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30
3
Seat belt use and children
Infant and small children
All 50 states have child restraint laws
which require children to travel in
approved child restraint devices,
including booster seats. The age at
which seat belts can be used instead
of child restraints differs among
states, so you should be aware of the
specific requirements in your state,
and where you are travelling. Infant
and child restraints must be properly
placed and installed in a rear seat.
For more information refer to the
“Child Restraint Systems” in this
chapter. Small children are best protected
from injury in an accident when prop-
erly restrained in the rear seat by a
child restraint system that meets the
requirements of the Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standards. Before
buying any child restraint system,
make sure that it has a label certify-
ing that it meets Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 213. The
restraint must be appropriate for your
child's height and weight. Check the
label on the child restraint for this
information. Refer to “Child Restraint
Systems” in this chapter.WARNING
ALWAYS properly restrain infants
and small children in a child
restraint appropriate for the
child’s height and weight.
To reduce the risk of serious
injury or death to a child and
other passengers, NEVER hold a
child in your lap or arms when
the vehicle is moving. The violent
forces created during an acci-
dent will tear the child from your
arms and throw the child against
the interior of the vehicle.
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3
Do not lie down
Sitting in a reclined position when
the vehicle is in motion can be dan-
gerous. Even when buckled up, the
protections of your restraint system
(seat belts and air bags) is greatly
reduced by reclining your seatback.
To reduce the chance of injuries in
the event of an accident and to
achieve the maximum effectiveness
of the restraint system, all passen-
gers should be sitting up and the
front and rear seats should be in an
upright position when the car is mov-
ing. A seat belt cannot provide prop-
er protection if the person is lying
down in the rear seat or if the front or
rear seats are in a reclined position.
Care of seat belts
Seat belt systems should never be
disassembled or modified. In addi-
tion, care should be taken to assure
that seat belts and belt hardware are
not damaged by seat hinges, doors
or other abuse.
Periodic inspection
All seat belts should be inspected
periodically for wear or damage of
any kind. Any damaged parts should
be replaced as soon as possible.
Keep belts clean and dry
Seat belts should be kept clean and
dry. If belts become dirty, they can be
cleaned by using a mild soap solu-
tion and warm water. Bleach, dye,
strong detergents or abrasives
should not be used because they
may damage and weaken the fabric.
WARNING
NEVER ride with a reclined
seatback when the vehicle is
moving.
Riding with a reclined seatback
increases your chance of seri-
ous or fatal injuries in the event
of a collision or sudden stop.
Drivers and passengers should
always sit well back in their
seats, properly belted, and with
the seatbacks upright.
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34
3 Children under age 13 must always
ride in the rear seats and must
always be properly restrained to min-
imize the risk of injury in an accident,
sudden stop or sudden maneuver.
According to accident statistics, chil-
dren are safer when properly
restrained in the rear seats than in
the front seat.
Even with air bags,
children can be seriously injured
or killed. Children too large for a
child restraint must use the seat belts
provided.
All 50 states have child restraint laws
which require children to travel in
approved child restraint devices. The
laws governing the age or
height/weight restrictions at which
seat belts can be used instead of
child restraints differs among states,
so you should be aware of the spe-
cific requirements in your state, and
where you are travelling. Child restraint systems must be
properly placed and installed in the
rear seat. You must use a commer-
cially available child restraint system
that meets the requirements of the
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards (FMVSS).
Child restraint systems are generally
designed to be secured in a vehicle
seat by lap belt portion of a
lap/shoulder belt, or by a LATCH sys-
tem in the rear seats of the vehicle.
CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEM (CRS)
WARNING
Always properly restrain chil-
dren in the rear seats of the
vehicle.
Children of all ages are safer
when restrained in the rear seat.
A child riding in the front pas-
senger seat can be forcefully
struck by an inflating air bag
resulting in SERIOUS INJURY
or DEATH.
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36
3
Child restraint system types
There are three main types of child
restraint systems: rear-facing seats,
forward-facing seats, and booster
seats. They are classified according
to the child’s age, height and weight.
Rear-facing child seats A rear-facing child seat provides
restraint with the seating surface
against the back of the child. The har-
ness system holds the child in place,
and in an accident, acts to keep the
child positioned in the seat and
reduce the stress to the neck and
spinal cord.
All children under age one must
always ride in a rear-facing infant child
restraint.
Convertible and 3-in-1 child seats typ-
ically have higher height and weight
limits for the rear-facing position,
allowing you to keep your child rear-
facing for a longer period of time.Continue to use a rear-facing child
seat for as long as your child will fit
within the height and weight limits
allowed by the child seat manufactur-
er. It’s the best way to keep them
safe. Once your child has outgrown
the rear-facing child restraint, your
child is ready for a forward-facing
child restraint with a harness.
CRS09
WARNING
NEVER install a child or infant
restraint in the front passen-
ger’s seat.
Placing a rear-facing child
restraint in the front seat can
result in SERIOUS INJURY or
DEATH if the child restraint is
struck by an inflating air bag.
