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 re-
main 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 failureof 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 direc-
tions 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 attachments.
Remove the child restraint before ad-
justing the vehicle seat position. When
the vehicle seat has been adjusted, re-
install the child restraint.
• When your child restraint is not in use,
secure it in the vehicle with the seat belt
or LATCH anchorages, 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.
Children Too Large For Booster Seats
Children who are large enough to wear the
shoulder belt comfortably, and whose legs are
long enough to bend over the front of the seat
when their back is against the seatback,
should use the seat belt in a rear seat. Use
this simple 5-step test to decide whether the
child can use the vehicle’s seat belt alone:
1. Can the child sit all the way back against the back of the vehicle seat?
2. Do the child’s knees bend comfortably over the front of the vehicle seat – while
they are still sitting all the way back?
3. Does the shoulder belt cross the child’s shoulder between their neck and arm?
4. Is the lap part of the belt as low as possible, touching the child’s thighs and
not their stomach?
5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?
If the answer to any of these questions was
“no,” then the child still needs to use a
booster seat in this vehicle. If the child is
using the lap/shoulder belt, check seat belt
fit periodically and make sure the seat belt
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buckle is latched. A child’s squirming or
slouching can move the belt out of position. If
the shoulder belt contacts the face or neck,
move the child closer to the center of the
vehicle, or use a booster seat to position the
seat belt on the child correctly.WARNING!
Never allow a child to put the shoulder belt
under an arm or behind their back. In a
crash, the shoulder belt will not protect a
child properly, which may result in serious
injury or death. A child must always wear
both the lap and shoulder portions of the
seat belt correctly.
Recommendations For Attaching Child Restraints
Restraint Type Combined Weight of theChild + 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 Re- straint Up to 65 lbs (29.5 kg)
XX
Rear-Facing Child Re- straint 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
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Locating LATCH Anchorages
The lower anchorages are round bars that are
found at the rear of the seat cushion where it
meets the seatback, below the anchorage
symbols
on the seatback. They are just
visible when you lean into the rear seat to
install the child restraint. You will easily feel
them if you run your finger along the gap
between the seatback and seat cushion.
Locating Tether Anchorages
There are tether strap anchorages behind
each rear seating position located on the
back of the seat. To access them, pull the
carpeted floor panel away from the seat back,
this will expose the top tether strap anchor-
ages.
LATCH-compatible child restraint systems
will be equipped with a rigid bar or a flexible
strap on each side. Each will have a hook or
connector to attach to the lower anchorage
and a way to tighten the connection to the
anchorage. Forward-facing child restraints and some rear-facing child restraints will also
be equipped with a tether strap. The tether
strap will have a hook at the end to attach to
the top tether anchorage and a way to tighten
the strap after it is attached to the anchorage.
Center Seat LATCH
WARNING!
• Do not install a child restraint in the
center position using the LATCH system.
This position is not approved for install-
ing child seats using the LATCH attach-
ments. You must use the seat belt and
tether anchor to install a child seat in
the center seating position.
• Never use the same lower anchorage to
attach more than one child restraint.
Please refer to “Installing The LATCH-
Compatible Child Restraint System” for
typical installation instructions.
For rear-facing child restraints secured in the
center seat position with the vehicle seat
belts, the rear center seat position has an
armrest tether that secures the arm rest in
the upward position.
LATCH AnchoragesTether Strap Anchorages
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tions below. See the section “Installing Child
Restraints Using the Vehicle Seat Belt” to
check what type of seat belt each seating
position has.
1. Loosen the adjusters on the lower strapsand on the tether strap of the child seat so
that you can more easily attach the hooks
or connectors to the vehicle anchorages.
2. Place the child seat between the lower anchorages for that seating position. For
some second row seats, you may need to
recline the seat and / or raise the head
restraint to get a better fit. If the rear seat
can be moved forward and rearward in the
vehicle, you may wish to move it to its
rear-most position to make room for the
child seat. You may also move the front
seat forward to allow more room for the
child seat.
