Get Child Safety -> Installing Child Restraints Guide for Ford Focus 4 Door Third generation(2010-2017)

Child Safety

Recommendations for Safety Restraints for Children

Child

Child size, height, weight, or age

Recommended restraint

type

Use a child safety seat

(sometimes called an

infant carrier, convertible

seat, or toddler seat).

Infants or

toddlers

Children weighing 40 lb (18 kg) or less

(generally age four or younger).

Children who have outgrown or no longer

properly fit in a child safety seat (gener-

ally children who are less than 4 ft. 9 in.

(1.45 m) tall, are greater than age four

and less than age 12, and between 40 lb

(18 kg) and 80 lb (36 kg) and upward to

100 lb (45 kg) if recommended by your

child restraint manufacturer).

Use a belt-positioning

booster seat.

Small children

Larger children

Children who have outgrown or no longer Use a vehicle safety belt

properly fit in a belt-positioning booster

seat (generally children who are at least

4 ft. 9 in. (1.45 m) tall or greater than

80 lb (36 kg) or 100 lb (45 kg) if recom-

mended by child restraint manufacturer).

having the lap belt snug

and low across the hips,

shoulder belt centered

across the shoulder and

chest, and seatback

upright.

•

You are required by law to properly use

safety seats for infants and toddlers in

the United States and Canada.

INSTALLING CHILD

RESTRAINTS

Child Seats

Many states and provinces require that

small children use approved booster

seats until they reach age eight, a

height of 4 feet 9 inches (1.45 meters)

tall, or 80 lb (36 kg). Check your local

and state or provincial laws for specific

requirements about the safety of

children in your vehicle.

•

When possible, always properly

restrain children 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. See

Front Passenger Sensing System

(page 40).

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Child Safety

Use a child safety seat (sometimes called

•

Place the vehicle seat upon which the

an infant carrier, convertible seat, or

toddler seat) for infants, toddlers, or

children weighing 40 pounds (18

kilograms) or less (generally age four or

younger).

child seat will be installed in the upright

position.

Put the safety belt in the automatic

locking mode. See Step 5. This vehicle

does not require the use of a locking

clip.

Using Lap and Shoulder Belts

WARNINGS

Perform the following steps when

installing the child seat with combination

lap and shoulder belts:

Note: Although the child seat illustrated is

a forward facing child seat, the steps are

the same for installing a rear facing child

seat.

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 seat upon which

the child seat is installed all the way back.

Airbags can kill or injure a child in a

child seat. Children 12 and under

should be properly restrained in the

rear seat whenever possible.

Depending on where you secure a

child restraint, and depending on the

child restraint design, you may block

access to certain safety belt buckle

assemblies and LATCH lower anchors,

rendering those features potentially

unusable. To avoid risk of injury, occupants

should only use seating positions where

they are able to be properly restrained.

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1. Position the child safety seat in a seat

with a combination lap and shoulder

belt.

When installing a child safety seat with

combination lap and shoulder belts:

•

Use the correct safety belt buckle for

that seating position.

•

Insert the belt tongue into the proper

buckle until you hear a snap and feel it

latch. Make sure the tongue is securely

fastened in the buckle.

•

Keep the buckle release button

pointing up and away from the safety

seat, with the tongue between the child

seat and the release button, to prevent

accidental unbuckling.

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Child Safety

2. Pull down on the shoulder belt and

then grasp the shoulder belt and lap

belt together.

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5. To put the retractor in the automatic

locking mode, grasp the shoulder

portion of the belt and pull downward

until all of the belt is pulled out.

Note: The automatic locking mode is

available on the front passenger and rear

seats.

6. Allow the belt to retract to remove

slack. The belt will click as it retracts

to indicate it is in the automatic locking

mode.

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3. While holding the shoulder and lap belt

portions together, route the tongue

through the child seat according to the

child seat manufacturer's instructions.

Be sure the belt webbing is not twisted.

7. Try to pull the belt out of the retractor

to make sure the retractor is in the

automatic locking mode (you should

not be able to pull more belt out). If the

retractor is not locked, unbuckle the

belt and repeat Steps 5 and 6.

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4. Insert the belt tongue into the proper

buckle (the buckle closest to the

direction the tongue is coming from)

for that seating position until you hear

a snap and feel the latch engage. Make

sure the tongue is latched securely by

pulling on it.

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Child Safety

8. Remove remaining slack from the belt.

Using Lower Anchors and Tethers

for Children (LATCH)

Force the seat down with extra weight,

for example, by pressing down or

kneeling on the child restraint while

pulling up on the shoulder belt in order

to force slack from the belt. This is

necessary to remove the remaining

slack that will exist once the extra

weight of the child is added to the child

restraint. It also helps to achieve the

proper snugness of the child seat to

your vehicle. Sometimes, a slight lean

toward the buckle will additionally help

to remove remaining slack from the

belt.

WARNINGS

Never attach two child safety seats

to the same anchor. In a crash, one

anchor may not be strong enough to

hold two child safety seat attachments

and may break, causing serious injury or

death.

Depending on where you secure a

child restraint, and depending on the

child restraint design, you may block

access to certain safety belt buckle

assemblies or LATCH lower anchors,

rendering those features potentially

unusable. To avoid risk of injury, occupants

should only use seating positions where

they are able to be properly restrained.

9. Attach the tether strap (if the child seat

is equipped).

The LATCH system is composed of three

vehicle anchor points: two lower anchors

located where the seatback and seat

cushion meet (called the seat bight) and

one top tether anchor located behind that

seating position.

