2015 LINCOLN MKS belt

Using Lower Anchors and Tethers
for CHildren (LATCH)
WARNINGS
Never attach two child safety seats to
the same anchor. In a collision, one
anchor may not be strong enough to
hold two child safety seat attachments and
may break, causing serious injury or death. 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. The LATCH anchors are located at the rear
section of the rear seat between the cushion
and seatback 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.
Attach LATCH lower attachments of the child
seat only to the anchors shown.
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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.
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): 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 child safety seat tether strap over the back of the seat.
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2.
Locate the correct anchor for the selected
seating position, then open the tether
anchor cover. 3. Open the tether anchor cover. 4. Clip the tether strap to the anchor as
shown.
5. Tighten the child safety seat tether strap
according to the manufacturer's
instructions.
If your child restraint system is equipped with
a tether strap, and the child restraint
manufacturer recommends its use, Ford also
recommends its use. BOOSTER SEATS WARNING
Never place, or allow a child to place,
the shoulder belt under a child's arm
or behind the back because it reduces
the protection for the upper part of the body
and may increase the risk of injury or death
in a crash. Use a belt-positioning booster seat for
children who have outgrown or no longer
properly fit in a child safety seat (generally
children who are less than 4 feet 9 inches
(1.45 meters) tall, are greater than age four
(4) and less than age twelve (12), and
between 40 pounds (18 kilograms) and 80
pounds (36 kilograms) and upward to 100
pounds (45 kilograms) if recommended by
your child restraint manufacturer). Many
state and provincial laws require that children
use approved booster seats until they reach
age eight, a height of 4 feet 9 inches (1.45
meters) tall, or 80 pounds (36 kilograms).
Booster seats should be used until you can
answer YES to ALL of these questions when
seated without a booster seat:
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•
Can the child sit all the way back against
their vehicle seat back with knees bent
comfortably at the edge of the seat
cushion?
• Can the child sit without slouching?
• Does the lap belt rest low across the
hips?
• Is the shoulder belt centered on the
shoulder and chest?
• Can the child stay seated like this for the
whole trip?
Always use booster seats in conjunction with
your vehicle lap and shoulder belt. 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 seat back 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 seat back 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.
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
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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. 23
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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 SEAT POSITIONING
WARNINGS
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 vehicle seat upon which
the child seat is installed all the way back.
When possible, all children age 12 and under
should be properly restrained in a rear seating
position. If all children cannot be seated and
restrained properly in a rear seating position,
properly restrain the largest child in the front
seat. WARNINGS
Always carefully follow the instructions
and warnings provided by the
manufacturer of any child restraint to
determine if the restraint device is
appropriate for your child's size, height,
weight, or age. Follow the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions and warnings
provided for installation and use in
conjunction with the instructions and
warnings provided by your vehicle
manufacturer. A safety seat that is
improperly installed or utilized, is
inappropriate for your child's height, age, or
weight or does not properly fit the child may
increase the risk of serious injury or death. 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. WARNINGS
Never use pillows, books, or towels to
boost a child. They can slide around
and increase the likelihood of injury or
death in a crash. Always restrain an unoccupied child
seat or booster seat. These objects may
become projectiles in a crash or sudden
stop, which may increase the risk of serious
injury. Never place, or allow a child to place,
the shoulder belt under a child's arm
or behind the back because it reduces
the protection for the upper part of the body
and may increase the risk of injury or death
in a crash. To avoid risk of injury, do not leave
children or pets unattended in your
vehicle.
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Recommendations for attaching child safety restraints for children
Use any attachment method as indicated below by X
Combined weight
of child and child seat
Restraint Type
Safety belt only
Safety belt and
LATCH (lower
anchors and top tether anchor)
Safety belt and top
tether anchor
LATCH (lower
anchors only)
LATCH (lower
anchors and top tether anchor)
X
X
Up to 65 lb (29 kg)
Rear facing child
seat
X
Over 65 lb (29 kg)
Rear facing child
seat
X
X
X
Up to 65 lb (29 kg)
Forward facing
child seat
X
X
Over 65 lb (29 kg)
Forward facing
child seat
Note: The child seat must rest tightly against
the vehicle seat upon which it is installed. It
may be necessary to lift or remove the head
restraint. See Seats (page 109).
CHILD SAFETY LOCKS
When these locks are set, the rear doors
cannot be opened from the inside.
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PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
WARNINGS
Always drive and ride with your seat
back upright and the lap belt snug and
low across the hips.
To reduce the risk of injury, make sure
children sit where they can be properly
restrained.
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. 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. It is extremely dangerous to ride in a
cargo area, inside or outside of a
vehicle. In a crash, people riding in these
areas are more likely to be seriously injured
or killed. Do not allow people to ride in any
area of your vehicle that is not equipped with
seats and safety belts. Be sure everyone in
your vehicle is in a seat and using a safety
belt properly. WARNINGS
In a rollover crash, an unbelted person
is significantly more likely to die than a
person wearing a safety belt.
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. When possible, all children 12 years old
and under should be properly restrained
in a rear seating position. Failure to
follow this could seriously increase the risk
of injury or death. Safety belts and seats can become hot
in a vehicle that has been closed up in
sunny weather; they could burn a small
child. Check seat covers and buckles before
you place a child anywhere near them. Front and rear seat occupants,
including pregnant women, should
wear safety belts for optimum
protection in an accident. All seating positions in your vehicle have lap
and shoulder safety belts. All occupants of
the vehicle should always properly wear their
safety belts, even when an airbag
supplemental restraint system is provided.
The safety belt system consists of:
•
lap and shoulder safety belts.
• shoulder safety belt with automatic
locking mode, (except driver safety belt).
• height adjuster at the front outboard
seating positions.
• safety belt pretensioner at the front
outboard seating positions.
• belt tension sensor at the front outboard
passenger seating position. •
Safety belt warning light and chime. •
Crash sensors and monitoring system
with readiness indicator.
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