2013 FORD TRANSIT CONNECT 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.
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.
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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.
Note:The automatic locking mode is available on the front passenger
and rear seats. This vehicle does not require the use of a locking clip.
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.
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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 Strapslater in 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 (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 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
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. 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.
•Taxi version
•All others
The LATCH lower anchors are
located at the rear section of the
rear seat between the cushion and
seatback, below the locator symbols
on the seat back. Follow the child
seat manufacturer’s instructions to
properly install a child seat with
LATCH attachments.
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Follow the instructions on attaching child safety seats with tether straps.
Refer toUsing 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.
Combining LATCH lower anchors with tethers for attaching child
safety seats (5-passenger Taxi only)
When the LATCH lower anchors and tethers are used together, use the
following attachment combinations only:
•Use LATCH lower anchor A with
tether A as depicted in the
graphic.
•Use LATCH lower anchor B with
tether B as depicted in the
graphic.
•Note:Do not use the LATCH lower anchors in combination with
tether C.
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.
A
B
C
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The rear seating positions of your vehicle are equipped with built-in
tether strap anchors located behind the seats on the d-pillar in the cargo
area as described below.
The tether strap anchors in your vehicle are in the following positions
(shown from top view):
•Four-passenger vehicle
•Five-passenger vehicle
Perform the following steps to install a child safety seat with tether
anchors:
Note:If you install a child seat with rigid LATCH attachments, and have
attached the top tether strap to the proper top tether anchor, 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.
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Front passenger seating position
The tether can be attached directly to the rear of the front seat.
1. Route the tether strap under the head restraint and between the head
restraint posts.
2. Clip the tether strap to the
anchor as shown.
Second row center seating position
The tether can be attached directly to the rear of the second row center
seat.
1. Route the tether strap under the head restraint and between the head
restraint posts.
2. Locate the anchor for the center
seating position.
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3. Clip the tether strap to the
anchor as shown.
Second-row outboard seating positions
Note:Place the head restraint underneath the back of the front seat for
storage.
1. Remove the head restraint.
2. Locate the correct anchor for the selected seating position.
•On five-passenger vehicles,
anchors are located on the
passenger-side and driver-side
upper rear door frame area close
to the roof.
•On four-passenger vehicles,
the anchor is located on the
driver-side upper rear door frame
area close to the roof.
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