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Summary Of Recommendations For Restraining Children In Vehicles
Child Size, Height, Weight Or Age Recommended Type Of Child Restraint
Infants and Tod- dlers Children who are two years old or younger
and who have not reached the height or weight limits of their child restraint Either an Infant Carrier or a Convertible
Child Restraint, facing rearward in the rear seat of the vehicle
Small Children Children who are at least two years old or who have out-grown the height or weightlimit of their rear-facing child restraint Forward-Facing Child Restraint with a five-
point Harness, facing forward in the rear seat of the vehicle
Larger Children Children who have out-grown their forward-facing child restraint, but are too
small to properly fit the vehicle’s seat belt Belt Positioning Booster Seat and the vehicle
seat belt, seated in the rear seat of the ve- hicle
Children Too
Large for Child Restraints Children 12 years old or younger, who have
out-grown the height or weight limit of their booster seat Vehicle Seat Belt, seated in the rear seat of
the vehicle2
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Infants And Child Restraints
Safety experts recommend that children ride rear-facing
in the vehicle until they are two years old or until they
reach either the height or weight limit of their rear-facing
child restraint. Two types of child restraints can be used
rear-facing: infant carriers and convertible child seats.
The infant carrier is only used rear-facing in the vehicle.
It is recommended for children from birth until they
reach the weight or height limit of the infant carrier.
Convertible child seats can be used either rear-facing or
forward-facing in the vehicle. Convertible child seats
often have a higher weight limit in the rear-facing
direction than infant carriers do, so they can be used
rear-facing by children who have outgrown their infant
carrier but are still less than at least two years old.
Children should remain rear-facing until they reach the
highest weight or height allowed by their convertible
child seat.
WARNING!
•Never place a rear-facing child restraint in front of
an air bag. A deploying passenger Advanced Front
Air Bag can cause death or serious injury to a child
12 years or younger, including a child in a rear-
facing child restraint.
• Only use a rear-facing child restraint in a vehicle
with a rear seat.
Older Children And Child Restraints
Children who are two years old or who have outgrown
their rear-facing convertible child seat can ride forward-
facing in the vehicle. Forward-facing child seats and
convertible child seats used in the forward-facing direc-
tion are for children who are over two years old or who
have outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit of
their rear-facing convertible child seat. Children should
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remain in a forward-facing child seat with a harness for
as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height
allowed by the child seat.
All children whose weight or height is above the
forward-facing limit for the child seat should use a
belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle’s seat belts
fit properly. If the child cannot sit with knees bent over
the vehicle’s seat cushion while the child’s back is against
the seatback, they should use a belt-positioning booster
seat. The child and belt-positioning booster seat are held
in the vehicle by the seat belt.
WARNING!
•Improper installation can lead to failure of an
infant or child restraint. It could come loose in a
collision. The child could be badly injured or
killed. Follow the child restraint manufacturer ’s
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
directions exactly when installing an infant or
child restraint.
• After a child restraint is installed in the vehicle, do
not move the vehicle seat forward or rearward
because it can loosen the child restraint attach-
ments. Remove the child restraint before adjusting
the vehicle seat position. When the vehicle seat has
been adjusted, reinstall the child restraint.
• When your child restraint is not in use, secure it in
the vehicle with the seat belt or LATCH anchor-
ages, or remove it from the vehicle. Do not leave it
loose in the vehicle. In a sudden stop or accident, it
could strike the occupants or seatbacks and cause
serious personal injury.2
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Recommendations For Attaching Child Restraints
Restraint TypeCombined
Weight of the
Child + Child Restraint Use any attachment method shown with an “X” Below
LATCH –
Lower Anchors Only Seat Belt Only LATCH –
Lower Anchors + Top Tether Anchor Seat Belt + Top
Tether Anchor
Rear-Facing
Child Restraint Up to 65 lbs
(29.5 kg) XX
Rear-Facing
Child Restraint More than
65 lbs (29.5 kg) X
Forward-Facing Child Restraint Up to 65 lbs
(29.5 kg) XX
Forward-Facing Child Restraint More than
65 lbs (29.5 kg) X
2
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Child Restraint LATCH Positions
Frequently Asked Questions About Installing Child Restraints With LATCH
What is the weight limit (child’s weight + weight of the child re-
straint) for using the LATCH an-
chorage system to attach the child restraint? 65 lbs (29.5 kg)
Use the LATCH anchorage system
until the combined weight of the child and the child restraint is
65 lbs (29.5 kg). Use the seat belt and tether anchor instead of the
LATCH system once the combined weight is more than 65 lbs (29.5 kg).