LATCH compatible child safety seats have

two rigid or webbing mounted

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attachments that connect to the two lower

anchors at the LATCH equipped seating

positions in your vehicle. This type of

attachment method eliminates the need

to use safety belts to attach the child seat,

however the safety belt can still be used

to attach the child seat. For forward-facing

child seats, the top tether strap must also

be attached to the proper top tether

anchor, if a top tether strap has been

provided with your child seat.

10. Before placing the child in the seat,

forcibly move the seat forward and

back to make sure the seat is securely

held in place. To check this, grab the

seat at the belt path and attempt to

move it side to side and forward and

back. There should be no more than

1 inch (2.5 centimeters) of movement

for proper installation.

Ford recommends checking with a NHTSA

Certified Child Passenger Safety

Technician to make certain the child

restraint is properly installed. In Canada,

check with your local St. John Ambulance

office for referral to a Certified Passenger

Seat Technician.

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Child Safety

Use of Inboard Lower Anchors from the

Outboard Seating Positions (Center

Seating Use)

WARNING

The standardized spacing for LATCH

lower anchors is 11 inches (28

centimeters) center to center. Do not

use LATCH lower anchors for the center

seating position unless the child seat

manufacturer's instructions permit and

specify using anchors spaced at least as

far apart as those in this vehicle.

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Your vehicle has LATCH lower anchors for

child seat installation at the seating

positions marked with the child seat

symbol.

The lower anchors at the center of the

second row rear seat are spaced 18 inches

(46 centimeters) apart. A child seat with

rigid LATCH attachments cannot be

installed at the center seating position.

LATCH compatible child seats (with

attachments on belt webbing) can only be

used at this seating position provided that

the child seat manufacturer's instructions

permit use with the anchor spacing stated.

Do not attach a child seat to any lower

anchor if an adjacent child seat is attached

to that anchor.

Each time you use the safety seat, check

that the seat is properly attached to the

lower anchors and tether anchor, if

applicable. Tug the child seat from side to

side and forward and back where it is

secured to your vehicle. The seat should

move less than one inch when you do this

for a proper installation.

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The LATCH anchors are located at the rear

section of the rear seat between the

cushion and seatback above the symbols

as shown. Follow the child seat

manufacturer's instructions to properly

install a child seat with LATCH

If the safety seat is not anchored properly,

the risk of a child being injured in a crash

greatly increases.

attachments. Follow the instructions on

attaching child safety seats with tether

straps.

Attach LATCH lower attachments of the

child seat only to the anchors shown.

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Child Safety

Combining Safety Belt and LATCH

Lower Anchors for Attaching Child

Safety Seats

When used in combination, either the

safety belt or the LATCH lower anchors

may be attached first, provided a proper

installation is achieved. Attach the tether

strap afterward, if included with the child

seat.

Using Tether Straps

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Many forward-facing child safety

seats include a tether strap

The tether strap anchors in your vehicle

are in the following positions (shown from

top view):

which extends from the back of

the child safety seat and hooks to an

anchoring point called the top tether

anchor. Tether straps are available as an

accessory for many older safety seats.

Perform the following steps to install a

child safety seat with tether anchors:

Note: If you install a child seat with rigid

LATCH attachments, do not tighten the

tether strap enough to lift the child seat off

your vehicle seat cushion when the child is

seated in it. Keep the tether strap just snug

without lifting the front of the child seat.

Keeping the child seat just touching your

vehicle seat gives the best protection in a

severe crash.

Contact the manufacturer of your child

seat for information about ordering a

tether strap, or to obtain a longer tether

strap if the tether strap on your safety seat

does not reach the appropriate top tether

anchor in your vehicle.

The rear seats of your vehicle are equipped

with built-in tether strap anchors located

behind the seats as described below.

Four door: The tether anchors in your

vehicle are located under a cover marked

with the tether anchor symbol (shown with

title).

Five door: The tether anchors in your

vehicle are located on the back panel of

the rear seat.

Four Door

1. Route the child safety seat tether strap

over the back of the seat. For outboard

seating positions, route the tether strap

under the head restraint and between

the head restraint posts. For the center

seating positions, route the tether strap

over the top of the head restraint.

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Child Safety

2. Locate the correct anchor for the

selected seating position.

3. Open the tether anchor cover.

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2. Locate the correct anchor for the

selected seating position.

4. Clip the tether strap to the anchor as

shown. If the tether strap is clipped

incorrectly, the child safety seat may

not be retained properly in the event of

a crash.

5. Tighten the child safety seat tether

strap according to the manufacturer's

instructions. If the safety seat is not

anchored properly, the risk of a child

being injured in a crash greatly

increases.

If your child restraint system is equipped

with a tether strap, and the child restraint

manufacturer recommends its use, we also

recommend its use.

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3. Clip the tether strap to the anchor as

shown. If the tether strap is clipped

incorrectly, the child safety seat may

not be retained properly in the event of

a crash.

4. Tighten the child safety seat tether

strap according to the manufacturer’s

instructions.

Five Door

1. Route the child safety seat tether strap

over the back of the seat. For outboard

seating positions, route the tether strap

under the head restraint and between

the head restraint posts. For the center

seating position, route the tether strap

over the top of the head restraint.

If the safety seat is not anchored properly,

the risk of a child being injured in a crash

greatly increases.

If your child restraint system is equipped

with a tether strap, and the child restraint

manufacturer recommends its use, Ford

also recommends its use.

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Child Safety -> Installing Child Restraints for Your Ford Focus 4 Door Third generation(2010-2017)

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Child Safety