Ford E-450 (2018 year). Manual — part 4

Use a child safety seat (sometimes called
an infant carrier, convertible seat, or
toddler seat) for infants, toddlers, or
children weighing 40 pounds (18
kilograms) or less (generally age four or
younger).

Using Lap and Shoulder Belts

WARNINGS

Airbags can kill or injure a child in a
child seat. Never place a rear-facing
child seat in front of an active airbag.

If you must use a forward-facing child seat
in the front seat, move the seat upon which
the child seat is installed all the way back.

Airbags can kill or injure a child in a
child seat. Children 12 and under
should be properly restrained in the

rear seat whenever possible.

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, occupants
should 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
seat and the release button, to prevent
accidental unbuckling.

•

Place the vehicle seat upon which the
child seat 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 seat with combination
lap and shoulder belts:

Note: Although the child seat illustrated is
a forward facing child seat, the steps are
the same for installing a rear facing child
seat.

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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. Pull down on the shoulder belt and

then grasp the shoulder belt and lap
belt together.

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3. While holding the shoulder and lap belt

portions together, route the tongue
through the child seat according to the
child seat 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 shoulder
portion of the belt and pull downward
until all of the belt is pulled out.

6. Allow the belt to retract to remove

slack. The belt will click 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 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 seat to
your vehicle. Sometimes, a slight lean
toward the buckle will help to remove
remaining slack from the belt.

9. Attach the tether strap (if the child seat

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 inch (2.5 centimeters) 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
seat 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.

Attach the tether strap only to the tether
anchor as shown. The tether strap may not
work properly if attached somewhere other
than the correct tether anchor.

Note: Do not tighten the tether strap
enough to lift the child seat off the vehicle
seat cushion when the child is seated in it.
Keep the tether strap just snug without
lifting the front of the child seat. Keeping
the child seat just touching the vehicle seat
gives the best protection in a severe crash.

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

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You can attach the tether directly to the
rear of the front seat.

1.

Adjust the front passenger seat fully
forward.

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2. Route the child safety seat tether strap

over the back of the front passenger
seat as shown.

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3. Clip the tether strap hook to the seat

pedestal at the location shown. If the
tether strap is clipped incorrectly, the
child safety seat may not be retained
properly in the event of a crash.

4. Adjust the front passenger seat to the

full rearward position.

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.

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?