2018 FORD F-250 child restraint

5. To put the retractor in the automatic
locking mode, grasp the lap portion of
the inflatable seatbelt and pull upward
until you pull all of the belt out.
Note: The automatic locking mode is
available on the front passenger and rear
seats.
Note: Unlike the standard seatbelt, the
inflatable seatbelt's unique lap portion locks
the child restraint for installation. The ability
for the shoulder portion of the belt to move
freely is normal, even after the lap belt has
been put into the automatic locking mode.
Note: The lock-off device on some child
restraints may not accommodate the
shoulder portion of the inflatable seatbelt.
Follow all instructions provided by the
manufacturer of the child restraint regarding
the necessary and proper use of the lock-off
device. In some instances, these devices
have been provided only for use in vehicles
with seatbelt systems that would otherwise
require a locking clip.
6. Allow the belt to retract to remove slack. The belt clicks as it retracts to
indicate it is in the automatic locking
mode. 7. Try to pull the belt out of the retractor
to make sure the retractor is in the
automatic locking mode (you should
not be able to pull more belt out). If the
retractor is not locked, unbuckle the
belt and repeat Steps 5 and 6. 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 down on the lap belt in order to
force slack from the belt. This is
necessary to remove the remaining
slack that exists once you add the extra
weight of the child 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).
26
Super Duty (TFE) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201709, Second Printing Child SafetyE146524 E146525

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. WARNINGS
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 vehicle seat backrest 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 if the
lower anchors are not used. For
forward-facing child restraints, you must
also attach the top tether strap to the
proper top tether anchor if a top tether
strap has been provided with your child
restraint.
Your vehicle has LATCH lower anchors for
child restraint installation at the following
seating positions (LATCH is not available
on Regular Cab):
27
Super Duty (TFE) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201709, Second Printing Child SafetyE142534

Crew Cab and Super Cab
The lower LATCH anchors are at the rear
section of the rear seat between the
cushion and seat backrest. Follow the child
restraint manufacturer's instructions to
properly install a child restraint with LATCH
attachments.
Follow the instructions later in this chapter
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
26 in
(652 mm) apart. The standardized spacing
for LATCH lower anchors is 11 in (280 mm)
center to center. You cannot install a child
restraint with rigid LATCH attachments at
the center seating position. LATCH
compatible child restraints (with
attachments on belt webbing) can only be
used 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.
28
Super Duty (TFE) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201709, Second Printing Child SafetyE166694 E166695

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 the 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.
Combining Seatbelt and LATCH
Lower Anchors for Attaching Child
Safety Seats
When used in combination, either the
seatbelt or the LATCH lower anchors may
be attached 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 the vehicle. The passenger seats of your vehicle may
have built-in tether strap anchors behind
the seats as described below.
The tether anchors in your vehicle may be
loops of webbing above the seat backrest
or an anchor bracket behind the seat on
the rear edge of the seat cushion.
The rear seat in the Crew Cab and Super
Cab has three straps along the top of the
seat backrest that function as both routing
loops for the tether straps and anchor
loops.
The tether strap anchors in your vehicle
are in the following positions (shown from
top view):
Regular Cab
29
Super Duty (TFE) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201709, Second Printing Child SafetyE166696 E251549

Crew Cab and Super Cab
Attach the tether strap only to the
appropriate tether anchor as shown. The
tether strap may not work properly if
attached somewhere other than the
correct tether anchor.
If you install a child restraint with rigid
LATCH attachments, do not tighten the
tether strap enough to lift the child
restraint off the 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 the vehicle seat
gives the best protection in a severe crash.
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.
Front Seat Tether Strap
Attachment (Regular Cab)
Note:
For vehicles with adjustable head
restraints, route the tether strap under the
head restraint and between the head
restraint posts, otherwise route the tether
strap over the top of the seatback.
1. Route the child safety seat tether strap
over the back of the seat and under the
head restraint. 2. Locate the correct anchor for the
selected seating position. You may
need to pull the seat backrest forward
to access the tether anchors. Make sure
the seat is locked in the upright position
before installing the child restraint.
3. Clip the tether strap to the anchor.
4. Tighten the child safety seat tether strap according to the manufacturer's
instructions.
Regular Cab passenger and center
seats (located on back panel) If the tether strap is clipped incorrectly, the
child safety seat may not be retained
properly in the event of a crash.
If the safety seat is not anchored properly,
the risk of a child being injured in a crash
greatly increases.
30
Super Duty (TFE) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201709, Second Printing Child SafetyE251550 E175295

If your child restraint system has a tether
strap, and the child restraint manufacturer
recommends its use, we also recommend
its use.
Rear Seat Tether Strap
Attachment (Crew Cab and Super
Cab)
There are three loops of webbing just
above the back of the rear seat (along the
bottom edge of the rear window). Use
these loops as both routing loops and
anchor loops for up to three child safety
seat tether straps.
For example, you can use the center loop
as a routing loop for a child safety seat in
the center rear seat and as an anchoring
loop for child restraints installed in the
outboard rear seats.
Many tether straps cannot be tightened if
the tether strap is hooked to the loop
directly behind the child restraint.
To provide a tight tether strap: 1.
Route the vehicle tether loop between
the head restraint posts, then route the
child seat tether strap through the loop,
forward of the head restraint.
2. Hook the strap to the vehicle tether anchor loop in the adjacent seating
position. If using the driver side, pass
the strap behind the shoulder belt for
the center seat. Always put the tether
strap through the routing loop. The
head restraint support post holds the
child restraint tightly, but the head
restraint post is not strong enough to
hold the child restraint during a crash.
3. Tighten the tether strap according to the child restraint manufacturer's
instructions.
If the safety seat is not anchored properly,
the risk of a child being injured in a crash
greatly increases.
If your child restraint system has a tether
strap, and the child restraint manufacturer
recommends its use, we also recommend
its use.
31
Super Duty (TFE) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201709, Second Printing Child SafetyE167009 E162715

BOOSTER SEATS
WARNING
Do not put the shoulder section of
the seatbelt or allow the child to put
the shoulder section of the seatbelt
under their arm or behind their back. Failure
to follow this instruction could reduce the
effectiveness of the seatbelt and increase
the risk of injury or death in a crash. Note:
Some booster seat seatbelt guides
may not accommodate the shoulder portion
of the inflatable seatbelt.
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 57 in (1.45 m)
tall, are greater than age four (4) and less
than age twelve (12), and between
40 lb
(18 kg) and 80 lb (36 kg) and upward to
100 lb (45 kg) 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
57 in (1.45 m)
tall, or 80 lb (36 kg).
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 backrest 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.
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
backrest 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 backrest
or head restraint and lap and shoulder
belts, or consider using a high back booster
seat.
32
Super Duty (TFE) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201709, Second Printing Child SafetyE142595 E68924

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
provided for installation and use in WARNINGS
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. To avoid risk of injury, do not leave
children or pets unattended in your
vehicle.
34
Super Duty (TFE) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201709, Second Printing Child Safety