Child Safety 2018 Ford Fusion

Owner’s Manuals 2018 Child Safety

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.

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 safety belt having the lap belt snug and low across the hips, shoulder belt centered across the shoulder and chest, and seatback upright.

You are required by law to properly use safety seats for infants and toddlers in the United States and Canada.

Many states and provinces require that small children use approved booster seats until they reach age eight, a height of 4 feet 9 inches (1.45 meters) tall, or 80 lb (36 kg). Check your local and state or provincial laws for specific requirements about the safety of children in your vehicle.

When possible, always properly restrain children 12 years of age and under in a rear seating position of your vehicle. Accident statistics suggest that children are safer when properly restrained in the rear seating positions than in a front seating position. See Front Passenger Sensing System (page 43).

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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 pounds (18 kilograms) or less (generally age four or younger).

Airbags can kill or injure a child in a child restraint. Never place a

rear-facing child restraint in front of an active airbag. If you must use a forward-facing child restraint in the front seat, move the seat upon which the child restraint is installed all the way back.

Airbags can kill or injure a child in a child restraint. Properly restrain children 12 and under in the rear seat

whenever possible.

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:

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 safety seat, with the tongue between the child restraint and the release button, to prevent accidental unbuckling.

Place the vehicle seat upon which the child restraint will be installed in the upright position.

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.

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Position the child safety seat in a seat with a combination lap and shoulder belt.

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After positioning the child safety seat in the proper seating position, pull down on the shoulder belt and then grasp the shoulder belt and lap belt together behind the belt tongue.

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While holding the shoulder and lap belt portions together, route the tongue through the child restraint according to the child restraint manufacturer's instructions. Be sure the belt webbing is not twisted.

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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 belt out.

Note: The automatic locking mode is available on the front passenger and rear seats.

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.

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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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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 the extra weight of the child is added 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 provides extra help to remove remaining slack from the belt.

Attach the tether strap (if the child restraint is equipped).

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1. Position the child safety seat in a seat with a combination lap and shoulder belt.

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10. 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 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.

After positioning the child safety seat in the proper seating position, grasp the shoulder belt and lap belt together behind the belt tongue.

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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 lap portion of the inflatable seatbelt and pull upward until you pull all of the belt out.

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.

Allow the belt to retract to remove slack. The belt clicks as it retracts to indicate it is in the automatic locking mode.

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 down on the lap belt in order to force slack from the belt. This is necessary to remove the remaining slack that will exist once the extra weight of the child is added 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 additionally help to remove remaining slack from the belt.

Attach the tether strap (if the child restraint is equipped).

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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.

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

The LATCH system is composed of three vehicle anchor points: two lower anchors where the seatback 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. For forward-facing child restraints, the top tether strap must also be attached 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 seating positions marked with the child restraint symbol.

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The LATCH anchors are at the rear section of the rear seat between the cushion and seatback below the symbols as shown.

Follow the child restraint manufacturer's instructions to properly install a child restraint with LATCH attachments. Follow the instructions 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.

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The lower anchors at the center of the second row rear seat are spaced 18 in (46 cm) apart. You cannot install a child

restraint with rigid LATCH attachments at the center seating position. You can only use LATCH compatible child restraints (with attachments on belt webbing) 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.

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 your 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 your vehicle.

Once you install the child safety seat using either the seatbelt, the lower anchors of the LATCH system, or both, you can attach the top tether strap.

The tether strap anchors in your vehicle are in the following positions (shown from top view):

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Perform the following steps to install a child safety seat with tether anchors:

Note: If you install a child restraint with rigid LATCH attachments, do not tighten the tether strap enough to lift the child restraint off your 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 your vehicle seat gives the best protection in a severe crash.

Route the child safety seat tether strap over the back of the seat. For outboard seating positions, route the tether strap under the head restraint and between the head restraint posts. For the center seating positions, route the tether strap over the top of the head restraint. If needed, the head restraints can also be removed.

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Locate the correct anchor for the selected seating position, then open the tether anchor cover.

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Clip the tether strap to the anchor as shown.

Tighten the child safety seat tether strap according to the manufacturer's instructions.

If your child restraint system has a tether strap, and the child restraint manufacturer recommends its use, we also recommend its use.

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.

Note: Some booster seat safety belt guides may not accommodate the shoulder portion of the inflatable safety belt.

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 4 feet 9 inches (1.45 meters) tall, are greater than age four

(4) and less than age twelve (12), and between 40 pounds (18 kilograms) and 80 pounds (36 kilograms) and upward to 100 pounds (45 kilograms) 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 4 feet 9 inches (1.45 meters) tall, or 80 pounds (36 kilograms).

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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Can the child sit all the way back against their vehicle seat back with knees bent comfortably at the edge of the seat cushion?

Can the child sit without slouching?

Does the lap belt rest low across the hips?

Is the shoulder belt centered on the shoulder and chest?

Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?

Always use booster seats in conjunction with your vehicle lap and shoulder belt.

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Backless booster seats

If your backless booster seat has a removable shield, remove the shield. If a vehicle seating position has a low seat back 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 back or head restraint and lap and shoulder belts, or consider using a high back booster seat.

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High back booster seats

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.

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 130).

When these locks are set, the rear doors cannot be opened from the inside.

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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2018 Ford Fusion Owners Manual - Child Safety

Child Safety