2021 FORD EXPLORER belt

5. To put the retractor in the automatic
locking mode, grasp the shoulder
portion of the belt and pull downward
until you pull all of the belt out.
Note: The automatic locking mode is
available on the front passenger and rear
seats.
6. Allow the belt to retract to remove slack. The belt clicks as it retracts to
indicate it is in the automatic locking
mode.
7. Try to pull the belt out of the retractor to make sure the retractor is in the
automatic locking mode. You should
not be able to pull more belt out. If the
retractor did not lock, unbuckle the belt
and repeat Steps 5 and 6. 8.
Remove remaining slack from the belt.
Force the seat down with extra weight,
for example, by pressing down or
kneeling on the child restraint as you
pull up on the shoulder belt to force
slack from the belt. This is necessary
to remove the remaining slack that
exists once you add the extra weight
of the child to the child restraint. It also
helps to achieve the proper snugness
of the child restraint to your vehicle.
Sometimes, a slight lean toward the
buckle provides extra help to remove
remaining slack from the belt.
9. If the child restraint has a tether strap, attach it now. 10. Before placing the child in the seat,
forcibly move the seat forward and
back to make sure you have the seat
securely held in place. To check this,
grab the seat at the belt path and
attempt to move it side to side and
forward and back. There should be
no more than 1 in (2.5 cm) of
movement for proper installation.
We recommend checking with a NHTSA
Certified Child Passenger Safety
Technician to make sure you properly
installed the child restraint. In Canada,
check with Transport Canada for referral
to a Child Car Seat Clinic.
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Using Lower Anchors and Tethers
for CHildren (LATCH)
WARNING: Do not attach two child
safety restraints to the same anchor. In
a crash, one anchor may not be strong
enough to hold two child safety restraint
attachments and may break, causing
serious injury or death. WARNING: Depending on where
you secure a child restraint, and
depending on the child restraint design,
you may block access to certain seatbelt
buckle assemblies and LATCH lower
anchors, rendering those features
potentially unusable. To avoid risk of
injury, make sure occupants only use
seating positions where they are able to
be properly restrained.
The LATCH system has three vehicle
anchor points: two lower anchors where
the seat backrest and seat cushion meet
(called the seat bight) and one top tether
anchor behind that seating position.
LATCH compatible child restraints have
two rigid or webbing mounted
attachments that connect to the two lower
anchors at the LATCH equipped seating
positions in your vehicle. This type of
attachment method eliminates the need
to use seatbelts to attach the child
restraint. However, you can still use the
seatbelt to attach the child restraint. For
forward-facing child restraints, you must
also attach the top tether strap to the
proper top tether anchor if one came with
your child restraint.
Your vehicle has LATCH lower anchors for
child restraint installation at the seating
positions marked with the child restraint
symbol. Second Row Bucket Seats and Third
Row Seats
Second Row Bench Seats and Third
Row Seats
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The LATCH anchors are at the rear section
of the rear seat between the cushion and
seat backrest below the symbols as
shown. Follow the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions to properly
install a child restraint with LATCH
attachments.
Follow the instructions on attaching child
restraints with tether straps. See Using
Tether Straps later in this chapter.
Attach LATCH lower attachments of the
child restraint only to the anchors shown.
Use of Inboard Lower Anchors from the
Outboard Seating Positions (Center
Seating Use)
WARNING: The standardized
spacing for LATCH lower anchors is 11 in
(280 mm) center to center. Do not use
LATCH lower anchors for the center
seating position unless the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions permit and
specify using anchors spaced at least as
far apart as those in this vehicle.
The lower anchors at the center of the
second row bench seat are spaced 20.5 in
(52 cm)
apart. The standardized spacing
for LATCH lower anchors is 11 in (28 cm)
center to center. You cannot install a child
restraint with rigid LATCH attachments at
the center seating position. You can only
use LATCH compatible child restraints with
attachments on belt webbing at this
seating position provided that the child
restraint manufacturer ’s instructions
permit use with the anchor spacing stated.
Do not attach a child restraint to any lower
anchor if you have an adjacent child
restraint attached to that anchor. Each time you use the child restraint, check
that you properly attached the seat to the
lower anchors and tether anchor, if
applicable. Tug the child restraint from side
to side and forward and back where you
secured it to your vehicle. The child
restraint should move less than
1 in
(2.5 cm) if you properly install the seat.
