Seating Larger Children; Installing Child Safety Seats - Tesla MODEL S Operating Manual

Seating Larger Children

If a child is too large to fit into a child safety
seat, but too small to safely fit into the
standard seat belts, use a booster seat
appropriate for the child's age and size.
Carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions to secure the booster seat.

Installing Child Safety Seats

There are two general methods used to install
child safety seats:
• Seat belt retained - these seats are
secured using the vehicle's seat belts.
• LATCH retained - these seats attach to
anchor bars built into the vehicle's rear
seats.
Check the child safety seat manufacturer's
instructions and the table in this manual to
determine which installation method to use.
Some child safety seats can be installed using
either method. Always follow the child safety
seat manufacturer's instructions.
Installing Seat Belt Retained Child
Seats
First, make sure that the child safety seat is
appropriate for the weight, height, and age of
the child.
Avoid dressing the child in bulky clothing and
do not place any objects between the child
and the restraint system.
Adjust harnesses for every child, every trip.
To securely hold child safety seats, all
passenger seating positions are equipped with
an automatic locking retractor (ALR) that, by
pulling the seat belt beyond the length
needed for a typical adult occupant, locks the
belt into place until the seat belt is unbuckled
and the webbing is fully retracted. The ALR
mechanism operates as a ratchet, winding in
slack and preventing the seat belt from
extending any further until it has been
completely rewound. When installing a child
safety seat, engage the belt's automatic
locking retractor by pulling the seat belt
webbing until it is fully extended. The ALR
system engages only when the seat belt is at
its maximum extension point.
Note: An automatic locking retractor
disengages only when the seat belt is
unbuckled and fully retracted. The belt can
then be worn as a normal belt, sliding freely in
and out and locking tight only in an
Seating and Safety Restraints
Child Safety Seats
emergency. Once disengaged, the belt must
be fully extended to re-engage the locking
mechanism whenever you install a child safety
seat.
Always follow the detailed instructions
provided by the child safety seat
manufacturer. General guidelines are provided
below.
1. Place the child safety seat in Model S, and
fully extend the seat belt. Route and
buckle the seat belt in accordance with
the child safety seat manufacturer's
instructions.
2. Allow the seat belt to retract, and remove
all slack in the seat belt while firmly
pushing the child safety seat into the
Model S seat.
3. Attach the upper tether strap(s), as
required by the manufacturer of the child
restraint system (see
Tether Straps on page 35).
Installing ISOFIX (LATCH) Child
Seats
Lower LATCH anchors are provided in the
second row outboard seats. The anchors are
located between the seat's back rest and rear
cushion. The exact location of each anchor is
identified by a child safety seat identification
button, illustrated below. The button is located
on the seat back, directly above its associated
anchor.
Attaching Upper
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