INSTALLING CHILD SAFETY SEATS WITH 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 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.
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
Child Safety29
2013 MKT(mkt)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)
CHILD SAFETY LOCKS
•When these locks are set, the
rear doors cannot be opened from
the inside.
•The rear doors can be opened
from the outside when the
childproof door locks are set, but
the doors are unlocked.
The childproof locks are located on
the rear edge of each rear door and
must be set separately for each
door. Setting the lock for one door
will not automatically set the lock
for both doors.
•Insert the key and turn to the lock position (key horizontal) to engage
the childproof locks.
•Insert the key and turn to the unlock position (key vertical) to
disengage the childproof locks.
Child Safety35
2013 MKT(mkt)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)
WARNING:Safety belts and seats can become hot in a vehicle
that has been closed up in sunny weather; they could burn a
small child. Check seat covers and buckles before you place a child
anywhere near them.
WARNING:Front and rear seat occupants, including pregnant
women, should wear safety belts for optimum protection in an
accident.
All seating positions in this vehicle have lap and shoulder safety belts. All
occupants of the vehicle should always properly wear their safety belts,
even when an airbag supplemental restraint system is provided.
The safety belt system consists of:
•Lap and shoulder safety belts.
•Shoulder safety belt with automatic locking mode, (except driver and
rear inflatable safety belt).
•Height adjuster at the front outboard seating positions
•Retractor and anchor pretensioner at the front outboard seating
positions.
•Belt tension sensor at the front outboard passenger seating position.
•Safety belt warning light and chime. Refer toSafety Belt
Warning Light and Indicator Chimelater in this chapter.
•Crash sensors and monitoring system with readiness
indicator. Refer toCrash Sensors and Airbag Indicatorin
theSupplemental Restraint Systemchapter.
The safety belt pretensioners and rear inflatable safety belts are designed
to activate in frontal, near-frontal and side collisions, and in rollovers.
The safety belt pretensioners on the retractor and anchor at the front
seating positions are designed to tighten the safety belts firmly against
the occupant’s body when activated. This helps increase the effectiveness
of the safety belts. In frontal collisions, the safety belt pretensioners can
be activated alone or, if the collision is of sufficient severity, together
with the front airbags.
Safety Belts37
2013 MKT(mkt)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)
Pregnant women should always
wear their safety belt. The lap belt
portion of a combination lap and
shoulder belt should be positioned
low across the hips below the belly
and worn as tight as comfort will
allow. The shoulder belt should be
positioned to cross the middle of
the shoulder and the center of the
chest.
Safety Belt Locking Modes
WARNING:After any vehicle collision, the safety belt system at
all passenger seating positions must be checked by an authorized
dealer to verify that the automatic locking retractor feature for child
seats is still functioning properly. In addition, all safety belts should be
checked for proper function.
WARNING:BELT AND RETRACTOR ASSEMBLY MUST BE
REPLACED if the safety belt assembly automatic locking
retractor feature or any other safety belt function is not operating
properly when checked by an authorized dealer. Failure to replace the
belt and retractor assembly could increase the risk of injury in
collisions.
All safety restraints in the vehicle are combination lap and shoulder belts.
The driver safety belt has the first locking mode and the front outboard
passenger and rear seat safety belts have both types of locking modes
described as follows:
Vehicle sensitive mode:This is the normal retractor mode, which
allows free shoulder or lap belt length adjustment to your movements
and locking in response to vehicle movement. For example, if the driver
brakes suddenly or turns a corner sharply, or the vehicle receives an
impact of approximately 5 mph (8 km/h) or more, the combination safety
belts will lock to help reduce forward movement of the driver and
passengers.
In addition, the retractor(s) is designed to lock if the webbing is pulled
out too quickly. If this occurs, let the belt retract slightly and pull
webbing out again in a slow and controlled manner.
Safety Belts39
2013 MKT(mkt)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)
Automatic locking mode:In this mode, the shoulder belt or lap belt is
automatically pre-locked. The belt will still retract to remove any slack in
the shoulder or lap belt. The automatic locking mode is not available on
the driver safety belt.
When to use the automatic locking mode:This mode should be used
any timea child safety seat, except a booster, is installed in passenger
front or rear seating positions. Children 12 years old and under should be
properly restrained in a rear seating position whenever possible.
How to use the automatic locking mode
Non-inflatable safety belts
•Buckle the combination lap and shoulder
belt.
•Grasp the shoulder portion of the belt and
pull downward until the entire belt is pulled
out. As the belt retracts, you will hear a
clicking sound. This indicates the safety belt
is now in the automatic locking mode.
