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{WARNING:
A young child's hip bones are still so small that
the vehicle's regular safety belt may not remain
low on the hip bones, as it should. Instead, it may
settle up around the child's abdomen. In a crash,
the belt would apply force on a body area that is
unprotected by any bony structure. This alone
could cause serious or fatal injuries. To reduce the
risk of serious or fatal injuries during a crash,
young children should always be secured in
appropriate child restraints.
Child Restraint Systems
A rear-facing infantseat (A) provides restraintwith the seating surfaceagainst the back ofthe infant.
The harness system holds the infant in place and, in acrash, acts to keep the infant positioned in the restraint.
A forward-facing childseat (B) provides restraintfor the child's body withthe harness.
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A booster seat (C-D) is a child restraint designed toimprove the fit of the vehicle's safety belt system.A booster seat can also help a child to see outthe window.
Securing an Add-On Child Restraint in
the Vehicle
{WARNING:
A child can be seriously injured or killed in a
crash if the child restraint is not properly secured
in the vehicle. Secure the child restraint properly
in the vehicle using the vehicle's safety belt or
LATCH system, following the instructions that
came with that child restraint and the instructions
in this manual.
To help reduce the chance of injury, the child restraintmust be secured in the vehicle. Child restraint systemsmust be secured in vehicle seats by lap belts or the lapbelt portion of a lap-shoulder belt, or by the LATCHsystem. SeeLower Anchors and Tethers for Children(LATCH)on page 2!59for more information. A childcan be endangered in a crash if the child restraint is notproperly secured in the vehicle.
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When securing an add-on child restraint, refer to theinstructions that come with the restraint which may beon the restraint itself or in a booklet, or both, and to thismanual. The child restraint instructions are important,so if they are not available, obtain a replacement copyfrom the manufacturer.
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 secure anychild restraint in the vehicle—even when no childis in it.
Securing the Child Within the Child
Restraint
{WARNING:
A child can be seriously injured or killed in a crash
if the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint. Secure the child properly following the
instructions that came with that child restraint.
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 a childriding in a rear-facing child restraint; a child riding in aforward-facing child seat; an older child riding in abooster seat; and children, who are large enough, usingsafety belts.
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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.
The vehicle may have a passenger sensing
system which is designed to turn off the right front
passenger frontal airbag under certain conditions.
(Continued)
WARNING: (Continued)
Even if the passenger sensing system,
if equipped, 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 Systemon page 2!84
for 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 secure anychild restraint in your vehicle—even when no childis in it.
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH)
The LATCH system holds a child restraint duringdriving or in a crash. This system is designed to makeinstallation of a child restraint easier. The LATCHsystem uses anchors in the vehicle and attachmentson the child restraint that are made for use with theLATCH system.
Make sure that a LATCH-compatible child restraintis properly installed using the anchors, or use thevehicle's safety belts to secure the restraint, followingthe instructions that came with that restraint, and alsothe instructions in this manual. When installing a childrestraint with a top tether, you must also use either thelower anchors or the safety belts to properly secure thechild restraint. A child restraint must never be attachedusing 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 you withinstructions 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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According to accident statistics, children and infants aresafer when properly restrained in a child restraintsystem or infant restraint system secured in a rearseating position. SeeWhere to Put the Restraintonpage 2!57
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for
the LATCH System
{WARNING:
If a LATCH-type child restraint is not attached to
anchors, the child restraint will not be able to
protect the child correctly. In a crash, the child
could be seriously injured or killed. Install a
LATCH-type child restraint properly using the
anchors, or use the vehicle's safety belts to
secure the restraint, following the instructions that
came with the child restraint and the instructions
in this manual.
{WARNING:
Do not attach more than one child restraint to a
single anchor. Attaching more than one child
restraint to a single anchor could cause the
anchor or attachment to come loose or even
break during a crash. A child or others could be
injured. To reduce the risk of serious or fatal
injuries during a crash, attach only one child
restraint per anchor.
{WARNING:
Children can be seriously injured or strangled if a
shoulder belt is wrapped around their neck and
the safety belt continues to tighten. Buckle any
unused safety belts behind the child restraint so
children cannot reach them. Pull the shoulder belt
all the way out of the retractor to set the lock,
if your vehicle has one, after the child restraint
has been installed.
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5. To tighten the belt, push down on the childrestraint, pull the shoulder portion of the belt totighten the lap portion of the belt and feed theshoulder belt back into the retractor. Wheninstalling a forward-facing child restraint, it may behelpful to use your knee to push down on the childrestraint as you tighten the belt.
6. If the child restraint has a top tether, follow thechild restraint manufacturer's instructions regardingthe use of the top tether. SeeLower Anchors andTethers for Children (LATCH)on page 2!59formore information.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in differentdirections to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the vehiclesafety belt and let it return to the stowed position.If the top tether 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!57.
In addition, the vehicle may have a passenger sensingsystem which is designed to turn off the right frontpassenger frontal airbag under certain conditions. SeePassenger Sensing Systemon page 2!84andPassenger Airbag Status Indicatoron page 4!31formore information, including important safety information.
A label on the 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.
(Continued)
WARNING: (Continued)
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.
The vehicle may have a passenger sensing
system which is designed to turn off the right front
passenger frontal airbag under certain conditions.
Even if the passenger sensing system,
if equipped, 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 Systemon page 2!84
for additional information.
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