2013 JEEP COMPASS child restraint

Can two child restraints be attached usinga common lower LATCH anchorage? No
Never “share” a LATCH anchorage with
two or more child restraints. If the center
position does not have dedicated LATCH lower anchorages, use the seat belt to in-
stall a child seat in the center position next to a child seat using the LATCH anchor- ages in an outboard position.
Can the rear-facing child restraint touch the back of the front passenger seat? Yes
The child seat may touch the back of the
front passenger seat if the child restraint
manufacturer also allows contact. See your child restraint owner ’s manual for more information.
Can the head restraints be removed? No
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 85

Locating The LATCH Anchorages
The lower anchorages are round bars that are
found at the rear of the seat cushion where it
meets the seatback. They are just visible when
you lean into the rear seat to install the child
restraint. You will easily feel them if you run your finger
along the gap between the seatback and seat cushion.
Locating The LATCH Anchorages
In addition, there are tether strap anchorages
behind each rear seating position located on
the back of the seat.
LATCH-compatible child restraint systems will be
equipped with a rigid bar or a flexible strap on each side.
Each will have a hook or connector to attach to the lower
anchorage and a way to tighten the connection to the
anchorage. Forward-facing child restraints and some
rear-facing infant restraints will also be equipped with a
tether strap. The tether strap will have a hook at the end
to attach to the top tether anchorage and a way to tighten
the strap after it is attached to the anchorage.
Center Seat LATCH
Do not install child restraints with rigid lower attach-
ments in the center seating position. Only install this type
of child restraint in the outboard seating positions. Child
Rear Seat LATCH Anchorages
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restraints with flexible, webbing mounted lower attach-
ments can be installed in any rear seating position.
WARNING!
Never use the same lower anchorage to attach more
than one child restraint. If you are installing LATCH-
compatible child restraints next to each other, you
must use the seat belt for the center position. You can
then use either the LATCH anchors or the vehicle’s
seat belt for installing child seats in the outboard
positions. Please refer to “Installing The LATCH-
Compatible Child Restraint System” for typical in-
stallation instructions.
Always follow the directions of the child restraint manu-
facturer when installing your child restraint. Not all child
restraint systems will be installed as described here.
To Install A LATCH-compatible Child Restraint
1. If the selected seating position has a Switchable Auto- matic Locking Retractor (ALR) seat belt, stow the seat
belt, following the instructions below. See the section
“Installing Child Restraints Using the Vehicle Seat
Belt” to check what type of seat belt each seating
position has.
2. Loosen the adjusters on the lower straps and on the tether strap of the child seat so that you can more
easily attach the hooks or connectors to the vehicle
anchorages.
3. Place the child seat between the lower anchorages for that seating position. For some second row seats, you
may need to recline the seat and / or raise the head
restraint to get a better fit.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 87

4. Attach the lower hooks or connectors of the childrestraint to the lower anchorages in the selected seat-
ing position.
5. If the child restraint has a tether strap, connect it to the top tether anchorage. See the section “Installing Child
Restraints Using the Top Tether Anchorage” for direc-
tions to attach a tether anchor.
6. Tighten all of the straps as you push the child restraint rearward and downward into the seat. Remove slack
in the straps according to the child restraint manufac-
turer ’s instructions.
7. Test that the child restraint is installed tightly by pulling back and forth on the child seat at the belt
path. It should not move more than 1 inch (25.4 mm)
in any direction.How To Stow An Unused ALR Seatbelt
When using the LATCH attaching system to install a
child restraint, stow all ALR seat belts that are not being
used by other occupants or being used to secure child
restraints. An unused belt could injure a child if they play
with it and accidentally lock the seatbelt retractor. Before
installing a child restraint using the LATCH system,
buckle the seat belt behind the child restraint and out of
the child’s reach. If the buckled seat belt interferes with
the child restraint installation, instead of buckling it
behind the child restraint, route the seat belt through the
child restraint belt path and then buckle it. Do not lock
the seatbelt. Remind all children in the vehicle that the
seat belts are not toys and that they should not play with
them.
88 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
Improper installation of a child restraint to the
LATCH anchorages can lead to failure of the re-
straint. The child could be badly injured or killed.
Follow the child restraint manufacturer ’s directions
exactly when installing an infant or child restraint.
Installing Child Restraints Using The Vehicle Seat
Belt
The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are
equipped with either a Switchable Automatic Locking
Retractor (ALR) or a cinching latch plate or both. Both
types of seat belts are designed to keep the lap portion ofthe seat belt tight around the child restraint so that it is
not necessary to use a locking clip. The ALR retractor can
be “switched” into a locked mode by pulling all of the
webbing out of the retractor and then letting the webbing
retract back into the retractor. If it is locked, the ALR will
make a clicking noise while the webbing is pulled back
into the retractor. For additional information on ALR,
refer to the “Automatic Locking Mode” description un-
der “Occupant Restraints.” The cinching latch plate is
designed to hold the lap portion of the seatbelt tight
when webbing is pulled tight and straight through a
child restraint’s belt path. Please see the table below and
the following sections for more information about both
types of seat belts.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 89

Lap/Shoulder Belt Systems for Installing Child
Restraints in this Vehicle
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What is the weight limit (child’s weight +
weight of the child restraint) for using the
Tether Anchor with the seat belt to attach a
forward facing child restraint?Weight limit of the
Child Restraint
Always use the tether anchor when using
the seat belt to install a forward facing child
restraint, up to the recommended weight
limit of the child restraint.
Can the rear-facing child restraint touch the
back of the front passenger seat? Yes
Contact between the front passenger seat
and the child restraint is allowed, if the child
restraint manufacturer also allows contact.
Can the head restraints be removed? No
Can the buckle stalk be twisted to tighten
the seat belt against the belt path of the child
restraint? Yes
In positions with cinching latch plates
(CINCH), the buckle stalk may be twisted
up to 3 full turns. Do not twist the buckle
stalk in a seating position with an ALR
retractor.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 91

Installing A Child Restraint with a Switchable
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)
1. Place the child seat in the center of the seatingposition. For some second row seats, you may need to
recline the seat and/or raise the head restraint to get a
better fit.
2. Pull enough of the seat belt webbing from the retractor to pass it through the belt path of the child restraint.
Do not twist the belt webbing in the belt path.
3. Slide the latch plate into the buckle until you hear a “click.”
4. Pull on the webbing to make the lap portion tight against the child seat.
5. To lock the seat belt, pull down on the shoulder part of the belt until you have pulled all the seat belt webbing
out of the retractor. Then, allow the webbing to retract back into the retractor. As the webbing retracts, you
will hear a clicking sound. This means the seat belt is
now in the Automatic Locking mode.
6. Try to pull the webbing out of the retractor. If it is locked, you should not be able to pull out any web-
bing. If the retractor is not locked, repeat step 5.
7. Finally, pull up on any excess webbing to tighten the lap portion around the child restraint while you push
the child restraint rearward and downward into the
vehicle seat.
8. If the child restraint has a top tether strap and the seating position has a top tether anchorage, connect
the tether strap to the anchorage and tighten the tether
strap. Refer to “Lower Anchors and Tethers for Chil-
dren (LATCH) Restraint System” for directions to
attach a tether anchor.
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