Ford Transit Connect (2018 year). Manual — part 4

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 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 shoulder
portion of the belt and pull downward
until all of the belt is pulled out.

Note: The automatic locking mode is
available on the front passenger and rear
seats.

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 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)

WARNINGS

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.

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.

The LATCH system is composed of three
vehicle anchor points: two lower anchors
located where the seatback and seat
cushion meet (called the seat bight) and
one top tether anchor located behind that
seating position.

LATCH compatible child safety restraints
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 the seatbelt can still be
used to attach the child restraint. For
forward-facing child restraints, the top
tether strap must also be attached to the
proper top tether anchor, if a top tether
strap has been provided with your child
restraint.

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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 located at the rear
section of the rear seat between the
cushion and seatback above 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 restraints with tether
straps.

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

Use of Inboard Lower Anchors from the
Outboard Seating Positions (Center
Seating Use - If Equipped)

WARNING

The standardized spacing for LATCH
lower anchors is 11 in (280 mm)
center to center. Do not use LATCH

lower anchors for the center seating
position unless the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions permit and
specify using anchors spaced at least as
far apart as those in this vehicle.

The lower anchors at the center of the
second row rear seat are spaced 22 in
(56 cm) apart. A child restraint with rigid
LATCH attachments cannot be installed
at the center seating position. LATCH
compatible child restraints (with
attachments on belt webbing) can only be
used at this seating position provided that
the child restraint manufacturer's
instructions permit use with the anchor
spacing stated. Do not attach a child
restraint to any lower anchor if an adjacent
child restraint is attached to that anchor.

Each time you use the safety restraint,
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 your vehicle. The seat should
move less than 1 in (2.5 cm) when you do
this for a proper installation.

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

Combining Seatbelt and LATCH Lower
Anchors for Attaching a Child Safety
Restraint

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

WARNING

Do not tie down cargo to anchors if
the anchors are in use as child
tethers.

Many forward-facing child safety
restraints include a tether strap
which extends from the back of

the child safety restraint and hooks to an
anchoring point called the top tether
anchor. Tether straps are available as an
accessory for many older safety restraints.

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
restraint does not reach the appropriate
top tether anchor in your vehicle.

Once the child safety restraint has been
installed 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):