2013 FORD FLEX Owners Manual

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.
Note:The ’Lock-off’ device on some child restraints may not
accommodate the shoulder portion of the inflatable safety belt. Follow all
instructions provided by the manufacturer of the child restraint regarding
the necessary and proper use of the ’Lock-off’ device. In some instances
these devices have been provided only for use in vehicles with safety belt
systems that would otherwise require a locking clip. This vehicle does
not require the use of a locking clip.
1. Position the child safety seat in a
seat with a combination lap and
shoulder belt.
2. After positioning the child safety seat in the proper seating position,
do the following:
•Standard safety belt: pull down
on the shoulder belt and then
grasp the shoulder belt and lap
belt together behind the belt
tongue.
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•Inflatable safety belt: grasp the
shoulder belt and lap belt together
behind the belt tongue.
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.
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.
•Standard safety belt buckle
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•Inflatable safety belt buckle
5. To put the retractor in the automatic locking mode, do the following;
•Standard safety belt: grasp the
shoulder portion of the belt and
pull downward until all of the belt
is pulled out.
•Inflatable safety belt: grasp the lap
portion of the inflatable safety belt
and pull upward until all of the belt
is pulled out.
Note:Unlike the standard safety belt, the inflatable safety belt’s unique
lap portion locks the child seat for installation. The ability for the
shoulder portion of the belt to move freely is normal, even after the lap
belt has been put into the automatic locking mode.
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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, repeat Steps 5 and 6.
8. Remove remaining slack from the belt. Force the seat down with extra
weight, e.g., by pressing down or kneeling on the child restraint while
pulling up on the shoulder belt (for standard safety belt) or pulling down
on the lap belt (for inflatable safety belt) in order to force slack from the
belt. This is necessary to remove the remaining slack that will exist once
the additional weight of the child is added to the child restraint. It also
helps to achieve the proper snugness of the child seat to the vehicle.
Sometimes, a slight lean towards the buckle will additionally help to
remove remaining slack from the belt.
•Standard safety belt
•Inflatable safety belt
9. Attach the tether strap (if the child seat is equipped). Refer to
Installing child safety seats with tether strapslater in this chapter.
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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 cm) of
movement for proper installation.
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.
INSTALLING CHILD SAFETY SEATS WITH Lower Anchors AND
Tethers FOR CHildren (LATCH)
WARNING:Never attach two child safety seats to th 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.
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The LATCH system is composed of three vehicle anchor points: two (2)
lower anchors located where the vehicle seat back and seat cushion meet
(called the “seat bight”) and one (1) 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. 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.
Your vehicle has LATCH lower anchors for child seat installation at the
seating positions marked with the child seat symbol.
•Second row bucket seats and
third-row passenger side
•Second row bench seats and
third-row passenger side
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The LATCH anchors are located at
the rear section of the rear seat
between the cushion and seatback
below the symbols as shown. Follow
the child seat manufacturer’s
instructions to properly install a
child seat with LATCH attachments.
Follow the instructions on attaching child safety seats with tether straps.
Refer toInstalling child safety seats with tether strapslater in this
chapter.
Attach LATCH lower attachments of the child seat only to the anchors
shown.
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.
INSTALLING CHILD SAFETY SEATS WITH 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.
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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The tether strap anchors in your vehicle are in the following positions
(shown from top view):
•Second row bucket seats and
third-row passenger side
•Second row bench seats and
third-row passenger side
Perform the following steps to install a child safety seat with tether anchors:
Note: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.
1. Route the tether strap.
•Second row outboard seat positions:Route the child safety seat
tether strap over the seatback, under the head restraint and between
the head restraint posts. If needed the head restraint can be removed
to improve the fit of the child safety seat or tether strap.
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