2016 FORD E SERIES Owners Manual

Recommendations for Safety Restraints for Children
Recommended restraint
type
Child size, height, weight, or age
Child
Use a child safety seat(sometimes called an
infant carrier, convertible seat, or toddler seat).
Children weighing 40 lb (18 kg) or less
(generally age four or younger).
Infants or
toddlers
Use a belt-positioningbooster seat.
Children who have outgrown or no longer
properly 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 four
and less than age 12, and between 40 lb
(18 kg) and 80 lb (36 kg) and upward to 100 lb (45 kg) if recommended by your child restraint manufacturer).
Small children
Use a vehicle seatbelt
having the lap belt snug
and low across the hips, shoulder belt centered
across the shoulder and chest, and seat back upright.
Children who have outgrown or no longer
properly fit in a belt-positioning booster
seat (generally children who are at least
4 ft. 9 in. (1.45 m) tall or greater than 80 lb (36 kg) or 100 lb (45 kg) if recom-
mended by child restraint manufacturer).
Larger children
• You are required by law to properly use
safety seats for infants and toddlers in
the United States and Canada.
• Many states and provinces require that
small 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).
Check your local and state or provincial
laws for specific requirements about
the safety of children in your vehicle.
• When possible, always properly
restrain children 12 years of age and
under in a rear seating position of your
vehicle. Accident statistics suggest that
children are safer when properly
restrained in the rear seating positions
than in a front seating position. INSTALLING CHILD
RESTRAINTS
Child Seats
14
E-Series (TE4) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 03/2015, Second Printing Child SafetyE142594

Use 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
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 seat upon which
the child seat is installed all the way back. 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. Depending on where you secure a
child restraint, and depending on the
child restraint design, you may block
access to certain seatbelt buckle
assemblies and 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 seatbelt 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.
• Keep the buckle release button
pointing up and away from the safety
seat, with the tongue between the child
seat and the release button, to prevent
accidental unbuckling. •
Place the vehicle seat upon which the
child seat will be installed in the upright
position.
• Put the seatbelt in the automatic
locking mode. See Step 5. This vehicle
does not require the use of a locking
clip.
Perform the following steps when
installing the child seat with combination
lap and shoulder belts:
Note: Although the child seat illustrated is
a forward facing child seat, the steps are
the same for installing a rear facing child
seat. 1. Position the child safety seat in a seat
with a combination lap and shoulder
belt. 15
E-Series (TE4) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 03/2015, Second Printing Child SafetyE142528 E142529

2. Pull down on the shoulder belt and
then grasp the shoulder belt and lap
belt together. 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.
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. 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 in order
to force slack from the belt. This is
16
E-Series (TE4) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 03/2015, Second Printing Child SafetyE142530 E142531 E142875 E142533

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 help to remove
remaining slack from the belt.
9. Attach the tether strap (if the child seat
is equipped). 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.
We recommend checking with a NHTSA
Certified Child Passenger Safety
Technician to make certain the child
restraint is properly installed. In Canada,
check with Transport Canada for referral
to a Child Car Seat Clinic. 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 the vehicle.
Attach the tether strap only to the tether
anchor as shown. The tether strap may not
work properly if attached somewhere other
than the correct tether anchor.
Note:
Do not tighten the tether strap
enough to lift the child seat off the 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 the vehicle seat
gives the best protection in a severe crash.
Perform the following steps to install a
child safety seat with tether anchors: You can attach the tether directly to the
rear of the front seat.
1. Adjust the front passenger seat fully
forward.
17
E-Series (TE4) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 03/2015, Second Printing Child SafetyE142534 E190809

2.
Route the child safety seat tether strap
over the back of the front passenger
seat as shown. 3. Clip the tether strap hook to the seat
pedestal at the location shown. If the
tether strap is clipped incorrectly, the
child safety seat may not be retained
properly in the event of a crash.
4. Adjust the front passenger seat to the full rearward position.
5. 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. 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:
18
E-Series (TE4) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 03/2015, Second Printing Child SafetyE190810 E190811 E142595

•
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 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.
19
E-Series (TE4) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 03/2015, Second Printing Child SafetyE68924 E70710

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 RESTRAINT
POSITIONING
WARNINGS
Airbags can kill or injure a child in a
child restraint. Never place a
rear-facing child restraint in front of
an active airbag. If you must use a
forward-facing child restraint in the front
seat, move the vehicle seat upon which WARNINGS
the child restraint 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. 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
20
E-Series (TE4) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 03/2015, Second Printing Child SafetyE142596 E142597

WARNINGS
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. 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. WARNINGS
Always restrain an unoccupied child
restraint 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.
Recommendations for attaching child safety restraints for children
Use any attachment method as indicated below by X.
Restraint Type Safety belt only
Safety belt and top
tether anchor
Combined weight of
child and child restraint
Up to 65 lb (29.5 kg)
Rear-facing
child restraint
Over 65 lb (29.5 kg)
Rear-facing
child restraint
X
Up to 65 lb (29.5 kg)
Forward-facing
child restraint
X
Over
65 lb (29.5 kg)
Forward-facing
child restraint
Note: The child restraint must rest tightly
against the vehicle seat upon which it is
installed. It may be necessary to lift or
remove the head restraint. See
Head
Restraints (page 67).
21
E-Series (TE4) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 03/2015, Second Printing Child Safety