2004 HONDA ELEMENT child seat

When buying a child seat, you need
to choose between a conventional
child seat, or one designed f or use
with the Lower Anchors and Tethers
f or Children (LATCH) system.We also recommend selecting a
LATCH-compatible seat with a rigid,
rather than a f lexible, anchor (see
page ).
In seating positions and vehicles not
equipped with LATCH, a LATCH-
compatible child seat can be installed
using a seat belt.
Whatever type of seat you choose, to
provide proper protection, a child
seat should meet three
requirements:
Look f or FMVSS
213 or CMVSS 213 on the box.
Rear-facing for infants, forward-
f acing f or small children. Bef ore purchasing a conventional
child seat, or using a previously
purchased one, we recommend that
you test the seat in the specif ic
vehicle seating position, or positions,
where the seat will be used.
Conventional child seats must be
secured to a vehicle with a seat belt,
whereas LATCH-compatible seats
are secured by attaching the seat to
hardware built into the rear seat.
Since LATCH-compatible child seats
are easier to install and reduce the
possibility of improper installation,
we recommend selecting this style. 39
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Selecting a Child Seat
T he child seat should meet U.S. or
Canadian Mot or Vehicle Saf et ySt andard 213.
T he child seat should be of theproper t ype and size t o f it t he child. T he child seat should f it the
vehicle seat ing posit ion (or
posit ions) where it will be used.
1. 2. 3.
37
—
—y
y
(+
yy

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.
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. 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 seats.Secure the child in the child seat.
Properly secure t he child seat t o the vehicle.
Make sure t he child seat is f irmlysecured.
1.
2. 3.
Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety38
—
—y
y
(+
yy

CONT INUED
Your vehicle is equipped with
LATCH (Lower Anchors and
Tethers f or Children) at the 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.Make sure there are no objects
near the anchors that could
prevent a secure connection
between the child seat and
anchors.
To install a LATCH-compatible child
seat:
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.
Remove both anchor covers by
pulling f orward.
The location of each lower anchor is
marked with a small button above
the point. 1. 2.
3.
Installing a Child Seat Using
LATCH
Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety39
Rigid type
MARKS
ANCHOR COVER
—
—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. Remove the head restraint (see
page ). Make sure the removed
head restraints are secured in the
cargo area, and reinstalled when
the child seat is removed.
Slide the anchor cover open.
Route the tether strap over the top
of the seat-back, making sure the
strap is not twisted.
5.
4. 6.7.
75
Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety40
Flexible type TETHER ANCHOR
ANCHOR COVER
—
—y
y
(+
yy

CONT INUED
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.
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.
Attach the tether strap hook to the
tether anchor, 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. 1.
8. 9.
Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Installing a Child Seat with a L ap/
Shoulder Belt
41
TETHER ANCHOR
TETHER STRAP HOOK
—
—y

y
(+
yy

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.
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.
To remove slack, it may help to
putweightonthechildseat,or
push on the back of the seat while
pulling up on the belt.
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.
4.
5.
2. 3.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Installing a Child Seat
42
—
—y


y
(+
yy

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.)
A child seat with a tether can be
installed in either seating position in
the back seat, using one of the
anchorage points shown above.
Af ter securing the child seat in the
desired position (see page ),
remove the head restraint, then
route the tether strap over the top
of the seat-back.
Tighten the strap according to the
seat maker’s instructions.
Slide the anchor cover open, then
attach the tether strap hook to the
anchor, making sure the strap is
not twisted.
1.
3.
2.
41
Installing a Child Seat with a
Tether
Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety43
TETHER STRAP HOOK
ANCHOR POINTS
TETHER ANCHOR
ANCHOR COVER TETHER ANCHOR
—
—y

y
(+
yy

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.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting L arger Children
44
Allowing a larger child age 12 or
under to sit in front can result in
injury or death if the passenger’s
front airbag inflates.
If a larger 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