Jeep Cherokee (KL): Child Restraints

Infants And Child Restraints

Safety experts recommend that children ride rear-facing in the vehicle until they are two years old or until they reach either the height or weight limit of their rear-facing child restraint. Two types of child restraints can be used rear-facing: infant carriers and convertible child seats.

The infant carrier is only used rear-facing in the vehicle.

It is recommended for children from birth until they reach the weight or height limit of the infant carrier.

Convertible child seats can be used either rear-facing or forward-facing in the vehicle. Convertible child seats often have a higher weight limit in the rear-facing direction than infant carriers do, so they can be used rear-facing by children who have outgrown their infant carrier but are still less than at least two years old.

Children should remain rear-facing until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their convertible child seat.

WARNING!

• Never place a rear-facing child restraint in front of an air bag. A deploying passenger Advanced Front Air Bag can cause death or serious injury to a child 12 years or younger, including a child in a rearfacing child restraint.
• Only use a rear-facing child restraint in a vehicle with a rear seat.

Older Children And Child Restraints

Children who are two years old or who have outgrown their rear-facing convertible child seat can ride forwardfacing in the vehicle. Forward-facing child seats and convertible child seats used in the forward-facing direction are for children who are over two years old or who have outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit of their rear-facing convertible child seat. Children should remain in a forward-facing child seat with a harness for as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height allowed by the child seat.

All children whose weight or height is above the forward-facing limit for the child seat should use a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle's seat belts fit properly. If the child cannot sit with knees bent over the vehicle's seat cushion while the child's back is against the seatback, they should use a belt-positioning booster seat. The child and belt-positioning booster seat are held in the vehicle by the seat belt.

WARNING!

• Improper installation can lead to failure of an infant or child restraint. It could come loose in a collision. The child could be badly injured or killed. Follow the child restraint manufacturer's directions exactly when installing an infant or child restraint.
• After a child restraint is installed in the vehicle, do not move the vehicle seat forward or rearward because it can loosen the child restraint attachments.

  Remove the child restraint before adjusting the vehicle seat position. When the vehicle seat has been adjusted, reinstall the child restraint.

• When your child restraint is not in use, secure it in the vehicle with the seat belt or LATCH anchorages, or remove it from the vehicle. Do not leave it loose in the vehicle. In a sudden stop or accident, it could strike the occupants or seatbacks and cause serious personal injury.

Children Too Large For Booster Seats

Children who are large enough to wear the shoulder belt comfortably, and whose legs are long enough to bend over the front of the seat when their back is against the seatback, should use the seat belt in a rear seat. Use this simple 5-step test to decide whether the child can use the vehicle's seat belt alone: 1. Can the child sit all the way back against the back of the vehicle seat? 2. Do the child's knees bend comfortably over the front of the vehicle seat - while they are still sitting all the way back? 3. Does the shoulder belt cross the child's shoulder between their neck and arm? 4. Is the lap part of the belt as low as possible, touching the child's thighs and not their stomach?

5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip? If the answer to any of these questions was "no," then the child still needs to use a booster seat in this vehicle. If the child is using the lap/shoulder belt, check seat belt fit periodically and make sure the seat belt buckle is latched. A child's squirming or slouching can move the belt out of position. If the shoulder belt contacts the face or neck, move the child closer to the center of the vehicle, or use a booster seat to position the seat belt on the child correctly.

WARNING!

Never allow a child to put the shoulder belt under an arm or behind their back. In a crash, the shoulder belt will not protect a child properly, which may result in serious injury or death. A child must always wear both the lap and shoulder portions of the seat belt correctly.

Recommendations For Attaching Child Restraints

Lower Anchors And Tethers For CHildren (LATCH) Restraint System

Your vehicle is equipped with the child restraint anchorage system called LATCH, which stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren. The LATCH system has three vehicle anchor points for installing LATCHequipped child seats. There are two lower anchorages located at the back of the seat cushion where it meets the seatback and one top tether anchorage located behind the seating position. These anchorages are used to install

LATCH-equipped child seats without using the vehicle's seat belts. Some seating positions may have a top tether anchorage but no lower anchorages. In these seating positions, the seat belt must be used with the top tether anchorage to install the child restraint. Please see the following table for more information.

LATCH Positions For Installing Child Restraints In This Vehicle

• Lower Anchorage Symbol 2 anchorages per seating position
• Top Tether Anchorage Symbol

Locating LATCH Anchorages

The lower anchorages are round bars that are found at the rear of the seat cushion where it meets the seatback. They are just visible when you lean into the rear seat to install the child restraint. You will easily feel them if you run your finger along the gap between the seatback and seat cushion.

