Page 25 of 581

•You are required by law to properly usesafety seats for infants and toddlers inthe United States and Canada.
•Many states and provinces require thatsmall children use approved boosterseats until they reach age eight, a heightof 4 feet 9 inches (1.45 meters) tall, or80 lb (36 kg). Check your local and stateor provincial laws for specificrequirements about the safety of childrenin your vehicle.
•When possible, always properly restrainchildren 12 years of age and under in arear seating position of your vehicle.Accident statistics suggest that childrenare safer when properly restrained in therear seating positions than in a frontseating position. See Front PassengerSensing System (page 47).
INSTALLING CHILD RESTRAINTS
Child Restraints
Use a child restraint (sometimes called aninfant carrier, convertible seat, or toddlerseat) for infants, toddlers, or childrenweighing 40 lb (18 kg) or less (generally agefour or younger).
Using Lap and Shoulder Belts
WARNING: Do not place a rearwardfacing child restraint in front of an activeairbag. Failure to follow this instruction couldresult in personal injury or death.
WARNING: Properly secure children12 years old and under in a rear seatingposition whenever possible. If you are unableto properly secure all children in a rearseating position, properly secure the largestchild on the front seat. If you must use aforward facing child restraint on the frontseat, move the seat as far back as possible.Failure to follow these instructions couldresult in personal injury or death.
22
MKC (TME) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201802, Second-Printing
Child SafetyE142594
Page 26 of 581

WARNING: Depending on where yousecure a child restraint, and depending onthe child restraint design, you may blockaccess to certain seatbelt buckle assembliesand LATCH lower anchors, rendering thosefeatures potentially unusable. To avoid riskof injury, make sure occupants only useseating positions where they are able to beproperly restrained.
When installing a child restraint withcombination lap and shoulder belts:
•Use the correct seatbelt buckle for thatseating position.
•Insert the belt tongue into the properbuckle until you hear a snap and feel itlatch. Make sure the tongue is securelyfastened in the buckle.
•Keep the buckle release button pointingup and away from the child restraint, withthe tongue between the child restraintand the release button, to preventaccidental unbuckling.
•Place the vehicle seat upon which thechild restraint will be installed in theupright position.
•Put the seatbelt in the automatic lockingmode. See Step 5. This vehicle does notrequire the use of a locking clip.
Perform the following steps when installingthe child restraint with combination lap andshoulder belts:
Note:Although the child restraint illustratedis a forward facing child restraint, the stepsare the same for installing a rear facing childrestraint.
1. Position the child restraint in a seat witha combination lap and shoulder belt.
2.Pull down on the shoulder belt and thengrasp the shoulder belt and lap belttogether.
23
MKC (TME) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201802, Second-Printing
Child SafetyE142528 E142529
Page 27 of 581
3. While holding the shoulder and lap beltportions together, route the tonguethrough the child restraint according tothe child restraint manufacturer'sinstructions. Be sure the belt webbing isnot twisted.
4. Insert the belt tongue into the properbuckle (the buckle closest to the directionthe tongue is coming from) for thatseating position until you hear a snap andfeel the latch engage. Make sure thetongue is latched securely by pulling onit.
5. To put the retractor in the automaticlocking mode, grasp the shoulder portionof the belt and pull downward until youpull all of the belt out.
Note:The automatic locking mode isavailable on the front passenger and rearseats.
6.Allow the belt to retract to remove slack.The belt clicks as it retracts to indicate itis in the automatic locking mode.
24
MKC (TME) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201802, Second-Printing
Child SafetyE142530 E142531 E142875
Page 28 of 581

7.Try to pull the belt out of the retractor tomake sure the retractor is in theautomatic locking mode (you should notbe able to pull more belt out). If theretractor is not locked, unbuckle the beltand repeat Steps 5 and 6.
8. Remove remaining slack from the belt.Force the seat down with extra weight,for example, by pressing down orkneeling on the child restraint whilepulling up on the shoulder belt in orderto force slack from the belt. This isnecessary to remove the remaining slackthat exists once you add the extra weight
of the child to the child restraint. It alsohelps to achieve the proper snugness ofthe child restraint to your vehicle.Sometimes, a slight lean toward thebuckle will additionally help to removeremaining slack from the belt.
9. Attach the tether strap (if the childrestraint is equipped).
10. Before placing the child in the seat,forcibly move the seat forward and backto make sure the seat is securely heldin place. To check this, grab the seat atthe belt path and attempt to move itside to side and forward and back.There should be no more than 1 in(2.5 cm) of movement for properinstallation.
We recommend checking with a NHTSACertified Child Passenger Safety Technicianto make certain the child restraint is properlyinstalled. In Canada, check with TransportCanada for referral to a Child Car Seat Clinic.
Using Lower Anchors and Tethers forCHildren (LATCH)
WARNING: Do not attach two childsafety restraints to the same anchor. In acrash, one anchor may not be strong enoughto hold two child safety restraint attachmentsand may break, causing serious injury ordeath.
25
MKC (TME) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201802, Second-Printing
Child SafetyE142533 E142534
Page 29 of 581

