Britax LATCHANCHOR User Manual

FOR USE ON

DRIVER'S SIDE

LATCH ANCH

Table of Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Important Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Safety Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Child Restraint Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Vehicle Safety Belts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Vehicle Seating Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Installation: Rear Facing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Switching the LATCH Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Installation: Forward Facing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Checking Buckle Position. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Installation In Aircraft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

™

Versa-Tether

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Recline Adjustment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Using the Buckle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Using the Chest Clip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Securing Your Child . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Checking Harness Height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Adjusting Harness Height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Care and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

This product and its components are subject to change without notice.

“Britax” is a registered trademark of Britax Excelsior, Andover, U.K.

Printed in Australia

Introduction

Read and understand this information booklet before using this product. It is recommended that you store this booklet so you can consult it often to ensure that you are using the restraint correctly.

This child restraint is designed for use only by children who weigh between 5 and 40 pounds (2.3 and 18 kg) and whose height is between 19 and 40 inches (48 and 102 cm).

Rear facing use should be limited to children who weigh between 5 and 30 pounds (2.3 and 13.6 kg).

Forward facing use should be limited to children who weigh between 20 and 40 pounds (9 and 18 kg).

This child restraint system conforms to all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards. This restraint is certified for use in motor

vehicles and aircraft.

This child restraint must not be used in the home, in boats, or other non-certified applications.

This child restraint is LATCH compatible.

Important Notes

•

Verify that the child restraint is secure and that the harness is properly adjusted around your child each time you use the child restraint.

• Adjust the harness to fit the clothes your child is wearing. The fit

for a child in winter clothes will differ from a child in summer clothes.

• Cover the child restraint if your vehicle is parked in direct

sunlight. Parts of the child restraint can become hot to the touch in sunny weather.

• Store the child r estraint in a safe place when it is not being used.

Avoid placing heavy objects on top of it.

•

Discontinue use of a child restraint that is older than six years or has been in a severe crash. This ensures that no deterioration or hidden damage has occurred.

• DO NOT leave children alone in a vehicle, even for a short time.

• DO NOT, except as described in this booklet, attempt to disas-

semble any part of the child restraint or change the way its harness or your vehicle seat belts are used.

• DO NOT leave loose objects, e.g. books, bags, etc., in the back

of your vehicle. In the event of a sudden stop, loose objects will keep moving, potentially causing serious injuries.

• DO NOT leave folding vehicle seats unlatched. In the event of

a sudden stop, a loose seat back could prevent the child restraint from protecting your child as well as it should.

• DO NOT allow children to play with the child restraint.

• DO NOT use anything to raise the restraint off the vehicle seat.

In an accident, it could slide and be unable to protect your child as well as it should.

Safety Information

•

FAILURE TO FOLLOW EACH OF THE FOLLOWING

INSTRUCTIONS CAN RESULT IN YOUR CHILD STRIKING THE VEHICLE’S INTERIOR DURING A SUDDEN STOP OR CRASH. SECURE THIS CHILD RESTRAINT WITH A VEHICLE BELT AS SPECIFIED IN THIS USER GUIDE.

• According to accident statistics, the National Highway

Traffic Safety Administration recommends that parents select the rear seat as the safest location for a properly installed child restraint. However, the actual dimensions of the vehicle seat and the details of the safety belts used to anchor the child restraint differ from vehicle to vehicle. Please study the section on this booklet for the safety assurance of your child. If in doubt about installing your child restraint, consult your vehicle owner’s manual.

• Secure this child restraint with the vehicle belts even

when it is not occupied. In a crash, an unsecured child restraint may injure vehicle occupants.

• When the LATCH Connectors are not in use, they must

be secured in the LATCH storage pouches. If the LATCH connectors are loose, they may injure vehicle occupants.

Vehicle Seat Belts in

Safety Information

• The primary protection for occupants of a vehicle in a

collision is the body of the vehicle itself, and a child restraint will not protect a child when the vehicle is seriously impacted. However, correctly installed, this restraint will substantially improve the chances for survival in most accidents. Make sure that you fully understand the correct way to use this child restraint in your vehicle.

• DO NOT place any child restraint in the front seat of a

vehicle with a passenger air bag unless the air bag is turned off. DEATH or SERIOUS INJURY can occur. The back seat is the safest place for children under 12.

• Owners of vehicles with air bags should refer to their

owner’s manual for child restraint installation instructions.

• Britax recommends that all child restraints be installed in

the rear seat.

• Install this child restraint only in vehicle seats which face

forward! Do not install this seat on vehicle seats facing sideways or backwards!

