Using Tether Straps
Many forward-facing child safetyseats include a tether strap whichextends from the back of the childsafety seat and hooks to an anchoring pointcalled the top tether anchor. Tether strapsare available as an accessory for many oldersafety seats.
Contact the manufacturer of your child seatfor information about ordering a tether strap,or to obtain a longer tether strap if the tetherstrap on your safety seat does not reach theappropriate top tether anchor in your vehicle.
Once the child safety seat has been installedusing either the safety belt, the loweranchors of the LATCH system, or both, youcan attach the top tether strap.
The tether strap anchors in your vehicle arein the following positions (shown from topview):
Perform the following steps to install a childsafety seat with tether anchors:
Note:If you install a child seat with rigidLATCH attachments, do not tighten thetether strap enough to lift the child seat offyour vehicle seat cushion when the child isseated in it. Keep the tether strap just snugwithout lifting the front of the child seat.Keeping the child seat just touching yourvehicle seat gives the best protection in asevere crash.
1. Route the child safety seat tether strapover the back of the seat. For outboardseating positions, route the tether strapunder the head restraint and betweenthe head restraint posts. For the centerseating positions, route the tether strapover the top of the head restraint. Ifneeded, the head restraints can also beremoved.
2. Locate the correct anchor on the backpanel of the rear seat for the selectedseating position. The anchors are labeledwith the tether strap symbol and arepartially covered by the gap panel. Pullthe panel back to fully expose theanchors.
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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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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
How to Disengage the Automatic LockingMode
Unbuckle the combination lap and shoulderbelt and allow it to retract completely todisengage the automatic locking mode andturn on the vehicle sensitive (emergency)locking mode.
How to Extract Seatbelts in the RearOutermost Positions
Seatbelts in the rear outermost positions canlock if you firmly return the seat backrest toits upright position. You can unlock theseatbelts using the following procedures.
For vehicles where the rear seats recline:
1. Recline the seat to its full rear reclineposition.
2. The seatbelt should then unlock.
3.Return the seat backrest to your desiredupright position.
For vehicles with rear seats that do notrecline or are locked with the seat in its fullrear recline position:
1.Grasp the seatbelt webbing at the top ofthe seat backrest.
2.Pull the seatbelt webbing forward, firmly.
3. After pulling the seatbelt forward, allowthe seatbelt to feed back into the seatbeltretractor as much as possible. Ifnecessary, press the seat backrest downto allow the seatbelt webbing to retractfurther.
4. The seatbelt should then unlock.
5. If the seatbelt does not unlock, repeatsteps 1-3.
SEATBELT HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT
WARNING
Position the seatbelt height adjusterso that the belt rests across the middleof your shoulder. Failure to adjust theseatbelt properly could reduce theeffectiveness of the seatbelt and increasethe risk of injury in a crash.
To adjust the shoulder belt height, squeezethe button and slide the height adjuster upor down. Release the button and pull downon the height adjuster to make sure it islocked in place.
SEATBELT WARNING LAMP AND
INDICATOR CHIME
This lamp illuminates and anaudible warning will sound if thedriver seatbelt has not beenfastened when the vehicle's ignition is turnedon.
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Proper Driver and Front PassengerSeating Adjustment
WARNING
National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration (NHTSA) recommendsa minimum distance of at least 10 in (25 cm)between an occupant's chest and the driverairbag module.
To properly position yourself away from theairbag:
•Move your seat to the rear as far as youcan while still reaching the pedalscomfortably.
•Recline the seat slightly (one or twodegrees) from the upright position.
After all occupants have adjusted their seatsand put on seatbelts, it is very important thatthey continue to sit properly. A properlyseated occupant sits upright, leaning againstthe seatback, and centered on the seatcushion, with their feet comfortably extendedon the floor. Sitting improperly can increase
the chance of injury in a crash event. Forexample, if an occupant slouches, lies down,turns sideways, sits forward, leans forwardor sideways, or puts one or both feet up, thechance of injury during a crash is greatlyincreased.
Children and Airbags
WARNING
Airbags can kill or injure a child in achild restraint. Never place arear-facing child restraint in front of an activeairbag. If you must use a forward-facing childrestraint in the front seat, move the seat uponwhich the child restraint is installed all theway back.
Children must always be properly restrained.Accident statistics suggest that children aresafer when properly restrained in the rearseating positions than in the front seatingposition. Failure to follow these instructionsmay increase the risk of injury in a crash.
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Note:When the passenger airbag statusindicator OFF light illuminates, the passenger(seat mounted) side airbag may be disabledto avoid the risk of airbag deploymentinjuries.
After all occupants have adjusted their seatsand put on seatbelts, it is very important thatthey continue to sit properly. A properlyseated occupant sits upright, leaning againstthe seat backrest, and centered on the seatcushion, with their feet comfortably extendedon the floor. Sitting improperly can increasethe chance of injury in a crash event. Forexample, if an occupant slouches, lies down,turns sideways, sits forward, leans forwardor sideways, or puts one or both feet up, thechance of injury during a crash greatlyincreases.
If you think that the status of the passengerairbag off indicator lamp is incorrect, checkfor the following:
•Objects lodged underneath the seat.
•Objects between the seat cushion andthe center console.
•Objects hanging off the seat backrest.
•Objects stowed in the seat backrest mappocket.
•Objects placed on the occupant's lap.
•Cargo interference with the seat
•Other passengers pushing or pulling onthe seat.
•Rear passenger feet and knees restingor pushing on the seat.
The conditions listed above may cause theweight of a properly seated occupant to beincorrectly interpreted by the front passengersensing system. The person in the frontpassenger seat may appear heavier or lighterdue to the conditions described in the listabove.
Make sure the front passengersensing system is operatingproperly. See Crash Sensors andAirbag Indicator (page 51).
If the airbag readiness light is lit, do thefollowing:
The driver and adult passengers shouldcheck for objects lodged underneath thefront passenger seat, or cargo interferingwith the seat.
If there are lodged objects, or cargo isinterfering with the seat, take the followingsteps to remove the obstruction:
•Pull the vehicle over.
•Switch the vehicle off.
•Driver and adult passengers shouldcheck for any objects lodged underneaththe front passenger seat or cargointerfering with the seat.
•Remove the obstruction(s) (if found).
•Restart the vehicle.
•Wait at least two minutes and verify thatthe airbag readiness light is no longerilluminated.
•If the airbag readiness light remainsilluminated, this may or may not be aproblem due to the front passengersensing system.
Do not attempt to repair or service thesystem. Take your vehicle immediately to anauthorized dealer.
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