Rear outboard inflatable safety belts (second row only–if equipped)
•Buckle the combination lap and shoulder
belt.
•Grasp the lap portion of the belt and pull
upward until the entire belt is pulled out.
•Allow the belt to retract. As the belt
retracts, you will hear a clicking sound. This
indicates the safety belt is now in the
automatic locking mode.
How to disengage the automatic locking mode:Disconnect the
combination lap/shoulder belt and allow it to retract completely to
disengage the automatic locking mode and activate the vehicle sensitive
(emergency) locking mode.
40Safety Belts
2013 MKT(mkt)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)
Safety Belt Extension Assembly
WARNING:Do not use extensions to change the fit of the
shoulder belt across the torso.
WARNING:Do not use extensions with an inflatable safety belt.
Safety belt extensions are vehicle specific. Please see an authorized
dealer to ensure you obtain the proper safety belt extension for your
vehicle. Use only extensions manufactured by the same supplier as the
safety belt. A safety belt extension is not available for the inflatable
safety belt. Also, use the safety belt extension only if the safety belt is
too short for you when fully extended.
SAFETY BELT HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT
WARNING:Position the safety belt height adjusters so that the
belt rests across the middle of your shoulder. Failure to adjust
the safety belt properly could reduce the effectiveness of the safety belt
and increase the risk of injury in a collision.
Adjust the height of the shoulder
belt so the belt rests across the
middle of your shoulder.
To adjust the shoulder belt height, squeeze the button and slide the
height adjuster up or down. Release the button and pull down on the
height adjuster to make sure it is locked in place.
Safety Belts41
2013 MKT(mkt)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)
Note:The driver and front passenger Belt-Minderare
deactivated/activated independently. When deactivating/activating one
seating position, do not buckle the other position as this will terminate
the process.
Read Steps1-5thoroughly before proceeding with the
deactivation/activation programming procedure.
Note: The driver and front passenger Belt-Minderfeatures must be
disabled/enabled separately. Both cannot be disable/enabled during the
same key cycle.
Note:If you are using MyKey, the Belt-Mindercannot be disabled.
Also, if the Belt-Minderhas been previously disabled, it will be
re-enabled during the use of MyKey. Refer toMyKeyin theLocks and
securitychapter.
The driver and front passenger Belt-Minderfeatures can be
deactivated/activated by performing the following procedure:
Before following the procedure, make sure that:
•The parking brake is set
•The gearshift is in P (Park)
•The ignition is off
•The driver and front passenger safety belts are unbuckled
1. Turn the ignition on. DO NOT START THE ENGINE.
2. Wait until the safety belt warning light turns off (Approximately one
minute).
3. Wait 10 seconds after the safety belt warning light turns off.
•Step 4 must be completed within 20 seconds after the completion of
Step 3.
4. For the seating position being disabled buckle then unbuckle the
safety belt three times at a moderate speed, ending in the unbuckled
state.
•After Step 4, the safety belt warning light will be turned on for three
seconds.
44Safety Belts
2013 MKT(mkt)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)
5. Within approximately seven seconds of the light turning off, buckle
then unbuckle the safety belt.
•This will disable the Belt-Minderfeature for that seating position if it
is currently enabled. As confirmation, the safety belt warning light will
flash four times per second for three seconds.
•This will enable the Belt-Minderfeature for that seating position if it
is currently disabled. As confirmation, the safety belt warning light will
flash four times per second for three seconds, followed by three
seconds with the light off, then followed by the safety belt warning
light flashing four times per second for three seconds again.
REAR INFLATABLE SAFETY BELT (IF EQUIPPED)
WARNING:Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the rear
inflatable safety belt.
The rear inflatable safety belts are fitted in the shoulder portion of the
safety belts of the second-row outboard seating positions.
Note:The rear inflatable safety belts are compatible with most infant
and child safety car seats and belt positioning booster seats when
properly installed. This is because they are designed to fill with a cooled
gas at a lower pressure and at a slower rate than traditional airbags.
After inflation, the shoulder portion of the safety belt remains cool to the
touch.
The rear inflatable safety belt consists of the following:
•An inflatable bag located in the shoulder safety belt webbing.
•Lap safety belt webbing with automatic locking mode.
•Safety belt warning light and chime. SeeSafety belt warning
lights and indicatorsin this chapter.
•Crash Sensors and Airbag Indicator. SeeCrash sensors and
Airbag Indicatorin theSupplemental Restraint System
chapter.
Safety Belts45
2013 MKT(mkt)
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing
USA(fus)