2013 FORD F250 Owners Manual

Children and booster seats vary in size and shape. Choose a booster that
keeps the lap belt low and snug across the hips, never up across the
stomach, and lets you adjust the shoulder belt to cross the chest and rest
snugly near the center of the shoulder. The following drawings compare
the ideal fit (center) to a shoulder belt uncomfortably close to the neck
and a shoulder belt that could slip off the shoulder. The drawings also
show how the lap belt should be low and snug across the child’s hips.
If the booster seat slides on the vehicle seat upon which it is being used,
placing a rubberized mesh sold as shelf or carpet liner under the booster
seat may improve this condition. Do not introduce any item thicker than
this under the booster seat. Check with the booster seat manufacturer’s
instructions.
24Child Safety
2013 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide gf, 3rd Printing, December 2012
USA(fus)

INSTALLING CHILD SEATS
Using Lap and Shoulder Belts
WARNING:Airbags can kill or injure a child in a child seat.
NEVERplace a rear-facing child seat in front of an active airbag.
If you must use a forward-facing child seat in the front seat, move the
seat all the way back.
WARNING:Children 12 and under should be properly restrained
in the rear seat whenever possible.
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 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.
When installing a child safety seat with combination lap/shoulder belts:
•Use the correct safety belt buckle for that seating position.
•Insert the belt tongue into the proper buckle until you hear a snap
and feel it latch. Make sure the tongue is securely fastened in the
buckle.
•Keep the buckle release button pointing up and away from the safety
seat, with the tongue between the child seat and the release button,
to prevent accidental unbuckling.
•Place the vehicle seat upon which the child seat will be installed in
the upright position.
•This vehicle does not require the use of a locking clip.
Child Safety25
2013 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide gf, 3rd Printing, December 2012
USA(fus)

Perform the following steps when installing the child seat with
combination lap and shoulder belts:
Note:Although the child seat illustrated is a forward facing child seat,
the steps are the same for installing a rear facing child seat.
1. Position the child safety seat in
a seat with a combination lap and
shoulder belt.
2. Pull down on the shoulder belt
and then grasp the shoulder belt
and lap belt together.
3. While holding the shoulder
and lap belt portions together,
route the tongue through the child
seat according to the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions. Be sure
the belt webbing is not twisted.
26Child Safety
2013 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide gf, 3rd Printing, December 2012
USA(fus)

4. Insert the belt tongue into the
proper buckle (the buckle closest to
the direction the tongue is coming
from) for that seating position until
you hear a snap and feel the latch
engage. Make sure the tongue is
latched securely by pulling on it.
5. To put the retractor in the
automatic locking mode, grasp the
shoulder portion of the belt and pull
downward until all of the belt is
pulled out.
6. Allow the belt to retract to remove slack. The belt will click as it
retracts to indicate it is in the automatic locking mode.
7. Try to pull the belt out of the retractor to make sure the retractor is
in the automatic locking mode (you should not be able to pull more belt
out). If the retractor is not locked, unbuckle the belt and repeat Steps 5
and 6.
8. Remove remaining slack from the
belt. Force the seat down with extra
weight, for example, by pressing
down or kneeling on the child
restraint while pulling up on the
shoulder belt in order to force slack
from the belt.
Child Safety27
2013 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide gf, 3rd Printing, December 2012
USA(fus)

This is necessary to remove the remaining slack that will exist once the
extra weight of the child is added to the child restraint. It also helps
to achieve the proper snugness of the child seat to your vehicle.
Sometimes, a slight lean toward the buckle will additionally help to
remove remaining slack from the belt.
9. Attach the tether strap (if the child seat is equipped). SeeUsing
Tether Strapsin this chapter.
10. Before placing the child in the
seat, forcibly move the seat forward
and back to make sure the seat is
securely held in place.
To check this, grab the seat at the belt path and attempt to move it side
to side and forward and back. There should be no more than 1 inch
(2.5 centimeters) of movement for proper installation.
Ford recommends checking with a NHTSA Certified Child Passenger
Safety Technician to make certain the child restraint is properly installed.
In Canada, check with your local St. John Ambulance office for referral
to a Child Passenger Safety Technician.
Using Cinch Tongue Lap and Shoulder Belts (All Front Center and
Super/Crew Cab Rear Center Positions)
WARNING:Airbags can kill or injure a child in a child seat.
If you must use a forward-facing child seat in the front seat,
move seat all the way back.
WARNING:Rear facing child seats should never be placed in
front of an active airbag.
WARNING:Always use both lap and shoulder safety belt in the
Regular Cab center seating position if applicable.
28Child Safety
2013 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide gf, 3rd Printing, December 2012
USA(fus)

The belt webbing below the tongue is the lap portion of the combination
lap and shoulder belt, and the belt webbing above the tongue is the
shoulder belt portion of the combination lap and shoulder belt.
1. Position the child safety seat in
the center front seat.
2. Slide the tongue up the webbing.
3. While holding both shoulder and
lap portions next to the tongue,
route the tongue and webbing
through the child seat according
to the child seat manufacturer’s
instructions. Be sure that the belt
webbing is not twisted.
Child Safety29
2013 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide gf, 3rd Printing, December 2012
USA(fus)

4. Insert the belt tongue into the
proper buckle (the buckle closest to
the direction the tongue is coming
from) for that seating position until
you hear a snap and feel the latch
engage. Make sure the tongue is
latched securely by pulling on it.
5. While pushing down with your
knee on the child seat pull up
on the shoulder belt portion to
tighten the lap belt portion of the
combination lap and shoulder belt.
6. Allow the safety belt to retract and remove any slack in the belt to
securely tighten the child safety seat in the vehicle.
7. Attach the tether strap (if the child seat is equipped). SeeUsing
Tether Strapsin this chapter.
8. Before placing the child into the
child seat, forcibly pull the child
seat forward and back to make sure
that the seat is held securely in
place. To check this, grab the seat
at the belt path and attempt to
move it side to side and forward
and back. There should be no more
than 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) of
movement for proper installation.
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.
30Child Safety
2013 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide gf, 3rd Printing, December 2012
USA(fus)

Ford recommends checking with a NHTSA Certified Child Passenger
Safety Technician to make certain the child restraint is properly installed.
In Canada, check with your local St. John Ambulance office for referral
to a Child Passenger Safety Technician.
Using Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren (LATCH)
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. Your vehicle is not equipped with the lower anchor points in the
seat bight. For this vehicle, use the vehicle safety belt and upper tether to
secure a child seat. SeeUsing Tether StrapsandRecommendations for
Safety Restraints for Childrenin this chapter for more information.
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 may be equipped with built-in tether
strap anchors located behind the seats as described below.
The tether anchors in your vehicle may be straps on the seat back or an
anchor bracket mounted to the body shell on the back panel.
The SuperCab rear seat has three straps behind the top of the seat back
that function as both routing loops for the tether straps and anchor
loops.
Child Safety31
2013 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide gf, 3rd Printing, December 2012
USA(fus)