2015 FORD FLEX Owners Manual

•Inflatable safety belt: grasp the lap
portion of the inflatable safety belt
and pull upward until all of the belt
is pulled out.
Note:Unlike the standard safety belt, the inflatable safety belt’s unique
lap portion locks the child seat for installation. The ability for the
shoulder portion of the belt to move freely is normal, even after the lap
belt has been put into the automatic locking mode.
6. Allow the belt to retract to remove slack. The belt will click as it
retracts to indicate it is in the automatic locking mode.
7. Try to pull the belt out of the retractor to make sure the retractor is
in the automatic locking mode (you should not be able to pull more belt
out). If the retractor is not locked, repeat Steps 5 and 6.
8. Remove remaining slack from the belt. Force the seat down with extra
weight, for example, by pressing down or kneeling on the child restraint
while pulling up on the shoulder belt (for standard safety belt) or pulling
down on the lap belt (for inflatable safety belt) in order to force slack
from the belt. This is necessary to remove the remaining slack that will
exist once the extra weight of the child is added to the child restraint. It
also helps to achieve the proper snugness of the child seat to your
vehicle. Sometimes, a slight lean toward the buckle will provide extra
help to remove remaining slack from the belt.
•Standard safety belt
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•Inflatable safety belt
9. Attach the tether strap (if the child seat is equipped). SeeUsing
Tether Strapslater in this chapter.
10. Before placing the child in the
seat, forcibly move the seat forward
and back to make sure the seat is
securely held in place. To check
this, grab the seat at the belt path
and attempt to move it side to side
and forward and back. There should
be no more than 1 inch (2.5
centimeters) of movement for
proper installation.
Ford recommends checking with a NHTSA Certified Child Passenger
Safety Technician to make certain the child restraint is properly installed.
In Canada, check with your local St. John Ambulance office for referral
to a Child Passenger Safety Technician.
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Using 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 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
lower anchors located where seat back and seat cushion meet (called the
seat bight) and one 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
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•Second-row bench seats and
third-row passenger side
The LATCH anchors are located at
the rear section of the rear seat
between the cushion and seat back
below the symbols as shown. Follow
the child seat manufacturer’s
instructions to properly install a
child seat with LATCH attachments.
Follow the instructions on attaching child safety seats with tether straps.
SeeUsing Tether Strapslater in this chapter.
Attach LATCH lower attachments of the child seat only to the anchors
shown.
Using Inboard Lower Anchors From the Outboard Seating
Positions (Center Seating Use)
WARNING:The standardized spacing for LATCH lower anchors
is 11 inches (280 millimeters) center to center. Do not use
LATCH lower anchors for the center seating position unless the child
seat manufacturer’s instructions permit and specify using anchors
spaced at least as far apart as those in this vehicle.
The lower anchors at the center of the second row rear seat are spaced
20.5 inches (520 millimeters apart). The standardized spacing for LATCH
lower anchors is 11 inches (280 millimeters) center to center. A child
seat with rigid LATCH attachments cannot be installed at the center
seating position. LATCH compatible child seats (with attachments on belt
webbing) can only be used at this seating position provided that the
child seat manufacturer’s instructions permit use with the anchor spacing
stated. Do not attach a child seat to any lower anchor if an adjacent
child seat is attached to that anchor.
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Each time you use the safety seat, check that the seat is properly
attached to the lower anchors and tether anchor, if applicable. Tug the
child seat from side to side and forward and back where it is secured to
the vehicle. The seat should move less than one inch when you do this
for a proper installation.
If the safety seat is not anchored properly, the risk of a child being
injured in a crash greatly increases.
Combining Safety Belt and LATCH Lower Anchors for Attaching
Child Safety Seats
When used in combination, either the safety belt or the LATCH lower
anchors may be attached first, provided a proper installation is achieved.
Attach the tether strap afterward, if included with the child seat.
Using Tether Straps
Many forward-facing child safety seats include a tether strap
which extends from the back of the child safety seat and hooks
to an anchoring point called the top tether anchor. Tether
straps are available as an accessory for many older safety seats.
Contact the manufacturer of your child seat for information about
ordering a tether strap, or to obtain a longer tether strap if the tether
strap on your safety seat does not reach the appropriate top tether
anchor in your vehicle.
Once the child safety seat has been installed using either the safety belt,
the lower anchors of the LATCH system, or both, you can attach the top
tether strap.
The tether strap anchors in your vehicle are in the following positions
(shown from top view):
•Second row bucket seats and
third-row passenger side
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•Second row bench seats and
third-row passenger side
Perform the following steps to install a child safety seat with tether anchors:
Note:If you install a child seat with rigid LATCH attachments, do not
tighten the tether strap enough to lift the child seat off your vehicle seat
cushion when the child is seated in it. Keep the tether strap just snug
without lifting the front of the child seat. Keeping the child seat just
touching your vehicle seat gives the best protection in a severe crash.
1. Route the tether strap.
•Second-row outboard seat positions: Route the child safety seat tether
strap over the seat back, under the head restraint and between the
head restraint posts. If needed, remove the head restraint to improve
the fit of the child safety seat or tether strap.
•Second-row center seat positions: Route the child safety seat tether
strap over the top of the head restraint. If needed, remove the head
restraint to improve the fit of the child safety seat or tether strap. See
Rear Seatsin this chapter for head restraint information.
•Third-row seat position: Route the child safety seat tether strap over
the seat back, under the head restraint and between the head
restraint posts. If needed, fold the head restraint down to improve the
fit of the child safety seat or tether strap. SeeRear seatsin theSeats
chapter for head restraint information.
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2. Locate the correct anchor for the selected rear seating position.
•Second-row bucket (40/40)
•Second-row bench (60/40)
•Third-row seat
Note:The cargo tie-downs at the rear edge of the floor are not tether
anchors.
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3. Clip the tether hook to the anchor as shown. The tether hook may be
twisted 1/2 turn to improve installation.
If the tether strap is clipped incorrectly, the child safety seat may not be
retained properly in the event of a crash.
4. Tighten the child safety seat tether strap according to the
manufacturer’s instructions.
If the safety seat is not anchored properly, the risk of a child being
injured in a crash greatly increases.
If your child restraint system is equipped with a tether strap, and the
child restraint manufacturer recommends its use, Ford also recommends
its use.
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