2023 FORD EDGE belt

CHILD RESTRAINTS RECOMMENDATION
Recommended Restraint TypeChild Size, Height, Weight, or Age
Use a child restraint (sometimescalled an infant carrier, convertibleseat, or toddler seat).
Children weighing 40 lb (18 kg) or less (generallyage four or younger).
Use a belt-positioning boosterseat.
Children who have outgrown or no longer properlyfit in a child restraint (generally children who areless than 57 in (1.45 m) tall, are greater than agefour and less than age 12, and between 40 lb (18 kg)and 80 lb (36 kg) and upward to 100 lb (45 kg) ifrecommended by your child restraint manufacturer).
Use a vehicle seatbelt having thelap belt snug and low across thehips, shoulder belt centered acrossthe shoulder and chest, and seatbackrest upright.
Children who have outgrown or no longer properlyfit in a belt-positioning booster seat (generally chil-dren who are at least 57 in (1.45 m) tall or greaterthan 80 lb (36 kg) or 100 lb (45 kg) if recommendedby child restraint manufacturer).
You are required by law to properly usechild restraints for infants and toddlers inthe United States, Canada and Mexico.
Many states and provinces require thatsmall children use approved booster seatsuntil they reach age eight, a height of 57 in(1.45 m) tall, or 80 lb (36 kg). Check yourlocal and state or provincial laws forspecific requirements about the safety ofchildren in your vehicle.
When possible, properly restrain children12 years of age and under in a rear seatingposition of your vehicle. Accident statisticssuggest that children are safer whenproperly restrained in the rear seatingpositions than in a front seating position.
When installing a rear facing child restraint,adjust the vehicle seats to avoidinterference between the child restraintand the vehicle seat in front of the childrestraint.
INSTALLING CHILD
RESTRAINTS
USING SEATBELTS
WARNING: Depending on whereyou secure a child restraint, anddepending on the child restraint design,you may block access to certain seatbeltbuckle assemblies and LATCH loweranchors, rendering those featurespotentially unusable. To avoid risk ofinjury, make sure occupants only useseating positions where they are able tobe properly restrained.
Note:Although the child restraintillustrated is a forward-facing child restraint,the steps are the same for installing arear-facing child restraint.
Perform the following steps wheninstalling the child restraint with seatbelts:
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1.Position the child restraint in a seatwith a seatbelt.
2.After positioning the child restraint inthe proper seating position, pull downon the shoulder belt and then grasp theshoulder belt and lap belt togetherbehind the belt tongue.
3.While holding the shoulder and lap beltportions together, route the tonguethrough the child restraint accordingto the child restraint manufacturer'sinstructions. Make sure that you did nottwist the belt webbing.
4.Insert the belt tongue into the properbuckle (the buckle closest to thedirection the tongue is coming from)for that seating position until you heara snap and feel the latch engage. Makesure the tongue is latched securely bypulling on it.
5.To put the retractor in the automaticlocking mode, grasp the shoulderportion of the belt and pull downwarduntil you pull all of the belt out.
Note:The automatic locking mode isavailable on the front passenger and rearseats.
6.Allow the belt to retract to removeslack. The belt clicks as it retracts toindicate it is in the automatic lockingmode.
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7.Try to pull the belt out of the retractorto make sure the retractor is in theautomatic locking mode. You shouldnot be able to pull more belt out. If theretractor did not lock, unbuckle the beltand repeat Steps 5 and 6.
8.Remove remaining slack from the belt.Force the seat down with extra weight,for example, by pressing down orkneeling on the child restraint whilepulling up on the shoulder belt in orderto force slack from the belt. This isnecessary to remove the remainingslack that exists once you add the extraweight of the child to the child restraint.It also helps to achieve the propersnugness of the child restraint to yourvehicle. Sometimes, a slight leantoward the buckle will provide extrahelp to remove remaining slack fromthe belt.
9.If the child restraint has a tether strap,attach it.
