2023 Ford E-350 Installing Child Restraints
INSTALLING CHILD RESTRAINTS
Child Seats
Use a child restraint (sometimes called an infant carrier, convertible seat, or toddler seat) for infants, toddlers, or children weighing 40 lb (18 kg) or less (generally age four or younger).
Using Lap and Shoulder Belts
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: 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 the risk of injury, make sure occupants only use seating positions where they are able to be properly restrained.
When installing a child restraint with combination lap and shoulder belts:
- Use the correct seatbelt 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 child restraint, with the tongue between the child restraint and the release button, to prevent accidental
- unbuckling. Place the vehicle seat in the upright position before you install the child restraint.
- Put the seatbelt in the automatic locking mode. See Step 5. This vehicle does not require the use of a locking clip.
Perform the following steps when installing the child restraint with combination lap and shoulder belts:
Note: Although the child restraint illustrated is a forward-facing child restraint, the steps are the same for installing a rear-facing child restraint.
Child Safety
- Position the child restraint in a seat with a combination lap and shoulder belt.
- Pull down on the shoulder belt and then grasp the shoulder belt and lap belt together
- 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 that you did not twist the belt webbing
- 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.
- 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 belts out.
- Allow the belt to retract to remove slack. The belt clicks as it retracts to indicate it is in the automatic locking mode.
- 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
- 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 will help to remove the remaining slack from the belt.
- If the child restraint has a tether strap, attach it.
- 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 for proper installation.
We recommend checking with an 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 Tether Straps
Many forward-facing child restraints include a tether strap that 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. Contact the manufacturer of your child restraint for information about ordering a tether strap, or obtaining 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 tether anchor as shown. The tether strap may not work properly if attached somewhere other than the correct tether anchor.
Note: 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 just 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.
Perform the following steps to install a child restraint with tether anchors:
You can attach the tether directly to the rear of the front seat.
- Adjust the front passenger seat fully forward
- Route the child restraint tether strap over the back of the front passenger seat as shown
- Clip the tether strap hook to the seat pedestal at the location shown. If the tether strap is clipped incorrectly, the child restraint may not be retained properly in the event of a crash.
- Adjust the front passenger seat to the full rearward position.
- Tighten the child restraint tether strap according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
If you do not properly anchor the child restraint, the risk of a child being injured in a crash greatly increases