3. Clip the tether strap to the
anchor as shown.
If the tether strap is clipped
incorrectly, the child safety seat may
not be retained properly in the
event of a collision.
4. Tighten the child safety seat tether strap according to the
manufacturer’s instructions.
If the safety seat is not anchored properly, the risk of a child being
injured in a collision greatly increases.
Child booster seats
The belt-positioning booster (booster seat) is used to improve the fit of
the vehicle safety belt. Children outgrow a typical child seat (e.g,
convertible or toddler seat) when they weigh about 40 lb (18 kg) and are
around four (4) years of age. Consult your child safety seat owner guide
for the weight, height, and age limits specific to your child safety seat.
Keep your child in the child safety seat if it properly fits the child,
remains appropriate for their weight, height and age AND if properly
secured to the vehicle.
Although the lap/shoulder belt will provide some protection, children
who have outgrown a typical child seat are still too small for lap/shoulder
belts to fit properly, and wearing an improperly fitted vehicle safety belt
could increase the risk of serious injury in a crash. To improve the fit of
both the lap and shoulder belt on children who have outgrown child
safety seats, Ford Motor Company recommends use of a belt-positioning
booster.
Booster seats position a child so that vehicle lap/shoulder safety belts fit
better. They lift the child up so that the lap belt rests low across the hips
and the knees bend comfortably at the edge of the cushion, while
minimizing slouching. Booster seats may also make the shoulder belt fit
better and more comfortably. Try to keep the belt near the middle of the
shoulder and across the center of the chest. Moving the child closer (a
few centimeters or inches) to the center of the vehicle, but remaining in
the same seating position, may help provide a good shoulder belt fit.
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When children should use booster seats
Children need to use booster seats from the time they outgrow the
toddler seat until they are big enough for the vehicle seat and
lap/shoulder belt to fit properly. Generally this is when they reach a
height of at least 4 feet 9 inches (1.45 meters) tall (around age eight to
age twelve and between 40 lb (18 kg) and 80 lb (36 kg) or upward to
100 lb (45 kg) if recommended by your child restraint manufacturer).
Many state and provincial laws require that children use approved
booster seats until they reach age eight, a height of 4 feet 9 inches
(1.45 meters) tall, or 80 lb (36 kg).
Booster seats should be used until you can answer YES to ALL of these
questions when seated without a booster seat:
•Can the child sit all the way back
against the vehicle seat back with
knees bent comfortably at the
edge of the seat cushion?
•Can the child sit without
slouching?
•Does the lap belt rest low across the hips?
•Is the shoulder belt centered on the shoulder and chest?
•Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?
Types of booster seats
There are generally two types of belt-positioning booster seats: backless
and high back. Always use booster seats in conjunction with the vehicle
lap/shoulder belt.
•Backless booster seats
If your backless booster seat has a
removable shield, remove the
shield. If a vehicle seating position
has a low seat back or no head
restraint, a backless booster seat
may place your child’s head (as
measured at the tops of the ears)
above the top of the seat. In this
case, move the backless booster
to another seating position with a
higher seat back or head restraint and lap/shoulder belts, or consider
using a high back booster seat.
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•High back booster seats
If, with a backless booster seat,
you cannot find a seating position
that adequately supports your
child’s head, a high back booster
seat would be a better choice.
Children and booster seats vary in size and shape. Choose a booster that
keeps the lap belt low and snug across the hips, never up across the
stomach, and lets you adjust the shoulder belt to cross the chest and rest
snugly near the center of the shoulder. The drawings below compare the
ideal fit (center) to a shoulder belt uncomfortably close to the neck and a
shoulder belt that could slip off the shoulder. The drawings below also
show how the lap belt should be low and snug across the child’s hips.
If the booster seat slides on the vehicle seat, placing a rubberized mesh
sold as shelf or carpet liner under the booster seat may improve this
condition. Do not introduce any item thicker than this under the booster
seat. Check with the booster seat manufacturer’s instructions.
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The importance of shoulder belts
Using a booster without a shoulder belt increases the risk of a child’s
head hitting a hard surface in a collision. For this reason, you should
never use a booster seat with a lap belt only. It is generally best to use a
booster seat with lap/shoulder belts in the back seat.
Move a child to a different seating location if the shoulder belt does not
stay positioned on the shoulder during use.
Follow all instructions provided by the manufacturer of the booster seat.
WARNING:Never place, or allow a child to place, the shoulder
belt under a child’s arm or behind the back because it reduces
the protection for the upper part of the body and may increase the risk
of injury or death in a collision.
Child restraint and safety belt maintenance
Inspect the vehicle safety belts and child safety seat systems periodically
to make sure they work properly and are not damaged. Inspect the
vehicle and child seat safety belts to make sure there are no nicks, tears
or cuts. Replace if necessary. All vehicle safety belt assemblies, including
retractors, buckles, front safety belt buckle assemblies, buckle support
assemblies (slide bar-if equipped), shoulder belt height adjusters (if
equipped), shoulder belt guide on seatback (if equipped), child safety
seat LATCH and tether anchors, and attaching hardware, should be
inspected after a collision. Refer to the child restraint manufacturer’s
instructions for additional inspection and maintenance information
specific to the child restraint. Ford Motor Company recommends that all
safety belt assemblies in use in vehicles involved in a collision be
replaced. However, if the collision was minor and an authorized dealer
finds that the belts do not show damage and continue to operate
properly, they do not need to be replaced. Safety belt assemblies not in
use during a collision should also be inspected and replaced if either
damage or improper operation is noted.
For proper care of soiled safety belts, refer toInteriorin theCleaning
chapter.