10.Before placing the child in the seat,forcibly move the seat forward andback to make sure the seat is securelyheld in place. To check this, grab theseat at the belt path and attempt tomove it side to side and forward andback. There should be no more than1 in (2.5 cm) of movement.
We recommend checking with a NHTSACertified Child Passenger SafetyTechnician to make certain the childrestraint is properly installed. In Canada,check with Transport Canada for referralto a Child Car Seat Clinic.
USING LOWER ANCHORS ANDTETHERS FOR CHILDREN
WARNING: Do not attach two childsafety restraints to the same anchor. Ina crash, one anchor may not be strongenough to hold two child safety restraintattachments and may break, causingserious injury or death.
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WARNING: Depending on whereyou secure a child restraint, anddepending on the child restraint design,you may block access to certain seatbeltbuckle assemblies and LATCH loweranchors, rendering those featurespotentially unusable. To avoid risk ofinjury, make sure occupants only useseating positions where they are able tobe properly restrained.
The LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethersfor CHildren) system has three vehicleanchor points.
•Two lower anchors where the seatbackrest and seat cushion meet, calledthe seat bight.
•One top tether anchor behind thatseating position.
LATCH-compatible child restraints havetwo rigid or webbing mountedattachments that connect to the two loweranchors at the LATCH-equipped seatingpositions in your vehicle. This type ofattachment method eliminates the needto use seatbelts to attach the childrestraint.
However, you can still use the seatbelt toattach the child restraint. Forforward-facing child restraints, you mustalso attach the top tether strap to theproper top tether anchor if a top tetherstrap has been provided with your childrestraint.
Follow the instructions on attaching childrestraints with tether straps.
INSTALLING A CHILD RESTRAINTIN A CENTER SEAT
WARNING: The standardizedspacing for LATCH lower anchors is 11 in(280 mm) center to center. Do not useLATCH lower anchors for the centerseating position unless the child restraintmanufacturer's instructions permit andspecify using anchors spaced at least asfar apart as those in this vehicle.
The lower anchors at the center of thesecond row rear seat are spaced 20 in(51 cm) apart. You cannot install a childrestraint with rigid LATCH attachments atthe center seating position. You can onlyuse LATCH-compatible child restraintswith attachments on belt webbing at thisseating position provided that the childrestraint manufacturer's instructionspermit use with the anchor spacing stated.Do not attach a child restraint to any loweranchor if an adjacent child restraint isattached to that anchor.
Each time you use the child restraint, checkthat the seat is properly attached to thelower anchors and tether anchor, ifapplicable. Tug the child restraint from sideto side and forward and back where it issecured to your vehicle. The seat shouldmove less than 1 in (2.5 cm).
If you did not properly anchor the childrestraint, the risk of a child being injured ina crash greatly increases.
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COMBINING THE SEATBELT ANDLOWER ANCHORS FORATTACHING CHILD RESTRAINTS
When used in combination, you may attacheither the seatbelt or the LATCH loweranchors first, provided a proper installationis achieved. Attach the tether strapafterward, if it is included with the childrestraint.
USING TETHER STRAPS
LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers forCHildren)
Many forward-facing child restraintsinclude a tether strap which extends fromthe back of the child restraint and hooksto an anchoring point called the top tetheranchor. Tether straps are available as anaccessory for many older child restraints.
Contact the manufacturer of your childrestraint for information about ordering atether strap, or to obtain a longer tetherstrap if the tether strap on your childrestraint does not reach the appropriatetop tether anchor in your vehicle.
Once you install the child restraint usingeither the seatbelt, the lower anchors ofthe LATCH system, or both, you can attachthe top tether strap.
Perform the following steps to install achild restraint with tether anchors.
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 restraint tether strapover the back of the seat. For theoutermost seating positions, route thetether strap under the head restraintand between the head restraint posts.For the center seating position, routethe tether strap over the top of thehead restraint. If needed, you can alsoremove the head restraints.
