Ford Expedition (2018 year). Manual — part 5

Inflatable seatbelts

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1.

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

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2. 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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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.

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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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5. 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.

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.

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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 down on the lap 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 will additionally
help to remove remaining slack from
the belt.

9. Attach the tether strap (if the child

restraint is equipped).

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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.

Using Lower Anchors and Tethers
for CHildren (LATCH)

WARNING

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.

The LATCH system is composed of three
vehicle anchor points: two lower anchors
where the vehicle 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 if the
lower anchors are not used. For
forward-facing child restraints, you must
also attach the top tether strap to the
proper top tether anchor if a top tether
strap has been provided with your child
restraint. We recommend the use of a child
safety seat having a top tether strap. See
Using Tether Straps in this chapter.

Your vehicle has LATCH lower anchors for
child restraint installation at the seating
positions marked with the child restraint
symbol.

Second Row Bench Seat

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Second Row Bucket Seats

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The LATCH anchors are at the rear section
of the rear seat between the cushion and
seatback, below the locator symbols on
the seatback. Follow the child restraint
manufacturer’s instructions to properly
install a child restraint with LATCH
attachments.

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The locator symbols are on round plastic
buttons for the center seat and on
rectangular tags for the outboard seats.

Follow the instructions on attaching child
safety seats with tether straps. See Using
Tether Straps in this chapter.

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

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 the vehicle. The seat should
move less than one inch 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.

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 the vehicle.

Some of the rear seats of your vehicle have
built-in tether strap anchors behind the
seats as described below.

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