Ford F-450 (2017 year). Manual — part 5

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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 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
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.

Your vehicle has LATCH lower anchors for
child restraint installation at the following
seating positions (LATCH is not available
on Regular Cab):

Crew Cab and Super Cab

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The lower LATCH anchors are at the rear
section of the rear seat between the
cushion and seatback. Follow the child
restraint manufacturer's instructions to
properly install a child restraint with LATCH
attachments.

Follow the instructions later in this chapter
on attaching child safety seats 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)

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 26 in
(652 mm) apart. The standardized spacing
for LATCH lower anchors is 11 in (280 mm)
center to center. You cannot install a child
restraint with rigid LATCH attachments 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 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 1 in (2.5 cm) 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.

The passenger seats of your vehicle may
have built-in tether strap anchors behind
the seats as described below.

The tether anchors in your vehicle may be
loops of webbing above the seatback or
an anchor bracket behind the seat on the
rear edge of the seat cushion.

The rear seat in the Crew Cab and Super
Cab has three straps along the top of the
seatback that function as both routing
loops for the tether straps and anchor
loops.

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

Regular Cab

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Note: The center top tether anchor is not
available if there is no center seat.