2.Locate the correct anchor behind thegap cover for the selected seatingposition.
3.Clip the tether strap to the anchor asshown.
4.Tighten the child restraint tether strapaccording to the manufacturer'sinstructions.
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If your child restraint system has a tetherstrap, and the child restraint manufacturerrecommends its use, we also recommendits use.
BOOSTER SEATS
Use a belt-positioning booster seat forchildren who have outgrown or no longerproperly fit in a child restraint and meetthe following criteria.
•Generally children who are less than57 in (1.45 m) tall.
•Are greater than age four (4) and lessthan 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 thatchildren use approved booster seats untilthey reach age eight, a height of 57 in(1.45 m) tall, or 80 lb (36 kg).
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 backagainst their vehicle seat backrest withknees bent comfortably at the edge ofthe seat cushion?
•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 forthe whole trip?
Always use booster seats in conjunctionwith your vehicle lap and shoulder belt.
Types of Booster Seats
•Backless booster seats
If your backless booster seat has aremovable shield, remove the shield.
If a vehicle seating position has a low seatbackrest or no head restraint, a backlessbooster seat may place your child's head,as measured at the tops of the ears, abovethe top of the seat. In this case, move thebackless booster to another seatingposition with a higher seat backrest orhead 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 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 thelap belt low and snug across the hips,never up across the stomach, and lets youadjust the shoulder belt to cross the chestand rest snugly near the center of theshoulder.
The following drawings compare the idealfit to a shoulder belt uncomfortably closeto the neck and a shoulder belt that couldslip off the shoulder. The drawings alsoshow how the lap belt should be low andsnug across the child's hips.
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SEATBELT PRECAUTIONS
WARNING: Always drive and ridewith your seatback upright and the lapbelt snug and low across the hips.
WARNING: Children must alwaysbe properly restrained.
WARNING: Do not allow apassenger to hold a child on their lapwhen your vehicle is moving. Failure tofollow this instruction could result inpersonal injury or death in the event of asudden stop or crash.
WARNING: All occupants of yourvehicle, including the driver, shouldalways properly wear their seatbelts,even when an airbag supplementalrestraint system is provided. Failure toproperly wear your seatbelt couldseriously increase the risk of injury ordeath.
WARNING: It is extremelydangerous to ride in a cargo area, insideor outside of a vehicle. In a crash, peopleriding in these areas are more likely to beseriously injured or killed. Do not allowpeople to ride in any area of your vehiclethat is not equipped with seats andseatbelts. Make sure everyone in yourvehicle is in a seat and properly using aseatbelt. Failure to follow this warningcould result in serious personal injury ordeath.
WARNING: In a rollover crash, anunbelted person is significantly morelikely to die than a person wearing aseatbelt.
WARNING: Each seating positionin your vehicle has a specific seatbeltassembly made up of one buckle andone tongue designed to be used as a pair.Use the shoulder belt on the outsideshoulder only. Never wear the shoulderbelt under the arm. Never use a singleseatbelt for more than one person.
WARNING: Even with advancedrestraints systems, properly restrainchildren 12 and under in a rear seatingposition. Failure to follow this couldseriously increase the risk of injury ordeath.
WARNING: Seatbelts and seatsmay be hot in a vehicle that is in thesunshine. The hot seatbelts or seats mayburn a small child. Check seat covers andbuckles before you place a childanywhere near them.
WARNING: If your vehicle isinvolved in a crash, have the seatbeltsand associated components inspectedas soon as possible. Failure to follow thisinstruction could result in personal injuryor death.
All seating positions in your vehicle havelap and shoulder seatbelts. All occupantsof the vehicle should always properly weartheir seatbelts, even when an airbagsupplemental restraint system is provided.
The seatbelt system consists of:
•Lap and shoulder seatbelts.
•Shoulder seatbelt with automaticlocking mode, except driver seatbelt.
•Height adjuster at the front outermostseating positions.
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