Child Restraint Features

ess Slots

Shoulde

ess

ess Holder

Cover

ase

Seat Shell

ess Retainer

Harn

Chest Cli

LATC

RIVER'S

SE O A NCHO

IDE

r Harn

Buckle Belly Pa Harn

Adjuster Cove Stabilizing Bar

ATCH Adjuste

ATCH Stra

Harness Adjuster Stra

LATCH Harn B

Cover

Versa-Tether

Shoulde

ess

ector

ess Guard*

(

)

LATCH Connector Stora

)

ess Retainer

pocket (under cover

Tether Adjuste

Tether/Booklet Pouc

Tether Hoo

r Harn

Harn

not shown

Forward Facin

Lock-of

Recline Adjust Kno

LATCH Harn

Rear Facing Lock-of

LATCH Conn

Child Restraint Features

F O

IDE

H O

Vehicle Safety Belts

NOTE: The information in this section only

applies if you are installing the child restraint using the vehicle seat belts. If using LATCH, this section should be ignored.

IMPORTANT : Some vehicles have no seating

positions which are compatible with this child restraint, or any other child restraint. If in doubt contact your vehicle manufacturer for assistance.

The following types of vehicle seat belts are not compatible with this child restraint:

Front seat belts with top or bottom anchorage points in the door.

Motor driven automatic seat belts. Three-point belts that have separate

retractors for the shoulder section and the lap section.

Non-locking (ELR) two-point seat belts.

The owner's manual for your vehicle will have information on the types of seat belts in your vehicle. If you have belts of the above-listed types, select another seating position. This child restraint will work with rear seat threepoint seat belts with a sliding latch plate, and with rear seat three-point seat belts that are specifically marked as appropriate for child The middle rear seat of most vehicles has a lap belt which most often will work.

This child restraint can fit securely in most vehicles using the existing seat belts. However, some types of vehicle designs prevent a secure fit of the child restraint due to the position of the seat belt lower anchorage points.

restraints

Seat Belt Anchorage Points MUST Fall Within This Shaded Area

Vehicle Safety Belts

Lower Ancorage Point

Use this simple guide to check your seat belts and determine the safest position for your child restraint.

Use the gray shaded area on the side of this page to determine the best position for the child restraint. Hold the page against your vehicle seat (as shown above) with the gray area toward the back of the seat. Now check to see if the lower seat belt anchorage points are in line with the gray or the red area of this page.

If the lower seat belt anchorage points are in the gray area, then you can use this position for your child restraint.

If the lower seat belt anchorage points are in the red area, then you should use another position for your child restraint.

NOTE: Although the seat belt anchorage points fall within the gray

area, a better installation may be achieved by adjusting your child restraint to a reclining position.

Seat Belt Anchorage Points MUST Fall Within This Shaded Area

Vehicle Seating Positions

•

Forward facing vehicle seats MUST be used with this child restraint

. Side facing or rear facing seats in vans, station wagons

or trucks CANNOT be used.

•

Britax and the U.S. Department of Transportation warn that children 12 and under must ride in the rear seats, away from front air bags. The only exception is if the air bag is off.

NOTE: Prior to installation, check that the shoulder straps are in the correct position (see page 33 - 34).

Installation: Rear Facing

1 Verify that your vehicle is equipped

with LATCH anchors (Fig A).

• If LATCH anchors are not you must use standard seat belt installation methods

2 Verify that LATCH harness is routed in

rear facing slots. If not, refer to page 17 to switch LATCH harness.

3 Place the child restraint facing and fully

reclined on the vehicle seat.

IMPORTANT :

mode if necessary to obtain proper angle, based on vehicle seat contour (see page 29).

4 Unhook hook and loop attachments

on the front edge of the cover, then pull the stabilizing bar out completely. Pull stabilizing bar upward until it clicks into position (fig B).

IMPORT ANT:

be extended when seat is rear facing.

5 Reattach hook and loop attachments

on the front edge of the cover.

6 Loosly attach each LATCH connector to the adjacent LATCH

anchor (fig C).

• A positive click confirms attachment to the LATCH anchor.

• If necessary, press silver adjuster release button, then pull to

lengthen LATCH webbing.

Only use super recline

Stabilizer bar must always

installed,

Installation: Rear Facing

7 With one hand, push the child

restraint firmly into the vehicle seat while pulling the first LATCH connector strap tight (fig D).

8 Continue pressing child restraint

firmly into the vehicle seat while pulling the second LA TCH connector strap tight.

9 Verify that all connections are

tight and the child restraint is secure.

10 If desired, attach Versa-Tether™as instructed on pages 27-28.

Rear facing installation is improved by the use of the Versa-Tether™, but it is not required.

Important

• Always store LATCH connectors when not in use by attaching to

storage rings on the side of the child restraint.

• Rear facing installation is improved by the use of the Versa-

• If you have a problem stabilizing your child restraint, place a rolled

™

Tether towel in the crease of the seat to help level the child restraint base.

, but it is not required.

Warning

• DO NOT raise the base beyond horizontal or off of the vehicle seat, doing so will reduce the protection for your child.

Removal

• T o remove the child restraint, release both LATCH connectors from the LATCH anchors by pressing the red button.

• If connected, disconnect the Versa-Tether™from the tether anchor.

• Always store LATCH connectors when not in use by attaching to

storage rings on the side of the child restraint.

+ 29 hidden pages