Child Safety -> Installing Child Restraints for Your Ford Ecosport SUV 2020

Child Safety  
INSTALLING CHILD  
RESTRAINTS  
Child Seats  
WARNING: Depending on where  
you secure a child restraint, and  
depending on the child restraint design,  
you may block access to certain seatbelt  
buckle assemblies and LATCH lower  
anchors, rendering those features  
potentially unusable. To avoid risk of  
injury, make sure occupants only use  
seating positions where they are able to  
be properly restrained.  
When installing a child safety seat with  
combination lap and shoulder belts:  
Use the correct safety belt buckle for  
that seating position.  
Insert the belt tongue into the proper  
buckle until you hear a snap and feel it  
latch. Make sure the tongue is securely  
fastened in the buckle.  
Keep the buckle release button  
pointing up and away from the safety  
seat, with the tongue between the child  
seat and the release button, to prevent  
accidental unbuckling.  
Use a child safety seat (sometimes called  
an infant carrier, convertible seat, or  
toddler seat) for infants, toddlers, or  
children weighing 40 lb (18 kg) or less  
(generally age four or younger).  
Using Lap and Shoulder Belts  
Place the vehicle seat upon which the  
child seat will be installed in the upright  
position.  
Put the safety belt in the automatic  
locking mode. See Step 5. This vehicle  
does not require the use of a locking  
clip.  
WARNING: Airbags can kill or  
injure a child in a child restraint. Never  
place a rear-facing child restraint in front  
of an active airbag. If you must use a  
forward-facing child restraint in the front  
seat, move the seat upon which the child  
restraint is installed all the way back.  
Perform the following steps when  
installing the child seat with combination  
lap and shoulder belts:  
Note: Although the child seat illustrated is  
a forward facing child seat, the steps are  
the same for installing a rear facing child  
seat.  
WARNING: Airbags can kill or  
injure a child in a child restraint. Properly  
restrain children 12 and under in the rear  
seat whenever possible.  
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EcoSport (CBW) Canada/United States of America, Vehicles Built From: 17-06-2019, LN1J-19A321-ZFA enUSA, Edition date: 201904, First-Printing  
Child Safety  
Standard safety belts  
3. While holding the shoulder and lap belt  
portions together, route the tongue  
through the child seat according to the  
child seat manufacturer's instructions.  
Be sure the belt webbing is not twisted.  
1. Position the child safety seat in a seat  
with a combination lap and shoulder  
belt.  
2. After positioning the child safety seat  
in the proper seating position, pull  
down on the shoulder belt and then  
grasp the shoulder belt and lap belt  
together behind the belt tongue.  
4. Insert the belt tongue into the proper  
buckle (the buckle closest to the  
direction the tongue is coming from)  
for that seating position until you hear  
a snap and feel the latch engage. Make  
sure the tongue is latched securely by  
pulling on it.  
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EcoSport (CBW) Canada/United States of America, Vehicles Built From: 17-06-2019, LN1J-19A321-ZFA enUSA, Edition date: 201904, First-Printing  
Child Safety  
8. Remove remaining slack from the belt.  
Force the seat down with extra weight,  
for example, by pressing down or  
kneeling on the child restraint while  
pulling up on the shoulder belt in order  
to force slack from the belt. This is  
necessary to remove the remaining  
slack that will exist once the extra  
weight of the child is added to the child  
restraint. It also helps to achieve the  
proper snugness of the child seat to  
your vehicle. Sometimes, a slight lean  
toward the buckle will provide extra  
help to remove remaining slack from  
the belt.  
5. To put the retractor in the automatic  
locking mode, grasp the shoulder  
portion of the belt and pull downward  
until all of the belt is pulled out.  
9. Attach the tether strap (if the child seat  
is equipped).  
Note: The automatic locking mode is  
available on the front passenger and rear  
seats.  
6. Allow the belt to retract to remove  
slack. The belt will click as it retracts  
to indicate it is in the automatic locking  
mode.  
7. Try to pull the belt out of the retractor  
to make sure the retractor is in the  
automatic locking mode (you should  
not be able to pull more belt out). If the  
retractor is not locked, unbuckle the  
belt and repeat Steps 5 and 6.  
10. Before placing the child in the seat,  
forcibly move the seat forward and  
back to make sure the seat is securely  
held in place. To check this, grab the  
seat at the belt path and attempt to  
move it side to side and forward and  
back. There should be no more than  
1 in (2.5 cm) of movement for proper  
installation.  
We recommend checking with a NHTSA  
Certified Child Passenger Safety  
Technician to make certain the child  
restraint is properly installed. In Canada,  
check with Transport Canada for referral  
to a Child Car Seat Clinic.  
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EcoSport (CBW) Canada/United States of America, Vehicles Built From: 17-06-2019, LN1J-19A321-ZFA enUSA, Edition date: 201904, First-Printing  
Child Safety  
Using Lower Anchors and Tethers  
for CHildren (LATCH)  
WARNING: Do not attach two  
child safety restraints to the same  
anchor. In a crash, one anchor may not  
be strong enough to hold two child  
safety restraint attachments and may  
break, causing serious injury or death.  
