Children in the vehicle

Child restraint systems

Important safety notes

We recommend that all infants and children be properly secured in an infant or child restraint system at all times while the vehicle is in motion.

The use of seat belts and infant and child restraint systems is required by law in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S.

territories and all Canadian provinces.

Infants and children must always be seated in an appropriate infant or child restraint system recommended for the size and weight of the child. The infant or child restraint system must be properly secured in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. All infant or child restraint systems must meet U.S.

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 213 and 225 and Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 213 and 210.2.

An information label on the child restraint system indicates whether it meets these standards. This information is also provided in the installation instructions supplied with the child restraint system.

Always read and follow the manufacturer's instructions when using an infant or child restraint system or booster seat.

Observe all warning signs in the vehicle interior and on the infant or child restraint.

WARNING
According to accident statistics, children are safer when properly restrained in the rear seating positions than in the front seating position. Thus, we strongly recommend that children be placed in the rear seats whenever possible. Regardless of seating position, children 12 years old and under must be seated and properly secured in an appropriate infant restraint, toddler restraint, or booster seat recommended for the size and weight of the child.

The infant or child restraint must be properly secured with the vehicle's seat belt, the seat belt and top tether strap, or lower anchors and top tether strap, fully in accordance with the child seat manufacturer's instructions.

Occupants, especially children, should always sit as upright as possible, wear the seat belt properly and use an appropriately sized infant restraint, toddler restraint, or booster seat recommended for the size and weight of the child.

Children can be killed or seriously injured by an inflating air bag. Note the following important information when circumstances require you to place a child in the front passenger seat:
- Your vehicle is equipped with air bag technology designed to deactivate the front passenger front air bag in your vehicle when the system senses the weight of a typical 12-month-old child or less along with the weight of a standard appropriate child restraint on the front passenger seat.

- For children larger than the typical 12-month-old child, the front passenger front air bag may or may not be activated.

Always make sure the

indicator lamp is illuminated, indicating that the front passenger front air bag is deactivated.

- A child in a rear-facing child restraint on the front passenger seat will be seriously injured or even killed if the front passenger front air bag inflates in a collision which could occur under some circumstances, even with the air bag technology installed in your vehicle. The only means to completely eliminate this risk is to never place a child in a rear-facing child restraint in the front seat. We therefore strongly recommend that you always place a child in a rear-facing child restraint in a backseat.

- If you must install a rear-facing child restraint on the front passenger seat because circumstances require you to do so, make sure the

indicator
lamp is illuminated, indicating that the front passenger front air bag is deactivated.

Should the

indicator lamp
not illuminate or go out while the restraint is installed, please check installation.

Periodically check the

indicator lamp while driving to make sure the

indicator lamp is illuminated.
If the

indicator lamp goes out or
remains out, do not transport a child on the front passenger seat until the system has been repaired.

A child in a rear-facing child restraint on the front passenger seat will be seriously injured or even killed if the front passenger front air bag inflates.

- If you have to place a child in a forwardfacing child restraint on the front passenger seat, move the seat as far back as possible, use the proper child restraint recommended for the age, size and weight of the child, and secure child restraint with the vehicle's seat belt according to the child seat manufacturer's instructions.

WARNING
Infants and small children should never share a seat belt with another occupant. During an accident, they could be crushed between the occupant and seat belt.

A child's risk of serious or fatal injuries is significantly increased if the child restraints are not properly secured in the vehicle and/or the child is not properly secured in the child restraint.

Children too big for a toddler restraint must ride in seats using regular seat belts. Position the shoulder belt across the chest and shoulder, not face or neck. A booster seat may be necessary to achieve proper seat belt positioning for children over 41 lb (18 kg) until they reach a height where a lap/shoulder belt fits properly without a booster.

When the child restraint is not in use, remove it from the vehicle or secure it with the seat belt to prevent the child restraint from becoming a projectile in the event of an accident.

If an infant or child is traveling in the vehicle: - Secure the infant or child with an appropriate infant or child restraint recommended for the child's age and weight.

- Make sure that the infant or child is properly secured at all times while the vehicle is in motion.

WARNING
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the SmartKey from the ignition lock. Always take the SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle.

Do not leave children unattended in the vehicle, even if they are secured in a child restraint system, or with access to an unlocked vehicle. A child's unsupervised access to a vehicle could result in an accident and/or serious personal injury. The children could:
- injure themselves on parts of the vehicle - be seriously or fatally injured through excessive exposure to extreme heat or cold - injure themselves or cause an accident with vehicle equipment that can be operated even if the SmartKey is removed from the ignition lock or removed from the vehicle, such as seat adjustment, steering wheel adjustment, or the memory function If children open a door, they could injure other persons or get out of the vehicle and injure themselves or be injured by following traffic.

Do not expose the child restraint system to direct sunlight. The child restraint system's metal parts, for example, could become very hot, and the child could be burned on these parts.

WARNING
Do not carry heavy or hard objects in the passenger compartment or trunk unless they are firmly secured in place.

Unsecured or improperly positioned cargo increases a child's risk of injury in the event of - strong braking maneuvers - sudden changes of direction - an accident

Special seat belt retractor

All seat belts except the driver's seat belt are equipped with a special seat belt retractor.

When activated, the special seat belt retractor ensures the seat belt will not slacken once the child restraint system has been secured.

Installing a child restraint system: - Always comply with the manufacturer's installation instructions.

