Get Child Safety Guide for Ford Mustang 2 Door Seventh Generation (2024-2026)

CHILD SAFETY 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

bought separately from your 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 National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration and other safety

organizations, base their

recommendations for child restraints on

probable child height, age and weight

thresholds, or on the minimum

requirements of the law. We recommend

that you check with a NHTSA Certified

Child Passenger Safety Technician

(CPST) to make sure that you properly

install the child restraint in your vehicle

and that you consult your pediatrician to

make sure you have a child restraint

appropriate for your child. To locate a

child restraint fitting station and CPST,

contact NHTSA toll free at

1-888-327-4236 or go to

www.v. In Canada, contact

Transport Canada toll free at

1-800-333-0371 or go to www..ca

to find a Child Car Seat Clinic in your

area. Failure to properly restrain children

in child restraints made especially for

their height, age and weight, may result

in an increased risk of serious injury or

death to your child.

WARNING: On hot days, the

temperature inside the vehicle can rise

very quickly. Exposure of people or

animals to these high temperatures for

even a short time can cause death or

serious heat related injuries, including

brain damage. Small children are

particularly at risk.

WARNING: Do not place a

rearward facing child restraint in front of

an active airbag. Failure to follow this

instruction could result in personal injury

or death.

WARNING: Properly secure

children 12 years old and under in a rear

seating position whenever possible. If

you are unable to properly secure all

children in a rear seating position,

properly secure the largest child on the

front seat. If you must use a forward

facing child restraint on the front seat,

move the seat as far back as possible.

Failure to follow these instructions could

result in personal injury or death.

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 your 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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Child Safety

WARNING: Do not allow a

passenger to hold a child on their lap

when your vehicle is moving. Failure to

follow this instruction could result in

personal injury or death in the event of a

sudden stop or crash.

WARNING: Do not use pillows,

books or towels to boost your child's

height. Failure to follow this instruction

could result in personal injury or death.

WARNING: Properly secure child

restraints or booster seats when they are

not in use. They could become projectiles

in a sudden stop or crash. Failure to

follow this instruction could result in

personal injury or death.

WARNING: Do not put the shoulder

section of the seatbelt or allow the child

to put the shoulder section of the

seatbelt under their arm or behind their

back. Failure to follow this instruction

could reduce the effectiveness of the

seatbelt and increase the risk of injury or

death in a crash.

WARNING: Do not leave children

or pets unattended in your vehicle.

Failure to follow this instruction could

result in personal injury or death.

When installing a child restraint with

seatbelts:

• Place the vehicle seat in the upright

position before you install the child

restraint.

• Use the correct seatbelt buckle for that

seating position.

• Insert the belt tongue into the buckle.

Make sure the tongue is securely

fastened in the buckle.

• Keep the buckle release button

pointing up and away from the child

restraint, with the tongue between the

child restraint and the release button,

to prevent accidental unbuckling.

• Put the seatbelt in the automatic

locking mode.

CHILD RESTRAINT ANCHOR

POINTS

WHAT ARE THE CHILD RESTRAINT

ANCHOR POINTS

Anchor points are designed to allow you

to quickly and safely install a child

restraint.

LOCATING THE CHILD RESTRAINT

LOWER ANCHOR POINTS

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Child Safety

LOCATING THE CHILD RESTRAINT

TOP TETHER ANCHOR POINTS

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CHILD RESTRAINTS

CHILD RESTRAINT POSITION

INFORMATION

Install the child restraint tightly against the

vehicle seat. It may be necessary to lift or

remove the head restraint.

Rear Facing Child Restraints

Seatbelt Only

LATCH (Lower Anchors

Only)

Combined Weight of Child

and Child Restraint

XXUp to 65 lb (29 kg)

XOver 65 lb (29 kg)

Forward Facing Child Restraints

Seatbelt and LATCH

(Lower Anchors and

Top Tether Anchor)

Seatbelt and Top

Tether Anchor

LATCH (Lower

Anchors and Top

Tether Anchor)

Combined Weight of

Child and Child

Restraint

XXXUp to 65 lb (29 kg)

XXOver 65 lb (29 kg)

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CHILD RESTRAINTS RECOMMENDATION

Recommended Restraint TypeChild Size, Height, Weight, or Age

Use a child restraint (sometimes

called an infant carrier, convertible

seat, or toddler seat).

Children weighing 40 lb (18 kg) or less (generally

age four or younger).

Use a belt-positioning booster

seat.

