Child restraints
When transporting infants or small children in your vehicle, an appropriate child restraint system must always be used. This is required by law in the U.S. and Canada. Child restraints specifically designed for infants and small chil- dren are offered by several manufacturers. Choose only a child restraint system with a label certifying that it complies with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213 (FMVSS 213) or Motor Vehicle Restraint Systems and Booster Cushions Safety Regulations (RSSR). Look for the manufacturer’s statement of compliance on the box and child restraint itself. The child restraint system should be appropriate for your child’s weight and height, and should properly fit your vehi- cle’s seat. For detail information, refer to the instruction manual accom- panying the child restraint system. Guidelines for child restraint system selection
All children should be properly restrained in a restraint device that offers the maximum protection for their size and age. Be sure to check local, state, or provincial requirements for child size and age that may vary from the recommendations listed below.
● Children less than 1 year old and children less than 20 pounds (9 kg) MUST ride in a rear-facing child safety seat that MUST ONLY be used in the rear seat.
● Children older than 1 year of age and who weigh less than 40 pounds (18 kg) or who are less than 40 inches (100 cm) tall must be in a forward-facing restraint used only in the rear seat.
Seat and restraint systems
● Children who weigh more than 40 pounds (18 kg) or who are more than 40 inches (100 cm) tall, regardless of age, should use a suitable child seat or a booster seat (including a booster cushion) in the rear seat until the vehicle’s lap/shoulder belt fits them properly.
WARNING! ● All children must be seated in the rear seat, and
properly restrained. Accident statistics show that children of all sizes and ages are safer when properly restrained in the rear seat, rather than in the front seat.
● Any child who is too large to use a child restraint should ride in the rear seat and wear the lap and shoulder belt properly. The shoulder belt must be positioned over the shoulder and across the chest, not across their neck, and with the lap belt posi- tioned low on the child’s hips, not across their stom- ach. If necessary, a booster seat (including a booster cushion) should be used to help achieve a proper seat belt fit. Follow the booster seat (including a booster cushion) manufacturer’s instructions. Only use a booster seat (including a booster cushion) that is certified as complying with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards or Motor Vehicle Restraint Sys- tems and Booster Cushions Safety Regulations.
● Your ECLIPSE SPYDER is not equipped with a tether anchor. Child restraint systems and a booster seat (including a booster cushion) which require a tether strap cannot be used in your ECLIPSE SPY- DER.
● Never operate the electric convertible top when a child is in your ECLIPSE SPYDER or when a child restraint system is attached to the rear seat.
● Never hold an infant or child in your arms or on your lap when riding in this vehicle, even when you are wearing your seat belt. Never place any part of the seat belt you are wearing around an infant or child. Failure to follow these simple instructions cre- ates a risk of serious injury or death to your child in the event of an accident or sudden stop.
WARNING!
Seat and restraint systems
WARNING! ● Your vehicle is also equipped with a front passenger
air bag. Never put REAR-FACING CHILD RESTRAINTS or INFANT RESTRAINTS in the front passenger seat. This places the infant too close to the passenger air bag. During deployment of the air bag, the infant can be seriously injured or killed. Rear-facing child restraints or infant restraints must only be used in the rear seat.
Air bag cover
WARNING! ● FRONT-FACING CHILD RESTRAINTS should
always be used in the rear seat whenever possible. If one must be used in the front passenger seat, move the seat to the most rearward position and make sure the child stays in the child restraint, properly restrained. Failure to follow these instructions could result in serious injury or death to the child.
Seat and restraint systems
NOTE ● Before purchasing a child restraint system, try installing it
in the rear seat to make sure there is a good fit. Because of the location of the seat belt buckles and the shape of the seat cushion, it may be difficult to securely install some manufacturer’s child restraint systems. If the child restraint system can be pulled forward or to either side easily on the seat cushion after the seat belt has been tightened, choose another manufacturer’s child restraint system. Depending on the seating position in the vehicle and the child restraint system that you have, the child restraint can be attached using one of the following two methods: • To the lower anchorage in the rear seat ONLY if the
child restraint is compatible with the LATCH system (See page 2-28).
• To the seat belt (See page 2-31).
WARNING! ● It is important to use an approved rear-facing infant
restraint until the infant is one year old (unless the infant outgrows the seat sooner). This allows the infant’s neck and spine to develop enough to support the weight of their head in the event of an accident.
● When installing a child restraint system, follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer and fol- low the directions in this manual. Failure to do so can result in serious injury or death to your child in an accident or sudden stop.
● After installation, push and pull the child restraint system back and forth, and side to side, to see that it is firmly secured. If the child restraint system is not installed securely, it may cause injury to the child or other occupants in the event of an accident or sud- den stop.
● When not in use, keep your child restraint system secured with the seat belt, or remove it from the vehicle, in order to prevent it from being thrown around inside the vehicle during an accident.
Seat and restraint systems
Installing a child restraint system using the LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for chil- dren) system
Lower anchor locations
The seating positions in the rear seat of your vehicle are equipped with lower anchors for attaching child restraint sys- tems compatible with the LATCH system.
NOTE ● The symbols on the seatback show the location of the lower anchor points.
Tether anchor locations (ECLIPSE only)
Your vehicle has 2 attachment points on the floor of the cargo area. These are for securing a child restraint system tether strap to each of the 2 rear seating positions in your vehicle.
*- Rear of the vehicle
Seat and restraint systems
Examples of child restraint systems compatible with the LATCH system
Using the LATCH system
1. Push the anchor connectors (A) on the child restraint sys- tem into the slits (B) in accordance with the instructions provided by the child restraint system manufacturer. Remember, the lower anchors (E) provided with your vehicle are designed to secure suitable child restraint sys- tems compatible with the LATCH system in the rear seat only.
