2-40
Safety system of your vehicle
After selecting a proper child seat for
your child, check to make sure it fits
properly in your vehicle. Follow the
instructions provided by the manu-
facturer when installing the child
seat. Note these general steps when
installing the seat to your vehicle:
•
Properly secure the child
restraint to the vehicle.
All child
restraints must be secured to the
vehicle with the lap part of a
lap/shoulder belt or with the
LATCH system.
If using the
lap/shoulder belt for your child
restraint, the convertible locking
retractor should be pulled all the
way out to engage the "automatic
locking" mode. (See page 2-43.)
•
Make sure the child restraint is
firmly secured.
After installing a
child restraint to the vehicle, push
and pull the seat forward-and-back
and side-to-side to verify that it is
securely attached to the seat. A
child restraint secured with a seat
belt should be installed as firmly as
possible. However, some side-to-
side movement can be expected.
•
Secure the child in the child
restraint.
Make sure the child is
properly strapped in the child
restraint according to the manufac-
turer instructions.
Lower Anchors and Tether for
Children (LATCH System)
The LATCH system holds a child
restraint during driving and in an acci-
dent. This system is designed to
make installation of the child restraint
easier and reduce the possibility of
improperly installing your child
restraint. The LATCH system uses
anchors in the vehicle and attach-
ments on the child restraint. The
LATCH system eliminates the need
to use seat belts to secure the child
restraint to the rear seats.
Lower anchors are metal bars built
into the vehicle. There are two lower
anchors for each LATCH seating
position that will accommodate a
child restraint with lower attachments.
To use the LATCH system in your
vehicle, you must have a child
restraint with LATCH attachments.
The child seat manufacturer will pro-
vide you with instructions on how to
use the child seat with its attachments
for the LATCH lower anchors.
A child restraint in a closed
vehicle can become very hot. To
prevent burns, check the seat-
ing surface and buckles before
placing your child in the child
restraint.
CAUTION
