Britax P216800R9 User Manual

Marathon

User Guide

Table of Contents

Safety Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5

Child Restraint Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7

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

Vehicle Seating Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Rear Facing Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15

Rear Facing LATCH Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11

Rear Facing Lap-Shoulder Belt Installation . . . . . . . . . . 12-13

Rear Facing Lap Belt Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-15

Forward Facing Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-20

Forward Facing LATCH Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-17

Forward Facing Lap-Shoulder Belt Installation. . . . . . . . 18-19

Forward Facing Lap Belt Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Switching the LATCH Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Installation In Aircraft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Versa-Tether®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23-25

Checking Buckle Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Recline Adjustment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Using the Buckle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Using the Chest Clip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Securing Your Child . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28-29

Checking Harness Height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Adjusting Harness Height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Care and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-35

Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

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

© 2004 Britax Child Safety, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.

P216800 R9:09/04

•

Use only in a rear-facing position when using restraint with an
infant weighing less than 20 pounds (9 kg). The American
Academy of Pediatrics recommends rear facing until at least 1
year of age and 20 pounds.

•

Use only with children who weigh between 5 and 65 pounds
(2.3 and 29 kg) and whose height is 49 inches (124 cm) or less.
Rear facing 5–33 pounds (2.3–15 kg) and forward facing
maximum 65 pounds (29 kg).

•

Snugly adjust the belts provided with this child restraint around
your child. A snug strap should not allow any slack. It lies in a
relatively straight line without sagging. It does not press on the
child’s flesh or push the child’s body into an unnatural position.

•

Secure the top anchorage strap provided with this child restraint.

•

Secure this child restraint with the vehicle’s child restraint

anchorage system if available or with a vehicle belt.

Follow all instructions on this child restraint and in the written

•
instructions located on lanyard, under cover in front of seat.

•

Register your child restraint with the manufacturer.

•

Use vehicle belt (not LATCH connectors) for installations with
children weighing more than 48 pounds (21 kg). Refer to the
vehicle owner’s manual or contact the vehicle manufacturer for
the maximum weight rating for their LATCH anchors. Unless
specified otherwise by the vehicle manufacturer, assume a 48­pound child is the vehicle LATCH anchor limit.

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

•

Based on crash statistics, the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration recommends that parents select the rear seat as
the safest location for a properly installed child restraint. Please
study the section on

Vehicle Safety Belts

in this booklet to
ensure the child’s safety. If in doubt about installing the child
restraint, consult the vehicle owner’s manual.

•

Secure this child restraint even when it is not occupied. In a

crash, an unsecured child restraint may injure vehicle occupants.

•

When using in vehicle with air bags, refer to the vehicle owner’s
manual for child restraint installation instructions and
precautions.

•

Restraint must be in the full upright position when installed in

forward facing mode with children over 33 pounds (15 kg).
Never use the adjuster strap to lift or carry this child restraint. Doing

•
so could cause damage to the harness adjuster and webbing.
Always carry this child restraint by the shell or tether straps.

The primary protection for occupants of a vehicle in a collision

•
is the body of the vehicle itself; a child restraint will not protect
a child when the vehicle is seriously impacted. However,
correctly installed, a child restraint will substantially improve the
chances for survival in most crashes. Make sure that all users
fully understand the correct ways to use this child restraint in a
vehicle.

32

Safety Information

Safety Information

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

in motor vehicles and aircraft.

•

Visit BritaxUSA.com to register your restraint online!

Child restraints could be recalled for safety reasons. You must
register this restraint to be reached in a recall. Send your name,
address, and the restraint's model number and manufacturing
date to Britax Child Safety, Inc. 13501 South Ridge Drive
Charlotte, NC 28273 or call 1-888-4BRITAX. For recall
information, call the U.S. Government's Auto Safety Hotline at
1-888-327-4236.

WARNING! DO NOT place a 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.

IMPORTANT

•

Verify that the child restraint is secure and that the harness is
properly adjusted around the child each time the child restraint
is used.

•

Adjust the harness to fit the clothes the child is wearing. The fit for
a child in winter clothes will differ from a child in summer clothes.

