2004 Ford F150 Owner Guide 5th Printing - Page 142

Seating and Safety Restraints Installing child safety seats in the front row lap belt seating positions Note: Installing a child safety seat in the front row lap seating position should be avoided if at all possible. The passenger sensing system does not recognize child seats in the front center seating position. Never place a rear-facing infant seat in the front center seating position. 1. Lengthen the lap belt. To lengthen the belt, hold the tongue so that its bottom is perpendicular to the direction of webbing while sliding the tongue up the webbing. 2. Place the child safety seat in the center seating position. 3. Route the tongue and webbing through the child seat according to the child seat manufacturer's instructions. 4. Insert the belt tongue into the proper buckle for the center seating position until you hear a snap and feel it latch. Make sure the tongue is securely fastened to the buckle by pulling on tongue. 5. Push down on the child seat while pulling on the loose end of the lap belt webbing to tighten the belt. 6. If you are installing a forward facing child seat, attach and tighten any top tether strap. 7. Before placing the child into the child seat, forcibly tilt the child seat from side to side and in forward direction to make sure that the seat is held securely in place. If the child seat moves excessively, repeat steps 5 through 7, try a different child safety seat, or properly install the child seat in a different position. 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 passenger 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 may be loops of webbing above the seatback or an anchor bracket behind the seat on the rear edge of the seat cushion. 142 2004 F150 (f12) Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt) USA English (fus)