Ford Thunderbird (2004 year). Manual — part 25

9. 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. There should be no
more than one inch of movement for
proper installation.

10. 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
two through nine.

Check to make sure the child seat is properly secured before each use.

Attaching child safety seats with tether straps

Most new forward-facing child safety seats include a tether strap which
goes over the back of the seat and hooks to an anchoring point. Tether
straps are available as an accessory for many older safety seats. Contact
the manufacturer of your child seat for information about ordering a
tether strap.

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

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.

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1. Position the child safety seat on the passenger seat cushion.

2. Locate the tether anchor at the
bottom back of the passenger seat.

3. Route the child safety seat tether
strap under the head restraint and
over the back of the seat.

4. Grasp the tether strap and
position it to the seat frame.

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105

5. Rotate the tether strap.

6. Clip the tether strap to the
anchor on the seat frame.

7. Rotate the tether strap clip.

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

Attaching child safety seats with Lower Anchor and Tethers for
Children (LATCH) attachments for child seat anchors

LATCH lower anchors are recommended for use by children up to 22 kg
(48 pounds) in a child restraint. Top tether anchors can be used for
children up to 27 kg (60 pounds) in a child restraint, and to provide
upper torso restraint for children up to 36 kg (80 pounds) using an
upper torso harness and a belt-positioning booster.

Some child safety seats are labeled as LATCH or LATCH-compatible child
seats. These seats include two rigid or webbing mounted attachments
that connect to two anchors at specific seating positions in your vehicle.
This type of child seat eliminates the need to use safety belts to attach
the child seat. For forward-facing child seats, the tether strap must also
be attached to the proper tether anchor point. For information on using
tether straps with the child safety seats, refer to Passenger front and
side air bag ON/OFF switch and Attaching child safety seats with
tether straps in this chapter.

A LATCH system for child seat
installation has been provided in
your vehicle at the following
location:

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