WARNING: Depending on where  
you secure a child restraint, and  
Your vehicle has LATCH lower anchors for  
child seat installation at the seating  
positions marked with the child seat  
symbol.  
depending on the child restraint design,  
you may block access to certain seatbelt  
buckle assemblies and LATCH lower  
anchors, rendering those features  
potentially unusable. To avoid risk of  
injury, make sure occupants only use  
seating positions where they are able to  
be properly restrained.  
The LATCH system is composed of three  
vehicle anchor points: two lower anchors  
located where seat back and seat cushion  
meet (called the seat bight) and one top  
tether anchor located behind that seating  
position.  
LATCH compatible child safety seats have  
two rigid or webbing mounted  
The LATCH anchors are located at the rear  
section of the rear seat between the  
cushion and seat back below the symbols  
as shown. Follow the child seat  
manufacturer's instructions to properly  
install a child seat with LATCH  
attachments that connect to the two lower  
anchors at the LATCH equipped seating  
positions in your vehicle. This type of  
attachment method eliminates the need  
to use safety belts to attach the child seat,  
however the safety belt can still be used  
to attach the child seat. For forward-facing  
child seats, the top tether strap must also  
be attached to the proper top tether  
anchor, if a top tether strap has been  
provided with your child seat.  
attachments. Follow the instructions on  
attaching child safety seats with tether  
straps.  
Attach LATCH lower attachments of the  
child seat only to the anchors shown.  
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EcoSport (CBW) Canada/United States of America, Vehicles Built From: 17-06-2019, LN1J-19A321-ZFA enUSA, Edition date: 201904, First-Printing  
Child Safety  
Use of Inboard Lower Anchors from the  
Combining Safety Belt and LATCH  
Lower Anchors for Attaching Child  
Safety Seats  
Outboard Seating Positions (Center  
Seating Use)  
When used in combination, either the  
safety belt 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  
seat.  
WARNING: The standardized  
spacing for LATCH lower anchors is 11 in  
(280 mm) center to center. Do not use  
LATCH lower anchors for the center  
seating position unless the child restraint  
manufacturer's instructions permit and  
specify using anchors spaced at least as  
far apart as those in this vehicle.  
Using Tether Straps  
Many forward-facing child safety  
seats include a tether strap  
which extends from the back of  
The lower anchors at the center of the  
second row rear seat are spaced 15.75 in  
(40 cm) apart. A child seat with rigid  
LATCH attachments cannot be installed  
at the center seating position. LATCH  
compatible child seats (with attachments  
on belt webbing) can only be used at this  
seating position provided that the child  
seat manufacturer's instructions permit  
use with the anchor spacing stated. Do not  
attach a child seat to any lower anchor if  
an adjacent child seat is attached to that  
anchor.  
Each time you use the safety seat, check  
that the seat is properly attached to the  
lower anchors and tether anchor, if  
applicable. Tug the child seat from side to  
side and forward and back where it is  
secured to your vehicle. The seat should  
move less than one inch when you do this  
for a proper installation.  
the child safety seat and hooks to an  
anchoring point called the top tether  
anchor. 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, or to obtain a longer tether  
strap if the tether strap on your safety seat  
does not reach the appropriate top tether  
anchor in your vehicle.  
Once the child safety seat has been  
installed using either the safety belt, the  
lower anchors of the LATCH system, or  
both, you can attach the top tether strap.  
The tether strap anchors in your vehicle  
are in the following positions (shown from  
top view):  
If the safety seat is not anchored properly,  
the risk of a child being injured in a crash  
greatly increases.  
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EcoSport (CBW) Canada/United States of America, Vehicles Built From: 17-06-2019, LN1J-19A321-ZFA enUSA, Edition date: 201904, First-Printing  
Child Safety  
Perform the following steps to install a  
child safety seat with tether anchors:  
Note: If you install a child seat with rigid  
LATCH attachments, do not tighten the  
tether strap enough to lift the child seat off  
your vehicle seat cushion when the child is  
seated in it. Keep the tether strap just snug  
without lifting the front of the child seat.  
Keeping the child seat just touching your  
vehicle seat gives the best protection in a  
severe crash.  
1. Route the child safety seat 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 positions, route the tether strap  
over the top of the head restraint. If  
needed, the head restraints can also  
be removed.  
3. Clip the tether strap to the anchor as  
shown.  
4. Tighten the child safety seat tether  
strap according to the manufacturer's  
instructions.  
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: Do not put the  
shoulder section of the seatbelt or allow  
the child to put the shoulder section of  
the seatbelt under their arm or behind  
their back. Failure to follow this  
instruction could reduce the  
effectiveness of the seatbelt and  
increase the risk of injury or death in a  
crash.  
2. Locate the correct anchor for the  
selected seating position.  
Use a belt-positioning booster seat for  
children who have outgrown or no longer  
properly fit in a child safety restraint  
(generally children who are less than 57 in  
(1.45 m) tall, are greater than age 4 and  
less than age 12, and between 40 lb (18 kg)  
and 80 lb (36 kg) and upward to 100 lb  
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EcoSport (CBW) Canada/United States of America, Vehicles Built From: 17-06-2019, LN1J-19A321-ZFA enUSA, Edition date: 201904, First-Printing