A- Rear-facing child restraint B- Front-facing child restraint C- Child restraint system lower anchor connectors D- Tether strap
(These are only examples.)
A: Connector B: Slit C: Vehicle seatback D: Vehicle seat cushion E: Lower anchor
Seat and restraint systems
NOTE ● In order to secure a child restraint systems compatible
with the LATCH system, use the lower anchor points in the rear seat. It is not necessary to use the vehicle’s seat belt.
2. Open the rear hatch. Remove the rear shelf panel. Refer to “Rear shelf panel” on page 3-178.
3. Cut out the notch (F) in the cargo floor carpet by hand, then lift the carpet.WARNING!
● If there is any foreign material in or around the lower anchors, remove it before installing the child restraint system. Also, make sure the seat belt is away from, not looped through or otherwise inter- fering with, the child restraint system. If foreign matter is not removed and/or the seat belt interferes with the child restraint system, the child restraint system will not be secured properly, could detach and move forward in the event of sudden braking or an accident, and could result in injury to the child or other vehicle occupants.
● When the vehicle is moving, do not adjust the seat where the child restraint system is installed.
In an ECLIPSE, install a tether strap in accordance with steps 2 to 4 shown hereafter.
* - Rear of the vehicle
Seat and restraint systems
4. Latch the tether strap hook (G) of the child restraint sys- tem to the tether anchor (H) and tighten the tether strap so it is securely fastened.
NOTE
● When using a child restraint system that requires a tether strap, the rear shelf panel cannot be installed.
5. Push and pull the child restraint system in all directions to be sure it is firmly secured.
Installing a child restraint system using the seat belt (With emergency/automatic locking mecha- nism)
With the exception of the driver, the seat belt in all other seat- ing positions can be converted from normal Emergency Lock- ing Retractor (ELR) mode to Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) mode. This means that when you pull the seat belt fully out of the retractor, the retractor will switch to its ALR child restraint installation function. Always use the ALR child restraint installation function when you install a child restraint system using the seat belt. Children 12 years old and under should always be restrained in the rear seat, whenever possible, although the front passenger seat belt can also be converted to ALR mode.
WARNING! ● Child restraint tether anchors are designed only to
withstand loads from correctly fitted child restraint systems. Under no circumstances are they to be used for adult seat belts, or harnesses, or for attaching other items or equipment to the vehicle.
WARNING! ● When you install a child restraint system using the
seat belt, always make sure the retractor has been switched to the ALR child restraint installation function. The ALR function will keep the child restraint system tightly secured to the seat. Failure to convert the retractor to the ALR function may allow the child restraint system to move for- ward during sudden braking or an accident, result- ing in serious injury or death to the child or other occupants.
● [ECLIPSE SPYDER only] Before attaching a child restraint system to the front passenger seat, insert the seat belt into the seat belt guide. Refer to “Seat belt guide” on page 2-20.
Seat and restraint systems
Installation:
1. Place the child restraint system in a rear seating position.
2. Route the seat belt through the child restraint system according to the instructions provided by the child restraint manufacturer. Then insert the seat belt latch plate into the buckle. Make sure you hear a “click” when you insert the latch plate into the buckle.
3. To activate the ALR child restraint installation function, slowly pull the shoulder part of the belt all the way out of the retractor until it stops. Then let the belt feed back into the retractor.
4. After the belt has retracted, tug on it. If the belt is in the ALR function, you will not be able to pull it out. If the webbing can be pulled out from retractor, the ALR func- tion has not been activated and you will need to repeat steps 3 and 4.
Seat and restraint systems
5. After confirming that the belt is locked, grab the shoulder part of the belt near the buckle and pull up to remove any slack from the lap part of the belt allowing the slack to feed into the retractor. Remember, if the lap belt portion is not tight, the child restraint system will not be secure. It may help to put your weight on the child restraint system and/or push on its seatback while pulling up on the belt (see illustration).
6. Open the rear hatch. Remove the rear shelf panel. Refer to “Rear shelf panel” on page 3-178.
7. Cut out the notch (A) in the cargo floor carpet by hand, then lift the carpet.
In an ECLIPSE, if your child restraint system requires the use of a tether strap fasten the tether strap in accordance with steps 6 to 8 shown hereafter.
* - Rear of the vehicle
Seat and restraint systems
8. Latch the tether strap hook (B) of the child restraint sys- tem to the tether anchor (C) and tighten the tether strap so it is securely fastened.
NOTE ● When using a child restraint system that requires a tether strap, the rear shelf panel cannot be installed.
9. Before putting your child in the restraint, push and pull the restraint in all directions to be sure it is firmly secured. Do this before each use. If the child restraint system is not firmly secure, repeat steps 1 through 8.
10. To remove a child restraint system from the vehicle and deactivate the ALR mode, remove the child from the restraint. Unlatch the buckle. Then remove the belt from the restraint and let the belt fully retract.
WARNING! ● Child restraint tether anchors are designed only to
withstand loads from correctly fitted child restraint systems. Under no circumstances are they to be used for adult seat belts, or harnesses, or for attaching other items or equipment to the vehicle.
Seat and restraint systems
Children who have outgrown child restraint sys- tems
Children who have outgrown a child restraint system should be seated in the rear seat and wear the seat belt. If the shoulder belt crosses their face or neck, and/or the lap belt crosses their stomach, a commercially available booster seat (including a booster cushion) must be used, to raise the child so that the shoulder belt crosses their shoulder and the lap belt remains positioned low across their hips. The booster seat (including a booster cushion) should fit the vehicle seat and have a label certifying compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stan- dards or Motor Vehicle Restraint Systems and Booster Cush- ions Safety Regulations.
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