Your vehicle’s rear seat is equipped with the child restraint anchorage system called LATCH. The LATCH system provides for the installation of the child restraint without using the vehicle’s seat belts, instead securing the child restraint using lower anchorages and upper tether straps from the child restraint to the vehicle structure.

LATCH-compatible child restraint systems are now available.

However, because the lower anchorages are to be introduced over a period of years, child restraint systems having attachments for those anchorages will continue to have features for installation using the vehicle’s seat belts. Child restraints having tether straps and hooks for connection to the top tether anchorages have been available for some time. For some older child restraints, many child restraint manufacturers offer add-on tether strap kits or retrofit kits. You are urged to take advantage of all the available attachments provided with your child restraint in any vehicle.

All three rear seating positions have lower anchorages that are capable of accommodating LATCH-compatible child seats having flexible webbing mounted attachments.

Child seats with fixed lower attachments must be installed in the outboard seating positions only. The center seating position will accommodate LATCHcompatible lower anchorages with flexible webbing mounted attachments only. Regardless of the specific type of lower attachment. Never install LATCHcompatible child seats such that two seats share a common lower anchorage.

If you are installing LATCH-compatible child restraints in adjacent rear seating positions, you can use the LATCH anchors or the vehicle’s seat belt for the outboard position, but you must use the vehicle’s seat belt at the center position. If your child restraints are not LATCHcompatible, you can only install the child restraints using the vehicle’s seat belts. Please refer to “Installing The LATCH-Compatible Child Restraint System” and “Installing Child Restraints Using The Vehicle Seat Belt” for typical installation instructions.