2009 Acura TL Owner's Manual

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 irmlysecured. Secure the child in the child seat.
1.
2. 3.
Installing a Child Seat
46
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2009 TL

Your vehicle is equipped with
LATCH (Lower Anchors and
Tethers for CHildren) at the outer
rear seats.To install a LATCH-compatible child
seat: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 the
anchors.
Usethepullstraptolowerthe
anchor cover on the lower seat
cushion that covers the LATCH
anchor holes in the seat.
The location of each lower anchor is
indicated by a small button above the
anchor point.
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.
1.3.
2.
CONT INUED
Installing a Child Seat with
LATCH
Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
47
LOWER ANCHORS STRAPCOVER
Outer seating position
BUTTONS
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2009 TL

Push the buttons located next to
each rear head restraint to pivot
the head restraints down.Place the child seat on the vehicle
seat, then attach the seat to the
lower anchors according to the
child seat maker’s instructions.
Some LATCH-compatible seats
have a rigid-type connector as
shown above.Other LATCH-compatible seats
have a f lexible-type connector as
shown above.
Whatever type you have, f ollow
the child seat maker’s instructions
f or adjusting or tightening the f it.
4.
5.
6.
Installing a Child Seat
48
BUTTONHEAD RESTRAINT
Outer seating position Rigid typeFlexible type
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2009 TL

Tighten the tether strap as
instructed by the child seat maker.
Push and pull the child seat
f orward and f rom side-to-side to
verify that it is secure.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
all seating positions except the
driver’s have a lockable retractor
that must be activated to secure a
child seat.
Route the tether strap over the
head restraint, then attach the
tether strap hook to the anchor,
making sure the strap is not
twisted. 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.
7.
8.
9. 1.
CONT INUED
Installing a Child Seat
Installing a Child Seat with a L ap/
Shoulder Belt
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
49
TETHER STRAP HOOK
ANCHOR COVER
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2009 TL

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.
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.To remove slack, it may help to
putweightonthechildseat,or
push on the back of the seat while
pulling up on the belt.
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
verify that it is secure enough to
stay upright during normal driving
maneuvers. If the child seat is not
secure, unlatch the belt, allow it to
retract f ully, then repeat these
steps.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Installing a Child Seat
50
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2009 TL

To deactivate the lockable retractor
and remove a child seat, unlatch the
buckle, unroute the seat belt, and let
the belt fully retract.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. Af ter properly securing the child
seat with the lap/shoulder belt
(see page ), pivot the head
restraint down (see page ) and
route the tether strap over the
head restraint.
1.
156
21
CONT INUED
Installing a Child Seat with a
Tether
Installing a Child Seat
Using an Out er A nchor
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
51
COVER
ANCHOR TETHER ANCHORAGE P
OINTSTETHER STRAP HOOK
ANCHOR COVER
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2009 TL

Lift the anchor cover, then attach
the tether strap hook to the
anchor, making sure the strap is
not twisted.
Tighten the strap according to the
seat maker’s instructions.Af ter properly securing the child
seat (see page ), push the
head restraint down, then route
the tether strap over the top of the
seat-back.
Followsteps2and3inthe
previous column.
1.
2.
3. 2.
49Using t he Cent er A nchor
Installing a Child Seat
52
TETHER STRAP
HOOKCOVER
ANCHOR
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2009 TL

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?
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 seat 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.
CONT INUED
Checking Seat Belt Fit
Protecting L arger Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
53
Allowing a child age 12 or under
to sit in front can result in injury
or death if the passenger’s front
airbag inflates.
If a 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.
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2009 TL