3. Clip the tether strap to the anchor asshown.
4.Tighten the child safety seat tether strapaccording to the manufacturer'sinstructions. If your child restraint systemis equipped with a tether strap, and thechild restraint manufacturer recommendsits use, we also recommend its use.
BOOSTER SEATS
WARNING
Do not put the shoulder section of theseatbelt or allow the child to put theshoulder section of the seatbelt under theirarm or behind their back. Failure to followthis instruction could reduce theeffectiveness of the seatbelt and increasethe risk of injury or death in a crash.
Use a belt-positioning booster seat forchildren who have outgrown or no longerproperly fit in a child safety restraint(generally children who are less than 57 in(1.45 m) tall, are greater than age 4 and lessthan age 12, and between 40 lb (18 kg) and80 lb (36 kg) and upward to 100 lb (45 kg) ifrecommended by your child restraintmanufacturer). Many state and provinciallaws require that children use approvedbooster seats until they reach age eight, aheight of 57 in (1.45 m) tall, or 80 lb (36 kg).
Booster seats should be used until you cananswer YES to ALL of these questions whenseated without a booster seat:
•Can the child sit all the way back againsttheir vehicle seat backrest with kneesbent comfortably at the edge of the seatcushion?
•Can the child sit without slouching?
•Does the lap belt rest low across thehips?
•Is the shoulder belt centered on theshoulder and chest?
•Can the child stay seated like this for thewhole trip?
Always use booster seats in conjunction withyour vehicle lap and shoulder belt.
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Types of Booster Seats
•Backless booster seats
If your backless booster seat has aremovable shield, remove the shield. If avehicle seating position has a low seatbackrest or no head restraint, a backlessbooster seat may place your child's head (asmeasured at the tops of the ears) above thetop of the seat. In this case, move thebackless booster to another seating positionwith a higher seat backrest or head restraintand lap and shoulder belts, or consider usinga high back booster seat.
•High back booster seats
If, with a backless booster seat, you cannotfind a seating position that adequatelysupports your child's head, a high backbooster seat would be a better choice.
Children and booster seats vary in size andshape. Choose a booster that keeps the lapbelt low and snug across the hips, never upacross the stomach, and lets you adjust theshoulder belt to cross the chest and restsnugly near the center of the shoulder. Thefollowing drawings compare the ideal fit(center) to a shoulder belt uncomfortablyclose to the neck and a shoulder belt thatcould slip off the shoulder. The drawings alsoshow how the lap belt should be low andsnug across the child's hips.
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If the booster seat slides on the vehicle seatupon which it is being used, placing arubberized mesh sold as shelf or carpet linerunder the booster seat may improve thiscondition. Do not introduce any item thickerthan this under the booster seat. Check withthe booster seat manufacturer's instructions.
CHILD RESTRAINT POSITIONING
WARNINGS
Airbags can kill or injure a child in achild seat. Never place a rear-facingchild seat in front of an active airbag. If youmust use a forward-facing child seat in thefront seat, move the vehicle seat upon whichthe child seat is installed all the way back.When possible, all children age 12 and undershould be properly restrained in a rearseating position. If all children cannot beseated and restrained properly in a rearseating position, properly restrain the largestchild in the front seat.
WARNINGS
Always carefully follow the instructionsand warnings provided by themanufacturer of any child restraint todetermine if the restraint device isappropriate for your child's size, height,weight, or age. Follow the child restraintmanufacturer's instructions and warningsprovided for installation and use inconjunction with the instructions andwarnings provided by your vehiclemanufacturer. A safety seat that is improperlyinstalled or utilized, is inappropriate for yourchild's height, age, or weight or does notproperly fit the child may increase the risk ofserious injury or death.
Never let a passenger hold a child onhis or her lap while your vehicle ismoving. The passenger cannot protect thechild from injury in a crash, which may resultin serious injury or death.
WARNINGS
Never use pillows, books, or towels toboost a child. They can slide aroundand increase the likelihood of injury or deathin a crash.
