Fiat 500 User Manual page 17

Installing The Child Restraint Using The Vehicle Seat Belts
• The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are equipped with a Switchable Auto-
matic Locking Retractor (ALR) that is designed to keep the lap portion of the seat
belt tight around the child restraint. Any seat belt system will loosen with time, so
check the belt occasionally, and pull it tight if necessary.
• Always use the tether anchor when using the seat belt to install a forward facing child
restraint, up to the recommended weight limit of the child restraint.
To Install A Child Seat Using An ALR:
1. Pull enough of the seat belt webbing from the retractor to pass it through the belt
path of the child restraint. Do not twist the belt webbing in the belt path.
2. Slide the latch plate into the buckle until you hear a "click."
3. Pull on the webbing to make the lap portion tight against the child seat.
4. To lock the seat belt, pull down on the shoulder part of the belt until you have pulled
all the seat belt webbing out of the retractor. Then, allow the webbing to retract back
into the retractor. As the webbing retracts, you will hear a clicking sound. This means
the seat belt is now in the Automatic Locking mode.
5. Try to pull the webbing out of the retractor. If it is locked, you should not be able to
pull out any webbing. If the retractor is not locked, repeat the last step.
6. Finally, pull up on any extra webbing to tighten the lap portion around the child restraint
while you push the child restraint rearward and downward into the vehicle seat.
7. If the child restraint has a top tether strap and the seating position has a top tether
anchorage, connect the tether strap to the anchorage and tighten the tether strap.
See below for directions to attach a tether anchor.
8. Test that the child restraint is installed tightly by pulling back and forth on the child seat
at the belt path. It should not move more than 1 inch (25.4 mm) in any direction.
Installing The Top Tether Strap (With Either Lower Anchors Or Vehicle
Seat Belt):
• When installing a forward-facing child restraint, always secure the top tether strap,
up to the tether anchor weight limit, whether the child restraint is installed with the
lower anchors or the vehicle seat belt.
1. Route the tether strap to provide the most direct path for the strap between the
anchor and the child seat.
2. If your vehicle is equipped with adjustable rear head restraints, raise the head restraint,
and where possible, route the tether strap under the head restraint and between the
two posts. If not possible, lower the head restraint and pass the tether strap around
the outboard side of the head restraint.
3. Attach the tether strap hook of the child restraint to the top tether anchorage and re-
move slack in the tether strap according to the child restraint manufacturer' s instructions.
GETTING STARTED
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