Can the LATCH anchorages and the seat belt be used together to attach a rear-facing or forward- facing child restraint? No
Do not use the seat belt when you
use the LATCH anchorage systemto attach a rear-facing or forward- facing child restraint.
Can a child seat be installed in the center position using the innerLATCH lower anchorages? No
Use the seat belt and tether anchor
to install a child seat in the center seating position.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Installing Child Restraints With Seat Belts
What is the weight limit (child’s weight + weight of the child re-
straint) for using the Tether Anchor with the seat belt to attach a for- ward facing child restraint? Weight limit of the Child Restraint Always use the tether anchor when
using the seat belt to install a for-ward facing child restraint, up to
the recommended weight limit of the child restraint.
Can the rear-facing child restraint
touch the back of the front passen- ger seat? Yes Contact between the front passen-
ger seat and the child restraint isallowed, if the child restraint
manufacturer also allows contact.
Can the head restraints be re- moved? Yes Second Row: The head restraints
may be removed from all positions.
Can the buckle stalk be twisted to
tighten the seat belt against the belt path of the child restraint? No
Do not twist the buckle stalk in a
seating position with an ALR re- tractor.
2
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WARNING!
•An incorrectly anchored tether strap could lead to
increased head motion and possible injury to the
child. Use only the anchorage position directly
behind the child seat to secure a child restraint top
tether strap.
• If your vehicle is equipped with a split rear seat,
make sure the tether strap does not slip into the
opening between the seatbacks as you remove
slack in the strap.
Installing Child Restraints in Commercial Vehicles
This commercial vehicle is not designed for use as a
family vehicle and is not intended for carrying children
in the front passenger seat(s). Never install rear-facing
child restraints in this vehicle. If you must carry a child in
a forward-facing child restraint, the passenger seat
should be moved to the full rearward position and the child must be in a proper restraint system based on its
age, size and weight. Follow the instructions below to
secure the child restraint using the seat belt and tether
anchorage.
WARNING!
Rear-facing infant restraints must never be secured
in the passenger seat of a vehicle with a passenger
Air Bag. In a collision, a passenger Air Bag may
deploy causing severe injury or death to infants
riding in rear-facing infant restraints.
Installing Child Restraints Using the Vehicle Seat
Belt (Commercial Vehicle)
The seat belt in the passenger seating position is
equipped with a Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor
(ALR). This seat belt is designed to keep the lap portion
of the seat belt tight around the child restraint so that it is
2
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WARNING!
•To help protect against personal injury, passengers
should not be seated in the rear cargo area. The rear
cargo space is intended for load carrying purposes
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
only, not for passengers, who should sit in seats
and use seat belts.
• Cargo tie-down hooks are not safe anchors for a
child seat tether strap. In a sudden stop or accident,
a hook could pull loose and allow the child seat to
come loose. A child could be badly injured. Use
only the anchors provided for child seat tethers.
The weight and position of cargo and passengers can
change the vehicle center of gravity and vehicle han-
dling. To avoid loss of control resulting in personal
injury, follow these guidelines for loading your vehicle:
• Do not carry loads which exceed the load limits
described on the label attached to the left door or
left door center pillar.
•
Always place cargo evenly on the cargo floor. Put
heavier objects as low and as far forward as possible.
(Continued)
Rear Cargo Tie-Downs (Passenger Version)
3
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