2021 FORD POLICE INTERCEPTOR Owners Manual

INSTALLING CHILD
RESTRAINTS
Child Seats
Use a child restraint (sometimes called an
infant carrier, convertible seat, or toddler
seat) for infants, toddlers or children
weighing 40 lb (18 kg) or less (generally
age four or younger).
Using Lap and Shoulder Belts 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:
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.
When installing a child restraint with
combination lap and shoulder belts:
• Use the correct seatbelt buckle for that
seating position.
• Insert the belt tongue into the proper
buckle until you hear a snap and feel it
latch. Make sure the tongue is securely
fastened in the buckle.
• Keep the buckle release button
pointing up and away from the child
restraint, with the tongue between the
child restraint and the release button,
to prevent accidental unbuckling.
• Place the vehicle seat in the upright
position before you install the child
restraint.
• For second-row seating positions,
adjust the recliner slightly to improve
child restraint fit. If needed, remove the
head restraints.
• Put the seatbelt in the automatic
locking mode. See Step 5. This vehicle
does not require the use of a locking
clip.
Perform the following steps when
installing the child restraint with
combination lap and shoulder belts:
Note: Although the child restraint
illustrated is a forward facing child restraint,
the steps are the same for installing a rear
facing child restraint.
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Note:
Follow all instructions provided by
the manufacturer of the child restraint
regarding the necessary and proper use of
the Lock-off device. In some instances these
devices have been provided only for use in
vehicles with seatbelt systems that would
otherwise require a locking clip. This vehicle
does not require the use of a locking clip. 1. Position the child restraint in a seat
with a combination lap and shoulder
belt. 2. After positioning the child restraint in
the proper seating position, pull down
on the shoulder belt and then grasp the
shoulder belt and lap belt together
behind the belt tongue. 3.
While holding the shoulder and lap belt
portions together, route the tongue
through the child restraint according
to the child restraint manufacturer's
instructions. Make sure you do not twist
the belt webbing. 4. Insert the belt tongue into the proper
buckle (the buckle closest to the
direction the tongue is coming from)
for that seating position until you hear
a snap and feel the latch engage. Make
sure you securely latch the tongue by
pulling on it.
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5. To put the retractor in the automatic
locking mode, grasp the shoulder
portion of the belt and pull downward
until all of the belt is pulled out.
6. Allow the belt to retract to remove slack. The belt will click 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. Attach the tether strap (if the child restraint is equipped). See Using
Tether Straps later in this chapter. 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 certain the child
restraint is properly installed. 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.
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.
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Use of Inboard Lower Anchors from the
Outermost 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 an adjacent child restraint is
attached to that anchor.
Each time you use the child restraint, check
that you properly attach 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 seat should
move less than
1 in (2.5 cm) when you do
this for a proper installation.
If the child restraint is not anchored
properly, 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 a proper installation
is achieved. 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.
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The tether strap anchors in your vehicle
are in the following positions (shown from
top view). Note:
If you install a child restraint with rigid
LATCH attachments, do not tighten the
tether strap enough to lift the child restraint
off your vehicle seat cushion when the child
is seated in it. Keep the tether strap just snug
without lifting the front of the child restraint.
Keeping the child restraint just touching your
vehicle seat gives the best protection in a
severe crash. Perform the following steps to install a
child restraint with tether anchors.
1. Route the child restraint tether strap
over the seat backrest.
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2. Locate the correct anchor for the
selected seating position.
3. Clip the tether strap to the anchor as shown. The tether hook may be
twisted ½ turn to improve installation.
If the tether strap is clipped incorrectly,
the child restraint may not be retained
properly in the event of a crash.
4. Tighten the child restraint tether strap according to the manufacturer's
instructions.
If the child restraint is not properly
anchored, the risk of injury to a child greatly
increases in a crash.
If your child restraint system has a tether
strap, and the child restraint manufacturer
recommends its use, we also recommend
its use.
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.
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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. •
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. 29
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