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SEATS AND RESTRAINTS 79
Warning (Continued)
inspected and any necessary
replacements made as soon as
possible.
If an airbag inflates, you will need to
replace airbag system parts. See your
dealer for service.
If the airbag readiness light stays on
after the vehicle is started or comes
on when you are driving, the airbag
system may not work properly. Have
the vehicle serviced right away. See
Airbag Readiness Light 0120.
Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown
booster seats should wear the vehicle’s
seat belts.
The manufacturer instructions that
come with the booster seat state the
weight and height limitations for that
booster. Use a booster seat with a
lap-shoulder belt until the child
passes the fit test below: .
Sit all the way back on the seat.
Do the knees bend at the seat
edge? If yes, continue. If no, return
to the booster seat.
. Buckle the lap-shoulder belt. Does
the shoulder belt rest on the
shoulder? If yes, continue. If no,
try using the rear seat belt
comfort guide, if available. See
“Rear Seat Belt Comfort Guides”
under Lap-Shoulder Belt 060. If a
comfort guide is not available, or if
the shoulder belt still does not rest
on the shoulder, then return to the
booster seat.
. Does the lap belt fit low and snug
on the hips, touching the thighs?
If yes, continue. If no, return to
the booster seat.
. Can proper seat belt fit be
maintained for the length of the
trip? If yes, continue. If no, return
to the booster seat.
Q: What is the proper way to wear seat belts?
A: An older child should wear a
lap-shoulder belt and get the
additional restraint a shoulder belt
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SEATS AND RESTRAINTS 81
Infants and Young Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs
protection! This includes infants and
all other children. Neither the distance
traveled nor the age and size of the
traveler changes the need, for
everyone, to use safety restraints. In
fact, the law in every state in the
United States and in every Canadian
province says children up to some age
must be restrained while in a vehicle.
{Warning
Children can be seriously injured or
strangled if a shoulder belt is
wrapped around their neck. The
shoulder belt can tighten but
cannot be loosened if it is locked.
The shoulder belt locks when it is
pulled all the way out of the
retractor. It unlocks when the
shoulder belt is allowed to go all
the way back into the retractor, but
it cannot do this if it is wrapped
around a child’s neck. If the
shoulder belt is locked and(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
tightened around a child’s neck, the
only way to loosen the belt is to
cut it.
Never leave children unattended in
a vehicle and never allow children
to play with the seat belts.
Every time infants and young children
ride in vehicles, they should have the
protection provided by appropriate
child restraints. Neither the vehicle's
seat belt system nor its airbag system
is designed for them.
Children who are not restrained
properly can strike other people,
or can be thrown out of the vehicle.
{Warning
Never hold an infant or a child
while riding in a vehicle. Due to
crash forces, an infant or a child
will become so heavy it is not
possible to hold it during a crash. (Continued)
Warning (Continued)
For example, in a crash at only
40 km/h (25 mph), a 5.5 kg (12 lb)
infant will suddenly become a
110 kg (240 lb) force on a person's
arms. An infant or child should be
secured in an appropriate child
restraint.
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82 SEATS AND RESTRAINTS
{Warning
Children who are up against,
or very close to, any airbag when it
inflates can be seriously injured or
killed. Never put a rear-facing child
restraint in the front outboard seat.
Secure a rear-facing child restraint
in a rear seat. It is also better to
secure a forward-facing child
restraint in a rear seat. If you must
secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the front outboard seat,
always move the front passenger
seat as far back as it will go.
Child restraints are devices used to
restrain, seat, or position children in
the vehicle and are sometimes called
child seats or car seats.
There are three basic types of child
restraints:
.Forward-facing child restraints
. Rear-facing child restraints
. Belt-positioning booster seats
The proper child restraint for your
child depends on their size, weight,
and age, and also on whether the
child restraint is compatible with the
vehicle in which it will be used. For each type of child restraint, there
are many different models available.
When purchasing a child restraint, be
sure it is designed to be used in a
motor vehicle. If it is, the child
restraint will have a label saying that
it meets federal motor vehicle safety
standards.