•

Cover the restraint when the vehicle is parked in direct sunlight.
Parts of the child restraint could become hot enough to burn the
child.

•

Store the child restraint 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 to prevent injury due to deterioration
or hidden damage.

•

Do not leave children alone in a vehicle, even for a short time.
Do not, except as described in this booklet, attempt to disassem-

•
ble any part of the child restraint or change the way its harness or
the vehicle restraint belts are used.

•

Do not leave loose objects, e.g. books, bags, etc., in the back of a
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 the 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 crash, it could slide and may not protect the child as well as it
should.

54

Restraint Features

Restraint Features

15

1

1 Harness Slots
2 Comfort Pads
3 Chest Clip
4 HUGS™

Shoulder Pads

5 Harness
6 Harness Holder
7 Harness Adjuster

Lever (under cover)

8 Buckle & Belly Pad
9 Harness Adjuster Strap
10 Perma-Book™ (under cover)
11 LATCH Connector
12 Recline Handle

6

13 LATCH Adjuster
14 LATCH Harness
15 Cover
16 Versa-Tether

®

Pouch

2

3

4
5

6

7

8

9

10
11

12
13

11

14

16

5

17
18
19

20
21

22
23

24

17 Harness Yoke
18 Forward Facing Lock-off
19 LATCH Connector Pouch (under

cover)

20 Belt Guard

21 LATCH Bar
22 Booklet Storage
23 Rear Facing Lock-off
24 Base

7

Vehicle Safety Belts

Vehicle Seating Positions

NOTE: The information in this section applies

only to installation with vehicle belts.

IMPORTANT: Some vehicles have no seating

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

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

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

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

retractors for the shoulder section and
the lap section.

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

The owner's manual for your vehicle will have information on the types
of vehicle belts in your vehicle. If your belt type is listed above, select
another seating position or use LATCH connectors.

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

WARNING:

•

Forward facing vehicle seats MUST be used with this child
restraint. Side facing or rear facing seats CANNOT be used.

8

9

Installation: Rear Facing

Installation: Rear Facing

Rear Facing

LATCH Installation

•

Figure A illustrates a typical rear facing

LATCH installation.

1

Verify that your vehicle is equipped with

LATCH anchors.

•

If LATCH anchors are not installed, you

must use standard vehicle belt installation
methods.

2 If stored, remove LATCH connectors

from storage pouches under cover.

3 Press and hold the LATCH adjuster release

button, then pull to lengthen LATCH
harness to full length.

4 Fully recline the restraint and place it

sideways on the vehicle seat, with the
front facing toward you.

5 Verify that the LATCH harness is not

twisted, then attach the farthest connector
to LATCH anchor (

•

A positive click confirms attachment.

•

If LATCH connectors will not attach with a

positive click, it may be necessary to switch
the LATCH connectors as shown on page 21.

6 Rotate seat into rear facing position.
7 Verify that the LATCH harness is not

twisted, then attach the closest connector
to LATCH anchor (

•

A positive click confirms attachment.

Fig. B

Fig. C

).

).

8 Push the child restraint firmly into the

vehicle seat while pulling each LATCH
harness tight (

Fig. D

).

9 Verify that all connections are secure and

the restraint is stable.

NOTE:

•

The back angle of the child restraint

A

should not exceed 45º when properly
installed in the rear facing position.
Installation can be improved by the use of the Versa-Tether

•

(

see pages 23–25

). The recline angle can be adjusted by

D

®

tightening the tether as described on page 24, using anchor
point 3.

•

If there is a problem stabilizing the child restraint, place a rolled
towel in the crease of the vehicle seat to help level the child
restraint base.

WARNING: DO NOT raise the base beyond horizontal or off of the

B

vehicle seat; doing so will reduce the protection for the child.

Removal

Release each LATCH harness from the LATCH anchor by

•

pressing the red release button on the LATCH connector.

•

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

•

When not in use, always store the LATCH connectors in
storage pouches

C

sewn in cover above rear facing lock-offs.

10

11