2022 FORD ESCAPE child restraint

COMBINING THE SEATBELT AND
LOWER ANCHORS FOR
ATTACHING CHILD RESTRAINTS
When used in combination, you may attach
either the seatbelt or the LATCH lower
anchors first, provided a proper installation
is achieved. Attach the tether strap
afterward, if it is 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.
Perform the following steps to install a
child restraint with tether anchors.
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. 1. Route the child restraint tether strap
over the back of the seat. For the
outermost seating positions, route the
tether strap under the head restraint
and between the head restraint posts.
For the center seating position, route
the tether strap over the top of the
head restraint. If needed, you can also
remove the head restraints.
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2. Locate the correct anchor behind thegap cover for the selected seating
position.
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3. Clip the tether strap to the anchor asshown.
4. Tighten the child restraint tether strap according to the manufacturer's
instructions.
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Child Safety

If your child restraint system has a tether
strap, and the child restraint manufacturer
recommends its use, we also recommend
its use.
BOOSTER SEATS
Use a belt-positioning booster seat for
children who have outgrown or no longer
properly fit in a child restraint and meet
the following criteria.
• Generally children who are less than57 in (1.45 m) tall.
• Are greater than age four (4) and less than age twelve (12).
• Are between 40 lb (18 kg) and 80 lb (36 kg) and upward to 100 lb (45 kg).
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:
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• 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
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• 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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Child Safety

SEATBELT PRECAUTIONS
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.
WARNING: If your vehicle is
involved in a crash, have the seatbelts
and associated components inspected
as soon as possible. Failure to follow this
instruction could result in personal injury
or death.
All seating positions in this vehicle have
lap and shoulder seatbelts. All occupants
of the vehicle should properly wear their
seatbelts, even when an airbag
supplemental restraint system is provided.
The seatbelt system consists of:
• Lap and shoulder seatbelts.
• A shoulder seatbelt with automatic locking mode, except driver seatbelt.
• Height adjusters at the front outermost seating positions.
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Seatbelts

When the initial warning expires for the
driver, more warnings are provided for the
driver and front passenger. This warning
tone sounds if you or your front passenger
do not fasten the seatbelt buckle and the
vehicle speed exceeds 6 mph (10 km/h).
This tone also sounds if an occupant
unfastens the rear seatbelt buckle or it
becomes unfastened.
SWITCHING THE SEATBELT
REMINDER ON AND OFF
WARNING: While the system
allows you to deactivate it, this system
is designed to improve your chances of
being safely belted and surviving an
accident. We recommend you leave the
system activated for yourself and others
who may use the vehicle.
Note: The driver and front passenger
warnings switch off independently. When
you perform this procedure for one seating
position, do not buckle the other position as
this cancels the process.
Read Steps 1 - 4 before proceeding with
the programming procedure.
Make sure that:
• You set the parking brake.
• The transmission is in park (P).
• The ignition is off.
• You close all vehicle doors.
• You unfasten the driver and front passenger seatbelts.
1. Switch the ignition on. Do not start the engine. 2. Wait about one minute until the
seatbelt warning light switches off.
After Step 2, wait an additional five
seconds before proceeding with Step
3. Once you start Step 3, you must
complete the procedure within 30
seconds.
3. For the seating position you are switching off, fasten then unfasten the
seatbelt three times at a moderate
speed, ending in the unfastened state.
After Step 3, the seatbelt warning light
switches on.
4. When the seatbelt warning light is on, fasten then unfasten the seatbelt. After
Step 4, the seatbelt warning light
flashes for confirmation.
This switches the feature off for that
seating position if it is currently on.
This switches the feature on for that
seating position if it is currently off.
CHECKING THE SEATBELTS
Check the seatbelts and child restraints
periodically to make sure they work
properly and are not damaged. Make sure
there are no nicks, tears or cuts. Replace if
necessary.
Check the following seatbelt assemblies
after a crash.
• Retractors.
• Buckles.
• Front seatbelt buckle assemblies.
• Shoulder belt height adjusters.
• Shoulder belt guide on seat backrest.
• Child restraint LATCH and tether anchors.
• Attaching hardware.
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Seatbelts

Read the child restraint manufacturer's
instructions for additional inspection and
maintenance information specific to the
child restraint.
We recommend that all seatbelt
assemblies in use in vehicles involved in a
crash be replaced. However, if the crash
was minor and an authorized dealer finds
that the belts do not show damage and
continue to operate properly, they do not
need to be replaced. Seatbelt assemblies
not in use during a crash should also be
checked and replaced if either damage or
improper operation is noted.
Properly care for seatbelts. See Cleaning
Seatbelts (page 353).
SEATBELT EXTENSIONS
WARNING: Persons who fit into
the vehicle's seatbelt should not use an
extension. Unnecessary use could result
in serious personal injury in the event of
a crash.
WARNING: Only use extensions
provided free of charge by our dealers.
The dealer will provide an extension
designed specifically for this vehicle,
model year and seating position. The use
of an extension intended for another
vehicle, model year or seating position
may not offer you the full protection of
your vehicle's seatbelt restraint system.
WARNING: Never use seatbelt
extensions to install child restraints.
WARNING: Do not use extensions
to change the way the seatbelt fits
across the torso, over the lap or to make
the seatbelt buckle easier to reach. If, because of body size or driving position,
it is not possible to properly fasten the
seatbelt over your lap and shoulder, an
extension that is compatible with the
seatbelts is available free of charge from
our dealers. Only use our seatbelt
extensions made by the original equipment
seatbelt manufacturer with our seatbelts.
Ask your authorized dealer if your extension
is compatible with your vehicle restraint
system.
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Seatbelts

