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µ
For example, infants and small
childrenleftinavehicleonahot
day can die f rom heatstroke. A
child lef t alone with the key in the
ignition switch can accidentally set
the vehicle in motion, possibly
injuring themselves or others.
If you are not wearing a
seat belt in a crash, you could be
thrown f orward and crush the
child against the dashboard or a
seat-back. If you are wearing a
seat belt, the child can be torn
f rom your arms and be seriously
hurt or killed.
During a crash, the
belt could press deep into the child
and cause serious or fatal injuries. If a child wraps a loose
seat belt around their neck, they
can be seriously or f atally injured.
(See pages and f or how to
activate and deactivate the
lockable retractor.)
If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash.
This can prevent
children f rom accidentally f alling
out (see page ). Children who play in
vehicles can accidentally get
trapped inside. Teach your
children not to play in or around
vehicles.
Even very young
children learn how to unlock
vehicle doors, turn on the ignition
switch, and open the tailgate or
the glass hatch, which can lead to
accidental injury or death.
Leaving children without
adult supervision is illegal in most
states, Canadian provinces and
territories, and can be very
hazardous. 52 53
143
Additional Saf ety Precautions
Neverholdaninfantorchildon
your lap.
Never put a seat belt over yourselfand a child. Make sure any unused seat belt
t hat a child can reach is buckled,the lockable retractor is activated,
and the belt is f ully retracted and
locked.
Never let two children use thesame seat belt .
Use t he childproof door locks t o prevent children f rom opening t he
rear doors. Lock all doors, the tailgate and the
glass hat ch when your vehicle isnot in use.
K eep vehicle keys/remot etransmitters out of the reach of children.
Do not leave children alone in a
vehicle.
Protecting Children General Guidelines
42
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In seating positions and vehicles not
equipped with LATCH, a LATCH-
compatible child seat can be installed
using the seat belt and a top tether
f or added security. This is because
all child seats are required to be
designed so that they can be secured
with a lap belt or the lap part of a
lap/shoulder belt.
Most child seats are LATCH-
compatible (Lower Anchors and
Tethers f or CHildren). Some have a
rigid-type connector, while others
have a f lexible-type connector. Both
are equally easy to use. Some
existing and previously owned child
seats can only be installed using the
seat belt. Whichever type you
choose, f ollow the child seat
manuf acturer
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Af ter selecting a proper child seat
and a good place to install the seat,
there are three main steps in
installing the seat:All child seats must be
secured to the vehicle with the lap
part of a lap/shoulder belt or with
the LATCH (Lower Anchors and
Tethers f or CHildren) system. A
child whose seat is not properly
secured to the vehicle can be
endangered in a crash.
Af ter installing a child
seat, push and pull the seat
f orward and f rom side-to-side to
verif y that it is secure. A child seat secured with a seat belt
should be installed as f irmly as
possible. However, it does not need
to be ‘‘rock solid.
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To install a LATCH-compatible child
seat in either outer second row seat:Move the seat belt buckle or
tongue away f rom the lower
anchors.
Make sure there are no objects
near the anchors that could
prevent a secure connection
between the child seat and the
anchors.
Your vehicle is equipped with
LATCH (Lower Anchors and
Tethers f or CHildren) at each of the
second row seats and the passenger
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Attach the tether strap hook to the
tether anchor, then tighten the
strap as instructed by the child
seat maker.To install a LATCH-compatible child
seat in the center seating position on
the second row seat, use the center
lower anchors as shown above. Follow step 1 through 4 as
described previously to secure the
child seat.
Lower the head restraint f irst.
Route the tether strap over the
head restraint and seat-back, then
attach the tether strap hook to the
anchor, making sure the strap is
not twisted.
Push and pull the child seat
f orward and f rom side-to-side to
verif y that it is secure.
Push and pull the child seat
f orward and f rom side-to-side to
verif y that it is secure. Unlatch the detachable seat belt
anchor latch and retract the seat
belt all the way into the ceiling.
Place the latch plate and anchor
latch in their holding slots (see
page ).
6. 7. 2. 3. 4.
1. 163
Using t he Cent er L A T CH
Installing a Child Seat
50
Table of ContentsMain Menu
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When not using the LATCH system,
all child seats must be secured to the
vehicle with the lap part of a lap/
shoulder belt.With the child seat in the desired
seating position, route the belt
through the child seat according
to the seat maker
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Push and pull the child seat
f orward and f rom side-to-side to
verif y that it is secure enough to
stay upright during normal driving
maneuvers. If the child seat is not
secure, unlatch the belt, allow it to
retract f ully, then repeat these
steps.A child seat with a tether can be
installed in any seating position in
the second or third row.
To deactivate the lockable retractor
and remove a child seat, unlatch the
buckle, unroute the seat belt, and let
the belt fully retract. Since a tether can provide additional
security to the lap/shoulder belt
installation, we recommend using a
tether whenever one is required or
available.
Af ter conf irming that the belt is
locked, grab the shoulder part of
the belt near the buckle, and pull
up to remove any slack from the
lap part of the belt. Remember, if
the lap part of the belt is not tight,
the child seat will not be secure.
To remove slack, it may help to
putweightonthechildseat,or
push on the back of the seat while
pulling up on the belt.
4.
5.
CONT INUED
Installing a Child Seat with a
Tether
Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
53
Table of ContentsMain Menu
Page 63 of 681
When a child reaches the
recommended weight or height limit
for a forward-facing child seat, the
child should sit in a back seat on a
booster seat and wear the lap/
shoulder belt.
The f ollowing pages give
instructions on how to check proper
seat belt f it, what kind of booster
seat to use if one is needed, and
important precautions f or a child
who must sit in f ront.To determine if a lap/shoulder belt
properly f its a child, have the child
put on the seat belt, then ask
yourself :
Does the child sit all the way back
against the seat?
Do the child