Ford Escape Quiz
Child Safety

Using Seat Belts

In this manual: Child Safety
Introduction — 1Symbol Glossary — 1Data Privacy — 7At a Glance — 1Child Safety — 11Seat Belts — 9Personal Safety System™ — 1Airbags — 8Pedestrian Warning System. 911 Assist — 1Keys and Remote Controls — 8MyKey™ — 5Doors & Locks — 5Keyless Entry — 6Easy Entry and Exit — 1Liftgate - Vehicles With: Manual Liftgate — 3Liftgate - Vehicles With: Power Liftgate — 6Safety — 4Steering Wheel — 1Wipers and Washers — 7Exterior Lighting — 8Interior Lighting — 4Windows — 3Interior Mirror — 1Exterior Mirrors — 1Sunroof (if equipped) — 4Instrument Cluster — 16Instrument Cluster Display — 14Trip Computer — 3Head-Up Display (If Equipped) — 1Remote Start — 5Climate Control — 7Cabin Air Quality — 1Front Seats — 5Rear Seats — 1Rear Seat Reminder — 1Memory Function — 1Garage Door Opener — 7USB Ports — 3Power Point - Vehicles With: 12V Outlet — 1Wireless Accessory Charger — 1Storage — 1Starting and Stopping the Engine — 9Hybrid Electric Vehicle Information — 6Auto Start-Stop — 1Fuel and Refueling — 10Catalytic Converter — 1High-Voltage Battery — 1Charging Your Vehicle – Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) — 7Automatic Transmission — 8All-Wheel Drive — 1Brakes — 4Electric parking brake — 1Hill Start Assist — 1Auto Hold — 1Traction Control — 1Stability Control — 1Steering — 1Park Aid — 7Rearview Camera — 1Active Park Assist — 5Cruise Control — 1Adaptive Cruise Control — 10Drive Mode Control — 5Lane Keeping System — 6Blind Spot Information System — 5Cross-Traffic Alert — 5Pre-Collision Assist — 9Driver Alert — 4Traffic Sign Recognition — 4Loading — 6Cargo Area — 1Trailer Hitch Connection — 3Towing a Trailer — 4Trailer Sway Control — 1Driving Tips — 4Breakdown and Emergency Information — 7Towing Your Vehicle — 4Fuses — 4Maintenance — 14Vehicle Care — 5Body Styling Kits — 1Storing Your Vehicle — 1Wheels and Tires Information — 6Tire Care — 4Tire Sealant and Inflator Kit — 8Tire Pressure Monitoring System — 4Road Wheel Replacement — 1Capacities and Specifications — 16Vehicle Identification — 1Connected Vehicle — 4Vehicle Wi-Fi Hotspot — 3Audio System — 8SYNC™ (if equipped) — 9SYNC™ 3 (if equipped) — 41Accessories — 1Ford Protect — 1Scheduled Maintenance — 4Customer Information — 23Appendices — 3
10steps
~60min
3/5difficulty
Done 0 of 10

Follow these steps when installing a child restraint with the seat belt:

  1. Place the child restraint on the seat with the seat belt.
    Ford Escape. Using Seatbelts
  2. After placing the child restraint in the correct seat position, pull down on the shoulder belt, then grasp the shoulder belt and lap belt together at the latch plate.
    Ford Escape. Using Seatbelts
  3. While holding the shoulder and lap belt portions together, route the latch plate through the child restraint according to the child restraint manufacturer's instructions. Make sure the belt webbing is not twisted.
    Ford Escape. Using Seatbelts
  4. Insert the latch plate into the correct buckle (the buckle closest to the direction from which the latch plate comes) for that seating position until you hear a click and feel the latch engage. Make sure the latch plate is securely locked by pulling on it.
    Ford Escape. Using Seatbelts
  5. Set the retractor to Automatic Locking mode. Grasp the shoulder belt portion and pull down until the entire belt is extended.
  6. Allow the belt to retract to remove the slack. The belt clicks as it retracts, indicating it is in Automatic Locking mode.
  7. Try to pull the belt out of the retractor to make sure the retractor is in Automatic Locking mode. You should not be able to pull out any more belt. If the retractor did not lock, unbuckle the belt and repeat steps 5 and 6.
    Ford Escape. Using Seatbelts
  8. Remove the remaining belt slack. Compress the child restraint by applying additional weight, such as pressing down or kneeling on the child restraint, while pulling the shoulder belt in order to force the slack out of the belt. This is necessary to remove any remaining slack that exists once you add the weight of the child to the child restraint. This also helps achieve a proper fit of the child restraint to the vehicle. Sometimes leaning slightly toward the latch plate will help remove the remaining belt slack.
  9. If the child restraint has a tether strap, attach it.
    Ford Escape. Using Seatbelts
  10. Before placing a child in the seat, firmly push the seat forward and rearward to make sure it is securely held in place. To check this, grasp the seat by the belt path and try to move it side to side and forward and backward. There should be no more than 1 inch (2.5 cm) of movement.

We recommend having your child restraint checked by a NHTSA Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician to make sure the child restraint is installed correctly. In Canada, contact Transport Canada for a referral to a child car seat inspection station.

Test yourself

A quick Ford Escape quiz: every answer comes with an explanation and a link to the manual page.