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When choosing a child restraint, be sure the child
restraint is designed to be used in a vehicle. If it is,
it will have a label saying that it meets federal motor
vehicle safety standards.
Then follow the instructions for the restraint. You may
nd these instructions on the restraint itself or in a
booklet, or both. These restraints use the belt system
in your vehicle, but the child also has to be secured
within the restraint to help reduce the chance of personal
injury. When securing an add-on child restraint, refer
to the instructions that come with the restraint which
may be on the restraint itself or in a booklet, or both,
and to this manual. The child restraint instructions
are important, so if they are not available, obtain a
replacement copy from the manufacturer.
The child restraint must be secured properly in the
passenger seat. If you want to secure a rear-facing child
restraint in the passenger’s seat, turn off the passenger’s
airbag. SeeAirbag Off Switch on page 1-47and
Securing a Child Restraint in the Passenger Seat
Position on page 1-34for more on this, including
important safety information.
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the passenger’s
airbag in ates. This is because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would be very close
to the in ating airbag. Be sure to turn off the
airbag before using a rear-facing child restraint
in the passenger seat position.
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.
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Top Strap
Some child restraints have a top strap, or “top tether.”
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.
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.
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Page 35 of 388
{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.
To locate the top strap anchor see “Top Strap Anchor
Location” following.
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.
Top Strap Anchor Location
The anchor point for the
top strap is a loop located
at the back of the
passenger side seat.
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Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers
for Children (LATCH System)
Your vehicle is equipped with the LATCH system.
It is located in the passenger seat.
This system, designed to make installation of child
restraints easier, does not use the vehicle’s safety belts.
Instead, it uses vehicle anchors and child restraint
attachments to secure the restraints. Some restraints
also use another vehicle anchor to secure a top
tether strap.
A. Lower Anchorage
B. Lower Anchorage
C. Top Tether
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Page 37 of 388
A. Lower Anchorage
B. Lower Anchorage
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 anchors for this child
restraint system, the passenger seat has visible metal
anchorage points 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.
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Page 38 of 388

Securing a Child Restraint Designed
for the LATCH System
Your vehicle has a passenger airbag. There is an airbag
off switch in the glove box you can use to turn off the
passenger’s airbag. SeeAirbag Off Switch on page 1-47
for more on this, including important safety information.
Unless the passenger’s airbag has been turned off,
neverput a rear-facing child restraint in this vehicle.
Here is why:
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the passenger’s
airbag in ates. This is because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would be very close
to the in ating airbag. Do not use a rear-facing
child restraint in this vehicle unless the
passenger’s airbag has been turned off.
Even though the airbag off switch is designed
to turn off the passenger’s frontal airbag, no
system is fail-safe, and no one can guarantee
that an airbag will not deploy under some
unusual circumstance, even though it is turned
off. We recommend that rear-facing child
restraints be transported in vehicles with a
rear seat that will accommodate a rear-facing
child restraint, whenever possible.
If you need to secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the passenger seat, always move
the passenger seat as far back as it will go.
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{CAUTION:
If the airbag readiness light ever comes on
when you have turned off the passenger’s
frontal airbag, it means that something may be
wrong with the airbag system. The passenger’s
frontal airbag could in ate even though the
switch is off. If this ever happens, do not let
anyone whom the national government has
identi ed as a member of a passenger airbag
risk group sit in the passenger’s position
(for example, do not secure a rear-facing
child restraint in your vehicle) until you have
your vehicle serviced. SeeAirbag Off Switch
on page 1-47.
1. Your vehicle has a passenger’s airbag. SeeAirbag
Off Switch on page 1-47. If your child restraint is
forward-facing, always move the seat as far back
as it will go before securing it in this seat. SeePower
Seats on page 1-2. Never use a rear-facing child
restraint in this seat unless the airbag is off.2. Find the LATCH anchorages in the passenger
seat. SeeLower Anchorages and Top Tethers
for Children (LATCH System) on page 1-30.
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 seeTop Strap on page 1-28.
6. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, simply unhook the top
strap from the top tether anchor and then disconnect
the anchor points.
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If you were using a rear-facing child restraint, turn on
the passenger’s airbag when you remove the rear-facing
child restraint from the vehicle unless the person who
will be sitting there is a member of a passenger
airbag risk group. SeeAirbag Off Switch on page 1-47.
{CAUTION:
If the passenger’s frontal airbag is turned
off for a person who is not in a risk group
identi ed by the national government, that
person will not have the extra protection of a
frontal airbag. In a crash, the airbag would not
be able to in ate and help protect the person
sitting there. Do not turn off the passenger’s
frontal airbag unless the person sitting there
is in a risk group. SeeAirbag Off Switch on
page 1-47for more on this, including important
safety information.
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Passenger Seat Position
Your vehicle has a passenger airbag. There is an airbag
off switch in the glove box you can use to turn off the
passenger’s airbag. SeeAirbag Off Switch on page 1-47
for more on this, including important safety information.
Unless the passenger’s airbag has been turned off,
neverput a rear-facing child restraint in this vehicle.
Here is why:
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