2014 FORD FUSION (AMERICAS) Owners Manual

Recommendations for Safety Restraints for Children
Recommended restrainttypeChild size, height, weight, or ageChild
Use a child safety seat(sometimes called aninfant carrier, convertibleseat, or toddler seat).
Children weighing 40 lb (18 kg) or less(generally age four or younger).Infants ortoddlers
Use a belt-positioningbooster seat.Children who have outgrown or no longerproperly fit in a child safety seat (gener-ally children who are less than 4 ft. 9 in.(1.45 m) tall, are greater than age fourand less than age 12, and between 40 lb(18 kg) and 80 lb (36 kg) and upward to100 lb (45 kg) if recommended by yourchild restraint manufacturer).
Small children
Use a vehicle safety belthaving the lap belt snugand low across the hips,shoulder belt centeredacross the shoulder andchest, and seat backupright.
Children who have outgrown or no longerproperly fit in a belt-positioning boosterseat (generally children who are at least4 ft. 9 in. (1.45 m) tall or greater than 80lb (36 kg) or 100 lb (45 kg) if recom-mended by child restraint manufacturer).
Larger children
•You are required by law to properly usesafety seats for infants and toddlers inthe United States and Canada.
•Many states and provinces require thatsmall children use approved boosterseats until they reach age eight, aheight of 4 feet 9 inches (1.45 meters)tall, or 80 pounds (36 kilograms).Check your local and state or provinciallaws for specific requirements aboutthe safety of children in your vehicle.
•When possible, always properlyrestrain children 12 years of age andunder in a rear seating position of yourvehicle. Accident statistics suggest thatchildren are safer when properlyrestrained in the rear seating positionsthan in a front seating position. SeeFront Passenger Sensing System(page 37).
INSTALLING CHILD SEATS
Child Seats
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Use a child safety seat (sometimes calledan infant carrier, convertible seat, ortoddler seat) for infants, toddlers, orchildren weighing 40 pounds (18kilograms) or less (generally age four oryounger).
Using Lap and Shoulder Belts
WARNINGS
Airbags can kill or injure a child in achild seat. Never place a rear-facingchild seat in front of an active airbag.If you must use a forward-facing child seatin the front seat, move the seat upon whichthe child seat is installed all the way back.
Airbags can kill or injure a child in achild seat. Children 12 and undershould be properly restrained in therear seat whenever possible.
Depending on where you secure achild restraint, and depending on thechild restraint design, you may blockaccess to certain safety belt buckleassemblies and LATCH lower anchors,rendering those features potentiallyunusable. To avoid risk of injury, occupantsshould only use seating positions wherethey are able to be properly restrained.
When installing a child safety seat withcombination lap and shoulder belts:
•Use the correct safety belt buckle forthat seating position.
•Insert the belt tongue into the properbuckle until you hear a snap and feel itlatch. Make sure the tongue is securelyfastened in the buckle.
•Keep the buckle release buttonpointing up and away from the safetyseat, with the tongue between the childseat and the release button, to preventaccidental unbuckling.
•Place the vehicle seat upon which thechild seat will be installed in the uprightposition.
•Put the safety belt in the automaticlocking mode. See Step 5. This vehicledoes not require the use of a lockingclip.
Perform the following steps wheninstalling the child seat with combinationlap and shoulder belts:
Note:Although the child seat illustrated isa forward facing child seat, the steps arethe same for installing a rear facing childseat.
1.Position the child safety seat in a seatwith a combination lap and shoulderbelt.
2.Pull down on the shoulder belt andthen grasp the shoulder belt and lapbelt together.
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3.While holding the shoulder and lap beltportions together, route the tonguethrough the child seat according to thechild seat manufacturer's instructions.Be sure the belt webbing is not twisted.
4.Insert the belt tongue into the properbuckle (the buckle closest to thedirection the tongue is coming from)for that seating position until you heara snap and feel the latch engage. Makesure the tongue is latched securely bypulling on it.
5.To put the retractor in the automaticlocking mode, grasp the shoulderportion of the belt and pull downwarduntil all of the belt is pulled out.