3. Attach the lower hooks or connectors of the child restraint to the lower anchorages
in the selected seating position.
4. If the child restraint has a tether strap, connect it to the top tether anchorage. See the section “Installing Child Re-
straints Using the Top Tether Anchorage”
for directions to attach a tether anchor.
5. Tighten all of the straps as you push the child restraint rearward and downward
into the seat. Remove slack in the straps
according to the child restraint manufac-
turer’s instructions.
6. Test that the child restraint is installed tightly by pulling back and forth on the
child seat at the belt path. It should not
move more than 1 inch (25.4 mm) in any
direction.
How To Stow An Unused Switchable-ALR
(ALR) Seat Belt
When using the LATCH attaching system to
install a child restraint, stow all ALR seat
belts that are not being used by other occu-
pants or being used to secure child restraints.
An unused belt could injure a child if they
play with it and accidentally lock the seat belt
retractor. Before installing a child restraint
using the LATCH system, buckle the seat belt
behind the child restraint and out of the
child’s reach. If the buckled seat belt inter-
feres with the child restraint installation, instead of buckling it behind the child re-
straint, route the seat belt through the child
restraint belt path and then buckle it. Do not
lock the seat belt. Remind all children in the
vehicle that the seat belts are not toys and
that they should not play with them.
WARNING!
• Improper installation of a child restraint
to the LATCH anchorages can lead to
failure of the restraint. The child could
be badly injured or killed. Follow the
child restraint manufacturer’s directions
exactly when installing an infant or child
restraint.
• Child restraint anchorages are designed
to withstand only those loads imposed
by correctly-fitted child restraints. Un-
der no circumstances are they to be
used for adult seat belts, harnesses, or
for attaching other items or equipment
to the vehicle.
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Installing Child Restraints Using The Ve-
hicle Seat Belt
Child restraint systems are designed to be
secured in vehicle seats by lap belts or the lap
belt portion of a lap/shoulder belt.
WARNING!
• Improper installation or failure to prop-erly secure a child restraint can lead to
failure of the restraint. The child could
be badly injured or killed.
• Follow the child restraint manufacturer’s
directions exactly when installing an in-
fant or child restraint. The seat belts in the passenger seating posi-
tions are equipped with a Switchable Auto-
matic Locking Retractor (ALR) that is de-
signed to keep the lap portion of the seat belt
tight around the child restraint so that it is
not necessary to use a locking clip. The ALR
retractor can be “switched” into a locked
mode by pulling all of the webbing out of the
retractor and then letting the webbing retract
back into the retractor. If it is locked, the ALR
will make a clicking noise while the webbing
is pulled back into the retractor. Refer to the
“Automatic Locking Mode” description un-
der “Occupant Restraints” for additional in-
formation on ALR.
Lap/Shoulder Belt Systems For Installing
Child Restraints In This Vehicle
Frequently Asked Questions About Installing Child Restraints With Seat Belts
What is the weight limit (child’s weight +
weight of the child restraint) for using the
Tether Anchor with the seat belt to attach a forward facing child restraint? Weight limit of the Child RestraintAlways use the tether anchor when using the
seat belt to install a forward facing child re-
straint, up to the recommended weight limit of the child restraint.
Can the rear-facing child restraint touch the back of the front passenger seat? Ye sContact between the front passenger seat and
the child restraint is allowed, if the child re- straint manufacturer also allows contact.
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) Loca- tions
139
Frequently Asked Questions About Installing Child Restraints With Seat Belts
Can the head restraints be removed? YesThe head restraint may be removed in the cen-
ter seating position only.
Can the buckle stalk be twisted to tighten the seat belt against the belt path of the child re- straint? No
Do not twist the buckle stalk in a seating posi-
tion with an ALR retractor.
Installing A Child Restraint With A Switch-
able Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)
Child restraint systems are designed to be
secured in vehicle seats by lap belts or the
lap belt portion of a lap/shoulder belt.
