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Knowing Your Vehicle3-28Placement of a Child Restraint System
We recommend that, whenever possible, you put the
child restraint system in the center position of the rear
seat and secure it to the vehicle with the lap belt.
If the center rear seat is not available, or you are using
more than one child restraint system in the vehicle at
the same time, the rear outboard safety belts have been
designed to allow a child restraint system to be used in
these positions. Since those seats normally lock only
under extreme or emergency conditions (emergency
lock mode) you must manually adjust those belts to the
auto lock mode.Installing a Child Restraint System in the Rear
Outboard Seats
2MS103005
WARNING - Child Restraints
Children will be endangered in a crash if
their child restraint systems are not proper-
ly secured by the safety belts in the vehicle.
According to accident statistics, children are
safer when properly restrained in the rear
seating positions rather than the front seat-
ing positions.
When a child restraint system is not secured
by a safety belt, store it in the trunk so that
it will not be thrown forward in the event of
a sudden stop or accident.
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3-29
For safety reasons, we recommend that the child
restraint system be used in the center rear seat. If the
center rear seat is unavailable, a child restraint may be
installed in the rear outboard seats.
WARNING - Restraint Instructions
Failure to observe this manual’s instructions
regarding child restraint systems and the
instructions provided with the child restraint
system could increase the chance and/or severi-
ty of injury in an accident.
Since all three of these safety belts move freely under
normal conditions and only lock under extreme or
emergency conditions (emergency lock mode) you
must manually adjust these belts to the auto lock mode
(if equipped) to secure a child restraint.
The driver’s safety belt incorporates the emergency
lock mode only.
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Knowing Your Vehicle3-30
Placing a Passenger Safety Belt into the
“Auto Lock” Mode (If Equipped)
The use of the auto lock mode will ensure that the nor-
mal movement of the child in the vehicle does not
cause the safety belt to be pulled out and loosen the
firmness of its hold on the child restraint.
To secure a child restraint in the front passenger seat or
rear outboard seats, follow the procedure below.
1. Place the child restraint system in the seat and route
the lap/shoulder belt around or through the
restraint, following the restraint manufacturer’s
instructions. Be sure the belt webbing is not twist-
ed.
WARNING - Child Restraint
Placement
NEVER use a child restraint in the front pas-
senger seat. A child in a child restraint installed
in the front passenger seat can be severely or
fatally injured by an air bag which could
impact the child restraint with great force when
the air bag inflates.
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Knowing Your Vehicle3-32
5. Before placing the child in the child restraint,
forcibly try to push the seat from side to side and
forward to make sure that the seat is securely held
in place.
6. Double check that the retractor is in the automatic
locking mode by trying to pull the shoulder portion
of the safety belt out of the retractor. If you cannot
pull the belt out of the retractor, it is in the auto-
matic locking mode. If you can, repeat step 4.
To remove the child restraint, press the release button
on the buckle and then pull the lap/shoulder belt out of
the restraint and allow the safety belt to retract fully.
AN7B03028
4. Slowly allow the belt to retract. Pull up on the
shoulder webbing. A “clicking” or “ratcheting”
sound will be heard as the belt retracts. This indi-
cates the retractor is now in the automatic locking
mode. Push down on the child restraint while you
pull up on the belt in order to remove any slack in
the belt.
AN7B03027
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3-33
Installing a Child Restraint in the Rear Center Seat
(If Equipped)
To install a child restraint in the rear center seat, do the
following:
1. Place the child restraint in the desired position.
Route the lap belt through the restraint according to
the seat manufacturer’s instructions.
2. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle until an audi-
ble “click” is heard, indicating the belt is locked in
the buckle.
3. Adjust the lap safety belt for a snug hold on the child
restraint by pulling on the loose end of the belt.
To return the safety belt retractor to the emergency
lock mode, allow the seat belt to retract fully to its
stowed position. The retractor will then automatically
switch back to the emergency lock mode for normal
adult usage.
WARNING - Auto Lock Mode
The lap/shoulder belt automatically returns to
the “emergency lock mode” whenever the belt
is allowed to retract fully. Therefore, the pre-
ceding six steps must be followed each time a
child restraint is installed.
If the safety belt is not placed in the “auto
lock” mode, severe injury or death could occur
to the child and/or other occupants in the vehi-
cle in a collision, since the child seat will not be
effectively held in place.
2MS103006
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Knowing Your Vehicle3-34Tether Anchor Installation
Your vehicle is equipped with an anchor for securing
the tether strap of a child restraint system (child seat).
The child restraint anchor fittings are installed on the
shelf behind the rear seat or in the trunk on the inboard
side of the rear bumper in the 5-door hatchback.
2FDA304/2FDA305
Child Seat Anchorage PositionFor small children and babies, the use of a child seat or
infant seat is strongly recommended. This child seat or
infant seat should be of appropriate size for the child
and should be installed in accordance with the manu-
facturer’s instructions. It is further recommended that
the seat be placed in the vehicle’s rear seat since this
can make an important contribution to safety. Your
vehicle is provided with three child restraint hook
holders on the package tray behind the rear seat for
installing the child seat or infant seat.
WARNING - Child Restraint
Placement
Never use a child restraint in the front passen-
ger seat. A child in a child restraint installed in
the front passenger seat can be severely or
fatally injured by an air bag which could
impact the child restraint with great force
when the air bag inflates.
WARNING
If the tether strap is clipped incorrectly, the
child restraint seat may not be restrained
properly in the event of a collision.
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Installing a child restraint seat ;
1. Position the child restraint seat on the rear passenger
seat cushion.
2. Route the child restraint seat tether strap over the
back of the seat.
For vehicles with adjustable head restraints, route
the tether strap under the head restraint and between
the head restraint posts, otherwise route the tether
strap over the top of the seatback.
3. Locate the correct anchor on the package tray behind
the rear seat for the selected seating position.
4. Open the tether anchor cover.
5. Clip the tether strap hook to the tether strap hook
holder.
6. Tighten the tether strap to secure the seat.
3-35
WARNING - Child Restraint
Anchorage
Child restraint anchorages are designed to
withstand only those loads imposed by cor-
rectly fitted child restraints. Under no cir-
cumstances are they to be used for adult
seat belts or harnesses or for attaching other
items or equipment to the vehicle.
The tether strap may not work properly if
attached somewhere other than the correct
tether anchor.
WARNING - Child Restraint
Check that the child restraint system is secure
by pushing and pulling it in different direc-
tions. Incorrectly fitted child restraints may
swing, twist, tip or come away causing death or
injury.
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Child Seat Lower AnchorsThe lower anchors are located between rear seat cush-
ion and seatback.Knowing Your Vehicle3-36
There is a symbol located on the lower portion of each
side of the rear seatbacks. These symbols indicate the
position of the lower anchors for child restraints so
equipped.
To attach the child seat to the lower anchor, insert the
child seat latch into the lower anchor hold. Listen for
the audible “Click” sound.
2FDA303/BGQ03102
S2D300
Child lower anchor indicater
WARNING
If the child restraint is not anchored properly,
the risk of a child being seriously injured or
killed in a collision greatly increases.
Always follow the installation and use instruc-
tions provided by the manufacturer of the child
restraint.
WARNING
Do not install a child restraint seat at the rear
center seating position using the vehicle’s
ISOFIX anchors. The ISOFIX anchors are only
provided for the left and right outboard rear
seating positions.
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