Children who have outgrown or no longer properly

fit in a child restraint (generally children who are

less than 57 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 vehicle seatbelt having the

lap belt snug and low across the

hips, shoulder belt centered across

the shoulder and chest, and seat

backrest upright.

Children who have outgrown or no longer properly

fit in a belt-positioning booster seat (generally chil-

dren who are at least 57 in (1.45 m) tall or greater

than 80 lb (36 kg) or 100 lb (45 kg) if recommended

by child restraint manufacturer).

You are required by law to properly use

child restraints for infants and toddlers in

the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Many states and provinces require that

small children use approved booster seats

until they reach age eight, a height of 57 in

(1.45 m) 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, 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.

When installing a rear facing child restraint,

adjust the vehicle seats to avoid

interference between the child restraint

and the vehicle seat in front of the child

restraint.

INSTALLING CHILD

RESTRAINTS

USING SEATBELTS

WARNING: Depending on where

you secure a child restraint, and

depending on the child restraint design,

you may block access to certain seatbelt

buckle assemblies and LATCH lower

anchors, rendering those features

potentially unusable. To avoid risk of

injury, make sure occupants only use

seating positions where they are able to

be properly restrained.

Note: Although the child restraint

illustrated is a forward-facing child restraint,

the steps are the same for installing a

rear-facing child restraint.

Perform the following steps when

installing a child restraint with seatbelts.

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1. Position the child restraint in a seat

with a seatbelt.

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2. Pull down on the shoulder belt and

then grasp it and the lap belt together.

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3. While holding the shoulder and lap belt

portions together, route the tongue

through the child restraint according

to the child restraint manufacturer's

instructions. Make sure you did not

twist the belt webbing.

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4. Insert the belt tongue into the proper

buckle for that seating position until

the latch engages. Make sure that you

securely latch the tongue by pulling on

it.

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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 you pull all of the seatbelt out.

Note: The automatic locking mode is

available on the front passenger and rear

seats. This vehicle does not require the use

of a locking clip.

6. Allow the belt to retract to remove

slack. The seatbelt clicks as it retracts

to indicate it is in the automatic locking

mode.

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Child Safety

7. Pull the seatbelt 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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8. Remove remaining slack from the belt.

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 exists once you add the extra

weight of the child to the child restraint.

It also helps to achieve the proper

snugness of the child restraint to your

vehicle. Sometimes, a slight lean

toward the buckle helps to remove

remaining slack from the belt.

9. If the child restraint has a tether strap,

attach it.

E142534

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 in (2.5 cm) of movement.

We recommend checking with a NHTSA

Certified Child Passenger Safety

Technician to make certain the child

restraint is properly installed. In Canada,

check with Transport Canada for referral

to a Child Car Seat Clinic.

USING LOWER ANCHORS AND

TETHERS FOR CHILDREN

WARNING: Do not attach two child

safety restraints to the same anchor. In

a crash, one anchor may not be strong

enough to hold two child safety restraint

attachments and may break, causing

serious injury or death.

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WARNING: Depending on where

you secure a child restraint, and

depending on the child restraint design,

you may block access to certain seatbelt

buckle assemblies and LATCH lower

anchors, rendering those features

potentially unusable. To avoid risk of

injury, make sure occupants only use

seating positions where they are able to

be properly restrained.

WARNING: The center of the rear

seat is not designed as a seating position

and does not have seatbelts. The LATCH

anchors were not designed to be used

with a child restraint in the center

position and there is no tether anchor

available at the center. Do not attempt

to use the center as a seating position

as this will increase the risk of injury or

death in the event of a crash.

The Lower Anchors and Tethers for

Children (LATCH) system has three vehicle

anchor points:

• Two lower anchors where the vehicle

seat backrest and seat cushion meet,

called the seat bight.

• One top tether anchor behind that

seating position.

E187773

The lower anchors are at the rear section

of the rear seat between the cushion and

seat backrest.

LATCH compatible child restraints have

two rigid or webbing mounted

attachments. These attachments 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 seatbelts to

attach the child restraint.

However, you can still use the seatbelt to

attach the child restraint if the lower

anchors are not used. For forward-facing

child restraints, you must also attach the

top tether strap to the proper top tether

anchor if a top tether strap has been

provided with your child restraint.

Follow the instructions later in this chapter

on attaching child restraints with tether

straps.

COMBINING THE SEATBELT AND

LOWER ANCHORS FOR

ATTACHING CHILD RESTRAINTS

When used in combination, you may attach

either the seatbelt or the LATCH lower

anchors first, provided a proper installation

is achieved. Attach the tether strap

afterward, if it is included with the child

restraint.

