same kind of child restraint offered by child
restraint manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the ind ividual types,
makes and models of ch ild restra ints that the
NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard
together with the weight ranges of typical in-
fants and typical 1 year-o ld child have been
stored in the control unit of the Advanced Air-
bag System. When a child res t raint is being
used on the front passenger seat with a typi-
cal 1 year-old ch ild, the Advanced Airbag Sys-
tem compares the we ight measured by the
weight sens ing mat with the informat ion st or-
ed in the electron ic cont rol unit.
The electronic control unit also registers the
tension on the front passenger safety be lt .
The tens io n on the safety be lt fo r the front
passenger seat will be d iffe rent fo r an ad ult
who is properly using the safety belt as com-
pared to the tension on the be lt when it is
used to attach a child restraint to the seat.
The sensor below the latch for the safety belt
for the front seat passenger measures the
t ension on the be lt. The input from t his sen-
sor is then used with the we ight to "decide",
whether there is a ch ild restrai nt with a typ ical
1 year-old child on the front passenger seat
and whether or not the airbag must be turned
off.
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regard less of the child res t raint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet
United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards and has been certified by its manu-
facturer for use with an airbag. Always be sure
that the child restraint is properly installed at
one of the rear seat ing pos itions .
If in excep-
tional circumstances you must use it on the
fro nt passenger seat, caref ully read all of the
information on child safety and Advanced Air-
bags and heed a ll of the applicable WARN-
INGS. Make certain that the child restraint is
correctly recognized by the weig ht-sensing
mat inside the front passenger seat, that the
front passenger airbag is turned off and that
Child Sa f et y 169
the airbag status is always cor rect ly signaled
by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .
Many types and models of child restraints
have been available over the years, new mod-
els are introduced regu larly incorporating new
and improved designs and o lde r models are
taken out of product ion . Child restraints are
not standa rdized. Child restraints of the same
type typically have d ifferent weights and sizes
and different 'footpr ints, ' the size and shape
of the bottom of the ch ild restra int that sits
on the seat, when they a re insta lled on a vehi-
cle sea t . These diffe rences make it virtually
impossible t o certify compl iance wit h the re-
quirements for advanced airbags with each
and every ch ild restraint that has ever been
sold in the past or will be sold over the course
of the useful life of your veh icle.
For th is reason, t he United St ates National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration has
published a list of specific type, makes and
models of child restraints that must be used
to certify comp liance of the Advanced Airbag
Syst em in your vehicle with the suppression
requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208. These child restraints are :
Subpart A - Car bed child restra ints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Angel Guard Angel September 25, 2007
Ride AA2403FOF
Subpart B - Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century Smart Fit Decembe r 1, 1999
4543
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
22-013PAW and base
22 -999WHO
Evenflo Discovery Ad- December 1, 1999
just Right 212
Evenflo First Choice December 1, 1999
204
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
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