Rear Seat LATCH Anchorages

Locating Tether Anchorages

There are tether strap anchorages behind each rear seating position located on the back of the seat.

Tether Anchorage Locations

LATCH-compatible child restraint systems will be equipped with a rigid bar or a flexible strap on each side.

Each will have a hook or connector to attach to the lower anchorage and a way to tighten the connection to the anchorage. Forward-facing child restraints and some rear-facing child restraints will also be equipped with a tether strap. The tether strap will have a hook at the end to attach to the top tether anchorage and a way to tighten the strap after it is attached to the anchorage.

Center Seat LATCH

This vehicle has 5 lower LATCH anchorages in the rear seat. Anchorages A and B are used for the right outboard position behind the front passenger (1). Anchorages D and E are used for the left outboard position behind the driver (3). Anchorages C and D are used for the center seating position (2). Do not install a LATCH-compatible child restraint using anchorages B and C. This is not a LATCH-compatible position in your vehicle You can install up to two child seats using the LATCH system at the same time. If you can fit three child restraints in your vehicle, you must use the seatbelt to install the center child restraint and you must use the LATCH anchors for position (3) behind the driver. You can use either the LATCH anchors or the vehicle's seat belt for installing the third child seat in position (1) behind the front passenger.

Options for installing two child seats using the LATCH anchorages in this vehicle: 1. Right and left outboard seating positions (1 and 3): Install the child seats in the right and left outboard seating positions using lower anchorages Aand B, and D and E. Do not use the center seat anchorage, C. If the child seats do not block the center seat belt webbing and buckle, the center seat belt can be used to restraint an occupant or child restraint in the center seating position.

2. Right outboard and center seating positions (1 and 2): Install the first child seat in the right outboard seating position using lower anchorages A and B. Install the second child seat using the center anchorages, C and D. Do not use the outer anchorage closest to the opposite door, E. Do not use the remaining left outboard seating position (3) for any occupant. The center child restraint will block the seat belt buckle for this position.

WARNING!

• Use anchorages C and D to install a LATCHcompatible child restraint in the center seating position (2). Do not install a LATCH-compatible child restraint using anchorages B and C. This is not a LATCH-compatible position in your vehicle.
• A child restraint installed in the center position (2) will block the seat belt buckle for the empty left outboard seat behind the driver (3). Do not use this seat for another occupant.
• Never use the same lower anchorage to attach more than one child restraint.
• If you are installing three child restraints next to each other, you must use the seat belt and the center tether anchor for the center position. You must use the LATCH anchors to install the child seat in position (3), behind the driver. You may use either the LATCH anchors or the vehicle's seat belt for installing the child seat in position (1), behind the front passenger. Please refer to "Installing the LATCH-Compatible Child Restraint System" for typical installation instructions.

Always follow the directions of the child restraint manufacturer when installing your child restraint.

Not all child restraint systems will be installed as described here.

To Install A LATCH-Compatible Child Restraint

If the selected seating position has a Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) seat belt, stow the seat belt, following the instructions below. See the section "Installing Child Restraints Using the Vehicle Seat Belt" to check what type of seat belt each seating position has.

1. Loosen the adjusters on the lower straps and on the tether strap of the child seat so that you can more easily attach the hooks or connectors to the vehicle anchorages.

2. Place the child seat between the lower anchorages for that seating position. For some second row seats, you may need to recline the seat and / or raise the head restraint to get a better fit. If the rear seat can be moved forward and rearward in the vehicle, you may wish to move it to its rear-most position to make room for the child seat. You may also move the front seat forward to allow more room for the child seat.

3. Attach the lower hooks or connectors of the child restraint to the lower anchorages in the selected seating position.

4. If the child restraint has a tether strap, connect it to the top tether anchorage. See the section "Installing Child Restraints Using the Top Tether Anchorage" for directions to attach a tether anchor.

5. Tighten all of the straps as you push the child restraint rearward and downward into the seat. Remove slack in the straps according to the child restraint manufacturer's instructions.

6. Test that the child restraint is installed tightly by pulling back and forth on the child seat at the belt path. It should not move more than 1 inch (25.4 mm) in any direction.

How To Stow An Unused ALR Seat Belt:

When using the LATCH attaching system to install a child restraint, stow all ALR seat belts that are not being used by other occupants or being used to secure child restraints. An unused belt could injure a child if they play with it and accidentally lock the seat belt retractor. Before installing a child restraint using the LATCH system, buckle the seat belt behind the child restraint and out of the child's reach.