■
Rearward-facing child restraint system
WARNING
If the vehicle headrest prevents
proper installation of a child
seat, the headrest of the respec-
tive seating position shall be
readjusted or entirely removed.
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337
Forward-facing child restraints
A forward-facing child seat provides
restraint for the child’s body with a
harness. Keep children in a forward-
facing child seat with a harness until
they reach the top height or weight
limit allowed by your child restraint’s
manufacturer.
Once your child outgrows the forward-
facing child restraint, your child is
ready for a booster seat.Booster seats
A booster seat is a restraint designed
to improve the fit of the vehicle’s seat
belt system. A booster seat positions
the seat belt so that it fits properly
over the lap of your child. Keep your
child in a booster seat until they are
big enough to sit in the seat without a
booster and still have the seat belt fit
properly.
For a seat belt to fit properly, the lap
belt must lie snugly across the upper
thighs, not the stomach. The shoulder
belt should lie snug across the shoul-
der and chest and not across the neck
or face. Children under age 13 must
always ride in the rear seats and must
always be properly restrained to mini-
mize the risk of injury.
Installing a Child Restraint
System (CRS)
OMD030019
WARNING
Before installing your child
restraint system always:
Read and follow the instruc-
tions provided by the manu-
facturer of the child restraint.
Read and follow the instruc-
tions regarding child restraint
systems in this manual.
Failure to follow all warnings
and instructions could increase
the risk of the SERIOUS INJURY
or DEATH if an accident occurs.
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38
3 After selecting a proper child seat for
your child, check to make sure it fits
properly in your vehicle. Follow the
instructions provided by the manu-
facturer when installing the child
seat. Note these general steps when
installing the seat to your vehicle:
Properly secure the child restraint
to the vehicle.
All child restraints
must be secured to the vehicle with
the lap part of a lap/shoulder belt or
with the LATCH system.
Make sure the child restraint is
firmly secured. After installing a
child restraint to the vehicle, push
and pull the seat forward and from
side-to-side to verify that it is
securely attached to the seat. A
child restraint secured with a seat
belt should be installed as firmly as
possible. However, some side-to-
side movement can be expected.
Lower Anchors and Tether for
Children (LATCH) System
The LATCH system holds a child
restraint during driving and in an acci-
dent. This system is designed to
make installation of the child restraint
easier and reduce the possibility of
improperly installing your child
restraint. The LATCH system uses
anchors in the vehicle and attach-
ments on the child restraint. The
LATCH system eliminates the need
to use seat belts to secure the child
restraint to the rear seats.
Lower anchors are metal bars built
into the vehicle. There are two lower
anchors for each LATCH seating
position that will accommodate a
child restraint with lower attachments.
To use the LATCH system in your
vehicle, you must have a child
restraint with LATCH attachments.
The child seat manufacturer will pro-
vide you with instructions on how to
use the child seat with its attachments
for the LATCH lower anchors.
WARNING
A child restraint in a closed
vehicle can become very hot. To
prevent burns, check the seat-
ing surface and buckles before
placing your child in the child
restraint.
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341
Securing a child restraint seatwith “Tether Anchor” system
First, secure the child restraint with
the LATCH lower anchors or the seat
belt. If the child seat manufacturer
recommends that the tether strap be
attached, attach and tighten the
tether strap to the tether anchor.
Tether anchors are located on the
back of the rear seats. To install the tether strap:
1. Route the child restraint tether
strap over the child restraint seat-
back. Route the tether strap under
the headrest and between the
headrest posts, or route the tether
strap over the top of the vehicle
seatback. Make sure the strap is
not twisted.
2. Connect the tether strap hook to the tether anchor, then tighten the
tether strap according to the child
seat manufacturer’s instructions to
firmly secure the child restraint to
the seat.
OMD030021N
OMD030030N
WARNING
Take the following precautions
when installing the tether strap:
Read and follow all installation
instructions provided with
your child restraint system.
NEVER attach more than one
child restraint to a single teth-
er anchor. This could cause
the anchor or attachment to
come loose or break.
Do not attach the tether strap
to anything other than the cor-
rect tether anchor. It may not
work properly if attached to
something else.
Do not use the tether anchors
for adult seat belts or harness-
es, or for attaching other items
or equipment to the vehicle.
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343
To install a child restraint system on
the rear seats, do the following:
1. Place the child restraint system ona rear seat and route the lap/shoul-
der belt around or through the child
restraint, following the restraint
manufacturer’s instructions.
Be sure the seat belt webbing is
not twisted.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
When using the rear center seat belt,
you should also refer to “3-point Rear
Center Seat Belt” in this chapter.2. Fasten the lap/shoulder belt latch
into the buckle. Listen for the dis-
tinct “click” sound.
✽ ✽NOTICE
Position the release button so that it
is easy to access in case of an emer-
gency.
3. Pull the shoulder portion of the
seat belt all the way out. When the
shoulder portion of the seat belt is
fully extended, it will shift the
retractor to the “Automatic
Locking” (child restraint) mode.
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