Always restrain an unoccupied childseat or booster seat. These objectsmay become projectiles in a crash or suddenstop, which may increase the risk of seriousinjury.
Never place, or allow a child to place,the shoulder belt under a child's armor behind the back because it reduces theprotection for the upper part of the body andmay increase the risk of injury or death in acrash.
To avoid risk of injury, do not leavechildren or pets unattended in yourvehicle.
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Child Safety
Recommendations for attaching child safety restraints for children
Use any attachment method as indicated below by X
Combined weight ofchild and child seatRestraint TypeSafety belt onlySafety belt andLATCH (loweranchors and toptether anchor)
Safety belt and toptether anchorLATCH (loweranchors only)LATCH (loweranchors and toptether anchor)
XXUp to 65 lb(29.5 kg)Rear facing childseat
XOver 65 lb(29.5 kg)Rear facing childseat
XXXUp to 65 lb(29.5 kg)Forward facingchild seat
XXOver 65 lb(29.5 kg)Forward facingchild seat
Note:The child seat must rest tightly againstthe vehicle seat upon which it is installed. Itmay be necessary to lift or remove the headrestraint. See Seats (page 138).
CHILD SAFETY LOCKS
When these locks are set, the rear doorscannot be opened from the inside.
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Child Safety
PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
WARNINGS
Always drive and ride with yourseatback upright and the lap belt snugand low across the hips.
To reduce the risk of injury, make surechildren sit where they can be properlyrestrained.
Never let a passenger hold a child onhis or her lap while your vehicle ismoving. The passenger cannot protect thechild from injury in a crash.
All occupants of your vehicle, includingthe driver, should always properly weartheir safety belts, even when an airbagsupplemental restraint system is provided.
WARNINGS
It is extremely dangerous to ride in acargo area, inside or outside of avehicle. In a crash, people riding in theseareas are more likely to be seriously injuredor killed. Do not allow people to ride in anyarea of your vehicle that is not equipped withseats and safety belts. Be sure everyone inyour vehicle is in a seat and using a safetybelt properly.
In a rollover crash, an unbelted personis significantly more likely to die thana person wearing a safety belt.
Each seating position in your vehiclehas a specific safety belt assemblywhich is made up of one buckle and onetongue that are designed to be used as apair. 1) Use the shoulder belt on the outsideshoulder only. Never wear the shoulder beltunder the arm. 2) Never swing the safety beltaround your neck over the inside shoulder.3) Never use a single belt for more than oneperson.
When possible, all children 12 years oldand under should be properlyrestrained in a rear seating position.
WARNINGS
Safety belts and seats can become hotin a vehicle that has been closed up insunny weather; they could burn a small child.Check seat covers and buckles before youplace a child anywhere near them.
Front and rear seat occupants,including pregnant women, shouldwear safety belts for optimum protection inan accident.
All seating positions in this vehicle have lapand shoulder safety belts. All occupants ofthe vehicle should always properly wear theirsafety belts, even when an airbagsupplemental restraint system is provided.
The safety belt system consists of:
•lap and shoulder safety belts
•shoulder safety belt with automaticlocking mode, (except driver safety belt)
•height adjuster at the front outboardseating positions
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Seatbelts
Using a Sliding Clip (If Equipped)
Slide the clip away from the tongue so thereis no loose webbing when an occupant orchild seat is buckled up. You can also usethe sliding clip to raise the tongue andprevent it from rattling or to ease access tothe tongue.
Using Seatbelts During Pregnancy
WARNING
Always ride and drive with yourseatback upright and properly fastenyour seatbelt. Fit the lap portion of theseatbelt snugly and low across the hips.Position the shoulder portion of the seatbeltacross your chest. Pregnant women mustfollow this practice. See the following figure.
Pregnant women should always wear theirseatbelt. Position the lap belt portion of acombination lap and shoulder belt low acrossthe hips below the belly and worn as tightas comfort allows. Position the shoulder beltto cross the middle of the shoulder and thecenter of the chest.
