1996 Toyota Avalon Owners Manual - Page 43

Child restraint- -Child restraint precautions Toyota strongly urges the use of child restraint systems for children small enough to use it. The laws of all fifty states in the U.S.A. and Canada now require the use of a child restraint system. -Child restraint system A child restraint system for a small child or baby must itself be restrained on the seat with either the lap belt or the lap portion of the lap/shoulder belt. The child restraint system should conform to the size of the child and properly fit the vehicle seat. For greater safety, the child restraint system should be installed in the rear seat. According to accident statistics, children are safer when properly restrained in the rear seat than in the front seat. When installing a child restraint system, follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer of the system. General directions are also provided under the following illustrations. Your vehicle has anchors for securing the top strap of a child restraint system. The anchor nuts are welded beneath the sheet metal to permit installation of an anchor bracket for a child restraint system. To install an anchor bracket, use an 8 mm X 30 mm X 1.25 mm coarse thread metric bolt and a 15 mm (0.6 in.) spacer. Note that the bolts accompanying many child restraint systems are not metric. You can damage the anchor nuts on your vehicle if you force bolts with different thread into the anchor nuts. For instructions about how to install the anchor bracket, see "(B) TOP STRAP ANCHORS AND LOCATIONS". If your child restraint system does not provide any of the necessary parts, you can purchase the following items from your Toyota dealer. *CRS installation kit (Part No. 04731-22012) -contains 1 bolt, 3 types of spacers and 1 locking clip. *Bolt (Part No. 91511-60830) ! CAUTION For effective protection in automobile accidents and sudden stops, children must be properly restrained. Holding a child in your arms is not a substitute for a child restraint system. In an accident, the child can be crushed against the windshield, or between you and the vehicle's interior if you are unrestrained. ! CAUTION After installing the child restraint system, make sure it is secured in place. If it is not restrained securely, it may cause injury to the child in the event of a sudden stop or accident. When not using the child restraint system, keep it secured with the seat belt or place it somewhere other than in passenger compartment. This will prevent it injuring passengers in the event of a sudden stop or accident. 37