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LATCH — Lower Anchors And Tethers For CHildren
• Your vehicle is equipped with the child restraint anchorage system called LATCH,
which stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren.
• All rear seating positions have lower anchors and top tether anchors.
• You may use the LATCH anchorage
system until the combined weight of
the child and the child restraint is
65 lbs (29.5 kg). Use the seat belt and
tether anchor instead of the LATCH
system once the combined weight is
more than 65 lbs (29.5 kg).
•The lower anchorages are round
bars that are found at the rear of the
seat cushion where it meets the seat-
back, below the anchorage symbols
on 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.
•There are tether strap anchorages behind each rear seating position located
on the back of the seat.
WARNING!
This vehicle does not have a center seating position. Do not use the center lower
LATCH anchorages to install a child seat in the center of the back seat.
1 — Lower Anchors
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Installing The Child Restraint Using The LATCH Lower Anchors
NOTE:
Never“share” a LATCH anchorage with two or more child restraints.
1. 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.
2. Attach the lower hooks or connectors of the child restraint to the lower anchor-
ages in the selected seating position.
3. If the child restraint has a tether strap, connect it to the top tether anchorage.
See below for directions to attach a tether anchor.
4. 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 manu-
facturer’s instructions.
5. 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.
Installing The Child Restraint Using The Vehicle Seat Belts
• The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are equipped with a Switchable
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) that is designed to keep the lap portion of the
seat belt tight around the child restraint. Any seat belt system will loosen with
time, so check the belt occasionally, and pull it tight if necessary.
• 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.
To Install A Child Seat Using An ALR:
1. 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.
2. Slide the latch plate into the buckle until you hear a “click.”
3. Pull on the webbing to make the lap portion tight against the child seat.
4. 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.
5. Try to pull the webbing out of the retractor. If it is locked, you should not be able
to pull out any webbing. If the retractor is not locked, repeat the last step.
6. Finally, pull up on any extra webbing to tighten the lap portion around the child
restraint while you push the child restraint rearward and downward into the ve-
hicle seat.
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7. 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. See below for directions to attach a tether anchor.
8. 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.
Installing The Top Tether Strap (With Either Lower Anchors Or Vehicle
Seat Belt):
• When installing a forward-facing child restraint, always secure the top tether
strap, up to the tether anchor weight limit, whether the child restraint is installed
with the lower anchors or the vehicle seat belt.
1. Route the tether strap to provide the most direct path for the strap between the
anchor and the child seat.
2. If your vehicle is equipped with adjustable rear head restraints, raise the head
restraint, and where possible, route the tether strap under the head restraint and
between the two posts. If not possible, lower the head restraint and pass the
tether strap around the outboard side of the head restraint.
3. Attach the tether strap hook of the child restraint to the top tether anchorage
and remove slack in the tether strap according to the child restraint manufactur-
er’s instructions.
WARNING!
• In a collision, an unrestrained child, even a tiny baby, can become a projec-
tile inside the vehicle. The force required to hold even an infant on your lap
could become so great that you could not hold the child, no matter how
strong you are. The child and others could be severely injured or killed. Any
child riding in your vehicle should be in a proper restraint for the child's size.
• Rearward-facing child seats must never be used in the front seat of a vehicle
with a front passenger air bag. An air bag deployment could cause severe
injury or death to infants in this position.
• Only use a rearward-facing child restraint in a vehicle with a rear seat.
• Improper installation of a child restraint to the LATCH anchorages can lead
to failure of an infant or child restraint. The child could be severely injured or
killed. Follow the manufacturer’s directions exactly when installing an infant
or child restraint.
• An incorrectly anchored tether strap could lead to increased head motion
and possible injury to the child. Use only the anchor positions directly behind
the child seat to secure a child restraint top tether strap.
• If your vehicle is equipped with a split rear seat, make sure the tether strap
does not slip into the opening between the seatbacks as you remove slack
in the strap.
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