securing the restraint in
this seat. See
Power Seats on page 1-3. If you need
to use a rear-facing child restraint in this seat,
make sure the air bag is off once the child restraint
has been installed.
When the passenger sensing system or the air bag
off switch has turned off the right front passenger's
frontal air bag, the off indicator in the passenger
air bag status indicator should light and stay lit when
you turn the ignition to RUN or START. See
Passenger Air Bag Status Indicator on page 3-33.
2. Find the LATCH anchorages where the bottom of
the seatback meets the back of the cushion.
3. Put the child restraint on the seat.
4. Attach and tighten the LATCH attachments on the
child restraint to the LATCH anchorages in the
vehicle. The child restraint instructions will show
you how.
5. If the child restraint is forward-facing, attach and
tighten the top tether to the top tether anchorage.
The child restraint instructions will show you
how. Also see
Top Strap on page 1-40.6. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
7. If your vehicle has the passenger sensing system
and the air bag is off, the off indicator will be lit and
stay lit in the inside rearview mirror when the key
is turned to RUN or START. Never put a rear-facing
child restraint in the right front passenger seat
unless the air bag is off.
If a child restraint has been installed and the on
indicator is lit, turn the vehicle off. Remove the child
restraint from the vehicle and reinstall the restraint.
If after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting the
vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, check to make
sure that the vehicle's seatback is not pressing the child
restraint into the seat cushion. If this happens, slightly
recline the vehicle's seatback and adjust the seat
cushion if possible. Also make sure the child restraint is
not trapped under the vehicle head restraint. If this
happens, adjust the head restraint.
If the on indicator is still lit, use the air bag off switch to
turn off the air bag or secure the child in the child
restraint in a rear seat position in the vehicle if one is
available and check with your dealer. See
Air Bag
Off Switch on page 1-68for more on this, including
important safety information.
1-49
Page 57 of 452

Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Outside Seat Position
There is limited space in the rear seating area. If you
want to secure a child restraint in a rear outside seating
position, be sure to study the instructions that came
with your child restraint to see if there is enough room
to secure your seat properly.If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH
system, see
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on page 1-44. SeeTop Strap
on page 1-40if the child restraint has one.
If your child restraint does not have the LATCH system,
you'll be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the
child restraint in this position. Be sure to follow the
instructions that came with the child restraint. Secure
the child in the child restraint when and as the
instructions say.
1. Put the restraint on the seat.
2. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder
portions of the vehicle's safety belt through or
around the restraint. The child restraint instructions
will show you how.
1-51