Ford Five Hundred (2007 year). Manual — part 38

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 rear seats of your vehicle are equipped with built-in tether strap
anchors located behind the seats as described below.

The tether anchors in your vehicle are located under a cover marked
with the tether anchor symbol (shown with title).

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.

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

2. Route the child safety seat tether strap over the back of the seat.

For vehicles with adjustable head restraints, route the tether strap under
the head restraint and between the head restraint posts, otherwise route
the tether strap over the top of the seatback.

3. Locate the correct anchor for the
selected seating position.

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4. Open the tether anchor cover.

5. Clip the tether strap to the
anchor as shown.

If the tether strap is clipped
incorrectly, the child safety

seat may not be retained properly
in the event of a collision.

6. Install the child safety seat tightly using the LATCH anchors or safety
belts. Follow the instructions in this chapter.

7. 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 collision greatly increases.

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

Some child safety seats have two rigid or webbing mounted attachments
that connect to two anchors at certain 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. See Attaching safety seats with
tether straps in this chapter.

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

All the LATCH lower anchors are
equally spaced, so that a single
LATCH child seat can be installed at
any rear seating position. If two
child safety seats are installed
using the LATCH lower anchors,
they must be placed in the
outboard seating positions only.
If three child safety seats are installed, use the LATCH lower
anchors for the center child safety seat; however, you must use
child safety seats with lap/shoulder belts and tether anchors for
the outboard child seats.

Never attach two LATCH child safety seats to the same anchor.
In a crash, one anchor may not be strong enough to hold two

child safety seat attachments and may break, causing serious injury or
death.

The lower anchors for child seat
installation are located at the rear
section of the rear seat between the
cushion and seat back. The LATCH
anchors are below the locator
symbols on the seat back.

Follow the child seat manufacturer’s instructions to properly install a
child seat with LATCH attachments.

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

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If you install a child seat with rigid LATCH attachments, 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.

Each time you use the safety seat, check that the seat is properly
attached to the lower anchors and tether anchor. Try to tilt the child
seat from side to side. Also try to tug the seat forward. Check to see if
the anchors hold the seat in place.

If the safety seat is not anchored properly, the risk of a child
being injured in a crash greatly increases.

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157