2017 FORD C MAX HYBRID Owners Manual

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
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 restraint
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 restraint 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 in (2.5 cm) 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 Lower Anchors and Tethers
for CHildren (LATCH) WARNINGS
Do not attach two child safety
restraints to the same anchor. In a
crash, one anchor may not be strong
enough to hold two child safety restraint
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 seatbelt buckle
assemblies and LATCH lower anchors,
rendering those features potentially
unusable. To avoid risk of injury, make sure
occupants 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
where the seatback and seat cushion meet
(called the seat bight) and one top tether
anchor 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 seatbelts to attach the child
restraint. However, you can still use the
seatbelt to attach the child restraint. For
forward-facing child restraints, attach the
top tether strap to the proper top tether
anchor if a top tether strap has been
provided with your child restraint.
22
C-MAX Energi / C-MAX Hybrid (CCG) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, First Printing Child SafetyE142534

Your vehicle has LATCH lower anchors for
child restraint installation at the seating
positions marked with the child restraint
symbol.
The LATCH anchors are at the rear section
of the rear seat between the cushion and
seatback below the symbols as shown.
Follow the child restraint manufacturer's
instructions to properly install a child
restraint with LATCH attachments. Follow
the instructions on attaching child safety
seats with tether straps.
Attach LATCH lower attachments of the
child restraint 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 in (280 mm)
center to center. Do not use LATCH
lower anchors for the center seating
position unless the child restraint
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
18 in
(46 cm) apart. You cannot install a child
restraint with rigid LATCH attachments at
the center seating position. Only use
LATCH compatible child restraints (with
attachments on belt webbing) at this
seating position provided that the child
restraint manufacturer's instructions
permit use with the anchor spacing stated.
Do not attach a child restraint to any lower
anchor if an adjacent child restraint is
attached to that anchor.
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 restraint from side
to side and forward and back where it is
secured to your vehicle. The seat should
move less than
1 in (2.5 cm) 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.
23
C-MAX Energi / C-MAX Hybrid (CCG) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, First Printing Child SafetyE142535 E144054

Combining Seatbelts and LATCH Lower
Anchors for Attaching Child Safety
Seats
When used in combination, attach either
the seatbelt or the LATCH lower anchors
first, provided a proper installation is
achieved. Attach the tether strap
afterward, if included with the child
restraint.
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
restraint 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 seatbelt, 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 restraint with rigid
LATCH attachments, do not tighten the
tether strap enough to lift the child restraint
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 restraint.
Keeping the child restraint 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. For outboard
seating positions, route the tether strap
under the head restraint and between
the head restraint posts. For the center
seating positions, route the tether strap
over the top of the head restraint. If
needed, you can also remove the head
restraints. 2. Locate the correct anchor on the back
panel of the rear seat for the selected
seating position. The anchors are
labeled with the tether strap symbol
and are partially covered by the gap
panel. Pull the panel back to fully
expose the anchors.
24
C-MAX Energi / C-MAX Hybrid (CCG) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, First Printing Child Safety E142537 E161562

3. Clip the tether strap to the anchor as
shown.
4. 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, we also
recommend 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:
•
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.
25
C-MAX Energi / C-MAX Hybrid (CCG) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, First Printing Child SafetyE161563 E142595

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. 26
C-MAX Energi / C-MAX Hybrid (CCG) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, First Printing Child SafetyE68924 E70710 E142596

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 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. 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 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. 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.
27
C-MAX Energi / C-MAX Hybrid (CCG) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, First Printing Child SafetyE142597

WARNINGS
To avoid risk of injury, do not leave WARNINGS
children or pets unattended in your vehicle. Recommendations for attaching child safety restraints for children
Use any attachment method as indicated below by X
Combined weight ofchild and
child seat
Restraint
Type Safety belt
only
Safety belt
and LATCH
(lower
anchors and top tether
anchor)
Safety belt
and toptether
anchor
LATCH
(lower
anchors only)
LATCH
(lower
anchors and top tether
anchor)
X
X
Up to 65 lb
(29.5 kg)
Rear facing
child seat
X
Over
65 lb
(29.5 kg)
Rear facing
child seat
X
X
X
Up to
65 lb
(29.5 kg)
Forward
facing
child seat
X
X
Over
65 lb
(29.5 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
114
).
CHILD SAFETY LOCKS
When these locks are set, the rear doors
cannot be opened from the inside.
28
C-MAX Energi / C-MAX Hybrid (CCG) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, First Printing Child Safety

The childproof locks are located on the
rear edge of each rear door and must be
set separately for each door.
Left-Hand Side
Turn counterclockwise to lock and
clockwise to unlock.
Right-Hand Side
Turn clockwise to lock and
counterclockwise to unlock.
29
C-MAX Energi / C-MAX Hybrid (CCG) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, First Printing Child SafetyE112197