Infants and Young Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! This includes
infants and all other children. Neither the distance
traveled nor the age and size of the traveler changes
the need, for everyone, to use safety restraints. In fact,
the law in every state in the United States and in
every Canadian province says children up to some age
must be restrained while in a vehicle.
{CAUTION:
Children can be seriously injured or strangled if a
shoulder belt is wrapped around their neck and
the safety belt continues to tighten. Never leave
children unattended in a vehicle and never allow
children to play with the safety belts.
Airbags plus lap-shoulder belts offer protection for
adults and older children, but not for young children
and infants. Neither the vehicle’s safety belt system norits airbag system is designed for them. Every time
infants and young children ride in vehicles, they should
have the protection provided by appropriate child
restraints.
Children who are not restrained properly can strike
other people, or can be thrown out of the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Never hold an infant or a child while riding in a
vehicle. Due to crash forces, an infant or a child
will become so heavy it is not possible to hold it
during a crash. For example, in a crash at only
25 mph (40 km/h), a 12 lb (5.5 kg) infant will
suddenly become a 240 lb (110 kg) force on a
person’s arms. An infant should be secured in an
appropriate restraint.
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Where to Put the Restraint
According to accident statistics, children and infants are
safer when properly restrained in a child restraint
system or infant restraint system secured in a rear
seating position.
We recommend that children and child restraints be
secured in a rear seat, including: an infant or a
child riding in a rear-facing child restraint; a child riding
in a forward-facing child seat; an older child riding in
a booster seat; and children, who are large enough,
using safety belts.
A label on the sun visor says, “Never put a rear-facing
child restraint in the front.” This is because the risk
to the rear-facing child is so great, if the airbag deploys.{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front passenger
airbag in ates. This is because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would be very close to the
in ating airbag. A child in a forward-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured or killed if the right
front passenger airbag in ates and the passenger
seat is in a forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing system has turned
off the right front passenger frontal airbag, no
system is fail-safe. No one can guarantee that an
airbag will not deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though it is turned off.
CAUTION: (Continued)
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CAUTION: (Continued)
Secure rear-facing child restraints in a rear seat,
even if the airbag is off. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint in the right front seat,
always move the front passenger seat as far back
as it will go. It is better to secure the child restraint in
a rear seat.
SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-65
for additional information.
When securing a child restraint in a rear seating
position, study the instructions that came with the child
restraint to make sure it is compatible with this
vehicle.
Wherever a child restraint is installed, be sure to secure
the child restraint properly.
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 the vehicle — even when no
child is in it.
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH)
The LATCH system holds a child restraint during driving
or in a crash. This system is designed to make installation
of a child restraint easier. The LATCH system uses
anchors in the vehicle and attachments on the child
restraint that are made for use with the LATCH system.
Make sure that a LATCH-compatible child restraint is
properly installed using the anchors, 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. When installing a child
restraint with a top tether, you must also use either the
lower anchors or the safety belts to properly secure
the child restraint. A child restraint must never be
installed using only the top tether and anchor.
In order to use the LATCH system in your vehicle, you
need a child restraint that has LATCH attachments.
The child restraint manufacturer will provide you
with instructions on how to use the child restraint and its
attachments. The following explains how to attach a
child restraint with these attachments in your vehicle.
Not all vehicle seating positions or child restraints have
lower anchors and attachments or top tether anchors
and attachments.
1-43
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position
Your vehicle has airbags. A rear seat is a safer place to
secure a forward-facing child restraint. SeeWhere to
Put the Restraint on page 1-42.
In addition, your vehicle has a passenger sensing
system which is designed to turn off the right front
passenger’s frontal airbag under certain conditions.
SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-65
andPassenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-33for
more information on this, including important safety
information.
A label on your sun visor says, “Never put a rear-facing
child seat in the front.” This is because the risk to the
rear-facing child is so great, if the airbag deploys.
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front passenger
airbag in ates. This is because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would be very close to the
in ating airbag. A child in a forward-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured or killed if the right
front passenger airbag in ates and the passenger
seat is in a forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing system has turned
off the right front passenger frontal airbag, no
system is fail-safe. No one can guarantee that an
airbag will not deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though it is turned off.
Secure rear-facing child restraints in a rear seat,
even if the airbag is off. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint in the right front seat,
always move the front passenger seat as far back
as it will go. It is better to secure the child restraint in
a rear seat.
SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-65
for additional information.
1-52
If your child restraint has the LATCH system, see
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)
on page 1-43for how to install your child restraint using
LATCH. If you secure a child restraint using a safety
belt and it uses a top tether, seeLower Anchors
and Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 1-43for top
tether anchor locations.
Do not secure a child seat in a position without a top
tether anchor if a national or local law requires that
the top tether be anchored, or if the instructions
that come with the child restraint say that the top strap
must be anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that forward-facing child
restraints have a top tether, and that the tether be
attached.You will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the
child restraint in this position. Follow the instructions that
came with the child restraint.
1. Move the seat as far back as it will go before
securing the forward-facing child restraint.
When the passenger sensing system has turned off
the right front passenger’s frontal airbag, the off
indicator in the passenger airbag status indicator
should light and stay lit when you start the vehicle.
SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator on
page 3-33.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder
portions of the vehicle’s safety belt through or
around the restraint. The child restraint instructions
will show you how.
1-53
5. To tighten the belt, push down on the child restraint,
pull the shoulder portion of the belt to tighten the
lap portion of the belt and feed the shoulder
belt back into the retractor. If you are using a
forward-facing child restraint, you may nd it helpful
to use your knee to push down on the child
restraint as you tighten the belt.
6. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.If the airbag is off, the off indicator in the passenger
airbag status indicator will come on and stay on when
the vehicle is started.
If a child restraint has been installed and the on
indicator is lit, turn the vehicle off. Remove the child
restraint from the vehicle and reinstall the child restraint.
If, after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting
the vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, check to make
sure that the vehicle’s seatback is not pressing the child
restraint into the seat cushion. If this happens, slightly
recline the vehicle’s seatback and adjust the seat
cushion if possible. Also make sure the child restraint is
not trapped under the vehicle head restraint. If this
happens, adjust the head restraint.
Remove any additional material from the seat such as
blankets, cushions, seat covers, seat heaters or
seat massagers before reinstalling or securing the child
restraint.
If the on indicator is still lit, secure the child in the child
restraint in a rear seat position in the vehicle and
check with your dealer/retailer.
To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the vehicle’s
safety belt and let it go back all the way.
1-55
{CAUTION:
Airbags plus lap-shoulder belts offer the best
protection for adults, but not for young children
and infants. Neither the vehicle’s safety belt
system nor its airbag system is designed for them.
Young children and infants need the protection
that a child restraint system can provide. Always
secure children properly in your vehicle. To read
how, seeOlder Children on page 1-33orInfants
and Young Children on page 1-36.
There is an airbag
readiness light on the
instrument panel cluster,
which shows the airbag
symbol.
The system checks the airbag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. SeeAirbag Readiness Light on page 3-32
for more information.
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver frontal airbag is in the middle of the steering
wheel.
1-58