WARNING: Do not lean your head
on the door. The side airbag could injure
you as it deploys from the side of the
seatback.
The side airbags are on the outermost side
of each front and rear seat backrest. In
certain sideways crashes or rollovers, the
airbags will be inflated. The airbag was
designed to inflate between the door panel
and occupant to further enhance the
protection provided occupants in side
impact crashes.
Properly restrain children 12 years old and
under in the rear seats. The rear side airbag
will not interfere with children restrained
using a properly installed child or booster
seat.
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The system consists of the following:
• A label or embossed side panel indicating that side airbags are fitted
to your vehicle.
• Side airbags inside the driver and front passenger seat backrests, as well as
side airbags inside of each outermost
rear seat backrest.
• Crash sensors and monitoring system with readiness indicator. See Crash
Sensors and Airbag Indicator (page
54).
HOW DO THE KNEE AIRBAGS
WORK
The driver knee airbag is under or within
the instrument panel. During a crash, the
restraints control module may activate the
knee airbag based on crash severity and
respective occupant conditions. Under
certain crash and occupant conditions, the
knee airbag may deploy but the
corresponding front airbag may not
activate. It is important to be properly
seated and restrained to reduce the risk of
death or serious injury.
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Make sure the knee airbag is
operating properly. See Crash
Sensors and Airbag Indicator
(page 54).
HOW DOES THE SAFETY
CANOPY™ WORK
WARNING: Do not place objects
or mount equipment on or near the
headliner at the siderail that may come
into contact with a deploying curtain
airbag. Failure to follow these
instructions may increase the risk of
personal injury in the event of a crash.
WARNING: Do not lean your head
on the door. The curtain airbag could
injure you as it deploys from the
headliner.
WARNING: To reduce risk of injury,
do not obstruct or place objects in the
deployment path of the airbag.
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Airbags

The Safety Canopy deploys during
significant side crashes or when a certain
likelihood of a rollover event is detected
by the rollover sensor. The Safety Canopy
is mounted to the roof side-rail sheet
metal, behind the headliner, above each
row of seats. In certain sideways crashes
or rollover events, the Safety Canopy will
be activated, regardless of which seats are
occupied. The Safety Canopy inflates
between the side window area and
occupants to further enhance protection
provided in side impact crashes and
rollover events.
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The system consists of the following:
€ Safety Canopy curtain airbags abovethe trim panels over the front and rear
side windows identified by a label or
wording on the headliner or roof-pillar
trim.
€ A flexible headliner which opens above the side doors to allow air curtain
deployment
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· Crash sensors and monitoring
system with a readiness
indicator. See Crash Sensors
and Airbag Indicator (page 54). Properly restrain children 12 years old and
under in the rear seats. The Safety Canopy
will not interfere with children restrained
using a properly installed child or booster
seat because it is designed to inflate
downward from the headliner above the
doors along the side window opening.
AIRBAG PRECAUTIONS
WARNING: Airbags do not inflate
slowly or gently, and the risk of injury
from a deploying airbag is the greatest
close to the trim covering the airbag
module.
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: 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: Do not place your arms
on the airbag cover or through the
steering wheel. Failure to follow this
instruction could result in personal injury.
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Airbags

WARNING: Keep the areas in front
of the airbags free from obstruction. Do
not affix anything to or over the airbag
covers. Objects could become projectiles
during airbag deployment. Failure to
follow this instruction could result in
personal injury or death.
WARNING: To reduce risk of injury,
do not obstruct or place objects in the
deployment path of the airbag.
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: Do not attempt to
service, repair, or modify the
supplementary restraint system or
associated components. Failure to
follow this instruction could result in
personal injury or death.
WARNING: Several airbag system
components get hot after inflation. To
reduce the risk of injury, do not touch
them after inflation.
WARNING: If a supplementary
restraint system component has
deployed, it will not function again. Have
the system and associated components
inspected as soon as possible. Failure to
follow this instruction could result in
personal injury or death.
PROPERLY ADJUSTING THE
DRIVER AND FRONT
PASSENGER SEATS
WARNING: National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
recommends a minimum distance of at
least 10 in (25 cm) between an
occupant's chest and the driver airbag
module.
To properly position yourself away from
the airbag:
• Move your seat to the rear as far as you can while still reaching the pedals
comfortably.
• Recline the seat slightly one or two degrees from the upright position.
After all occupants have adjusted their
seats and put on seatbelts, it is very
important that they continue to sit
properly. Properly seated occupants sit
upright, lean against the seat backrest, and
center themselves on the seat cushion,
with their feet comfortably extended on
the floor. Sitting improperly can increase
the chance of injury in a crash event. For
example, if an occupant slouches, lies
down, turns sideways, sits forward, leans
forward or sideways, or puts one or both
feet up, the chance of injury during a crash
greatly increases.
CHILDREN AND AIRBAGS
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.
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Airbags