If the buckled seat belt interferes with the child restraint installation, instead of buckling it behind the child restraint, route the seat belt through the child restraint belt path and then buckle it. Do not lock the seat belt. Remind all children in the vehicle that the seat belts are not toys and that they should not play with them.

WARNING!

• Improper installation of a child restraint to the LATCH anchorages can lead to failure of the restraint.

  The child could be badly injured or killed.

  Follow the child restraint manufacturer's directions exactly when installing an infant or child restraint.

• Child restraint anchorages are designed to withstand only those loads imposed by correctly-fitted child restraints. Under no circumstances are they to be used for adult seat belts, harnesses, or for attaching other items or equipment to the vehicle.

Installing Child Restraints Using The Vehicle Seat Belt

The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are equipped with a Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) that is designed to keep the lap portion of the seat belt tight around the child restraint so that it is not necessary to use a locking clip. The ALR retractor can be "switched" into a locked mode by pulling all of the webbing out of the retractor and then letting the webbing retract back into the retractor. If it is locked, the ALR will make a clicking noise while the webbing is pulled back into the retractor. Refer to the "Automatic Locking Mode" description under "Occupant Restraints" for additional information on ALR.

Lap/Shoulder Belt Systems For Installing Child Restraints In This Vehicle

• ALR = Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor
• Top Tether Anchorage Symbol

Installing A Child Restraint With A Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)

1. Place the child seat in the center of the seating position. For some second row seats, you may need to recline the seat and/or raise the head restraint to get a better fit. If the rear seat can be moved forward and rearward in the vehicle, you may wish to move it to its rear-most position to make room for the child seat.

You may also move the front seat forward to allow more room for the child seat.

2. Pull enough of the seat belt webbing from the retractor to pass it through the belt path of the child restraint.

Do not twist the belt webbing in the belt path.

3. Slide the latch plate into the buckle until you hear a "click." 4. Pull on the webbing to make the lap portion tight against the child seat.

5. To lock the seat belt, pull down on the shoulder part of the belt until you have pulled all the seat belt webbing out of the retractor. Then, allow the webbing to retract back into the retractor. As the webbing retracts, you will hear a clicking sound. This means the seat belt is now in the Automatic Locking mode.

6. Try to pull the webbing out of the retractor. If it is locked, you should not be able to pull out any webbing.

If the retractor is not locked, repeat step 5.

7. Finally, pull up on any excess webbing to tighten the lap portion around the child restraint while you push the child restraint rearward and downward into the vehicle seat.

8. If the child restraint has a top tether strap and the seating position has a top tether anchorage, connect the tether strap to the anchorage and tighten the tether strap. See the section "Installing Child Restraints Using the Top Tether Anchorage" for directions to attach a tether anchor.

9. Test that the child restraint is installed tightly by pulling back and forth on the child seat at the belt path. It should not move more than 1 inch (25.4 mm) in any direction.

Any seat belt system will loosen with time, so check the belt occasionally, and pull it tight if necessary.

Installing Child Restraints Using The Top Tether Anchorage:

WARNING!

Do not attach a tether strap for a rear-facing car seat to any location in front of the car seat, including the seat frame or a tether anchorage. Only attach the tether strap of a rear-facing car seat to the tether anchorage that is approved for that seating position, located behind the top of the vehicle seat. See the section "Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren (LATCH) Restraint System" for the location of approved tether anchorages in your vehicle.

1. Look behind the seating position where you plan to install the child restraint to find the tether anchorage.

You may need to move the seat forward to provide better access to the tether anchorage. If there is no top tether anchorage for that seating position, move the child restraint to another position in the vehicle if one is available.

2. Route the tether strap to provide the most direct path for the strap between the anchor and the child seat. If your vehicle is equipped with adjustable rear head restraints, raise the head restraint, and where possible, route the tether strap under the head restraint and between the two posts. If not possible, lower the head restraint and pass the tether strap around the outboard side of the head restraint.

3. Attach the tether strap hook of the child restraint to the top tether anchorage as shown in the diagram.

Tether Anchorage Locations

4. Remove slack in the tether strap according to the child restraint manufacturer's instructions.

WARNING!

• An incorrectly anchored tether strap could lead to increased head motion and possible injury to the child. Use only the anchorage position directly behind the child seat to secure a child restraint top tether strap.
• If your vehicle is equipped with a split rear seat, make sure the tether strap does not slip into the opening between the seatbacks as you remove slack in the strap.

Transporting Pets

Air Bags deploying in the front seat could harm your pet.

An unrestrained pet will be thrown about and possibly injured, or injure a passenger during panic braking or in a collision.

Pets should be restrained in the rear seat in pet harnesses or pet carriers that are secured by seat belts.