WARNING:Failure to inspect and if necessary replace the
safety belt assembly or child restraint system under the above
conditions could result in severe personal injuries in the event of a
collision.
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A
Accessory delay ..........................64
Air cleaner filter ...............276–278
Airbag supplemental restraint
system ................................118, 126
and child safety seats ............120
description ......................118, 126
disposal ....................................129
driver airbag ....................120, 127
operation .........................120, 127
passenger airbag .............120, 127
side airbag ...............................126
Ambient mood/lighting ...............52
Antifreeze
(see Engine coolant) ................256
Anti-lock brake system
(see Brakes) ..............................184
Anti-theft system ..................92, 95
arming the system ....................96
Audio system
(see Radio) ......................19, 23, 28
Automatic transmission ............188
driving an automatic
overdrive .................................189
fluid, adding ............................274
fluid, checking ........................274
fluid, refill capacities ..............279
fluid, specification ..................279
Auxiliary input jack (Line in) ....36
Auxiliary power point .................60
Axle
lubricant specifications ..........279
refill capacities ........................279
traction lok ..............................187
B
Battery .......................................254acid, treating emergencies .....254
jumping a disabled battery ....220
maintenance-free ....................254
replacement, specifications ...278
servicing ..................................254
Belt-Minder.............................113
Booster seats .............................145
Brakes ........................................184
anti-lock ...................................184
anti-lock brake system (ABS)
warning light ...........................184
fluid, checking and adding ....274
fluid, refill capacities ..............279
fluid, specifications .................279
lubricant specifications ..........279
parking ....................................185
shift interlock ..........................188
Bulbs ............................................52
C
Capacities for refilling fluids ....279
Cargo cover .................................73
Cell phone use ..............................7
Child safety seats ......................134
attaching with tether straps ..140
in front seat ............................135
in rear seat ..............................135
LATCH .....................................138
recommendations ...................132
Child safety seats - booster
seats ...........................................145
Cleaning your vehicle
engine compartment ..............238
instrument panel ....................240
interior .....................................241
plastic parts ............................239
washing ....................................236
waxing .....................................237
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L
Lamps
bulb replacement
specifications chart ..................53
daytime running light ...............49
fog lamps ...................................48
headlamps .................................48
headlamps, flash to pass ..........49
instrument panel, dimming .....49
interior lamps .....................51, 53
replacing bulbs .........................53
LATCH anchors .........................138
Lights, warning and indicator ....10
anti-lock brakes (ABS) ..........184
Limited slip axle
(see Traction Loc) ....................187
Load limits .................................169
Locks ............................................83
autolock .....................................85
doors ..........................................83
Lubricant specifications ...........279
Lug nuts ....................................220
Lumbar support, seats ...............99
M
Manual transmission .................192
fluid capacities ........................279
lubricant specifications ..........279
reverse .....................................193
Message center .....................73–74
display color ..............................75
english/metric button ...............76
MyColor display ........................75
system check button ................74
warning messages .....................79
Mirrors ...................................64, 66automatic dimming rearview
mirror ........................................64
side view mirrors (power) .......66
Motorcraft parts ........243, 262, 278
N
Navigation system .......................43
O
Octane rating ............................266
Oil (see Engine oil) ..................249
P
Parking brake ............................185
Parts (see Motorcraft parts) ....278
Passenger Occupant
Classification Sensor .................105
Power distribution box
(see Fuses) ...............................200
Power door locks ........................85
Power mirrors .............................66
Power point .................................60
Power steering ..........................187
fluid, checking and adding ....273
fluid, refill capacity ................279
fluid, specifications .................279
Power Windows ...........................62
R
Radio ................................19, 23, 28
Recommendations for
attaching safety restraints for
children ......................................132
Relays ........................................197
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Remote entry system .................87
illuminated entry ......................90
locking/unlocking doors .....87–88
opening the trunk .....................88
panic alarm ...............................88
replacement/additional
transmitters ...............................89
replacing the batteries .............89
Roadside assistance ..................195
S
Safety belts (see Safety
restraints) ..................103, 107–111
Safety Canopy ...........................126
Safety defects, reporting ..........235
Safety restraints ........103, 107–112
Belt-Minder...........................113
extension assembly ................112
for adults .........................108–111
for children .............................129
Occupant Classification
Sensor ......................................105
warning light and
chime ...............................112–113
Safety restraints - LATCH
anchors ......................................138
Safety seats for children ..........134
Safety Compliance
Certification Label ....................283
Satellite Radio Information ........40
Seats ............................................97
child safety seats ....................134
front seats .................................98
heated ......................................101
SecuriLock passive anti-theft
system ..........................................92
Servicing your vehicle ..............244Setting the clock
AM/FM/CD .................................25
AM/FM/In-dash 6 CD ................31
Spark plugs,
specifications .....................278, 282
Specification chart,
lubricants ...................................279
Speed control ..............................66
Starting your
vehicle ........................178–179, 181
jump starting ..........................220
Steering wheel
tilting .........................................60
T
Temporary mobility kit .............210
Tilt steering wheel ......................60
Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (TPMS)
Tires, Wheels and Loading ....163
Tires ...................................148–149
alignment ................................156
care ..........................................152
changing ..................................207
checking the pressure ............152
inflating ...................................150
label .........................................162
replacing ..................................154
rotating ....................................156
safety practices .......................155
sidewall information ...............157
snow tires and chains ............168
spare tire .................................205
Temporary mobility kit ..........210
terminology .............................149
tire grades ...............................149
treadwear ........................148, 153
Towing .......................................174
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Index
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