WARNING: Depending on where yousecure a child restraint, and depending onthe child restraint design, you may blockaccess to certain seatbelt buckle assembliesand LATCH lower anchors, rendering thosefeatures potentially unusable. To avoid riskof injury, make sure occupants only useseating positions where they are able to beproperly restrained.
The LATCH system is composed of threevehicle anchor points: two lower anchorswhere the seat backrest and seat cushionmeet (called the seat bight) and one toptether anchor behind that seating position.
LATCH compatible child restraints have tworigid or webbing mounted attachments thatconnect to the two lower anchors at theLATCH equipped seating positions in yourvehicle. This type of attachment methodeliminates the need to use seatbelts to attach
the child restraint. However, you can still usethe seatbelt to attach the child restraint. Forforward-facing child restraints, you must alsoattach the top tether strap to the proper toptether anchor, if a top tether strap has beenprovided with your child restraint.
Your vehicle has LATCH lower anchors forchild restraint installation. The LATCHanchors are at the rear section of the rearseat between the cushion and seat backrest.Follow the child restraint manufacturer'sinstructions to properly install a child restraintwith LATCH attachments. Follow theinstructions on attaching child restraints withtether straps.
Attach LATCH lower attachments of the childrestraint only to the anchors.
Use of Inboard Lower Anchors from theOutboard Seating Positions (Center SeatingUse)
WARNING: The standardized spacingfor LATCH lower anchors is 11 in (280 mm)center to center. Do not use LATCH loweranchors for the center seating positionunless the child restraint manufacturer'sinstructions permit and specify using anchorsspaced at least as far apart as those in thisvehicle.
The lower anchors at the center of thesecond row rear seat are spaced 18 in(46 cm) apart. You cannot install a childrestraint with rigid LATCH attachments at thecenter seating position. LATCH compatiblechild restraints (with attachments on beltwebbing) can only be used at this seating
26
MKC (TME) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201802, Second-Printing
Child SafetyE142535
Page 30 of 581

position provided that the child restraintmanufacturer's instructions permit use withthe anchor spacing stated. Do not attach achild restraint to any lower anchor if anadjacent child restraint is attached to thatanchor.
Each time you use the child restraint, checkthat the seat is properly attached to the loweranchors and tether anchor, if applicable. Tugthe child restraint from side to side andforward and back where it is secured to yourvehicle. The seat should move less than 1 in(2.5 cm) when you do this for a properinstallation.
If the child restraint is not anchored properly,the risk of a child being injured in a crashgreatly increases.
Combining Seatbelt and LATCH LowerAnchors for Attaching Child Restraints
When used in combination, either theseatbelt or the LATCH lower anchors maybe attached first, provided a properinstallation is achieved. Attach the tetherstrap afterward, if included with the childrestraint.
Using Tether Straps
Many forward-facing childrestraints include a tether strapwhich extends from the back of thechild restraints and hooks to an anchoringpoint called the top tether anchor. Tetherstraps are available as an accessory for manyolder child restraints.
Contact the manufacturer of your childrestraint for information about ordering atether strap, or to obtain a longer tether strapif the tether strap on your child restraint doesnot reach the appropriate top tether anchorin your vehicle.
Once you install the child restraint usingeither the seatbelt, the lower anchors of theLATCH system, or both, you can attach thetop tether strap.
The tether strap anchors in your vehicle arein the following positions (shown from topview):
Perform the following steps to install a childrestraint with tether anchors:
Note:If you install a child restraint with rigidLATCH attachments, do not tighten thetether strap enough to lift the child restraintoff your vehicle seat cushion when the childis seated in it. Keep the tether strap just snugwithout lifting the front of the child restraint.Keeping the child restraint just touching yourvehicle seat gives the best protection in asevere crash.
27
MKC (TME) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201802, Second-Printing
Child Safety E142537
Page 31 of 581

1.Route the child restraint tether strap overthe back of the seat. For the outermostseating 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, you can also remove the headrestraints.
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.
3. Clip the tether strap to the anchor asshown.
4. Tighten the child restraint 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 shouldersection of the seatbelt or allow the child toput the shoulder section of the seatbeltunder their arm or behind their back. Failureto follow this 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:
28
MKC (TME) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201802, Second-Printing
Child SafetyE142538 E142539
Page 32 of 581

•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.
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. The
29
MKC (TME) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201802, Second-Printing
Child SafetyE142595 E68924 E70710