Ford GT (2018 year). Manual — part 4

Recommendations for Safety Restraints for Children

Recommended restraint

type

Child size, height, weight, or age

Child

Use a child safety seat

(sometimes called an

infant carrier, convertible

seat, or toddler seat).

Children weighing 40 lb (18 kg) or less

(generally age four or younger).

Infants or

toddlers

Use a belt-positioning

booster seat.

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).

Small children

Use a vehicle seatbelt

having the lap belt snug

and low across the hips,

shoulder belt centered

across the shoulder and

chest, and seat back

upright.

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).

Larger children

•

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 pounds (36 kilograms).
Check your local and state or provincial
laws for specific requirements about
the safety of children in your vehicle.

INSTALLING CHILD
RESTRAINTS

Child Seats

E142594

Use a child safety seat (sometimes called
an infant carrier, convertible seat, or
toddler seat) for infants, toddlers, or
children weighing 35 lb (16 kg) or less
(generally age four or younger).

Using Lap and Shoulder Belts

WARNINGS

NEVER use a rearward facing child
restraint on a seat protected by an
ACTIVE AIRBAG in front of it, DEATH

or SERIOUS INJURY to the CHILD can
occur.

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.

E142528

1.

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

E142529

2. Pull down on the shoulder belt and

then grasp the shoulder belt and lap
belt together.

E142530

3. 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.

E142531

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.

E142875

5. To put the retractor in the automatic

locking mode, grasp the shoulder
portion of the belt and pull downward
until you pull the entire belt out.

Note: The automatic locking mode is
available on the front passenger seat. This
vehicle does not require the use of a locking
clip.

6. Allow the belt to retract to remove

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

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.

E142533

8. 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 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.

9. Attach the tether strap (if the child

restraint is equipped).

E142534

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.

Using Tether Straps

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 the child safety seat has been
installed using the seatbelt, you can attach
the top tether strap.

The tether strap anchor in your vehicle is
in the following position (shown from top
view):

E226496

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