The instruction manual that is
provided with the child restraint
states the weight and height
limitations for that particular child
restraint. In addition, there are many
kinds of child restraints available for
children with special needs.
{Warning
To reduce the risk of neck and head
injury in a crash, infants and
toddlers should be secured in a
rear-facing child restraint until age
two, or until they reach the
maximum height and weight limits
of their child restraint.
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SEATS AND RESTRAINTS 85
CPST availability in Canada, check
with Transport Canada or the
Provincial Ministry of Transportation
office.
Securing the Child Within the
Child Restraint
{Warning
A child can be seriously injured or
killed in a crash if the child is not
properly secured in the child
restraint. Secure the child properly
following the instructions that
came with that child restraint.
Where to Put the Restraint
According to accident statistics,
children and infants are safer when
properly restrained in an appropriate
child restraint secured in a rear
seating position.
Whenever possible, children aged
12 and under should be secured in a
rear seating position.The vehicle is equipped with a front
center airbag in the inboard side of
the driver seat. Even with a front
center airbag, a child restraint can be
installed in any second row seating
position.
Never put a rear-facing child restraint
in the front. This is because the risk
to the rear-facing child is so great if
the airbag deploys.
{Warning
A child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured or
killed if the front passenger airbag
inflates. This is because the back of
the rear-facing child restraint would
be very close to the inflating airbag.
A child in a forward-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured or
killed if the front passenger airbag
inflates and the passenger seat is in
a forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing
system has turned off the front
passenger frontal airbag, no system
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
is fail-safe. No one can guarantee
that an airbag will not deploy under
some unusual circumstance, even
though it is turned off.
Secure rear-facing child restraints
in a rear seat, even if the airbag is
off. If you secure a forward-facing
child restraint in the front seat,
always move the front passenger
seat as far back as it will go. It is
better to secure the child restraint
in a rear seat.
SeePassenger Sensing System 073
for additional information.
When securing a child restraint with
the seat belts in a rear seat position,
study the instructions that came with
the child restraint to make sure it is
compatible with this vehicle.
Child restraints and booster seats vary
considerably in size, and some may fit
in certain seating positions better
than others.
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{Warning
To reduce the risk of serious or
fatal injuries during a crash, do not
attach more than one child
restraint to a single anchor.
Attaching more than one child
restraint to a single anchor could
cause the anchor or attachment to
come loose or even break during a
crash. A child or others could be
injured.
{Warning
Children can be seriously injured or
strangled if a shoulder belt is
wrapped around their neck. The
shoulder belt can tighten but
cannot be loosened if it is locked.
The shoulder belt locks when it is
pulled all the way out of the
retractor. It unlocks when the
shoulder belt is allowed to go all
the way back into the retractor, but(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
it cannot do this if it is wrapped
around a child’s neck. If the
shoulder belt is locked and
tightened around a child’s neck, the
only way to loosen the belt is to
cut it.
Buckle any unused seat belts
behind the child restraint so
children cannot reach them. Pull
the shoulder belt all the way out of
the retractor to set the lock, and
tighten the belt behind the child
restraint after the child restraint
has been installed.
Caution
Do not let the LATCH attachments
rub against the vehicle’s seat belts.
This may damage these parts.
If necessary, move buckled seat
belts to avoid rubbing the LATCH
attachments.(Continued)
Caution (Continued)
Do not fold the rear seatback when
the seat is occupied. Do not fold the
empty rear seat with a seat belt
buckled. This could damage the
seat belt or the seat. Unbuckle and
return the seat belt to its stowed
position, before folding the seat.
The vehicle is equipped with a front
center airbag in the inboard side of
the driver seat. Even with a front
center airbag, a child restraint can be
installed in any second row seating
position.
If you need to secure more than one
child restraint in the rear seat, see
Where to Put the Restraint 085.
1. Attach and tighten the lower attachments to the lower
anchors. If the child restraint
does not have lower attachments
or the desired seating position
does not have lower anchors,
secure the child restraint with
the seat belt and top tether when
recommended by the child
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96 SEATS AND RESTRAINTS
5. To tighten the belt, push downon the child restraint, pull the
shoulder portion of the belt to
tighten the lap portion of the
belt and feed the shoulder belt
back into the retractor. When
installing a forward-facing child
restraint, it may be helpful to use
your knee to push down on the
child restraint as you tighten
the belt.
