Get Seating and Safety Restraints -> SAFETY RESTRAINTS FOR CHILDREN Guide for Ford Explorer SUV Fifth Generation (2005-2011)

Seating and Safety Restraints

Disposal of airbags and airbag equipped vehicles

(including pretensioners)

Contact your authorized dealer as soon as possible. Airbags MUST BE

disposed of by qualified personnel.

SAFETY RESTRAINTS FOR CHILDREN

See the following sections for directions on how to properly use safety

restraints for children. Also see Airbag supplemental restraint system

(SRS) in this chapter for special instructions about using airbags.

Important child restraint precautions

WARNING: Always make sure your child is secured properly in

a device that is appropriate for their height, age and weight.

Child safety restraints must be purchased separately from the vehicle.

Failure to follow these instructions and guidelines may result in an

increased risk of serious injury or death to your child.

WARNING: All children are shaped differently. The

Recommendations for Safety Restraints are based on probable

child height, age and weight thresholds from NHTSA and other safety

organizations or are the minimum requirements of law. Ford

recommends checking with a NHTSA Certified Child Passenger Safety

Technician (CPST) and your pediatrician to make sure your child seat

is appropriate for your child, and is compatible with and properly

installed in the vehicle. To locate a child seat fitting station and CPST

contact the NHTSA toll free at 1-888-327-4236 or on the internet at

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov. Failure to properly restrain children in safety

seats made especially for their height, age, and weight may result in an

increased risk of serious injury or death to your child.

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Recommendations for Safety Restraints for Children

Child size, height, weight, or

age

Recommended

restraint type

Infants Children weighing 40 lb (18 kg) or Use a child safety seat

or

less (generally age four or

(sometimes called an

infant carrier,

convertible seat, or

toddler seat).

toddlers younger)

Small

Children who have outgrown or no Use a belt-positioning

children longer properly fit in a child safety booster seat.

seat (generally children who are

less than 4 feet 9 inches

(1.45 meters) tall, are greater than

age four (4) and less than age

twelve (12), and between 40 lbs

(18 kg) and 80 lbs (36 kg) and

upward to 100 lbs (45 kg) if

recommended by your child

restraint manufacturer)

Larger

Children who have outgrown or no Use a vehicle safety belt

children longer properly fit in a

belt-positioning booster seat

having the lap belt snug

and low across the hips,

(generally children who are at least shoulder belt centered

4 feet 9 inches (1.45 meters) tall

or greater than 80 lb (36 kg) or

across the shoulder and

chest, and seatback

100 lb (45 kg) if recommended by upright.

child restraint manufacturer)

• You are required by law to properly use safety seats for infants and

toddlers in the U.S. and Canada.

• Many states and provinces require that small children use approved

booster seats until they reach age eight, a height of 4 ft 9 in

(1.45 meters) tall, or 80 lb (36 kg). Check your local and state or

provincial laws for specific requirements regarding the safety of

children in your vehicle.

• When possible, always properly restrain children twelve (12) years of

age and under in a rear seating position of your vehicle. Accident

statistics suggest that children are safer when properly restrained in

the rear seating positions than in a front seating position.

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Recommendations for attaching child safety restraints for children

Use any attachment method as indicated

below by “X”

LATCH

(lower

anchors anchors

LATCH

(lower

Safety

belt and belt only

top

Safety

Restraint

Type

Child

Weight

and top

tether

only)

tether

anchor

anchor)

Rear facing Up to

child seat

48 lb

X

(21 kg)

Forward

Up to

facing child 48 lb

X

seat

(21 kg)

Forward

Over 48 lb

facing child (21 kg)

seat

WARNING: Air bags can kill or injure a child in a child seat.

NEVER place a rear-facing child seat in front of an active air

bag. If you must use a forward-facing child seat in the front seat, move

the vehicle seat all the way back. When possible, all children age 12

and under should be properly restrained in a rear seating position. If

all children cannot be seated and restrained properly in a rear seating

position, properly restrain the largest child in the front seat.

WARNING: Always carefully follow the instructions and

warnings provided by the manufacturer of any child restraint to

determine if the restraint device is appropriate for your child’s size,

height, weight, or age. Follow the child restraint manufacturer’s

instructions and warnings provided for installation and use in

conjunction with the instructions and warnings provided by the vehicle

manufacturer. A safety seat that is improperly installed or utilized, is

inappropriate for your child’s height, age, or weight or does not

properly fit the child may increase the risk of serious injury or death.

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WARNING: Never let a passenger hold a child on his or her lap

while the vehicle is moving. The passenger cannot protect the

child from injury in a collision, which may result in serious injury or

death.

WARNING: Never use pillows, books, or towels to boost a child.

They can slide around and increase the likelihood of injury or

death in a collision.

WARNING: Always restrain an unoccupied child seat or booster

seat. These objects may become projectiles in a collision or

sudden stop, which may increase the risk of serious injury.

WARNING: Never place, or allow a child to place, the shoulder

belt under a child’s arm or behind the back because it reduces

the protection for the upper part of the body and may increase the risk

of injury or death in a collision.

WARNING: Do not leave children, unreliable adults, or pets

unattended in your vehicle.

Transporting children

Always make sure your child is secured properly in a device that is

appropriate for their age, height and weight. All children are shaped

differently. The child height, age and weight thresholds provided are

recommendations or the minimum requirements of law. The National

Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) provides education and

training to ensure that all children ages 0 to 16 are properly restrained in

the correct restraint system. Ford recommends checking with a NHTSA

Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) and your

pediatrician to make sure your seat is appropriate for your child and

properly installed in the vehicle. To locate a child seat fitting station and

CPST contact the NHTSA toll free at 1-888-327-4236 or on the internet

at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov. In Canada, check with your local St. John

Ambulance office for referral to a CPST or for further information,

contact your provincial ministry of transportation, your local St. John

Ambulance office at http://www.sfa.ca, or Transport Canada at

1–800–333–0371 (http://www.tc.gc.ca).

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Follow all the safety restraint and airbag precautions that apply to adult

passengers in your vehicle.

If the child is the proper height, age, and weight (as specified by your

child safety seat or booster manufacturer), fits the restraint and can be

restrained properly, then restrain the child in the child safety seat or

with the belt-positioning booster. Remember that child seats and

belt-positioning boosters vary and may be designed to fit children of

different heights, ages and weights. Children who are too large for child

safety seats or belt-positioning boosters (as specified by your child safety

seat manufacturer) should always properly wear safety belts.

SAFETY SEATS FOR CHILDREN

Infant and/or toddler seats

Use a safety seat that is recommended for the size and weight of the

child.

When installing a child safety seat:

• Review and follow the information

presented in the Airbag

supplemental restraint system

(SRS) section in this chapter.

• Carefully follow all of the

manufacturer’s instructions

included with the safety seat you

put in your vehicle. If you do not

install and use the safety seat

properly, the child may be injured

in a sudden stop or collision.

Airbags can kill or injure a child in a child seat. NEVER place a

rear-facing child seat in front of an active airbag. If you must use a

forward-facing child seat in the front seat, move the vehicle seat all the

way back.

Children 12 and under should be properly restrained in a rear seating

position whenever possible. If all children cannot be seated and

restrained properly in a rear seating position, properly restrain the

largest child in the front seat.

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Seating and Safety Restraints -> SAFETY RESTRAINTS FOR CHILDREN for Your Ford Explorer SUV Fifth Generation (2005-2011)

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Seating and Safety Restraints