Child Car Seats

Installing Car Seats - Locking Clips
Your vehicle seat belt system may require the use of a locking clip with a child car seat. This clip prevents the seat belt from slipping. Check your Vehicle Owner's Manual or talk to your dealer.

In general, a locking clip is required in vehicles that have continuous loop lap/shoulder belts with latch plates that move freely up and down on the belt. These seat belt systems have an emergency locking retractor (ELR) designed to allow freedom of movement during regular driving and to lock up on hard braking or impact.

Some vehicles have one-way locking tongues or ELR retractors that convert to automatic locking retractors (ALR) for a child car seat or booster seat. Check your Vehicle Owner's Manual. If the ELR in your vehicle does not convert, the lap belt can loosen as the car turns corners or swerves.

In this case, a locking clip must be used to prevent loosening and to keep the belt properly positioned around the child car seat. All child car seat systems, including booster seats, require the use of a locking clip when used with continuous loop lap/shoulder belts that do not convert to ALRs.

To attach a locking clip:

• First, install the child car seat in the vehicle in accordance with the installation instructions provided with the seat.
• Pinch the seat belt webbing together just above the metal tongue, and disconnect the tongue from the buckle while keeping hold of the webbing.
• Before you unbuckle the seat belt, draw a chalk line or place a paper clip on the seat belt to show where the locking clip should be placed.
• With the lap and shoulder portions of the webbing together, thread them into the locking clip as shown. The locking clip should be positioned no further than 12.7 mm (_ in.) from the metal tongue.
• Insert the tongue back into the buckle and make sure the lap portion of the seat belt is snug and pull up on the shoulder portion to eliminate all slack.

installing car seats - tether straps
When a convertible car seat is turned to the forward-facing position, it must be secured to a solid metal part of the vehicle by a tether strap and anchorage hardware.

A tether strap is a length of seat belt webbing that is attached to the top of the child car seat and is fastened to an anchor bolt (installed in a solid metal part of a vehicle directly behind the child car seat). To work properly, the tether strap must be fastened as tightly as possible. Tether straps using a strap slide must be "doubled back" to ensure that the strap does not slip under tension.

Correctly fastened, the tether strap will prevent the child car seat from tipping forward or moving sideways in a collision or sudden stop. Without a tether strap, the seat could move forward further than federal standards allow and a child seated in the car seat could be seriously injured. You should NEVER fasten more than one child car seat to a tether anchor bolt unless recommended by the vehicle manufacturer.

Some people think it is difficult to anchor a tether strap if they have two cars. In this situation, buy a second anchor bolt and install it in the second car. Then, just unclip the tether strap from one car, move it to another, and make the necessary adjustments.

Anchor Bolt Assembly
Owners of pre-1989 vehicles should talk to their dealer about the anchor location. Some owners even prefer to have the hole drilled by a professional. With older vehicles it is also important that the location of the hole is strong and not weakened by rust.

Many 1986-1988 vehicles also have:

• a hole large enough to accept the bolt
• a threaded hole that makes installation easy
• a drill index or guide in the form of a small hole or indentation indicating where the hole should be drilled
• an anchor plate, making installation possible
• dealer information available

Since January 1, 1989, securing a tether strap has been made easier with Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 210.1 "Tether Anchorages for Child Restraints". This legislation requires that all passenger cars, excluding convertibles, must come with some kind of tether anchor location.

As of September 1, 1999 tether anchorages have been required in multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) and pick-up trucks.

Typical Installations

To Install the Anchor Bolt Assembly in a Sedan:

• Drill a hole of the correct dimension through the window shelf and into the metal support, directly behind the centre of the child car seat.
• The hole should be at least 30 mm (1_ in) away from any existing hole in the metal support.
• In passenger vehicles manufactured after January 1, 1989, these holes have been pre-drilled. Look in your Vehicle Owner's Manual to locate them.
• Pass the anchor bolt through the hole and install the large washer and nut from inside the vehicle trunk.
• Attach the tether strap to the anchorage and remove all slack. If required by the manufacturer's instructions, double back the strap through the buckle to prevent it from slipping under tension.
• Attach the base of the seat by the vehicle seat belt according to the manufacturer's instructions.

