Ford Focus Electric (2018 year). Manual - part 5

Combining Seatbelt and LATCH Lower
Anchors for Attaching Child Safety
Restraints

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
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.

The rear seats of your vehicle are equipped
with built-in tether strap anchors located
on the back panel of the rear seat.

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

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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.

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.

If you install a child restraint with rigid
LATCH attachments, do not tighten the
tether strap enough to lift the child
restraint 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 restraint. Keeping the child
restraint just touching the vehicle seat
gives the best protection in a severe crash.

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

1.

Route the child safety restraint tether
strap over the back of the seat. For
outboard seating positions, route the
tether strap under the head restraint
and between the head restraint posts.
For the center seating position, route
the tether strap over the top of the
head restraint. If needed, the head
restraints can also be removed.  See
Head Restraints (page 99).

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2. Locate the correct anchor for the

selected seating position.

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3. Rotate the tether hook, then move the

hook under the anchor.

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4. Clip the tether strap to the anchor as

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

5. Tighten the child safety restraint tether

strap according to the manufacturer’s
instructions.

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

If your child restraint system is equipped
with a tether strap, and the child restraint
manufacturer recommends its use, Ford
also recommends its use.

BOOSTER SEATS

WARNING

Never place, or allow a child to place,
the shoulder belt under a child's arm
or behind the back because it

reduces the protection for the upper part
of the body and may 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 seat (generally
children who are less than 4 feet 9 inches
(1.45 meters) tall, are greater than age four
(4) and less than age twelve (12), and
between 40 pounds (18 kilograms) and
80 pounds (36 kilograms) and upward to
100 pounds (45 kilograms) 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 4 feet 9 inches (1.45 meters) tall,
or 80 pounds (36 kilograms).

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 back with
knees bent comfortably at the edge of
the seat cushion?

•

Can the child sit without slouching?

•

Does the lap belt rest low across the
hips?

•

Is the shoulder belt centered on the
shoulder and chest?

•

Can the child stay seated like this for
the whole trip?

Always use booster seats in conjunction
with your vehicle lap and shoulder belt.

Types of Booster Seats

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•

Backless booster seats

If your backless booster seat has a
removable shield, remove the shield. If a
vehicle seating position has a low seat
back or no head restraint, a backless
booster seat may place your child's head
(as measured at the tops of the ears)
above the top of the seat. In this case,
move the backless booster to another
seating position with a higher seat back or
head restraint and lap and shoulder belts,
or consider using a high back booster seat.

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•

High back booster seats

If, with a backless booster seat, you cannot
find a seating position that adequately
supports your child's head, a high back
booster seat would be a better choice.

Children and booster seats vary in size and
shape. Choose a booster that keeps the
lap belt low and snug across the hips,
never up across the stomach, and lets you
adjust the shoulder belt to cross the chest
and rest snugly near the center of the
shoulder. The following drawings compare
the ideal fit (center) to a shoulder belt
uncomfortably close to the neck and a
shoulder belt that could slip off the
shoulder. The drawings also show how the
lap belt should be low and snug across the
child's hips.

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If the booster seat slides on the vehicle
seat upon which it is being used, placing a
rubberized mesh sold as shelf or carpet
liner under the booster seat may improve
this condition. Do not introduce any item
thicker than this under the booster seat.
Check with the booster seat
manufacturer's instructions.

CHILD RESTRAINT
POSITIONING

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 vehicle seat
upon which the child seat is installed all

WARNINGS

the way back. When possible, all children
age 12 and under should be properly
restrained in a rear seating position. If all
children cannot be seated and restrained
properly in a rear seating position, properly
restrain the largest child in the front seat.

Always carefully follow the
instructions and warnings provided
by the manufacturer of any child

restraint to determine if the restraint device
is appropriate for your child's size, height,
weight, or age. Follow the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions and warnings
provided for installation and use in
conjunction with the instructions and
warnings provided by your vehicle