2013 FORD F150 child seat

9. Check from time to time to be sure that there is no slack in the lap
and shoulder belt. The shoulder belt must be snug to keep the lap belt
tight during a collision.
Ford recommends checking with a NHTSA Certified Child Passenger
Safety Technician (CPST) to make certain the child restraint is properly
installed. In Canada, check with your local St. John Ambulance office for
referral to a CPST.
Using Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren (LATCH)
WARNING:Never attach two child safety seats to the same
anchor. In a crash, one anchor may not be strong enough to hold
two child safety seat attachments and may break, causing serious injury
or death.
WARNING:Depending on where you secure a child restraint,
and depending on the child restraint design, you may block
access to certain safety belt buckle assemblies and/or LATCH lower
anchors, rendering those features potentially unusable. To avoid risk of
injury, occupants should only use seating positions where they are able
to be properly restrained.
The LATCH system is composed of three vehicle anchor points: two
lower anchors located where the vehicle seat back and seat cushion meet
(called the seat bight) and one top tether anchor located behind that
seating position.
LATCH compatible child safety seats have two rigid or webbing mounted
attachments that connect to the two lower anchors at the LATCH
equipped seating positions in your vehicle. This type of attachment
method eliminates the need to use safety belts to attach the child seat,
however the safety belt can still be used to attach the child seat if the
lower anchors are not used. For forward-facing child seats, the top tether
strap must also be attached to the proper top tether anchor, if a top
tether strap has been provided with your child seat. SeeUsing Tether
Strapsin this chapter for more information.
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Your vehicle is equipped with LATCH lower anchors for child seat
installation at the following seating positions (LATCH is not available on
F150 Regular cab) :
•F150 SuperCab and SuperCrew
The lower LATCH anchors are located at the rear section of the rear seat
between the cushion and seatback. Follow the child seat manufacturer’s
instructions to properly install a child seat with LATCH attachments.
Follow the instructions later in this chapter on attaching child safety
seats with tether straps.
Attach LATCH lower attachments of the child seat only to the anchors
shown.
Use of Inboard Lower Anchors from the Outboard Seating
Positions (Center Seating Use)
WARNING:The standardized spacing for LATCH lower anchors
is 280 mm (11 inches) center to center. Do not use LATCH lower
anchors for the center seating position unless the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions permit and specify using anchors spaced at
least as far apart as those in this vehicle.
The lower anchors at the center of the second row rear seat are spaced
25.7 inches (652 mm) apart. The standardized spacing for LATCH lower
anchors is 11 inches (280 mm) center to center. A child seat with rigid
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LATCH attachments cannot be installed at the center seating position.
LATCH compatible child seats (with attachments on belt webbing) can
only be used at this seating position provided that the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions permit use with the anchor spacing stated.
Do not attach a child seat to any lower anchor if an adjacent child seat is
attached to that anchor.
Each time you use the safety seat, check that the seat is properly
attached to the lower anchors and tether anchor, if applicable. Tug the
child seat from side to side and forward and back where it is secured to
the vehicle. The seat should move less than one inch when you do this
for a proper installation.
If the safety seat is not anchored properly, the risk of a child being
injured in a crash greatly increases.
Combining Safety Belt and LATCH Lower Anchors for Attaching
Child Safety Seats
When used in combination, either the safety belt or the LATCH lower
anchors may be attached first, provided a proper installation is achieved.
Attach the tether strap afterward, if included with the child seat.
Using Tether Straps
Many forward-facing child safety seats include a tether strap
which extends from the back of the child safety seat and hooks
to an anchoring point called the top tether anchor.
Tether straps are available as an accessory for many older safety seats.
Contact the manufacturer of your child seat for information about
ordering a tether strap, or to obtain a longer tether strap if the tether
strap on your safety seat does not reach the appropriate top tether
anchor in the vehicle.
The passenger seats of your vehicle are equipped with built-in tether
strap anchors located behind the seats as described below.
The tether anchors in your vehicle may be loops of webbing above the
seat back or an anchor bracket behind the seat on the rear edge of the
seat cushion.
The rear seat in the SuperCab and SuperCrew has three straps along the
top of the seat back that function as both routing loops for the tether
straps and anchor loops.