Note:The automatic locking mode isavailable on the front passenger and rearseats. This vehicle does not require the useof a locking clip.
6.Allow the belt to retract to removeslack. The belt will click as it retractsto indicate it is in the automatic lockingmode.
7.Try to pull the belt out of the retractorto make sure the retractor is in theautomatic locking mode (you shouldnot be able to pull more belt out). If theretractor is not locked, unbuckle thebelt and repeat Steps 5 and 6.
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8.Remove remaining slack from the belt.Force the seat down with extra weight,for example, by pressing down orkneeling on the child restraint whilepulling up on the shoulder belt in orderto force slack from the belt. This isnecessary to remove the remainingslack that will exist once the extraweight of the child is added to the childrestraint. It also helps to achieve theproper snugness of the child seat toyour vehicle. Sometimes, a slight leantoward the buckle will additionally helpto remove remaining slack from thebelt.
9.Attach the tether strap (if the child seatis equipped).
10.Before placing the child in the seat,forcibly move the seat forward andback to make sure the seat is securelyheld in place. To check this, grab theseat at the belt path and attempt tomove it side to side and forward andback. There should be no more than1 inch (2.5 centimeters) of movementfor proper installation.
Ford recommends checking with a NHTSACertified Child Passenger SafetyTechnician to make certain the childrestraint is properly installed. In Canada,check with your local St. John Ambulanceoffice for referral to a Certified PassengerSeat Technician.
Using Lower Anchors and Tethersfor CHildren (LATCH)
WARNINGS
Never attach two child safety seatsto the same anchor. In a crash, oneanchor may not be strong enough tohold two child safety seat attachmentsand may break, causing serious injury ordeath.
Depending on where you secure achild restraint, and depending on thechild restraint design, you may blockaccess to certain safety belt buckleassemblies or LATCH lower anchors,rendering those features potentiallyunusable. To avoid risk of injury, occupantsshould only use seating positions wherethey are able to be properly restrained.
The LATCH system is composed of threevehicle anchor points: two lower anchorslocated where seat back and seat cushionmeet (called the seat bight) and one toptether anchor located behind that seatingposition.
LATCH compatible child safety seats havetwo rigid or webbing mountedattachments that connect to the two loweranchors at the LATCH equipped seatingpositions in your vehicle. This type ofattachment method eliminates the needto use safety belts to attach the child seat,however the safety belt can still be usedto attach the child seat. For forward-facingchild seats, the top tether strap must alsobe attached to the proper top tetheranchor, if a top tether strap has beenprovided with your child seat.
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Your vehicle has LATCH lower anchors forchild seat installation at the seatingpositions marked with the child seatsymbol.
The LATCH anchors are located at the rearsection of the rear seat between thecushion and seat back below the symbolsas shown. Follow the child seatmanufacturer's instructions to properlyinstall a child seat with LATCHattachments. Follow the instructions onattaching child safety seats with tetherstraps.
Attach LATCH lower attachments of thechild seat only to the anchors shown.
Use of Inboard Lower Anchors from theOutboard Seating Positions (CenterSeating Use)
WARNING
The standardized spacing for LATCHlower anchors is 11 inches (28centimeters) center to center. Do notuse LATCH lower anchors for the centerseating position unless the child seatmanufacturer's instructions permit andspecify using anchors spaced at least asfar apart as those in this vehicle.
The lower anchors at the center of thesecond row rear seat are spaced 18 inches(46 centimeters) apart. A child seat withrigid LATCH attachments cannot beinstalled at the center seating position.LATCH compatible child seats (withattachments on belt webbing) can only beused at this seating position provided thatthe child seat manufacturer's instructionspermit use with the anchor spacing stated.Do not attach a child seat to any loweranchor if an adjacent child seat is attachedto that anchor.
Each time you use the safety seat, checkthat the seat is properly attached to thelower anchors and tether anchor, ifapplicable. Tug the child seat from side toside and forward and back where it issecured to your vehicle. The seat shouldmove less than one inch when you do thisfor a proper installation.
If the safety seat is not anchored properly,the risk of a child being injured in a crashgreatly increases.
