2004 HONDA CIVIC COUPE child seat

Af ter selecting a proper child seat,
and a good place to install the seat,
there are three main steps in
installing the seat:All child seats must be
secured to the vehicle with the lap
part of a lap/shoulder belt or with
the LATCH (Lower Anchors and
Tethers f or Children) system. A
child whose seat is not properly
secured to the vehicle can be
endangered in a crash.
Af ter installing a child
seat, push and pull the seat
f orward and f rom side to side to
verif y that it is secure. A child seat secured with a seat belt
should be installed as f irmly as
possible. However, it does not need
to be ‘‘rock solid’’. Some side-to-side
movement can be expected and
should not reduce the child seat’s
ef f ectiveness.
If the child seat is not secure, try
installing it in a dif f erent seating
position, or use a dif f erent style of
child seat that can be f irmly secured.
Make sure the child is properly
strappedinthechildseat
according to the child seat maker’s
instructions. A child who is not
properly secured in a child seat
can be seriously injured in a crash. The f ollowing pages provide
guidelines on how to properly install
a child seat. A f orward-f acing child
seat is used in all examples, but the
instructions are the same f or rear-
f acing child seat.
Properly secure t he child seat t o
the vehicle.
Make sure t he child seat is f irmlysecured. Secure the child in the back seat.
1.
2. 3.
Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety37
——y

y
(%yy

Your vehicle is equipped with
LATCH (Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children) at the outer
rear seats. The lower anchors are
located between the seat-back and
seat bottom, and are to be used only
with a child seat designed f or use
with LATCH.
To install a LATCH-compatible child
seat:
Small marks are positioned to
indicate the locations of each anchor
point. Move the seat belt buckle or
tongue away f rom the lower
anchors.
Make sure there are no objects
near the anchors that could
prevent a secure connection
between the child seat and
anchors.Place the child seat on the vehicle
seat, and attach the seat to the
lower anchors according to the
child seat maker’s instructions.
Some LATCH-compatible seats
have a rigid-type connection as
shown above.
1. 2.
3.
Installing a Child Seat Using
LATCH
Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety38
LOWER ANCHORS Rigid type
——y
y
(%y
y

Other LATCH-compatible seats have
a f lexible-type connection as shown
above.Whatever type you have, f ollow
the child seat maker’s instructions
f or adjusting or tightening the f it. Route the tether strap over the
seat-back, making sure the strap is
not twisted.
Attach the tether strap hook to the
tether anchorage point, then
tighten the strap as instructed by
the child seat maker.
Push and pull the child seat
f orward and f rom side-to-side to
verif y that it is secure.
4.
6.
5. 7.
Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety39
Flexible type
ANCHORAGE POINT
ANCHORAGE POINT
TETHER STRAP
HOOK
TETHER STRAP HOOK
Outer rear seat Center rear seat
——y
y
(%yy

To activate the lockable retractor,
slowly pull the shoulder part of the
belt all the way out until it stops,
then let the belt f eed back into the
retractor.
Af ter the belt has retracted, tug on
it. If the belt is locked, you will not
be able to pull it out. If you can pull
thebeltout,itisnotlocked,and
you will need to repeat these steps.
When not using the LATCH system,
all child seats must be secured to the
vehicle with the lap part of a lap/
shoulder belt.
In addition, the lap/shoulder belts in
the back seating positions, and in the
f ront passenger seat, have a locking
mechanism that must be activated to
secure a child seat.
With the child seat in the desired
seating position, route the belt
through the child seat according
to the seat maker’s instructions,
then insert the latch plate into the
buckle.
1.
2. 3.
Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Installing a Child Seat with a L ap/
Shoulder Belt
40
——y
y
(%yy

Af ter conf irming that the belt is
locked, grab the shoulder part of
the belt near the buckle and pull
up to remove any slack from the
lap part of the belt. Remember, if
the lap part of the belt is not tight,
the child seat will not be secure.Push and pull the child seat
f orward and f rom side to side to
verif y that it is f irmly secured. If
the child seat is not secure,
unlatch the belt, allow it to retract
f ully, then repeat these steps.
To deactivate the locking
mechanism and remove a child seat,
unlatch the buckle, unroute the seat
belt, and let the belt f ully retract.
To remove slack, it may help to put
weight on the child seat, or push on
the back of the seat while pulling up
on the belt.
4.
5.
Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety41
——y
y
(%yy

A child seat with a tether can be
installed in any seating position in
the back seat, using one of the
anchorage points shown above.
Since a tether can provide additional
security to the lap/shoulder belt
installation, we recommend using a
tether whenever one is required or
available. (Tethers are required in
Canada.)Af ter securing the child seat in the
desired position (see page ), lif t
the head restraint, then route the
tether strap over the top of the
seat-back and through the head
restraint legs.Lif t the anchor point lid, then
attach the tether strap hook to the
anchorage point, making sure the
strap is not twisted.
Tighten the strap according to the
seat maker’s instructions.
1. 2. 3.
40
Installing a Child Seat with a
Tether
Using an Outer A nchorage Point
Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety42
TETHER STRAP
HOOK
ANCHORAGE POINT
LID
TETHER ANCHORAGE P
OINTS
Outer rear seat
——y
y
(%yy

Af ter properly securing the child
seat with the lap/shoulder belt
(see page ), route the tether
strap over the top of the seat-back.
Attach the tether strap hook to the
anchorage point, making sure the
strap is not twisted, then tighten
the strap according to the seat-
maker’s instructions.When a child reaches the
recommended weight or height limit
for a forward-facing child seat, the
child should sit in a back seat on a
booster and wear a lap/shoulder belt.
The f ollowing pages give
instructions on how to check proper
seat belt f it, what kind of booster
seat to use if one is needed, and
important precautions f or a child
who must sit in f ront.
1. 2. 40
Using the Center A nchorage
Point
Protecting L arger Children
Installing a Child Seat, Protecting L arger Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety43
TETHER STRAP
HOOK
ANCHORAGE POINTAllowing a large child age 12 or
under to sit in front can result in
injury or death if the passenger’s
front airbag inflates.
If a large child must ride in front,
move the vehicle seat as far
back as possible, use a booster
seat if needed, have the child
sit up properly and wear the
seat belt properly.
——y

y
(%yy

To determine if a lap/shoulder belt
properly f its a child, have the child
put on the seat belt, then ask
yourself :Does the child sit all the way back
against the seat?
Do the child’s knees bend
comf ortably over the edge of the
seat? Does the shoulder belt cross
between the child’s neck and arm?
Is the lap part of the belt as low as
possible, touching the child’s
thighs?
Will the child be able to stay
seated like this f or the whole trip?
If you answer yes to all these
questions, the child is ready to wear
the lap/shoulder belt correctly. If
you answer no to any question, the
child needs to ride on a booster seat. A child who has outgrown a f orward- f acing child seat should ride in a
back seat and use a booster seat
until the lap/shoulder belt f its them
properly without the booster.
1. 2. 3.4. 5.
Protecting L arger Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Using a Booster Seat
Checking Seat Belt Fit
44
——y
y
(%yy