- Pull the seat belt smoothly from the inertia reel.

- Engage the seat belt tongue in the belt buckle.

Activating the special seat belt retractor: - Pull the seat belt out fully and let the inertia reel retract it again.

While the seat belt is retracting, you should hear a ratcheting sound. The special seat belt retractor is enabled.

- Push down on the child restraint system to take up any slack.

Removing a child restraint system/deactivating the special seat belt retractor:
- Always comply with the manufacturer's installation instructions.

- Press the seat belt release button and guide the belt tongue to the belt outlet.

The special seat belt retractor is deactivated.

WARNING
Never release the seat belt buckle while the vehicle is in motion, since the special seat belt retractor will be deactivated.

LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child seat anchors in the rear

WARNING
Children that are too large for a child restraint must travel in seats using normal seat belts.

Position shoulder belt across the chest and shoulder, not face or neck.

In order to attain the correct seating position for children weighing over 41 lb (18 kg), it may be necessary to use a booster seat until they reach a height where a normal lap/shoulder seat belt lies properly across their bodies without the need for a booster seat.

Install the child restraint system according to the manufacturer's instructions.

The child restraint system must be installed firmly on both brackets.

An incorrectly installed child restraint system can come loose in the event of an accident, causing the child to be severely or fatally injured.

Child restraint systems/child restraint retaining brackets that are damaged or have suffered damage due to an impact must be replaced.

LATCH-type (ISOFIX) is a standardized securing system for specially designed child restraint systems on the rear seats. Securing rings for two LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child restraint systems are installed on the left and right of the rear seats.

Secure non LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child restraint systems using the vehicle's seat belt system. Always install child restraint systems according to the manufacturer's instructions.

When installing the child
restraint system, make sure that the seat belt for the center seat does not get trapped. Otherwise, the seat belt could be damaged.

1 Securing rings

- Install the LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child restraint system. Comply with the manufacturer's instructions when doing so.

Top Tether

WARNING
Always lock the rear seat backrests in their upright position when the rear seats are occupied by passengers. Lock the rear seat backrests in their upright position before installing the Top Tether straps or when the cargo compartment is not in use. Make sure that rear seat backrests are secured properly by pushing and pulling on the seat backrests.

If the seat backrest is not locked properly, the seat backrest could fold forward. The child restraint system is no longer supported properly or held in position and can no longer fulfill its function. This could cause serious or even fatal injuries.

Top Tether provides an additional connection between the child restraint system secured with ISOFIX and the rear seat. It helps reduce the risk of injury even further.

The Top Tether anchorages are located on the rear side of the rear seat backrests.

- Move head restraint 3 upwards.

- Install the LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child restraint system with Top Tether. Comply with the manufacturer's installation instructions when doing so.

- Route Top Tether belt 6 under head restraint 3 between the two head restraint bars.

- Route Top Tether belt 6 downward between cargo compartment cover 1 and rear seat backrest 2.

- Hook Top Tether hook 5 of Top Tether belt 6 into Top Tether anchorage 4.

Ensure that:
    - Top Tether hook 5 is hooked into Top Tether anchorage 4 as shown.

    - Top Tether belt 6 is not twisted.

    - Top Tether belt 6 is routed between rear seat backrest 2 and cargo compartment cover 1 if cargo compartment cover 1 is installed.

    - Top Tether belt 6 is routed between rear seat backrest 2 and the cargo net if the cargo net is installed.

- Tension Top Tether belt 6. Comply with the manufacturer's installation instructions when doing so.

- Move head restraint 3 back down again lightly if necessary. Make sure that you do not interfere with the correct routing of Top Tether belt 6.

Child-proof locks

Important safety notes

WARNING
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the SmartKey from the ignition lock. Always take the SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle.

Do not leave children unattended in the vehicle, even if they are secured in a child restraint system, or with access to an unlocked vehicle. A child's unsupervised access to a vehicle could result in an accident and/or serious personal injury. The children could:
- injure themselves on parts of the vehicle - be seriously or fatally injured through excessive exposure to extreme heat or cold - injure themselves or cause an accident with vehicle equipment that can be operated even if the SmartKey is removed from the ignition lock or removed from the vehicle, such as seat adjustment, steering wheel adjustment, or the memory function If children open a door, they could injure other persons or get out of the vehicle and injure themselves or be injured by following traffic.

Do not expose the child restraint system to direct sunlight. The child restraint system's metal parts, for example, could become very hot, and the child could be burned on these parts.

Child-proof locks for the rear doors

WARNING
Children could open a rear door from inside the vehicle. This could result in serious injuries or an accident. Therefore, when children ride in the rear always secure the rear doors with the child-proof locks.

You secure each door individually with the child-proof locks on the rear doors. A door secured with a child-proof lock cannot be opened from inside the vehicle. When the vehicle is unlocked, the door can be opened from the outside.

- To activate: press the child-proof lock lever up in the direction of arrow 1.

- Make sure that the child-proof locks are working properly.

- To deactivate: press the child-proof lock lever down in the direction of arrow 2.

Override feature for the rear side windows

WARNING
When children ride on the vehicle's rear seats, activate the override switch. Otherwise, the children could be injured, e.g. by trapping themselves in the rear side window.

- To activate/deactivate: press button 1.

If indicator lamp 2 is lit, operation of the rear side windows is deactivated.

Operation is only possible using the switches in the driver's door. If indicator lamp 2 is off, operation is possible using the switches in the rear compartment.