Ford Taurus (2018 year). Manual — part 5

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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. See Using
Tether Straps

later in this chapter.

Attach LATCH lower attachments of the
child restraint only to the anchors shown.

Child Restraint Positioning for LATCH
Lower Anchors

All of the LATCH lower anchors are equally
spaced, 11 in (28 cm) apart, allowing for
the following child restraint positioning:
•

If you install a single child restraint
using the LATCH lower anchors, you
can install it at any rear seating
position.

•

If you install two child safety seats
using the LATCH lower anchors, you
must place them in the outboard
seating positions only.

•

If you install three child safety seats,
you can install two using the LATCH
lower anchors by placing them in each
outboard seating position and the third
in the center using the lap and shoulder
belt, OR you can use the LATCH lower
anchors for the center child safety seat
and the lap and shoulder belts for the
other two child safety seats in the
outboard positions. Use the tether
anchors if applicable.

Combining Seatbelt and LATCH Lower
Anchors for Attaching Child Safety
Seats

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.

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 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.

1.

Route the child safety seat tether strap
over the seatback.

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2. Locate the correct anchor for the

selected seating position.

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3. Open the tether anchor cover.

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4. Clip the tether strap to the anchor as

shown.

5. Tighten the child safety seat tether

strap according to the manufacturer's
instructions.

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.

BOOSTER SEATS

WARNING

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.

Use a belt-positioning booster seat for
children who have outgrown or no longer
properly fit in a child safety restraint
(generally children who are less than 57 in
(1.45 m) tall, are greater than age 4 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). 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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•

Can the child sit all the way back
against their vehicle seat backrest 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.

Types of Booster Seats

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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
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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•

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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