2011 Dodge Nitro User Guide - Page 13

GETTING STARTED CHILD RESTRAINTS • Children 12 years and under should ride properly buckled up in a rear seat, if available. According to crash statistics, children are safer when properly restrained in the rear seats rather than in the front. • Every state in the United States and all Canadian provinces require that small children ride in proper restraint systems. This is the law, and you can be prosecuted for ignoring it. Installing The LATCH - Compatible Child Restraint System • Your vehicle's second row passenger seats are equipped with the child restraint anchorage system called LATCH, which stands for Lower Anchors and Tether for CHildren. • The rear outboard seating positions have lower anchors and all three rear seating positions have top tether anchors. • Child seats with fixed lower attachments must be installed in the outboard positions only. Child seats with flexible lower attachments can be used in all three seating positions. • Never install LATCH-compatible child seats such that two seats share a common lower anchorage. • Loosen the child seat adjusters on the lower straps and tether straps so that you can attach the hook or connector to the lower and tether anchorages more easily. • Attach the lower hooks or connectors over the top of the anchorage bars, pushing aside the seat cover material. The rear seat lower anchorages are round bars, located at the rear of the seat cushion where it meets the seatback. The rear seat lower anchors can be readily identified by the symbol located on the seatback directly above the anchorages and are just visible when you lean into the rear seat to install the child restraint. • The tether strap should be attached to the tether anchor on the rear of the seatback using the most direct path. For the outboard seating positions, route the tether underneath the head rest and attach the hook to the tether anchor located on the back of the seat. 11