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. You can only useLATCH compatible child restraints (withattachments on belt webbing) at this seatingposition 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 safety seat, check thatthe 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 safety seat is not anchored properly,the risk of a child being injured in a crashgreatly increases.
Combining Seatbelt and LATCH LowerAnchors for Attaching Child Safety Seats
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 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 childrestraint for information about ordering atether strap, or to obtain a longer tether strapif the tether strap on your safety seat doesnot reach the appropriate top tether anchorin your vehicle.
Once you install the child safety seat 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 childsafety seat with tether anchors:
29
MKZ Hybrid (CC9) Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV), Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201805, First-Printing
Child Safety E142537
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.
1. Route the child safety seat tether strapover the back of the seat. For theoutermost seating positions, route thetether strap under the head restraint andbetween the head restraint posts. For thecenter seating positions, route the tetherstrap over the top of the head restraint.If needed, you can also remove the headrestraints.
2. Locate the correct anchor for theselected seating position, then open thetether anchor cover.
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 system has a tetherstrap, and the child restraint manufacturerrecommends its use, we also recommend itsuse.
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.
Note:Some booster seat seatbelt guidesmay not accommodate the shoulder portionof the inflatable seatbelt.
Use a belt-positioning booster seat forchildren who have outgrown or no longerproperly fit in a child safety seat (generallychildren who are less than 57 in (1.45 m) tall,are greater than age four (4) and less thanage twelve (12), and between 40 lb (18 kg)and 80 lb (36 kg) and upward to 100 lb(45 kg) if recommended by your childrestraint manufacturer). Many state andprovincial laws require that children useapproved booster seats until they reach ageeight, a height of 57 in (1.45 m) tall, or 80 lb(36 kg).
30
MKZ Hybrid (CC9) Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV), Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201805, First-Printing
Child SafetyE144274 E144275
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.
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
31
MKZ Hybrid (CC9) Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV), Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201805, First-Printing
Child SafetyE142595 E68924 E70710
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
following 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.
32
MKZ Hybrid (CC9) Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV), Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201805, First-Printing
Child SafetyE142596
WARNING: Always carefully follow theinstructions and 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.
WARNING: Do not allow a passengerto hold a child on their lap when your vehicleis moving. Failure to follow this instructioncould result in personal injury or death in theevent of a sudden stop or crash.
WARNING: Do not use pillows, booksor towels to boost your child's height. Failureto follow this instruction could result inpersonal injury or death.
WARNING: Properly secure childrestraints or booster seats when they are notin use. They could become projectiles in asudden stop or crash. Failure to follow thisinstruction could result in personal injury ordeath.
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.
WARNING: Do not leave children orpets unattended in your vehicle. Failure tofollow this instruction could result in personalinjury or death.
34
MKZ Hybrid (CC9) Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV), Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201805, First-Printing
Child Safety
Recommendations for Attaching Child Safety Restraints for Children
Use Any Attachment Method as Indicated Below by XCombined Weightof Child and ChildRestraintRestraint TypeSeatbelt OnlySeatbelt and LATCH(Lower Anchors andTop Tether Anchor)
Seatbelt and TopTether AnchorLATCH (LowerAnchors Only)LATCH (LowerAnchors and TopTether Anchor)
XXUp to 65 lb(29.5 kg)Rear facing childrestraint
XOver 65 lb(29.5 kg)Rear facing childrestraint
XXXUp to 65 lb(29.5 kg)Forward facingchild restraint
XXOver 65 lb(29.5 kg)Forward facingchild restraint
Note:The child restraint must rest tightlyagainst the vehicle seat upon which it isinstalled. It may be necessary to lift orremove the head restraint. See Seats (page146).
CHILD SAFETY LOCKS
When these locks are set, the rear doorscannot be opened from the inside.
35
MKZ Hybrid (CC9) Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV), Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201805, First-Printing
Child Safety
PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
WARNING: Always drive and ride withyour seatback upright and the lap belt snugand low across the hips.
WARNING: Children must always beproperly restrained.
WARNING: Never let a passenger holda child on his or her lap while the vehicle ismoving. The passenger cannot protect thechild from injury in a crash.
WARNING: All occupants of yourvehicle, including the driver, should alwaysproperly wear their seatbelts, even when anairbag supplemental restraint system isprovided. Failure to properly wear yourseatbelt could seriously increase the risk ofinjury or death.
WARNING: It is extremely dangerousto ride in a cargo area, inside or outside ofa vehicle. 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 seatbelts. Make sure everyone inyour vehicle is in a seat and properly usinga seatbelt. Failure to follow this warningcould result in serious personal injury ordeath.
WARNING: In a rollover crash, anunbelted person is significantly more likelyto die than a person wearing a seatbelt.
WARNING: Each seating position inyour vehicle has a specific seatbelt assemblymade up of one buckle and one tonguedesigned to be used as a pair. Use theshoulder belt on the outside shoulder only.Never wear the shoulder belt under the arm.Never use a single seatbelt for more thanone person.
WARNING: Airbags can kill or injure achild in a child restraint. Properly restrainchildren 12 and under in the rear seatwhenever possible.
WARNING: Seatbelts and seats maybe hot in a vehicle that is in the sunshine.The hot seatbelts or seats may burn a smallchild. Check seat covers and buckles beforeyou place a child anywhere near them.
All seating positions in your vehicle have lapand shoulder seatbelts. All occupants of thevehicle should always properly wear theirseatbelts, even when an airbag supplementalrestraint system is provided.
The seatbelt system consists of:
•Lap and shoulder seatbelts.
•Shoulder seatbelt with automatic lockingmode, (except driver seatbelt).
•Height adjuster at the front outboardseating positions.
37
MKZ Hybrid (CC9) Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV), Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201805, First-Printing
Seatbelts
Note:The rear inflatable seatbelts arecompatible with most infant and child safetycar seats and belt positioning booster seatswhen properly installed. This is because theyare designed to fill with a cooled gas at alower pressure and at a slower rate thantraditional airbags. After inflation, theshoulder portion of the seatbelt remains coolto the touch.
The rear inflatable seatbelt consists of thefollowing:
•An inflatable bag in the shoulder seatbeltwebbing.
•Lap seatbelt webbing with automaticlocking mode.
•The same warning light, electroniccontrol and diagnostic unit as used forthe front seatbelts.
•Impact sensors in various parts of thevehicle.
How does the rear inflatable seatbeltsystem work?
The rear inflatable seatbelts function likestandard restraints in everyday usage.
During a crash of sufficient force, theinflatable belt inflates from inside thewebbing.
The fully inflated belt's increased diametermore effectively holds the occupant in theappropriate seating position, and spreadscrash forces over more area of the body thanregular seatbelts. This helps reduce pressureon the chest and helps control head andneck motion for passengers.
The rear inflatable seatbelts are designed toinflate in frontal or near-frontal crashes andin some side impact crashes and rollovercrashes. The fact that the rear inflatableseatbelt did not inflate in a crash does notmean that something is wrong with thesystem. Rather, it means the forces were notof the type sufficient to cause activation.
SEATBELT HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT
WARNING: Position the safety beltheight adjusters so that the belt rests acrossthe middle of your shoulder. Failure to adjustthe safety belt properly could reduce theeffectiveness of the safety belt and increasethe risk of injury in a crash.
41
MKZ Hybrid (CC9) Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV), Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 201805, First-Printing
SeatbeltsE146364 E146365