To install the Anchor Bolt Assembly in a Hatchback, Station Wagon or Van:

• Check the Vehicle Owner's Manual to see if a tether anchor location is recommended.
• Secure the anchor bolt directly behind the centre of the child car seat to a flat, metal surface that is an integral, welded-in part of the vehicle's floor or cargo area. It's advisable to have a professional mechanic install the anchor bolt assembly in these vehicles.
• Ideally, the angle between the strap and the cargo bed should be as close to 45 degrees as possible.
• The strap must be fastened clear of anything that could cut it or cause slack.
• Attach the tether strap to the anchorage and remove all slack. If required by the manufacturer's instructions, double back the strap through the buckle to prevent it from slipping under tension.
• Attach the base of the seat by the vehicle seat belt according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• For station wagons with fold-down third bench seat (instead of a cargo area) check with the vehicle manufacturer or CAA for alternate tether anchor instructions.

To Install the Anchor Bolt Assembly in Pick-Up Trucks:

• Check the Vehicle Owner's Manual to see if a tether anchor location is recommended.
• Gain outside access to the rear wall of the cab (solid metal part of the vehicle).
• Drill the hole for the anchor bolt below the rear window directly behind the centre of the child car seat. Drill the hole from the inside of the cab.
• Include a backing plate on the outside of the cab to prevent the nut and washer from pulling through.
• Pass the anchor bolt through the drilled cab and backing plate and install the washer and nut from the outside of the vehicle.
• Seal around the drilled hole to keep out exhaust fumes.
• Shorten the tether strap to remove all slack. If required by the manufacturer's instructions, double back the strap through the buckle to prevent it from slipping under tension.
• Attach the base of the seat by the vehicle seat belt according to the manufacturer's instructions.

A child car seat or booster seat cannot be installed on side-facing vehicle seats:
Child car seats and booster seats cannot be used on side-facing "jump" seats like those found in some styles of extended cab pick-ups. All child car seat manufacturers indicate that you cannot use a child car seat on a side-facing or auxiliary seat. You must place the child car seat on a forward-facing vehicle seat.

Provincial Highway Traffic Acts require that child car seats must be secured by all anchorage straps and devices recommended by the manufacturer. Therefore, the driver can be ticketed if a tether strap is not used.

Installing Car Seats - Placing theSseat in the Vehicle
NOTE: Never place a rear-facing child car seat in a position where an air bag is installed. When the air bag deploys, it will strike the back of the infant car seat with force and can seriously, even fatally, injure the child. Forward -facing seats should be tethered in the back seat of the vehicle. All children under 12 should travel in the back seat of the car.

• The back seat is the safest place for all children under 12 years of age. The centre position in the back seat is the safest position of all because it is the point furthest away from any point of impact during a crash.
• Vehicle seats must support at least 85% of the base of the child car seat.
• Seats used for infants from birth to 9 kg (20 lb.) must be placed in the vehicle facing the back. Babies do not have the muscle strength in their back and neck to travel safely forward-facing. This stage in their development is generally reached when they can pull themselves into a standing position without any help, usually at about 10 kg (22 lb.) or one year of age.
• Some vehicle seats slope toward the back of the seat. In these cases, depending on the type of infant seat, you can add a roll of thin towel under the "toe" of the child car seat at the crease of the vehicle seat. This will recline the child car seat, but you should never recline it more than 45 degrees as it could launch your baby right out of the seat during a collision.
• When you put the child car seat in the vehicle, push it down into the vehicle seat and pull the seat belt as tight as possible. Then, try to move the seat. There should be very little movement.
• Thread the vehicle seat belt through or around the car seat according to manufacturer's instructions. If you use a seat belt path other than the one recommended, the seat could pull apart during a crash. Convertible seats will have two paths for the seat belt: one for the rear-facing position; the other when the seat is placed facing forward. If your vehicle has a "continuous loop" seat belt system that cannot be converted into an automatic locking retractor, you'll have to use a locking clip as directed by the child car seat manufacturer.

Some vehicle seat belts were not designed to hold child car seats. Check your Vehicle Owner's Manual.

If your child car seat has any extra features that can be used outside the vehicle, check the manufacturer's instructions if they can be used in the vehicle -- and how. For example, if your child car seat has a carrying handle most manufacturers indicate that it must be in the furthest down position when the seat is used in a vehicle. If you have a canopy cover, you should check the child car seat manufacturer's instructions for how it should be used in a vehicle. If the seat converts to a rocker, this feature should not be used in a vehicle.

If your child car seat has a base that can be left in the vehicle and you are fastening it in the car with a lap and shoulder belt, route both belts through the openings as shown by the manufacturer. Remember to use a locking clip on "continuous loop" seat belt systems. Be sure that the release button of the vehicle seat belt is not positioned so that the base of the child car seat accidentally pushes it when you install the child car seat. The child car seat should always snap firmly in place. Check to be certain that it is locked into the base by lifting up on the back of the seat.