2015 FORD TAURUS seats

Types of Booster Seats•Backless booster seats
If your backless booster seat has a removable shield, remove the shield.
If a vehicle seating position has a low seatback or no head restraint, a
backless booster 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 another seating position with a higher seatback or
head 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 cannot find a seating position that
adequately supports your child’s head, a high back booster seat would be
a better choice.
22 Child Safety
2015 Taurus
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing, April 2014
USA(fus)

Children and booster seats vary in size and shape. Choose a booster that
keeps the lap belt low and snug across the hips, never up across the
stomach, and lets you adjust the shoulder belt to cross the chest and
rest snugly near the center of the shoulder. The following drawings
compare the ideal fit (center) to a shoulder belt uncomfortably close to
the neck and a shoulder belt that could slip off the shoulder. The
drawings also show how the lap belt should be low and snug across the
child’s hips.
If the booster seat slides on the vehicle seat upon which it is being used,
placing a rubberized mesh sold as shelf or carpet liner under the booster
seat may improve this condition. Do not introduce any item thicker than
this under the booster seat. Check with the booster seat manufacturer’s
instructions.
Child Safety23
2015 Taurus
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing, April 2014
USA(fus)

INSTALLING CHILD SEATS
Child SeatsUse a child safety seat (sometimes
called an infant carrier, convertible
seat, or toddler seat) for infants,
toddlers or children weighing
40 pounds (18 kilograms) or less
(generally age four or younger).
Using Lap and Shoulder Belts
WARNING: Airbags can kill or injure a child in a child seat.
Never place a rear-facing child seat in front of an active airbag. If
you must use a forward-facing child seat in the front seat, move the
seat upon which the child seat is installed all the way back.
WARNING: Airbags can kill or injure a child in a child seat.
Children 12 and under should be properly restrained in the rear
seat whenever possible.
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.
When installing a child safety seat with combination lap and shoulder
belts:
• Use the correct safety belt buckle for that seating position.
• Insert the belt tongue into the proper buckle until you hear a snap
and feel it latch. Make sure the tongue is securely fastened in the
buckle.
24 Child Safety
2015 Taurus
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing, April 2014
USA(fus)

3. While holding the shoulder and
lap belt portions together, route the
tongue through the child seat
according to the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions. Be sure
the belt webbing is not twisted.
4. Insert the belt tongue into the
proper buckle (the buckle closest to
the direction the tongue is coming
from) for that seating position until
you hear a snap and feel the latch
engage. Make sure the tongue is
latched securely by pulling on it. 5. To put the retractor in the
automatic locking mode, grasp the
shoulder portion of the belt and pull
downward until all of the belt is
pulled out.
Note: The automatic locking mode is available on the front passenger
and rear seats. This vehicle does not require the use of a locking clip.
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, unbuckle the belt and repeat Steps 5
and 6.
26 Child Safety
2015 Taurus
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing, April 2014
USA(fus)

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.
28Child Safety
2015 Taurus
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing, April 2014
USA(fus)

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.
See Using Tether Straps later in this chapter.
Attach LATCH lower attachments of the child seat only to the anchors
shown.
Child seat positioning for LATCH lower anchors
All the LATCH lower anchors are equally spaced, 11 inches (28
centimeters) apart, allowing for the following child seat positioning:
• If a single child seat is installed using the LATCH lower anchors, it can
be installed at any rear seating position.
• If two child safety seats are installed using the LATCH lower anchors,
they must be placed in the outboard seating positions only.
• If three child safety seats are installed, you can install two using the
LATCH lower anchors by placing them in each outboard seating
position and the third in the center using the lap and shoulder belt,
OR you can use the LATCH lower anchors for the center child safety
seat and the lap and shoulder belts for the other two child safety seats
in the outboard positions. Use the tether anchors if applicable.
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.
Child Safety 29
2015 Taurus
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing, April 2014
USA(fus)

Using Tether StrapsMany 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):
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 over the top of the head restraint.
30 Child Safety
2015 Taurus
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing, April 2014
USA(fus)

PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION
WARNING:Never let a passenger hold a child on his or her lap
while your vehicle is moving. The passenger cannot protect the
child from injury in a crash, which may result in serious injury or death.
WARNING: Do not allow people to travel in any area of your
vehicle that does not have seats and safety belts. Riding in a
cargo area, inside or outside of the vehicle, is extremely dangerous. In a
crash, people riding in these areas are more likely to be seriously
injured or killed. Make sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and
using a safety belt correctly. Failure to follow this warning could result
in serious personal injury or death.
WARNING: Always drive and ride with your seatback upright
and the lap belt snug and low across the hips.
WARNING: To reduce the risk of injury, make sure children sit
where they can be properly restrained.
WARNING: All occupants of your vehicle, including the driver,
should always properly wear their safety belts, even when an
airbag supplemental restraint system is provided. Failure to properly
wear your safety belt could seriously increase the risk of injury or
death.
WARNING: In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is
significantly more likely to die than a person wearing a safety
belt.
WARNING: Each seating position in your vehicle has a specific
safety belt assembly which is made up of one buckle and one
tongue that are designed to be used as a pair. 1) Use the shoulder belt
on the outside shoulder only. Never wear the shoulder belt under the
arm. 2) Never swing the safety belt around your neck over the inside
shoulder. 3) Never use a single belt for more than one person.
Safety Belts 33
2015 Taurus
Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing, April 2014
USA(fus)