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Combining Safety Belt and LATCHLower Anchors for Attaching ChildSafety Seats
When used in combination, either thesafety belt or the LATCH lower anchorsmay be attached first, provided a properinstallation is achieved. Attach the tetherstrap afterward, if included with the childseat.
Using Tether Straps
Many forward-facing child safetyseats include a tether strapwhich extends from the back ofthe child safety seat and hooks to ananchoring point called the top tetheranchor. Tether straps are available as anaccessory for many older safety seats.
Contact the manufacturer of your childseat for information about ordering atether strap, or to obtain a longer tetherstrap if the tether strap on your safety seatdoes not reach the appropriate top tetheranchor in your vehicle.
Once the child safety seat has beeninstalled using either the safety belt, thelower anchors of the LATCH system, orboth, you can attach the top tether strap.
The tether strap anchors in your vehicleare in the following positions (shown fromtop view):
Perform the following steps to install achild safety seat with tether anchors:
Note:If you install a child seat with rigidLATCH attachments, do not tighten thetether strap enough to lift the child seat offyour vehicle seat cushion when the child isseated in it. Keep the tether strap just snugwithout lifting the front of the child seat.Keeping the child seat just touching yourvehicle seat gives the best protection in asevere crash.
1.Route the child safety seat tether strapover the back of the seat. For outboardseating positions, route the tether strapunder the head restraint and betweenthe head restraint posts. For the centerseating positions, route the tether strapover the top of the head restraint. Ifneeded, the head restraints can alsobe removed.
2.Locate the correct anchor for theselected seating position, then openthe tether anchor cover.
3.Clip the tether strap to the anchor asshown.
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4.Tighten the child safety seat tetherstrap according to the manufacturer'sinstructions. If your child restraintsystem is equipped with a tether strap,and the child restraint manufacturerrecommends its use, Ford alsorecommends its use.
BOOSTER SEATS
WARNING
Never place, or allow a child to place,the shoulder belt under a child's armor behind the back because itreduces the protection for the upper partof the body and may increase the risk ofinjury or death in a crash.
Use a belt-positioning booster seat forchildren who have outgrown or no longerproperly fit in a child safety seat (generallychildren who are less than 4 feet 9 inches(1.45 meters) tall, are greater than age four(4) and less than age twelve (12), andbetween 40 pounds (18 kilograms) and80 pounds (36 kilograms) and upward to100 pounds (45 kilograms) ifrecommended by your child restraintmanufacturer). Many state and provinciallaws require that children use approvedbooster seats until they reach age eight, aheight of 4 feet 9 inches (1.45 meters) tall,or 80 pounds (36 kilograms).
Booster seats should be used until you cananswer YES to ALL of these questionswhen seated without a booster seat:
•Can the child sit all the way backagainst their vehicle seat back withknees bent comfortably at the edge ofthe seat cushion?
•Can the child sit without slouching?
•Does the lap belt rest low across thehips?
•Is the shoulder belt centered on theshoulder and chest?
•Can the child stay seated like this forthe whole trip?
Always use booster seats in conjunctionwith your vehicle lap and shoulder belt.
Types of Booster Seats
•Backless booster seats
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If your backless booster seat has aremovable shield, remove the shield. If avehicle seating position has a low seatback or no head restraint, a backlessbooster seat may place your child's head(as measured at the tops of the ears)above the top of the seat. In this case,move the backless booster to anotherseating position with a higher seat back orhead restraint and lap and shoulder belts,or consider using a high back booster seat.
•High back booster seats
If, with a backless booster seat, you cannotfind a seating position that adequatelysupports your child's head, a high backbooster seat would be a better choice.
Children and booster seats vary in size andshape. Choose a booster that keeps thelap belt low and snug across the hips,never up across the stomach, and lets youadjust the shoulder belt to cross the chestand rest snugly near the center of theshoulder. The following drawings comparethe ideal fit (center) to a shoulder beltuncomfortably close to the neck and ashoulder belt that could slip off theshoulder. The drawings also show how thelap belt should be low and snug across thechild's hips.
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