_____________________________________________ C _h_i_ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t ... Y'--- __
LATCH Lower anchorages and
tether for children
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
To provide a simp ler and mo re practicable way to attach the child
restra in t on the ve hicl e se at , Feder al reg ulat ions re quire spe cial
lower anchorages in vehicles and devices on new ch ild restraints to
at ta ch to the veh icle an chor ages.
Th e combination of the tethe r anchorages and the lower anchorages
is now generally called t he
LATCH system fo r "Lower Anchorages and
T ethe rs for Childre n."
Forward-facing c hild restraints manufactured after September 1,
1 999, are req uired by U.S. feder al reg ulations to comply with new
child head movement performance requirements. These new perfor
m ance requiremen ts make a tether nece ssary on mos t new ch ild
seats.
Installing a c hild restra int that re qui res a top tethe r w ithout one can
se riou sly impair t he pe rformance of the chi ld re stra int and its ab ility
to protect t he chi ld in a collision. Insta lling a child restraint that
req uires a top tet her w ithou t th e top tethe r may be a viola tion of
state law.
Child restrain t manufacturers offe r LATCH lowe r anchorages on thei r
child seats with hook-on or push-on connectors attac hed to adjust
able straps.
I n ad d it io n t o the LA TC H l owe r anc ho rages, these child restr aint
systems usually require the use of tether straps to he lp keep the ch ild
restra in t firm ly in pla ce.
_& WARNING
Improper installation of child res traints will increase the risk of
injury and death in a crash.
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(co ntinued )
• Always follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer
of the child restraint you intend to install in your vehicle .
• Never install a child re straint without a properly attached top
tether strap if the child restraint manufacturer's in structions
require the top tether strap to be used.
• Improper use of child restraint LATCH lower anchorage poi nts
can lead to inju ry in a colli sion . The LATCH lower anchorage point s
are designed to withstand only tho se loads imposed by correctly
fitted child restraints.
• Never mount two child restraint systems on one LATCH lower
anchorage point .
• Never secure or attach any luggage or other item to the LATCH
lowe r anchorage s.
rn Tips
In C anada, the te rms " top te ther" wi th "lower universa l anch orages"
(or "lowe r universal anchorage bars") are used to descr ibe the
system.
• In other countries, the term "ISOFIX" is used to descr ibe the lower
anchora ges .•
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
