Child Safety
See the following sections for directions on how to properly use safety restraints for children.
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.
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.nhtsa.dot.gov. In Canada, contact Transport Canada toll free at
1-800-333-0371 or go to www.tc.gc.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.
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.
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|
Child |
Child size, height, weight, or age |
Recommended restraint type |
|
Infants or toddlers |
Children weighing 40 lb (18 kg) or less (generally age four or younger). |
Use a child safety seat (sometimes called an infant carrier, convertible seat, or toddler seat). |
|
Small children |
Children who have outgrown or no longer properly fit in a child safety seat (gener- ally children who are less than 4 ft. 9 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 belt-positioning booster seat. |
|
Larger children |
Children who have outgrown or no longer properly fit in a belt-positioning booster seat (generally children who are at least 4 ft. 9 in. (1.45 m) tall or greater than 80 lb (36 kg) or 100 lb (45 kg) if recom- mended by 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 seatback upright. |
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Use a child safety seat (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).
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.
Even with advanced restraints systems, properly restrain children 12 and under in a rear seating
position. Failure to follow this could seriously increase the risk of injury or death.
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.
When installing a child safety seat with combination lap and shoulder belts:
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.
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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.
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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.
Always use both the lap and shoulder portion of the seatbelt in the center seating position.
toward the buckle helps to remove
remaining slack from the belt.
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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 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.
The belt webbing below the tongue is the lap portion of the combination lap and shoulder belt. The belt webbing above the tongue is the shoulder belt portion of the combination lap and shoulder belt.
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4. 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.
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1 in (2.5 cm) of movement for proper installation.
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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.
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7. 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.
Note: The automatic locking mode is available on the front passenger and rear seats.
Note: Unlike the standard seatbelt, the inflatable seatbelt's unique lap portion locks the child restraint for installation. The ability for the shoulder portion of the belt to move freely is normal, even after the lap belt has been put into the automatic locking mode.
Note: The lock-off device on some child restraints may not accommodate the shoulder portion of the inflatable seatbelt. Follow all instructions provided by the manufacturer of the child restraint regarding the necessary and proper use of the lock-off device. In some instances, these devices have been provided only for use in vehicles with seatbelt systems that would otherwise require a locking clip.
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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.
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.
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.
The LATCH system is composed of three vehicle anchor points: two lower anchors where the vehicle seat backrest and seat cushion meet (called the seat bight) and one top tether anchor behind that seating position.
LATCH compatible child safety seats have two rigid or webbing mounted attachments that 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.
Your vehicle has LATCH lower anchors for child restraint installation at the following seating positions (LATCH is not available on Regular Cab):
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The lower LATCH anchors are at the rear section of the rear seat between the cushion and seat backrest. Follow the child restraint manufacturer's instructions to properly install a child restraint with LATCH attachments.
Follow the instructions later in this chapter on attaching child safety seats with tether straps.
Attach LATCH lower attachments of the child restraint only to the anchors shown.
The standardized spacing for LATCH lower anchors is 11 in (280 mm) center to center. Do not use LATCH
lower anchors for the center seating position unless the child restraint manufacturer's instructions permit and specify using anchors spaced at least as far apart as those in this vehicle.
The lower anchors at the center of the second row rear seat are spaced 26 in (652 mm) apart. The standardized spacing for LATCH lower anchors is 11 in (280 mm) center to center. You cannot install a child restraint with rigid LATCH attachments at the center seating position. LATCH compatible child restraints (with attachments on belt webbing) can only be used at this seating position provided that the child restraint manufacturer's instructions permit use with the anchor spacing stated. Do not attach a child restraint to any lower anchor if an adjacent child restraint is attached to that anchor.
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Each time you use the safety seat, check that the seat is properly attached to the lower anchors and tether anchor, if applicable. Tug the child restraint from side to side and forward and back where it is secured to the vehicle. The seat should move less than 1 in (2.5 cm) when you do this for a proper installation.
If the safety seat is not anchored properly, the risk of a child being injured in a crash greatly increases.
When used in combination, either the seatbelt or the LATCH lower anchors may be attached first, provided a proper installation is achieved. Attach the tether strap afterward, if included with the child restraint.
Many forward-facing child safety seats include a tether strap which extends from the back of the child safety seat and hooks to an anchoring point called the top tether anchor. Tether straps are available as an accessory for many older safety seats.
