These data can help provide a better understanding of the
circumstances in which crashes and injuries occur.
NOTE:
EDR data are recorded by your vehicle only if a
non-trivial crash situation occurs; no data are recorded by the
EDR under normal driving conditions and no personal data
(e.g., name, gender, age, and crash location) are recorded.
However, other parties, such as law enforcement, could com-
bine the EDR data with the type of personally identifying data
routinely acquired during a crash investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special equipment is
required, and access to the vehicle or the EDR is needed. In
addition to the vehicle manufacturer, other parties, such as
law enforcement, that have the special equipment, can read
the information if they have access to the vehicle or the EDR.
Child Restraints
Everyone in your vehicle needs to be buckled up at all
times, including babies and children. Every state in the
United States, and every Canadian province, requires that
small children ride in proper restraint systems. This is the
law, and you can be prosecuted for ignoring it.
Children 12 years or younger should ride properly buckled
up in a rear seat, if available. According to crash statistics, children are safer when properly restrained in the rear
seats rather than in the front.
WARNING!
In a collision, an unrestrained child can become a
projectile inside the vehicle. The force required to hold
even an infant on your lap could become so great that
you could not hold the child, no matter how strong you
are. The child and others could be badly injured or
killed. Any child riding in your vehicle should be in a
proper restraint for the child’s size.
There are different sizes and types of restraints for children
from newborn size to the child almost large enough for an
adult safety belt. Always check the child seat Owner ’s
Manual to make sure you have the correct seat for your
child. Carefully read and follow all the instructions and
warnings in the child restraint Owner ’s Manual and on all
the labels attached to the child restraint.
Before buying any restraint system, make sure that it has a
label certifying that it meets all applicable Safety Stan-
dards. You should also make sure that you can install it in
the vehicle where you will use it.
224 SAFETY
Infant 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 front air bag can
cause death or serious injury to a child 12 years or
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
younger, including a child in a rear-facing child
restraint.
• Only use a rear-facing child restraint in the rear seat
of 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 direction 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 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.
226 SAFETY
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 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 be-
cause it can loosen the child restraint attachments.
Remove the child restraint before adjusting the ve-
hicle 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 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 the child is still sitting all the
way back?
3. Does the shoulder belt cross the child’s shoulder be- tween their neck and arm?
4. Is the lap part of the belt as low as possible, touching the child’s thighs and not the 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 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.
5
SAFETY 227
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 CombinedWeight of the
Child + Child Restraint Use Any Attachment Method Shown With An “X” Below
LATCH – Lower Anchors Only Seat Belt Only LATCH – Lower
Anchors + TopTether 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
228 SAFETY
Center Seat LATCH — Five Or Seven Second Row
Passenger Seating Only
WARNING!
•Do not install a child restraint in the center position
using the LATCH system. This position is not ap-
proved for installing child seats using the LATCH
attachments. 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 “To Install A
LATCH-Compatible Child Restraint” for typical in-
stallation instructions.
Vehicle With A Center Arm Rest Tether — Five Or
Seven Passenger Seating Only
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.
1. To access the center seat arm rest tether, first lower the
arm rest. The tether is located behind the armrest and
hooked onto the plastic seat backing.
Center Seat Position Arm Rest Tether
5
SAFETY 237
5. Tighten all of the straps as you push the child restraintrearward and downward into the seat. Remove slack in
the straps according to the child restraint manufactur-
er ’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 occupants 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 interferes 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 re-
straint. 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. Under no circumstances are they to be
used for adult seat belts, harnesses, or for attaching
other items or equipment to the vehicle.
Installing Child Restraints Using The Vehicle 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 properly secure a
child restraint can lead to failure of the restraint. The
child could be badly injured or killed.
(Continued)
5
SAFETY 239
WARNING!(Continued)
•Follow the child restraint manufacturer ’s directions
exactly when installing an infant or child restraint.
The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are
equipped with a Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor
(ALR) that is designed 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 in
“Switchable Automatic Locking Retractors (ALR)” under
“Occupant Restraint Systems” for additional information
on ALR.
Please see the table below and the following sections for
more information.
Lap/Shoulder Belt Systems For Installing Child
Restraints In This Vehicle
60/40 Second Row (5 Passenger) Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) Locations
ALR = Switchable Automatic Locking RetractorTop Tether Anchorage Symbol
240 SAFETY
Frequently Asked Questions About Installing Child Restraints With Seat Belts
Can the rear-facing child restraint touch the back of the front passenger seat? Yes
Contact between the front passenger seat and
the child restraint is allowed, if the child re- straint manufacturer also allows contact.
Can the head restraints be removed? Yes — 5 Passenger No — 6 Passenger
Yes — 7 Passenger 5 Passenger: Only the head restraint in the
center position may be removed.
7 Passenger: The head restraint in the center
position may be removed in the second row.
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 po-
sition with an ALR retractor.
Installing A Child Restraint With A Switchable
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 properly 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 infant or child restraint. 1. Place the child seat in the center of the 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.
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.”
242 SAFETY