If you do not properly anchor the child
restraint, the risk of injury to a child greatly
increases in a crash.
Combining Seatbelt and LATCH Lower
Anchors for Attaching Child Restraints
When used in combination, you can attach
either the seatbelt or the LATCH lower
anchors first, provided you achieve a proper
installation. Attach the tether strap
afterward, if included with the child
restraint.
Using Tether Straps Many forward-facing child
restraints include a tether strap
which extends from the back of
the child restraint and hooks to an
anchoring point called the top tether
anchor. Tether straps are available as an
accessory for many older child restraints.
Contact the manufacturer of your child
restraint for information about ordering a
tether strap, or to obtain a longer tether
strap if the tether strap on your child
restraint does not reach the appropriate
top tether anchor in your vehicle.
Once you install the child restraint using
either the seatbelt, the lower anchors of
the LATCH system, or both, you can attach
the top tether strap.
The tether strap anchors in your vehicle
are in the following positions (shown from
top view):
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BOOSTER SEATS
WARNING: Do not put the shoulder
section of the seatbelt or allow the child
to put the shoulder section of the
seatbelt under their arm or behind their
back. Failure to follow this instruction
could reduce the effectiveness of the
seatbelt and increase the risk of injury or
death in a crash.
Use a belt-positioning booster seat for
children who have outgrown or no longer
properly fit in a child safety restraint
(generally children who are less than 57 in
(1.45 m) tall, are greater than age 4 and
less than age 12, and between 40 lb (18 kg)
and
80 lb (36 kg) and upward to 100 lb
(45 kg) if recommended by your child
restraint manufacturer). Many state and
provincial laws require that children use
approved booster seats until they reach
age eight, a height of
57 in (1.45 m) tall, or
80 lb (36 kg).
Booster seats should be used until you can
answer YES to ALL of these questions
when seated without a booster seat: •
Can the child sit all the way back
against their vehicle seat backrest with
knees bent comfortably at the edge of
the seat cushion?
• Can the child sit without slouching? •
Does the lap belt rest low across the
hips?
• Is the shoulder belt centered on the
shoulder and chest?
• Can the child stay seated like this for
the whole trip?
Always use booster seats in conjunction
with your vehicle lap and shoulder belt.
Types of Booster Seats •
Backless booster seats
If your backless booster seat has a
removable shield, remove the shield. If a
vehicle seating position has a low seat
backrest or no head restraint, a backless
booster seat may place your child's head
(as measured at the tops of the ears)
above the top of the seat. In this case,
move the backless booster to another
seating position with a higher seat backrest
or head restraint and lap and shoulder
belts, or consider using a high back booster
seat.
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•
High back booster seats If, with a backless booster seat, you cannot
find a seating position that adequately
supports your child's head, a high back
booster seat would be a better choice.
Children and booster seats vary in size and
shape. Choose a booster that keeps the
lap belt low and snug across the hips,
never up across the stomach, and lets you
adjust the shoulder belt to cross the chest
and rest snugly near the center of the
shoulder. The following drawings compare
the ideal fit (center) to a shoulder belt
uncomfortably close to the neck and a
shoulder belt that could slip off the
shoulder. The drawings also show how the
lap belt should be low and snug across the
child's hips.
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If the booster seat slides on the vehicle
seat upon which it is being used, placing a
rubberized mesh sold as shelf or carpet
liner under the booster seat may improve
this condition. Do not introduce any item
thicker than this under the booster seat.
Check with the booster seat
manufacturer's instructions.
CHILD RESTRAINT
POSITIONING
WARNING: Do not place a
rearward facing child restraint in front of
an active airbag. Failure to follow this
instruction could result in personal injury
or death. WARNING:
Properly secure
children 12 years old and under in a rear
seating position whenever possible. If
you are unable to properly secure all
children in a rear seating position,
properly secure the largest child on the
front seat. If you must use a forward
facing child restraint on the front seat,
move the seat as far back as possible.
Failure to follow these instructions could
result in personal injury or death. WARNING: Always carefully follow
the instructions and warnings provided
by the manufacturer of any child
restraint to determine if the restraint
device is appropriate for your child's size,
height, weight, or age. Follow the child
restraint manufacturer's instructions and
warnings provided for installation and
use in conjunction with the instructions and warnings provided by your vehicle
manufacturer. A safety seat that is
improperly installed or utilized, is
inappropriate for your child's height, age,
or weight or does not properly fit the
child may increase the risk of serious
injury or death.
