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If you have children, or ever need to
drive with a child in your vehicle, be
sure to read this section. It begins
with important general guidelines,
then presents special inf ormation f or
infants, small children, and larger
children. (see pages ).
(see pages ).
Children depend on adults to protect
them. However, despite their best
intentions, many adults do not know
how to protect child
passengers. Each year, many children are injured
or killed in vehicle crashes because
they are either unrestrained or not
properly restrained. In f act, vehicle
accidents are the number one cause
of the death of children age 12 and
under.
To reduce the number of child
deaths and injuries, every U.S. state
and Canadian province requires that
inf ants and children be properly
restrained when they ride in a
vehicle.
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properly
Protecting Children General Guidelines
All Children Must Be Restrained
Inf ant s and small children must be
rest rained in an approved child seatt hat is properly secured t o t hevehicle Larger children must be restrained
wit h a lap/shoulder belt and ride ona boost er seat unt il t he seat belt f it st hem properly
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Children who are unrestrained
or improperly restrained can be
seriously injured or killed in a
crash.
Any child too small for a seat
belt should be properly
restrained in a child seat. A
larger child should be properly
restrained with a seat belt and
use a booster seat if necessary.
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Even though your vehicle has an
advanced front airbag system that
automatically turns the passenger’s
f ront airbag of f (see page ),
please f ollow these guidelines:If
the airbag inf lates, it can hit the back
of the child seat with enough force
to kill or very seriously injure an
inf ant.
Front airbags have been designed to
help protect adults in a moderate to
severe f rontal collisions. To do this
the passenger’s f ront airbag is quite
large, and it can inflate with enough
f orce to cause very serious injuries.
According to accident statistics,
children of all ages and sizes are
saf er when they are restrained in a
back seat. The National Highway
Traf f ic Saf ety Administration and
Transport Canada recommend that
all children age 12 and under be
properly restrained in a back seat.
Some states have laws restricting
where children may ride.
Children who ride in back are less
likely to be injured by striking
interior vehicle parts during a
collision or hard braking. Also,
children cannot be injured by an
inflating front airbag when they ride
in the back. If the vehicle seat is
too far forward, or the child’s head is
thrown f orward during a collision, an
inflating front airbag can strike the
child with enough f orce to kill or
very seriously injure a small child.
Whenever possible,
larger children should sit in the back
seat, on a booster seat if needed, and
be properly restrained with a seat
belt (see page f or important
inf ormation about protecting larger
children).
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Protecting Children General Guidelines
Small Children
Larger Children
Inf ant s Never put a rear-f acing child seat inthe f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwit h a passenger’s f ront airbag. Placing a f orward-f acing child seat in
the f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwit h a passenger’s f ront airbag canbe hazardous.
Children who have outgrown childseat s are also at risk of being injuredor killed by an inf lat ing passenger’sfront airbag.All Children Should Sit in a Back
Seat The Passenger’s Front Airbag
Can Pose Serious Risks
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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Many parents say they pref er to put
an inf ant or a small child in the f ront
passenger seat so they can watch the
child, or because the child requires
attention.
Placing a child in the f ront seat
exposes the child to hazards in a
f rontal collision, and paying close
attention to a child distracts the
driver from the important tasks of
driving, placing both of you at risk.
Place the largest child in the f ront
seat, provided the child is large
enough to wear the lap/shoulder
belt properly (see page ).
Move the vehicle seat as far to the
rear as possible (see page ).
Have the child sit upright and well
backintheseat(seepage ).
Make sure the seat belt is properly
positioned and secured (see page
).
Your vehicle has two rows of back
seats where children can be properly
restrained. If you ever have to carry
a group of children, and a child must
ride in f ront:
If a child requires close physical
attention or f requent visual
contact, we strongly recommend
that another adult ride with the
child in a back seat. The back seat
is f ar saf er f or a child than the
front.
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Protecting Children General Guidelines
If a Child Requires Close
Attention
If You Must Drive with Several
Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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If you are not wearing a
seat belt in a crash, you could be
thrown forward and crush the
child against the dashboard or a
seat-back. If you are wearing a
seat belt, the child can be torn
from your arms and be seriously
hurt or killed.