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The tether strap anchors in your vehicle are in the following positions
(shown from top view):
•F-150 Regular Cab
•F-150 SuperCrew and SuperCab
Attach the tether strap only to the appropriate tether anchor as shown.
The tether strap may not work properly if attached somewhere other
than the correct tether anchor.
If you install a child seat with rigid LATCH attachments, do not tighten
the tether strap enough to lift the child seat off the vehicle seat cushion
when the child is seated in it. Keep the tether strap just snug without
lifting the front of the child seat. Keeping the child seat just touching the
vehicle seat gives the best protection in a severe crash.
Once the child safety seat has been installed using either the safety belt,
the lower anchors of the LATCH system, or both, you can attach the top
tether strap.
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Front Seat Tether Strap Attachment (Regular Cab)
1. Route the child safety seat tether strap over the back of the seat and
under the head restraint.
For vehicles with adjustable head restraints, route the tether strap under
the head restraint and between the head restraint posts, otherwise route
the tether strap over the top of the seat back.
2. Locate the correct anchor for the selected seating position.
•You may need to pull the seat back forward to access the tether
anchors. Make sure the seat back is locked in the upright position
before installing the child seat.
3. Clip the tether strap to the anchor as shown.
•Regular Cab passenger and
center seats (located on back
panel)
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.
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Rear Seat Tether Strap Attachment (SuperCab and SuperCrew)
There are three loops of webbing
just above the back of the rear seat
(along the bottom edge of the rear
window). These loops are to be
used as both routing loops and
anchor loops for up to three child
safety seat tether straps.
For example, the center loop can be used as a routing loop for a child
safety seat in the center rear seat and as an anchoring loop for child
seats installed in the outboard rear seats.
Many tether straps cannot be tightened if the tether strap is hooked to
the loop directly behind the child seat. To provide a tight tether strap:
1. Route the tether strap under the
head restraint and through the loop
directly behind the child seat.
2. Route the tether strap behind the
head restraint supports to a loop
behind an adjacent seating position,
and hook the strap hook onto the
loop. If using the driver’s side, pass
the strap behind the shoulder belt
mounting for the center seat.
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•Always put the tether strap through the routing loop. The head
restraint support post will hold the child seat tightly, but the head
restraint post is not strong enough to hold the child seat during a
collision.
3. Tighten the tether strap according to the child seat manufacturer’s
instructions.
If the safety seat is not anchored properly, the risk of a child being
injured in a collision greatly increases.
If your child restraint system is equipped with a tether strap, and the
child restraint manufacturer recommends its use, Ford also recommends
its use.
CHILD SAFETY LOCKS
The childproof locks are located on
the rear edge of each rear door and
must be set separately for each
door.
•Insert the key and turn to the
lock position (key horizontal) to
engage the childproof locks.
•Insert the key and turn to the
unlock position (key vertical) to
disengage the childproof locks.
When these locks are set, the rear
doors cannot be opened from the
inside.
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PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION
WARNING:Always drive and ride with your seatback upright
and the lap belt snug and low across the hips.
WARNING:To reduce the risk of injury, make sure children sit
where they can be properly restrained.
WARNING:Never let a passenger hold a child on his or her lap
while the vehicle is moving. The passenger cannot protect the
child from injury in a collision.
WARNING:All occupants of the vehicle, including the driver,
should always properly wear their safety belts, even when an
airbag supplemental restraint system (SRS) is provided.
WARNING:It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision, people riding in these
areas are more likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not allow
people to ride in any area of your vehicle that is not equipped with
seats and safety belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and
using a safety belt properly.
WARNING:In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is
significantly more likely to die than a person wearing a safety
belt.
WARNING:Each seating position in your vehicle has a specific
safety belt assembly which is made up of one buckle and one
tongue that are designed to be used as a pair. 1) Use the shoulder belt
on the outside shoulder only. Never wear the shoulder belt under the
arm. 2) Never swing the safety belt around your neck over the inside
shoulder. 3) Never use a single belt for more than one person.
WARNING:When possible, all children 12 years old and under
should be properly restrained in a rear seating position.
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