Seatbelt Locking Modes
WARNING
If your vehicle is involved in a crash,have the seatbelts and associatedcomponents inspected as soon as possible.Failure to follow this instruction could resultin personal injury or death.
All safety restraints in the vehicle arecombination lap and shoulder belts. Thedriver seatbelt has the first type of lockingmode, and the front outboard passenger andrear seatbelts have both types of lockingmodes described as follows:
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Deactivating and Activating the Belt-MinderFeature
WARNING
While the system allows you todeactivate it, this system is designedto improve your chances of being safelybelted and surviving an accident. Werecommend you leave the system activatedfor yourself and others who may use thevehicle.
Note:The driver and front passengerwarnings switch on and off independently.When you perform this procedure for oneseating position, do not buckle the otherposition as this will terminate the process.
Read Steps 1 - 4 thoroughly beforeproceeding with the programmingprocedure.
Before following the procedure, make surethat:
•The parking brake is set.
•The transmission is in park (P) or neutral(N).
•The ignition is off.
•The driver and front passenger safetybelts are unbuckled.
1. Switch the ignition on. Do not start thevehicle.
2. Wait until the safety belt warning lightturns off (about one minute). After Step2, wait an additional 5 seconds beforeproceeding with Step 3. Once you startStep 3, you must complete the procedurewithin 30 seconds.
3.For the seating position you are switchingoff, buckle then unbuckle the safety beltthree times at a moderate speed, endingin the unbuckled state. After Step 3, thesafety belt warning light turns on.
4. While the safety belt warning light is on,buckle and then unbuckle the safety belt.After Step 4, the safety belt warning lightflashes for confirmation.
•This will switch the feature off for thatseating position if it is currently on.
•This will switch the feature on for thatseating position if it is currently off.
CHILD RESTRAINT AND SEATBELT
MAINTENANCE
Inspect the vehicle seatbelts and child safetyseat systems periodically to make sure theywork properly and are not damaged. Inspectthe vehicle and child restraint seatbelts tomake sure there are no nicks, tears or cuts.Replace if necessary. All vehicle seatbeltassemblies, including retractors, buckles,front seatbelt buckle assemblies, bucklesupport assemblies (slide bar-if equipped),shoulder belt height adjusters (if equipped),shoulder belt guide on seat backrest (ifequipped), child safety seat LATCH andtether anchors, and attaching hardware,should be inspected after a crash. Read thechild restraint manufacturer's instructions foradditional inspection and maintenanceinformation specific to the child restraint.
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Seatbelts
We recommend that all seatbelt assembliesin use in vehicles involved in a crash bereplaced. However, if the crash was minorand an authorized dealer finds that the beltsdo not show damage and continue tooperate properly, they do not need to bereplaced. Seatbelt assemblies not in useduring a crash should also be inspected andreplaced if either damage or improperoperation is noted.
Properly care for seatbelts. See VehicleCare (page 305).
SEATBELT EXTENSION
WARNINGS
Persons who fit into the vehicle'sseatbelt should not use an extension.Unnecessary use could result in seriouspersonal injury in the event of a crash.
WARNINGS
Only use extensions provided free ofcharge by Lincoln Motor Companydealers. The dealer will provide an extensiondesigned specifically for this vehicle, modelyear and seating position. The use of anextension intended for another vehicle,model year or seating position may not offeryou the full protection of your vehicle’sseatbelt restraint system.
Never use seatbelt extensions to installchild restraints.
Do not use a seatbelt extension withan inflatable seatbelt.
Do not use extensions to change thefit of the belt across the torso, over thelap or to make the seatbelt buckle easier toreach.
If, because of body size or driving position,it is not possible to properly fasten theseatbelt over your lap and shoulder, anextension that is compatible with theseatbelts is available free of charge fromLincoln Motor Company dealers. Only Lincoln
seatbelt extensions made by the samecompany which made the original equipmentseatbelts, should be used with Lincolnseatbelts. Ask your authorized dealer if yourextension is compatible with your Lincolnvehicle restraint system.
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Seatbelts