If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash. For example, infants and small
childrenleftinavehicleonahot
day can die f rom heatstroke. A
child lef t alone with the key in the
ignition switch can accidentally set
the vehicle in motion, possibly
injuring themselves or others.
Children who play in vehicles can
accidentally get trapped inside.
Teach your children not to play in
or around vehicles.
If a child wraps a loose
seat belt around their neck, they
can be seriously or f atally injured.
(See pages and f or how to
activate and deactivate the
lockable retractor.)
Leaving children without
adult supervision is illegal in most
states and Canadian provinces,
and can be very hazardous. This can prevent
children f rom accidentally f alling
out (see page ).
During a crash, the
belt could press deep into the child
and cause serious or fatal injuries.
Even very young
children learn how to unlock
vehicle doors, turn on the ignition
switch, and open the tailgate,
which can lead to accidental injury
or death.
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Additional Saf ety Precautions
Protecting Children General Guidelines
Neverholdaninfantorchildon
your lap.
Never let two children use thesame seat belt . Lock all doors and the tailgate
when your vehicle is not in use.
Make sure any unused seat belt
t hat a child can reach is buckled,the lockable retractor is activated,and the belt is f ully retracted andlocked.
Do not leave children alone in avehicle.
Use t he childproof door locks t o
prevent children f rom opening t herear doors.
Never put a seat belt over yourself
and a child.
K eep vehicle keys/remot etransmitters out of the reach ofchildren.
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Since LATCH-compatible child seats
are easier to install and reduce the
possibility of improper installation,
we recommend selecting this style.
When buying a child seat, you need
to choose either a conventional child
seat, or one designed f or use with
the lower anchors and tethers for
children (LATCH) system.
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 two outer
second row seats.
Even with advanced front airbags,
which can automatically turn the
passenger’s front airbag off (see
page ), a back seat is the saf est
place f or a small child.
If it is necessary to put a f orward-
f acing child seat in the f ront, move
the vehicle seat as far to the rear as
possible, and be sure the child seat is
f irmly secured to the vehicle and the
child is properly strapped in the seat.
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.
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Protecting Inf ants and Small Children, Selecting a Child Seat
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 type and size to f it the child.
T he child seat should f it thevehicle seat ing posit ion (orposit ions) where it will be used.
1.
2.3.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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Placing a forward-facing child
seat in the front seat can result
in serious injury or death if the
front airbag inflates.
Ifyoumustplaceaforward-
facing child seat in front, move
the vehicle seat as far back as
possible, and properly restrain
the child.
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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 for 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
verify 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 seats.
Properly secure t he child seat t o the vehicle. Make sure t he child seat is f irmly
secured. Secure the child in the child seat.
1. 2. 3.
Installing a Child Seat
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Make sure there are no objects
near the anchors that could
prevent a secure connection
between the child seat and the
anchors.
Move the seat belt buckle or
tongue away f rom the lower
anchors.
To install a LATCH-compatible child
seat:
Place the child seat on the vehicle
seat, then attach the seat to the
lower anchors according to the
child seat maker’s instructions.
Your vehicle is equipped with
LATCH (lower anchors and tethers
f or children) at the outer second row
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.
The location of each lower anchor is
indicated by a small button above the
anchor point.
Some LATCH-compatible seats
have a rigid-type connector as
shown above.
1.
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Installing a Child Seat
Installing a Child Seat with
LATCH
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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LOWER
ANCHORS
BUTTON
Rigid-type
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When not using the LATCH system,
all child seats must be secured to the
vehicle with the lap part of a lap/
shoulder belt.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.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.
In addition, the lap/shoulder belts in
all seating positions except the
driver’s have a lockable retractor
that must be activated to secure a
child seat.
If you intend to install a child seat in
the center seating position of the
secondroworinthethirdrow,make
sure the detachable seat belt is
securely latched (see page ).
1. 2.
3.
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Installing a Child Seat
Installing a Child Seat with a L ap/
Shoulder Belt
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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