Britax LATCHANCHOR User manual

FOR USE ON
DRIVER'S SIDE
LATCH ANCHOR
Registration Information
Fill out the registration card and mail it in today!
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
1-800-424-9393 (202-366-0123 in DC area).
Britax Child Safety, Inc.
13501 South Ridge Drive
Charlotte, NC 28273
USA
A Britax Childcare company
P/No. 2106865/B
FOR USE ON
DRIVER'S SIDE
LATCH ANCHOR
Registration Information
Fill out the registration card and mail it in today!
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
1-800-424-9393 (202-366-0123 in DC area).
P/No. 2106865/B
Tel: [phone]
BritaxUSA.com
R2:09/02
P213500
Britax Child Safety, Inc.
13501 South Ridge Drive
Charlotte, NC 28273
USA
A Britax Childcare company
Tel: [phone]
BritaxUSA.com
R2:09/02
P213500

Table of Contents
1
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.
© 2002 Britax Child Safety, Inc. All rights reserved.
Printed in Australia
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Introduction
2
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.
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Important Notes
3
• 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 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. 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.
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Safety Information
4
• 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 Vehicle Seat Belts in
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.
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Safety Information
5
•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!
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Child Restraint Features
6
H
a
rn
ess
S
l
ots
S
h
ou
ld
e
r H
a
rn
ess
Chest Cli
p
Buc
k
le
Bell
y
Pa
d
H
a
rn
ess
H
o
ld
er
Ad
j
uster Cove
r
Stabilizin
g
Bar
Co
v
er
L
ATCH Stra
p
Harness Ad
j
uster Stra
p
Co
v
er
B
ase
Seat
S
h
e
l
l
L
ATCH Ad
j
uste
r
L
A
T
C
H H
a
rn
ess
Reta
in
er
FOR USE ON
DRIVER'S SIDE
LATCHANCHOR
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Child Restraint Features
7
Tether Ad
j
uste
r
Tether/Boo
k
let Pouc
h
Co
v
er
Tether Hoo
k
Versa-Tether
TM
r
TM
Yo
ke
S
h
ou
ld
e
r H
a
rn
ess
Forward Facin
g
Loc
k
-of
f
Recline Ad
j
ust Kno
b
L
A
T
C
H
Co
nn
ector
Rear Facin
g
Lock-of
f
H
a
rn
ess
Gua
rd
*
(
not shown
)
LATCH Connector Stora
ge
pocket (under cover
)
L
A
T
C
H H
a
rn
ess
Reta
in
er
FOR USEON
DRIVER'SSIDE
LATCHANCHOR
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Vehicle Safety Belts
8
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 anoth-
er seating position. This child restraint will work with rear seat three-
point seat belts with a sliding latch plate, and with rear seat three-point
seat belts that are specifically marked as appropriate for child restraints .
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.
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Vehicle Safety Belts
Lower Ancorage
Point
Lower Ancorage
Point
Seat Belt Anchorage Points MUST Fall Within This Shaded Area
9
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 vehi-
cle 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
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