Try to pull the belt out of the
retractor to make sure the
retractor is locked. If the
retractor is not locked, repeat
Steps 4 and 5. 6. If the child restraint has a top
tether, follow the child restraint
manufacturer’s instructions
regarding the use of the top
tether. Refer to the instructions
that came with the child
restraint and see Lower Anchors
and Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) 086.
7. Before placing a child in the child restraint, make sure it is
securely held in place. To check,
grasp the child restraint at the
seat belt path and attempt to
move it side to side and back
and forth. When the child
restraint is properly installed,
there should be no more than
2.5 cm (1 in) of movement.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle seat belt and let
it return to the stowed position. If the
top tether is attached to a top tether
anchor, disconnect it.
If the head restraint was removed for
a third row outboard seating position,
reinstall it before the seating position
is used. See “Head Restraint Removal and Reinstallation
”under Lower
Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH System) 086 for additional
information on reinstalling the head
restraint properly.
Securing Child Restraints
(With the Seat Belt in the
Front Seat)
This vehicle has airbags. A rear seat is
a safer place to secure a
forward-facing child restraint. See
Where to Put the Restraint 085.
In addition, the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system which is
designed to turn off the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag
under certain conditions. See
Passenger Sensing System 073 and
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator 0120
for more information, including
important safety information.
Never put a rear-facing child seat in
the front. This is because the risk to
the rear-facing child is so great if the
airbag deploys.
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{Warning
A child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured or
killed if the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag inflates.
This is because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would be
very close to the inflating airbag.
A child in a forward-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured or
killed if the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag inflates
and the passenger seat is in a
forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing
system has turned off the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag,
no system is fail-safe. No one can
guarantee that an airbag will not
deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though it is
turned off.
Secure rear-facing child restraints
in a rear seat, even if the airbag is
off. If you secure a forward-facing(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
child restraint in the front outboard
passenger seat, always move the
seat as far back as it will go. It is
better to secure the child restraint
in a rear seat.
SeePassenger Sensing System 073
for additional information.
If the child restraint uses a top tether,
see Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) 086 for top
tether anchor locations.
Do not secure a child seat in a
position without a top tether anchor if
a national or local law requires that
the top tether be anchored, or if the
instructions that come with the child
restraint say that the top tether must
be anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that
forward-facing child restraints have a
top tether, and that the tether be
attached. When using the lap-shoulder belt to
secure the child restraint in this
position, follow the instructions that
came with the child restraint and the
following instructions:
1. Move the seat as far back as it will go before securing the
forward-facing child restraint.
Move the seat upward or the
seatback to an upright position,
if needed, to get a tight
installation of the child restraint.
When the passenger sensing
system has turned off the front
outboard passenger frontal
airbag, the OFF indicator on the
passenger airbag status indicator
should light and stay lit when
you start the vehicle. See
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator
0120.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder portions of
the vehicle seat belt through or
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6. To tighten the belt, push downon the child restraint, pull the
shoulder portion of the belt to
tighten the lap portion of the
belt, and feed the shoulder belt
back into the retractor. When
installing a forward-facing child
restraint, it may be helpful to use
your knee to push down on the
child restraint as you tighten
the belt.
Try to pull the belt out of the
retractor to make sure the
retractor is locked. If the
retractor is not locked, repeat
Steps 5 and 6. 7. Before placing a child in the
child restraint, make sure it is
securely held in place. To check,
grasp the child restraint at the
seat belt path and attempt to
move it side to side and back
and forth. When the child
restraint is properly installed,
there should be no more than
2.5 cm (1 in) of movement.
If the airbag is off, the OFF indicator
in the passenger airbag status
indicator will come on and stay on
when the vehicle is started.
If a child restraint has been installed
and the ON indicator is lit, see “If the
On Indicator Is Lit for a Child
Restraint ”under Passenger Sensing
System 073.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle seat belt and let
it return to the stowed position.