WARNING:
Do not allow a
passenger to hold a child on their lap
when your vehicle is moving. Failure to
follow this instruction could result in
personal injury or death in the event of a
sudden stop or crash. WARNING:
Do not use pillows,
books or towels to boost your child's
height. Failure to follow this instruction
could result in personal injury or death. WARNING:
Properly secure child
restraints or booster seats when they are
not in use. They could become projectiles
in a sudden stop or crash. Failure to
follow this instruction could result in
personal injury or death. WARNING: Do not put the shoulder
section of the seatbelt or allow the child
to put the shoulder section of the
seatbelt under their arm or behind their
back. Failure to follow this instruction
could reduce the effectiveness of the
seatbelt and increase the risk of injury or
death in a crash. WARNING:
Do not leave children
or pets unattended in your vehicle.
Failure to follow this instruction could
result in personal injury or death.
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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
Restraint
Restraint
Type Seatbelt
Only
Seatbelt
and LATCH (Lower
Anchors and Top Tether
Anchor)
Seatbelt
and Top Tether
Anchor
LATCH
(Lower
Anchors Only)
LATCH
(Lower
Anchors and Top Tether
Anchor)
X
X
Up to 65 lb
(29.5 kg)
Rear facing
child
restraint
X
Over
65 lb
(29.5 kg)
Rear facing
child
restraint
X
X
X
Up to
65 lb
(29.5 kg)
Forward
facingchild
restraint
X
X
Over
65 lb
(29.5 kg)
Forward
facingchild
restraint
Note: The child restraint must rest tightly
against the vehicle seat upon which it is
installed. It may be necessary to lift or
remove the head restraint. See Seats (page
146
).
CHILD SAFETY LOCKS
When these locks are set, you cannot open
the rear doors from the inside.
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PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
WARNING: Always drive and ride
with your seatback upright and the lap
belt snug and low across the hips. WARNING:
Children must always
be properly restrained. WARNING:
Do not allow a
passenger to hold a child on their lap
when your vehicle is moving. Failure to
follow this instruction could result in
personal injury or death in the event of a
sudden stop or crash. WARNING:
All occupants of your
vehicle, including the driver, should
always properly wear their seatbelts,
even when an airbag supplemental
restraint system is provided. Failure to
properly wear your seatbelt could
seriously increase the risk of injury or
death. WARNING:
It is extremely
dangerous to ride in a cargo area, inside
or outside of a vehicle. In a crash, people
riding in these areas are more likely to be
seriously injured or killed. Do not allow
people to ride in any area of your vehicle
that is not equipped with seats and
seatbelts. Make sure everyone in your
vehicle is in a seat and properly using a
seatbelt. Failure to follow this warning
could result in serious personal injury or
death. WARNING:
In a rollover crash, an
unbelted person is significantly more
likely to die than a person wearing a
seatbelt. WARNING:
Each seating position
in your vehicle has a specific seatbelt
assembly made up of one buckle and
one tongue designed to be used as a pair.
Use the shoulder belt on the outside
shoulder only. Never wear the shoulder
belt under the arm. Never use a single
seatbelt for more than one person. WARNING:
Even with advanced
restraints systems, properly restrain
children 12 and under in a rear seating
position. Failure to follow this could
seriously increase the risk of injury or
death. WARNING:
Seatbelts and seats
may be hot in a vehicle that is in the
sunshine. The hot seatbelts or seats may
burn a small child. Check seat covers and
buckles before you place a child
anywhere near them.
All seating positions in your vehicle have
lap and shoulder seatbelts. All occupants
of the vehicle should always properly wear
their seatbelts, even when an airbag
supplemental restraint system is provided.
The seatbelt system consists of:
• Lap and shoulder seatbelts.
• Shoulder seatbelt with automatic
locking mode, (except driver seatbelt).
• Height adjuster at the front outermost
seating positions.
• Seatbelt pretensioners at the front
outermost and second row outermost
seating positions.
• Belt tension sensor at the front
outermost passenger seating position. •
Seatbelt warning light and chime.
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