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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 seeTop Strap on page 1-37.
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 in a Rear
Outside Seat Position
If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH
system, seeLower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on page 1-39. SeeTop Strap
on page 1-37if the child restraint has one.
If your child restraint does not have the LATCH system,
you will 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.
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3. Buckle the belt. Make sure the release button is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had to.4. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of
the retractor to set the lock.
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5.To tighten the belt, feed the shoulder belt back into the
retractor while you push down on the child restraint. If
you’re using a forward-facing child restraint, you
may find it helpful to use your knee to push down on
the child restraint as you tighten the belt.
6. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle the vehicle’s
safety belt and let it go back all the way. The safety
belt will move freely again and be ready to work for an
adult or larger child passenger.
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Center Seat Position
Do not use a child restraint in this position. The restraint
will not work properly.
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Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position
If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH
system, seeLower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on page 1-39. SeeTop Strap
on page 1-37if the child restraint has one.
Your vehicle has a right front passenger air bag. Never
put a rear-facing child restraint in the right front
passenger’s seat. 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.
Always secure a rear-facing child restraint in a
rear seat.
A rear seat is a safer place to secure a forward-facing
child restraint. If you need to secure a forward-facing
child restraint in the right front seat, you will 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. Because your vehicle has a right front passenger
air bag, always move the seat as far back as it will
go before securing a forward-facing child restraint
in this seat. SeeManual Seats on page 1-2or
Power Seats on page 1-3.
2. Put the restraint on the seat.
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3. 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.
4. Buckle the belt. Make sure the release button is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had to.5. Pull the rest of the lap belt all the way out of the
retractor to set the lock.
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6. To tighten the belt, feed the shoulder belt back into
the retractor while you push down on the child
restraint. You may find it helpful to use your knee to
push down on the child restraint as you tighten
the belt.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle the vehicle’s
safety belt and let it go back all the way. The safety
belt will move freely again and be ready to work for an
adult or larger child passenger.
Air Bag System
This part explains the air bag system.
Your vehicle has air bags – one air bag for the driver
and another air bag for the right front passenger.
Frontal air bags are designed to help reduce the risk of
injury from the force of an inflating air bag. But these
air bags must inflate very quickly to do their job
and comply with federal regulations.
Here are the most important things to know about the
air bag system:
{CAUTION:
You can be severely injured or killed in a crash
if you aren’t wearing your safety belt — even if
you have air bags. Wearing your safety belt
during a crash helps reduce your chance of
hitting things inside the vehicle or being ejected
from it. Air bags are designed to work with
safety belts, but don’t replace them. Airbags are
designed to deploy only in moderate to severe
frontal and near frontal crashes.
CAUTION: (Continued)
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CAUTION: (Continued)
They aren’t designed to in ate at all in rollover,
rear or low-speed frontal crashes, or in many
side crashes. And, for some unrestrained
occupants, air bags may provide less protection
in frontal crashes than more forceful air bags
have provided in the past. Everyone in
your vehicle should wear a safety belt
properly — whether or not there’s an air bag for
that person.
{CAUTION:
Air bags in ate with great force, faster than the
blink of an eye. If you’re too close to an
in ating air bag, as you would be if you were
leaning forward, it could seriously injure you.
Safety belts help keep you in position before
and during a crash. Always wear your safety
belt, even with air bags. The driver should sit
as far back as possible while still maintaining
control of the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
Anyone who is up against, or very close to,
any air bag when it in ates can be seriously
injured or killed. Air bags plus lap-shoulder
belts offer the best protection for adults, but
not for young children and infants. Neither the
vehicle’s safety belt system nor its air bag
system is designed for them. Young children
and infants need the protection that a child
restraint system can provide. Always secure
children properly in your vehicle. To read how,
seeOlder Children on page 1-27andInfants
and Young Children on page 1-29.
There is a air bag
readiness light on the
instrument panel, which
shows the air bag symbol.
The system checks the air bag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. SeeAir Bag Readiness Light on page 3-25.
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{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
air bag, the bag might not in ate properly or it
might force the object into that person causing
severe injury or even death. The path of an
in ating air bag must be kept clear. Don’t put
anything between an occupant and an air bag,
and don’t attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any other air
bag covering.
When Should an Air Bag In ate?
An air bag is designed to inflate in a moderate to severe
frontal, or near-frontal crash. The air bag will inflate
only if the impact speed is above the system’s designed
'threshold level'. If your vehicle goes straight into a
wall that doesn’t move or deform, the threshold level is
about 9 to 16 mph (14 to 26 km/h). The threshold
level can vary, however, with specific vehicle design, so
that it can be somewhat above or below this range. If
your vehicle strikes something that will move or deform,
such as a parked car, the threshold level will behigher. The air bag is not designed to inflate in rollovers,
rear impacts, or in many side impacts because inflation
would not help the occupant.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air
bag should have inflated simply because of the damage
to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were.
Inflation is determined by the angle of the impact
and how quickly the vehicle slows down in frontal or
near-frontal impacts.
The air bag system is designed to work properly under
a wide range of conditions, including off-road usage.
Observe safe driving speeds, especially on rough
terrain. As always, wear your safety belt. SeeOff-Road
Driving with Your Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicle on
page 4-14for more tips on off-road driving.
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