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Summary Of Recommendations For Restraining Children In Vehicles
Child Size, Height, Weight Or Age Recommended Type Of Child Restraint
Infants and Toddlers Children who are two years old or younger and who have not reached theheight or weight limits of their child restraint Either an Infant Carrier or a Convertible
Child Restraint, facing rearward in the rear seat of the vehicle
Small Children Children who are at least two years old or who have out-grown the height orweight limit of their rear-facing child restraint Forward-Facing Child Restraint with a
five-point Harness, facing forward in the rear seat of the vehicle
Larger Children Children who have out-grown their forward-facing child restraint, but aretoo small to properly fit the vehicle’s seat belt Belt Positioning Booster Seat and the
vehicle seat belt, seated in the rear seat of the vehicle
Children Too Large for Child Restraints Children 12 years old or younger, who
have out-grown the height or weight limit of their booster seat Vehicle Seat Belt, seated in the rear seat
of the vehicle
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Infants And Child Restraints
Safety experts recommend that children ride rear-facing
in the vehicle until they are two years old or until they
reach either the height or weight limit of their rear-facing
child restraint. Two types of child restraints can be used
rear-facing: infant carriers and convertible child seats.
The infant carrier is only used rear-facing in the vehicle.
It is recommended for children from birth until they
reach the weight or height limit of the infant carrier.
Convertible child seats can be used either rear-facing or
forward-facing in the vehicle. Convertible child seats
often have a higher weight limit in the rear-facing
direction than infant carriers do, so they can be used
rear-facing by children who have outgrown their infant
carrier but are still less than at least two years old.
Children should remain rear-facing until they reach the
highest weight or height allowed by their convertible
child seat.
WARNING!
•Never place a rear-facing child restraint in front of
an air bag. A deploying passenger Advanced Front
Air Bag can cause death or serious injury to a child
12 years or younger, including a child in a rear-
facing child restraint.
• Only use a rear-facing child restraint in a vehicle
with a rear seat.
Older Children And Child Restraints
Children who are two years old or who have outgrown
their rear-facing convertible child seat can ride forward-
facing in the vehicle. Forward-facing child seats and
convertible child seats used in the forward-facing direc-
tion are for children who are over two years old or who
have outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit of
their rear-facing convertible child seat. Children should
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remain in a forward-facing child seat with a harness for
as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height
allowed by the child seat.
All children whose weight or height is above the
forward-facing limit for the child seat should use a
belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle’s seat belts
fit properly. If the child cannot sit with knees bent over
the vehicle’s seat cushion while the child’s back is against
the seatback, they should use a belt-positioning booster
seat. The child and belt-positioning booster seat are held
in the vehicle by the seat belt.WARNING!
•Improper installation can lead to failure of an
infant or child restraint. It could come loose in a
collision. The child could be badly injured or
killed. Follow the child restraint manufacturer ’s
directions exactly when installing an infant or
child restraint.
• After a child restraint is installed in the vehicle, do
not move the vehicle seat forward or rearward
because it can loosen the child restraint attach-
ments. Remove the child restraint before adjusting
the vehicle seat position. When the vehicle seat has
been adjusted, reinstall the child restraint.
(Continued)
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Recommendations For Attaching Child Restraints
Restraint Type CombinedWeight of the
Child + Child Restraint Use any attachment method shown with an “X” Below
LATCH –
Lower Anchors Only Seat Belt Only LATCH –
Lower Anchors+ Top Tether Anchor Seat Belt + Top
Tether Anchor
Rear-Facing
Child Restraint Up to 65 lbs
(29.5 kg) XX
Rear-Facing
Child Restraint More than
65 lbs (29.5 kg) X
Forward-Facing Child Restraint Up to 65 lbs
(29.5 kg) XX
Forward-Facing Child Restraint More than
65 lbs (29.5 kg) X
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What is the weight limit (child’s weight +
weight of the child restraint) for using the
LATCH anchorage system to attach the child
restraint?65 lbs (29.5 kg) Use the LATCH anchorage system until
the combined weight of the child and thechild restraint is 65 lbs (29.5 kg). Use the
seat belt and tether anchor instead of the LATCH anchorage system once the com-
bined weight is more than 65 lbs (29.5 kg).
Can the LATCH anchorages and the seat belt be used together to attach a rear-
facing or forward-facing child restraint? No Do not use the seat belt when you use the
LATCH anchorage system to attach a rear-facing or forward-facing child restraint.
Can a child seat be installed in the center
position using the inner LATCH lower an- chorages? Yes You can install child restraints with flexible
lower anchors in the center position. The
inner anchorages are 17.7 inches (450 mm) apart. Do not install child restraints with
rigid lower anchors in the center position.
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What is the weight limit (child’s
weight + weight of the child re-
straint) 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 for-ward 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 passen- ger seat? Yes
Contact between the front passen-
ger seat and the child restraint is allowed, if the child restraint
manufacturer also allows contact.
Can the head restraints be re- moved? Yes
All head restraints may be re-
moved.
Can the buckle stalk be twisted to tighten the seat belt against the
seat belt path of the child restraint? No
Do not twist the buckle stalk in a
seating position with an ALR re- tractor.
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WARNING!
•Be certain that the seatback is securely locked into
position. If the seatback is not securely locked into
position, the seat will not provide the proper sta-
bility for child seats and/or passengers. An improp-
erly latched seat could cause serious injury.
• The cargo area in the rear of the vehicle (with the
rear seatbacks in the locked-up or folded down
position) should not be used as a play area by
children when the vehicle is in motion. They could
be seriously injured in a collision. Children should
be seated and using the proper restraint system.
• To help protect against personal injury, passengers
should not be seated in the rear cargo area. The rear
cargo space is intended for load carrying purposes
only, not for passengers, who should sit in seats
and use seat belts.
WARNING!
The weight and position of cargo and passengers can
change the vehicle center of gravity and vehicle
handling. To avoid loss of control resulting in per-
sonal injury, follow these guidelines for loading your
vehicle:
• Always place cargo evenly on the cargo floor. Put
heavier objects as low and as far forward as pos-
sible.
• Place as much cargo as possible in front of the rear
axle. Too much weight or improperly placed weight
over or behind the rear axle can cause the rear of
the vehicle to sway.
• Do not pile luggage or cargo higher than the top of
the seatback. This could impair visibility or be-
come a dangerous projectile in a sudden stop or
collision.
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Grocery Bag Hooks
The rear cargo area is equipped with grocery bag hooks,
located on either side of the rear cargo area.
CAUTION!
Do not exceed the maximum weight limit 35 lbs
(16 kg) of the grocery bag hook. Damage may occur to
hook and mounting surface.
Ski Pass-Through
There is a ski pass-through door located behind the rear
seat armrest that allows longer items, such as snow skis,
to be stored in the rear cargo area. Lower the armrest and
pull downward on the latch to open the ski pass-through
door.
Grocery Bag Hooks
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