Child safety
_& WARNING
Improperly insta lled child safety seats in-
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death in a collision.
- Never unfasten the safety belt to deactivate
the convertible locking retractor for child re-
straints while the vehicle is moving. You
would not be restrained and could be seri-
ously injured in an accident.
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS when-
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
9 page 137 . Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat ~
page 118, Child
restraints on the front seat - some impor-
tant things to know.
LATCH system (lower
anchorages and tethers
for children)
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
To provide a simpler and more pra cticable way to
attach the child restraint on the vehicle seat,
Federal regulations require special lower ancho-
rages in vehicles and devices on new child re-
stra ints to attach to the veh icle anchorages .
In the United States, the combination of the
tether anchorages and the lower anchorages is
now generally called the LATCH system for
"l ower Anchorages and Tethers for Children" . In
Canada, the terms "top tether" with "lower uni-
versal ancho rages" (or "lower universal anchor -
age bars") are used to describe the system.
In other countr ies the term "ISO FIX" is used to
describe the lower anchorages.
Forward-facing child restraints manufactured af-
ter September 1, 1999, are required by U.S. fed -
eral regulations to comply with new child head
movement performance requirements. These
new perfo rmance requirements make a tether
necessary on most new child seats.
Installing a child restraint that requ ires a top
tether without one ca n serio us ly impair the per-
150
formance of the child restraint and its ab ility to
protect the child in a collision. Installing a child
restra int that requires a top tether without the
top tether may be a violation of state law .
Child restraint manufacturers offer LATCH lower
anchorages on their child seats with hook-on or
push-on connectors attached to adjustab le
straps.
In addition to the LATCH lower anchorages, these
child restra int systems usually require the use of
tether straps to help keep the child restra int
firmly in place .
_& WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints will
increase the risk of injury and death in a
crash .
- Always follow the instructions provided by
the manufacturer of the ch ild restraint you
intend to install in your vehicle .
- Never install a child restraint without a
proper ly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacture r's instructions
require the t op tether st rap to be used.
- Improper use of child restraint LATCH lower
anchorage points can lead to injury in a colli-
sion . The LATCH lower anchorage points are
designed to withstand only those loads im-
posed by correctly fitted child restraints .
- Never mo unt t wo child rest raint systems on
one LATCH lowe r an chorage point.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or othe r
item to the LATCH lowe r an chorages.
Location
Fig. 128 Schematic overview: LATCH anchorage point loca·
tions
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