2013 HONDA RIDGELINE Owners Manual

Make sure the head restraint is in
the lowest position. Lif t the cover,
then route the tether strap around
the upper guide. Route the tether
strap downward properly, making
sure the strap is not twisted, then
attach the strap hook to the center
tether anchor.Place the child seat on the vehicle
seat, then attach the seat to the
lower anchors according to the
child seat maker’s instructions.
Some LATCH-compatible seats
have a rigid-type connector as
shown above.Other LATCH-compatible seats
have a f lexible-type connector as
shown above.
Whatever type you have, f ollow
the child seat maker’s instructions
f or adjusting or tightening the f it.
5.
4.
Installing a Child Seat
44
Flexible type
Rigid type
12/08/09 16:05:00 31SJC670_051
Driver and Passenger Saf ety

Lif t the head restraint (see page), then route the tether strap
over the seat-back and through
the head restraint legs.
Lift the cover, then route the
tether strap around the upper
guide. Route the tether strap
downward properly, making sure
the strap is not twisted, then
attach the strap hook to the tether
anchor on the outside of the seat
bottom (see page ). Push and pull the child seat
f orward and f rom side-to-side to
verify that it is secure. Tighten the strap according to the
seat maker’s instructions.
6.
7.
8.
48
123
On the outer seating position
Installing a Child Seat
45
Outer Position
Center PositionTETHER ANCHOR
TETHER ANCHOR
UPPER
GUIDE UPPERGUIDE
12/08/09 16:05:07 31SJC670_052
Driver and Passenger Saf ety

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’s instructions,
then insert the latch plate into the
buckle and remove any slack f rom
the lap portion of the belt.To activate the lockable retractor,
slowly pull the shoulder part of the
belt all the way out until it stops,
then let the belt f eed back into the
retractor.
Af ter the belt has retracted, tug on
it. If the belt is locked, you will not
be able to pull it out. If you can pull
thebeltout,itisnotlocked,and
you will need to repeat these steps.
In addition, the lap/shoulder belts in
all seating positions except the
driver’s have a lockable retractor
that must be activated to secure a
child seat.
If you intend to install the
child seat in the rear center
seating position and use the
tether strap for additional
security, make sure to
push down the head restraint
to the lowest position and hook
the tether strap hook to the
anchor before securing the
child seat with the lap/ shoulder
belt. Refer to page for how
to route the tether strap properly.
1.
2.
3.
48
Installing a Child Seat with a L ap/
Shoulder Belt
Installing a Child Seat
46
12/08/09 16:05:15 31SJC670_053
Driver and Passenger Saf ety

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.Push and pull the child seat
forward and from side-to-side to
verify 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
fully, then repeat these steps.
To remove slack, it may help to
putweightonthechildseat,or
push on the back of the seat while
pulling up on the belt. To deactivate the lockable retractor
and remove a child seat, unlatch the
buckle, unroute the seat belt, and let
the belt fully retract.
4. 5.
Installing a Child Seat
47
12/08/09 16:05:21 31SJC670_054
Driver and Passenger Saf ety

When using a tether anchor, always
hook the tether strap through the
upper guide to route it properly.
Since a tether can provide additional
security to the lap/shoulder belt
installation, we recommend using a
tether whenever one is required or
available.
Each outer seating position has a
tether anchor at the outside of the
seat bottom. The center seating
position has a tether anchor between
the lower anchors f or the LATCH-
compatible child seat. Each anchor
point is shown above. Lif t the cover, then hook the
tether strap through the upper
guide as shown. Af ter properly securing the child
seat (see page ), lif t the head
restraint, then route the tether
strap over the seat-back and
through the head restraint legs.
A child seat with a tether can be
installed in any seating position in
the back seat. 1.
2.46
Installing a Child Seat
Installing a Child Seat
with a TetherUsing an Out er T et her A nchor
48
COVER
CENTER
TETHER
ANCHOR
OUTER
TETHER
ANCHOR OUTER TETHER ANCHORUPPER
GUIDE
UPPER GUIDE
12/08/09 16:05:29 31SJC670_055
Driver and Passenger Saf ety

Route the tether strap downward
properly, making sure the strap is
not twisted.
Attach the tether strap hook to the
outertetheranchorontheoutside
of the seat bottom.Make sure to attach the tether
strap hook to the anchor before
installing the child seat, because
the tether anchor is positioned
behind the child seat.
Place the child seat on the rear
seat.
Push down the rear center head
restraint to the lowest position. Route the tether strap over the
seat-back, lift the cover, then hook
the tether strap through the upper
guide as shown.
Route the tether strap downward
properly along the seat- back,
making sure the strap is
not twisted.
Tighten the strap according to the
seat maker’s instructions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
3.
4.
CONT INUED
Installing a Child Seat
Using t he Cent er T et her A nchor
49
UPPERGUIDE
CENTER TETHER ANCHOR
12/08/09 16:05:38 31SJC670_056
Driver and Passenger Saf ety

Attach the tether strap hook to the
center tether anchor between the
loweranchorsfortheLATCH-
compatible child seat.Properlysecurethechildseat(see
page ), then tighten the tether
strap according to the seat maker’s
instructions.
Whenever using the tether strap,
make sure to route the strap through
the upper guide bef ore attaching the
tether strap hook to the tether
anchor. If the tether strap is not
routed properly and secured, the
child seat may not be secured. This
could lead to serious injury or death.
5. 6.
46
Installing a Child Seat
50
CENTER TETHER ANCHORUPPER
GUIDE
12/08/09 16:05:43 31SJC670_057
Driver and Passenger Saf ety

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 fits 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’s knees bend
comfortably over the edge of
the seat?
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.
1.
2.
CONT INUED
Protecting L arger Children
Checking Seat Belt Fit
51
Allowing a child age 12 or under
to sit in front can result in injury
or death if the passenger’s front
airbag inflates.
If a child must ride in front,
move the vehicle seat as far
back as possible, use a booster
seat if needed, have the child
sit up properly and wear the
seat belt properly.
12/08/09 16:05:50 31SJC670_058
Driver and Passenger Saf ety