If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH system, see Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) . See Top Strap if the child restraint has a top strap or top tether.
For vehicles with a full bench seat in the third row, there is no top strap anchor in the driver's side position. Do not secure a child seat in this position if a national or local law requires that the top strap be anchored, or if the instructions that come with the child restraint say that the top strap must be anchored.
If your child restraint does not have the LATCH system, you will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the child restraint. Be sure to follow the instructions that came with the child restraint. Secure the child in the child restraint when and as the instructions say.
- Put the child restraint on the seat.
- Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder portions of the vehicle's safety belt through or around the restraint. The child restraint instructions will show you how.
- Buckle the belt. Make sure the release button is positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly if you ever had to.
- Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of the retractor to set the lock.
- To tighten the belt, push down on the child restraint, pull the shoulder portion of the belt to tighten the lap portion of the belt and feed the shoulder belt back into the retractor. If you are using a forward-facing child restraint, you may find it helpful to use your knee to push down on the child restraint as you tighten the belt.
- Push and pull the child restraint in different directions to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle the vehicle's safety belt and let it go back all the way. The safety belt will move freely again and be ready to work for an adult or larger child passenger.
