2016 FORD F150 Owners Manual

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 lap portion of
the inflatable safety belt and pull
upward until all of the belt is pulled out.
Note: The automatic locking mode is
available on the front passenger and rear
seats. 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.
Note: The lock-off device on some child
restraints may not accommodate the
shoulder portion of the inflatable safety belt.
Follow all instructions provided by the
manufacturer of the child restraint regarding
the necessary and proper use of the lock-off
device. In some instances, these devices
have been provided only for use in vehicles
with safety belt systems that would
otherwise require 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. 22
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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 down on the lap 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 additionally 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.
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 Certified Passenger
Seat Technician. Using Lower Anchors and Tethers
for CHildren (LATCH) WARNINGS
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. 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 the vehicle 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 if the lower anchors
are not used. 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 is equipped with LATCH lower
anchors for child seat installation at the
following seating positions (LATCH is not
available on Regular Cab):
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Crew Cab and Super Cab
The lower LATCH anchors are located at
the rear section of the rear seat between
the cushion and seatback. Follow the child
seat manufacturer's instructions to
properly install a child seat with LATCH
attachments.
Follow the instructions later in this chapter
on attaching child safety seats with tether
straps.
Attach LATCH lower attachments of the
child seat only to the anchors shown. Use of 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 25.7
inches (652 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 the vehicle.
The passenger seats of your vehicle may
be equipped with built-in tether strap
anchors located behind the seats as
described below.
The tether anchors in your vehicle may be
loops of webbing above the seatback or
an anchor bracket behind the seat on the
rear edge of the seat cushion.
The rear seat in the Crew Cab and Super
Cab has three straps along the top of the
seat back that function as both routing
loops for the tether straps and anchor
loops.
The tether strap anchors in your vehicle
are in the following positions (shown from
top view):
Regular Cab
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Crew Cab and Super Cab
Attach the tether strap only to the
appropriate tether anchor as shown. The
tether strap may not work properly if
attached somewhere other than the
correct tether anchor.
If you install a child seat with rigid LATCH
attachments, 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.
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.
Front Seat Tether Strap
Attachment (Regular Cab)
1.
Route the child safety seat tether strap
over the back of the seat and under the
head restraint.
Note: For vehicles with adjustable head
restraints, route the tether strap under the
head restraint and between the head
restraint posts, otherwise route the tether
strap over the top of the seat back. 2. Locate the correct anchor for the
selected seating position. You may
need to pull the seat back forward to
access the tether anchors. Make sure
the seat is locked in the upright position
before installing the child seat.
3. Clip the tether strap to the anchor as shown.
Regular Cab passenger and center
seats (located on back panel) 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.
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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.
Rear Seat Tether Strap
Attachment (Crew Cab and Super
Cab)
There are three loops of webbing just
above the back of the rear seat (along the
bottom edge of the rear window). Use
these loops as both routing loops and
anchor loops for up to three child safety
seat tether straps.
For example, the center loop can be used
as a routing loop for a child safety seat in
the center rear seat and as an anchoring
loop for child seats installed in the
outboard rear seats.
Many tether straps cannot be tightened if
the tether strap is hooked to the loop
directly behind the child seat. To provide
a tight tether strap: 1. Route the tether strap under the head
restraint and through the loop directly
behind the child seat. 2.
Route the tether strap behind the head
restraint supports to a loop behind an
adjacent seating position, and hook the
strap hook onto the loop. If using the
driver side, pass the strap behind the
shoulder belt for the center seat.
Always put the tether strap through the
routing loop. The head restraint
support post will hold the child seat
tightly, but the head restraint post is
not strong enough to hold the child
seat during a crash.
3. Tighten the tether strap according to the child seat manufacturer's
instructions.
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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.
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. Note:
Some booster seat safety belt guides
may not accommodate the shoulder portion
of the inflatable safety belt.
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: •
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
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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. 29
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