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- Always make sure the seat backrest to which
the child restraint is installed is in an up-
right position and securely latched into
place and cannot fold forward. Otherwise,
the seatback with the ch ild safety seat at-
tached to it could f ly forward in the event of
an accident or other emergency situation.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when-
ever using a child restrained in a veh icle is
being used
r=;,
page 166.
Spec ia l precaut ions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat¢
page 143, Child
restraints on the front seat - some impor-
tant things to know.
Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
The convertible locking retractor for child re-
straints will be deactivated automatically when
the belt is wound all the way back into the re-
tractor .
~
Press the red button on the safety belt buckle.
The belt tongue will pop out of the buckle.
~
Guide the safety belt all the way back into its
stowed position .
Always let the safety belt retract completely into
its stowed position. The safety belt can now be
used as an ordinary safety belt without the con-
vertible locking retractor for child restraints.
If the convertible locking retractor should be ac-
tivated inadvertently, the safety belt must be un-
fastened and guided completely back into its
stowed position to deact ivate this feature. If the
convert ible locking retractor is not deactivated,
the safety belt will gradually become tighter and
uncomfortable
to wear.
_&
WARNING
-
Improperly installed chi ld safety seats in-
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death in a collision.
- Never unfasten the safety belt to deactivate
the convertible locking retractor for child re-
straints while the vehicle is moving . You
Child safety
wou ld not be restrained and could be seri-
ously injured in an accident.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when-
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing used
¢page 166.
Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat¢
page 143, Child
restraints on the front seat - some impor-
tant things to know.
LATCH
system
(Lower
anchorages
and tethers
for children)
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
To provide a simpler and more practicab le way to
attach the child restraint on the vehicle seat,
Federal regulations require special lower ancho-
rages in vehicles and devices on new child re-
straints to attach to the vehicle anchorages .
In the United States, the combination of the
tether anchorages and the lower anchorages is
now generally called the LATCH system for
"Lower Anchorages and Tethers for Children" . In
Canada, the terms "top tether" with "lower uni-
versa l anchorages" (or "lower universal anchor-
age bars") are used to descr ibe the system .
In other countries the term "ISOFIX" is used to
describe the lower anchorages .
Forward-facing child restraints manufactured af-
ter September 1, 1999, are required by U.S. fed-
eral regulations to comply with new child head
movement performance req uirements. These
new performance requirements
make a tether
necessary on most new ch ild seats.
Installing a child restraint that requires a top
tethe r without one can seriously impair the per-
formance of the child restraint and its ab ility to
protect the child in a collision. Installing a child
restra int that requi res a t op tether without the
top tether may be a violation of state law.
Child restraint manufacturers
offer LATCH lower
anchorages on their child seats with hook-on or
..,.
179
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