USING TETHER STRAPS

Many forward-facing child restraints

include a tether strap which extends from

the back of the child restraint and hooks

to an anchoring point called the top tether

anchor. Tether straps are available as an

accessory for many older child restraints.

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Child Safety

Contact the manufacturer of your child

restraint for information about ordering a

tether strap, or to obtain a longer tether

strap if the tether strap on your child

restraint does not reach the appropriate

top tether anchor in the vehicle.

Attach the tether strap only to the

appropriate tether anchor. The tether strap

may not work properly if attached

somewhere other than the correct tether

anchor.

If you install a child restraint with rigid

LATCH attachments, do not tighten the

tether strap enough to lift the child

restraint off the vehicle seat cushion when

the child is seated in it. Keep the tether

strap snug without lifting the front of the

child restraint. Keeping the child restraint

just touching the vehicle seat gives the best

protection in a severe crash.

Once you install the child restraint using

either the seatbelt, the lower anchors of

the LATCH system, or both, you can attach

the tether strap.

For vehicles with a hard top:

1. Route the tether strap over the back of

the seat.

E369180

2. Locate the correct anchor for the

selected seating position.

3. Open the tether anchor cover.

4. Clip the tether strap to the anchor.

5. Tighten the tether strap according to

the manufacturer's instructions.

If your child restraint system has a tether

strap, and the child restraint manufacturer

recommends its use, we also recommend

its use.

For vehicles with a convertible top:

Note: For easier access, attach the tether

strap with the convertible top up.

1. Route the tether strap over the top of

the seat backrest.

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E374068

2. Locate the correct anchor for the

selected seating position.

3. Remove the tether anchor cap.

4. Clip the tether strap to the anchor.

5. Tighten the tether strap according to

the manufacturer’s instructions.

If you do not properly anchor the child

restraint, the risk of injury to a child greatly

increases in a crash.

If your child restraint system has a tether

strap, and the child restraint manufacturer

recommends its use, we also recommend

its use.

BOOSTER SEATS

Use a belt-positioning booster seat for

children who have outgrown or no longer

properly fit in a child restraint and meet

the following criteria.

• Generally children who are less than

57 in (1.45 m) tall.

• Are greater than age four (4) and less

than age twelve (12).

• Are between 40 lb (18 kg) and 80 lb

(36 kg) and upward to 100 lb (45 kg).

Many state and provincial laws require that

children use approved booster seats until

they reach age eight, a height of 57 in

(1.45 m) tall, or 80 lb (36 kg).

Booster seats should be used until you can

answer yes to all of these questions when

seated without a booster seat:

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• Can the child sit all the way back

against their vehicle seat backrest with

knees bent comfortably at the edge of

the seat cushion?

• Can the child sit without slouching?

• Does the lap belt rest low across the

hips?

• Is the shoulder belt centered on the

shoulder and chest?

• Can the child stay seated like this for

the whole trip?

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Child Safety

Always use booster seats in conjunction

with your vehicle lap and shoulder belt.

Types of Booster Seats

E68924

• Backless booster seats

If your backless booster seat has a

removable shield, remove the shield.

If a vehicle seating position has a low seat

backrest or no head restraint, a backless

booster seat may place your child's head,

as measured at the tops of the ears, above

the top of the seat. In this case, move the

backless booster to another seating

position with a higher seat backrest or

head restraint and lap and shoulder belts,

or consider using a high-back booster seat.

E70710

• High-back booster seats

If, with a backless booster seat, you cannot

find a seating position that adequately

supports your child's head, a high-back

booster seat would be a better choice.

Children and booster seats vary in size and

shape. Choose a booster that keeps the

lap belt low and snug across the hips,

never up across the stomach, and lets you

adjust the shoulder belt to cross the chest

and rest snugly near the center of the

shoulder.

The following drawings compare the ideal

fit to a shoulder belt uncomfortably close

to the neck and a shoulder belt that could

slip off the shoulder. The drawings also

show how the lap belt should be low and

snug across the child's hips.

E142596

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E142597

If the booster seat slides on the vehicle

seat upon which it is being used, placing a

rubberized mesh sold as shelf or carpet

liner under the booster seat may improve

this condition. Do not use any item thicker

than this under the booster seat. Check

with the booster seat manufacturer's

instructions.

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Child Safety

Child Safety for Your Ford Mustang 2 Door Seventh Generation (2024-2026)

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