WARNING!
• Improper installation or failure to prop-
erly secure a child restraint can lead to
failure of the restraint. The child could
be badly injured or killed.
• Follow the child restraint manufactur-
er’s directions exactly when installing an
infant or child restraint. 1. Place the child seat in the center of the
seating position.
2. Pull enough of the seat belt webbing from the retractor to pass it through the belt
path of the child restraint. Do not twist the
belt webbing in the belt path.
3. Slide the latch plate into the buckle until you hear a “click.”
4. Pull on the webbing to make the lap portion tight against the child seat.
5. To lock the seat belt, pull down on the shoulder part of the belt until you have
pulled all the seat belt webbing out of the
retractor. Then, allow the webbing to re-
tract back into the retractor. As the web-
bing retracts, you will hear a clicking
sound. This means the seat belt is now in
the Automatic Locking mode. 6. Try to pull the webbing out of the retractor.
If it is locked, you should not be able to
pull out any webbing. If the retractor is
not locked, repeat step 5.
7. Finally, pull up on any excess webbing to tighten the lap portion around the child
restraint while you push the child restraint
rearward and downward into the vehicle
seat.
8. If the child restraint has a top tether strap and the seating position has a top tether
anchorage, connect the tether strap to the
anchorage and tighten the tether strap.
See the section “Installing Child Re-
straints Using the Top Tether Anchorage”
for directions to attach a tether anchor.
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9. Test that the child restraint is installedtightly by pulling back and forth on the
child seat at the belt path. It should not
move more than 1 inch (25.4 mm) in any
direction.
Any seat belt system will loosen with time, so
check the belt occasionally, and pull it tight if
necessary.Installing Child Restraints Using the Top
Tether Anchorage
WARNING!
Do not attach a tether strap for a rear-
facing car seat to any location in front of
the car seat, including the seat frame or a
tether anchorage. Only attach the tether
strap of a rear-facing car seat to the tether
anchorage that is approved for that seating
position, located behind the top of the
vehicle seat. See the section “Lower An-
chors and Tethers for CHildren (LATCH)
Restraint System” for the location of ap-
proved tether anchorages in your ve-
hicle.
1. Look behind the seating position where you plan to install the child restraint to
find the tether anchorage. You may need
to move the seat forward to provide better
access to the tether anchorage. If there is
no top tether anchorage for that seating
position, move the child restraint to an-
other position in the vehicle if one is
available.
2. To access the top tether strap anchorages behind the rear seat, pull the carpeted
floor panel away from the seat back, this
will expose the top tether strap
anchorages.
Top Tether Strap Anchorage (Located on Seatback)
141
3. Route the tether strap to provide the mostdirect path for the strap between the an-
chor and the child seat. If your vehicle is
equipped with adjustable rear head re-
straints, raise the head restraint, and
where possible, route the tether strap un-
der the head restraint and between the
two posts. If not possible, lower the head
restraint and pass the tether strap around
the outboard side of the head restraint.
4. For the center seating position, route the tether strap over the seatback and head-
rest then attach the hook to the tether
anchor located on the back of the seat.
5. Attach the tether strap hook of the child restraint to the top tether anchorage as
shown in the diagram. 6. Remove slack in the tether strap accord-
ing to the child restraint manufacturer’s
instructions.
WARNING!
• The top tether anchorages are not visibleuntil the gap panel is folded down. Do
not use the visible cargo tie down hooks,
located on the floor behind the seats, to
attach a child restraint tether anchor.
WARNING!
• An incorrectly anchored tether strapcould 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.
Transporting Pets
Air Bags deploying in the front seat could
harm your pet. An unrestrained pet will be
thrown about and possibly injured, or injure a
passenger during panic braking or in a colli-
sion.
Pets should be restrained in the rear seat in
pet harnesses or pet carriers that are secured
by seat belts.
Top Tether Strap Mounting
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