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Infants and Young Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! This includesinfants and all other children. Neither the distancetraveled nor the age and size of the traveler changesthe need, for everyone, to use safety restraints. In fact,the law in every state in the United States and inevery Canadian province says children up to some agemust be restrained while in a vehicle.
{WARNING:
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 adultsand older children, but not for young children and infants.Neither the vehicle’s safety belt system nor its airbagsystem is designed for them. Every time infants andyoung children ride in vehicles, they should have theprotection provided by appropriate child restraints.
Children who are not restrained properly can strike otherpeople, or can be thrown out of the vehicle.
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{WARNING:
Never do this.
Children who are up against, or very close to, any
airbag when it inflates can be seriously injured or
killed. Never put a rear-facing child restraint in the
right front seat. Secure a rear-facing child restraint
in a rear seat. It is also better to secure a
forward-facing child restraint in a rear seat. If you
must secure a forward-facing child restraint in the
right front seat, always move the front passenger
seat as far back as it will go.
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Where to Put the Restraint
According to accident statistics, children and infants aresafer when properly restrained in a child restraintsystem or infant restraint system secured in a rearseating position.
We recommend that children and child restraints besecured in a rear seat, including: an infant or achild riding in a rear-facing child restraint; a child ridingin a forward-facing child seat; an older child riding ina booster seat; and children, who are large enough,using safety belts.
A label on your sun visor says, “Never put a rear-facingchild seat in the front.” This is because the risk to therear-facing child is so great, if the airbag deploys.
{WARNING:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front passenger
airbag inflates. This is because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would be very close to the
inflating airbag. A child in a forward-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured or killed if the right
front passenger airbag inflates 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 2-67for
additional information.
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{WARNING:
A child in a child restraint in the center front seat
can be badly injured or killed by the frontal airbags
if they inflate. Never secure a child restraint in the
center front seat. It is always better to secure a
child restraint in a rear seat.
Do not use child restraints in the center front seatposition.
When securing a child restraint in a rear seatingposition, study the instructions that came with your childrestraint to make sure it is compatible with this vehicle.
Wherever a child restraint is installed, be sure to securethe child restraint properly.
Keep in mind that an unsecured child restraint canmove around in a collision or sudden stop and injurepeople in the vehicle. Be sure to properly secureany child restraint in your vehicle — even when no childis in it.
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH)
The LATCH system holds a child restraint during drivingor in a crash. This system is designed to makeinstallation of a child restraint easier. The LATCHsystem uses anchors in the vehicle and attachments onthe child restraint that are made for use with theLATCH system.
Make sure that a LATCH-compatible child restraint isproperly installed using the anchors, or use the vehicle’ssafety belts to secure the restraint, following theinstructions that came with that restraint, and also theinstructions in this manual. When installing a childrestraint with a top tether, you must also use either thelower anchors or the safety belts to properly securethe child restraint. A child restraint must never beinstalled using only the top tether and anchor.
In order to use the LATCH system in your vehicle, youneed a child restraint that has LATCH attachments.The child restraint manufacturer will provide youwith instructions on how to use the child restraint and itsattachments. The following explains how to attach achild restraint with these attachments in your vehicle.
Not all vehicle seating positions or child restraints havelower anchors and attachments or top tether anchorsand attachments.
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5. To tighten the belt, push down on the child restraint,pull the shoulder portion of the belt to tighten thelap portion of the belt and feed the shoulderbelt back into the retractor. When installing aforward-facing child restraint, it may be helpful touse your knee to push down on the child restraint asyou tighten the belt.
6. If the child restraint has a top tether, follow the childrestraint manufacturer’s instructions regarding theuse of the top tether. SeeLower Anchors andTethers for Children (LATCH) on page 2-45for moreinformation.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in differentdirections to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the vehicle safetybelt and let it return to the stowed position. If the toptether is attached to a top tether anchor, disconnect it.
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Center Front Seat Position
{WARNING:
A child in a child restraint in the center front seat
can be badly injured or killed by the frontal airbags
if they inflate. Never secure a child restraint in the
center front seat. It is always better to secure a
child restraint in a rear seat.
Do not use child restraints in the center front seatposition.
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Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position
This vehicle has airbags. A rear seat is a safer place tosecure a forward-facing child restraint. SeeWhere toPut the Restraint on page 2-44.
In addition, the vehicle has a passenger sensing systemwhich is designed to turn off the right front passengerfrontal airbag and seat-mounted side impact airbagunder certain conditions. SeePassenger SensingSystem on page 2-67andPassenger Airbag StatusIndicator on page 4-51for more information, includingimportant safety information.
A label on the sun visor says, “Never put a rear-facingchild seat in the front.” This is because the risk tothe rear-facing child is so great, if the airbag deploys.
{WARNING:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front passenger
airbag inflates. This is because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would be very close to the
inflating airbag. A child in a forward-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured or killed if the right
front passenger airbag inflates 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 2-67for
additional information.
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If the child restraint has the LATCH system, seeLowerAnchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) onpage 2-45for how and where to install the child restraintusing LATCH. If a child restraint is secured using asafety belt and it uses a top tether, seeLower Anchorsand Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 2-45fortop tether anchor locations.
Do not secure a child seat in a position without a toptether anchor if a national or local law requires that thetop tether be anchored, or if the instructions thatcome with the child restraint say that the top strap mustbe anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that forward-facing childrestraints have a top tether, and that the tether beattached.
You will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure thechild restraint in this position. Follow the instructions thatcame with the child restraint.
1. Move the seat as far back as it will go beforesecuring the forward-facing child restraint.
When the passenger sensing system has turned offthe right front passenger frontal airbag andseat-mounted side impact airbag, the off indicatoron the passenger airbag status indicator should lightand stay lit when you start the vehicle. SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 4-51.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulderportions of the vehicle’s safety belt through oraround the restraint. The child restraint instructionswill show you how.
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6. To tighten the belt, push down on the child restraint,pull the shoulder portion of the belt to tighten thelap portion of the belt and feed the shoulderbelt back into the retractor. When installing aforward-facing child restraint, it may be helpful touse your knee to push down on the child restraint asyou tighten the belt.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in differentdirections to be sure it is secure.
If the airbags are off, the off indicator in the passengerairbag status indicator will come on and stay onwhen the vehicle is started.
If a child restraint has been installed and the onindicator is lit, see “If the On Indicator is Lit for aChild Restraint ” underPassenger Sensing System onpage 2-67for more information.
To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the vehiclesafety belt and let it return to the stowed position.
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