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 safety seat does not reach the appropriate top tether anchor in the vehicle.
The passenger seats of your vehicle may have built-in tether strap anchors behind the seats as described below.
The tether anchors in your vehicle may be loops of webbing above the seat backrest or an anchor bracket behind the seat on the rear edge of the seat cushion.
The rear seat in the Crew Cab and Super Cab has three straps along the top of the seat backrest that function as both routing loops for the tether straps and anchor loops.
The tether strap anchors in your vehicle are in the following positions (shown from top view):
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Attach the tether strap only to the appropriate tether anchor as shown. 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 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.
Once the child safety seat has been installed using either the seatbelt, the lower anchors of the LATCH system, or both, you can attach the top tether strap.
Note: For vehicles with adjustable head restraints, route the tether strap under the head restraint and between the head restraint posts, otherwise route the tether strap over the top of the seatback.
If the tether strap is clipped incorrectly, the child safety seat may not be retained properly in the event of a crash.
If the safety seat is not anchored properly, the risk of a child being injured in a crash greatly increases.
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If your child restraint system has a tether strap, and the child restraint manufacturer recommends its use, we also recommend its use.
There are three loops of webbing just above the back of the rear seat (along the bottom edge of the rear window). Use these loops as both routing loops and anchor loops for up to three child safety seat tether straps.
For example, you can use the center loop as a routing loop for a child safety seat in the center rear seat and as an anchoring loop for child restraints installed in the outboard rear seats.
Many tether straps cannot be tightened if the tether strap is hooked to the loop directly behind the child restraint.
To provide a tight tether strap:
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If the safety seat is not anchored properly, the risk of a child being injured in a crash greatly increases.
If your child restraint system has a tether strap, and the child restraint manufacturer recommends its use, we also recommend its use.
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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.
Note: Some booster seat seatbelt guides may not accommodate the shoulder portion of the inflatable seatbelt.
Use a belt-positioning booster seat for children who have outgrown or no longer properly fit in a child safety seat (generally children who are less than 57 in (1.45 m) tall, are greater than age four (4) and less than age twelve (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). 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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Always use booster seats in conjunction with your vehicle lap and shoulder belt.
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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.
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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 (center) 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.
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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 introduce any item thicker than this under the booster seat. Check with the booster seat manufacturer's instructions.
Airbags can kill or injure a child in a child seat. Never place a rear-facing child seat in front of an active airbag.
If you must use a forward-facing child seat in the front seat, move the vehicle seat upon which the child seat is installed all the way back. When possible, all children age 12 and under should be properly restrained in a rear seating position. If all children cannot be seated and restrained properly in a rear seating position, properly restrain the largest child in the front seat.
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.
Never let a passenger hold a child on his or her lap while your vehicle is moving. The passenger cannot
protect the child from injury in a crash, which may result in serious injury or death.
Never use pillows, books, or towels to boost a child. They can slide around and increase the likelihood
of injury or death in a crash.
Always restrain an unoccupied child seat or booster seat. These objects may become projectiles in a crash or
sudden stop, which may increase the risk of serious injury.
Never place, or allow a child to place, the shoulder belt under a child's arm or behind the back because it
reduces the protection for the upper part of the body and may increase the risk of injury or death in a crash.
To avoid risk of injury, do not leave children or pets unattended in your
vehicle.
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|
Restraint Type |
Combined weight of child and child seat |
Use any attachment method as indicated below by X |
||||
|
LATCH (lower anchors and top tether anchor) |
LATCH (lower anchors only) |
Safety belt and top tether anchor |
Safety belt and LATCH (lower anchors and top tether anchor) |
Safety belt only |
||
|
Rear facing child seat |
Up to 65 lb (29.5 kg) |
X |
X |
|||
|
Rear facing child seat |
Over 65 lb (29.5 kg) |
X |
||||
|
Forward facing child seat |
Up to 65 lb (29.5 kg) |
X |
X |
X |
||
|
Forward facing child seat |
Over 65 lb (29.5 kg) |
X |
X |
Note: The child seat must rest tightly against the vehicle seat upon which it is installed. It may be necessary to lift or remove the head restraint. See Seats (page 154).
When these locks are set, the rear doors cannot be opened from the inside.
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The childproof locks are located on the rear edge of each rear door and must be set separately for each door.
Turn counterclockwise to lock and clockwise to unlock.
Turn clockwise to lock and counterclockwise to unlock.
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