warning Ram 3500 2019 Owner's Manual

SAFETY 261
Older Children And Child Restraints
Children who are two years old or who have outgrown their
rear-facing convertible child seat can ride forward-facing 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-posi-
tioning 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 posi -
tion. 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.
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262 SAFETY
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 thevehicle seat?
2. Do the child’s knees bend comfortably over the front of the vehicle seat – while the child is still sitting all the way
back?
3. Does the shoulder belt cross the child’s shoulder between the neck and arm?
4. Is the lap part of the belt as low as possible, touching the child’s thighs and not the 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 peri
-
odically and make sure the seat belt buckle is latched. A
child’s squirming or slouching can move the belt out of posi -
tion. 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.

SAFETY 271
Mega Cab Tether Anchorages (Behind Covers)
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
Regular Cab Or Crew Cab Full Bench Rear Seat: No Lower
Center LATCH Anchorages Available
Crew Cab Split Bench Rear Seat Or Mega Cab Rear Seat:
Center LATCH Anchorages Available
If a child restraint installed in the center position blocks the
seat belt webbing or buckle for the outboard position, do not
use that outboard position. If a child seat in the center posi
-
tion blocks the outboard LATCH anchors or seat belt, do not
install a child seat in that outboard position.
WARNING!
• Do not install a child restraint in the center position using the LATCH system. This position is not approved
for installing child seats using the LATCH attachments.
You must use the seat belt and tether anchor to install a
child seat in the center seating position.
• Never use the same lower anchorage to attach more than one child restraint. Please refer to “To Install A
LATCH-Compatible Child Restraint” for typical instal -
lation instructions.
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272 SAFETY
Always follow the directions of the child restraint manu-
facturer 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 (if
adjustable) 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 direc -
tions 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.
WARNING!
Never use the same lower anchorage to attach more than
one child restraint. Please refer to “To Install A
LATCH-Compatible Child Restraint” for typical
installation instructions.

SAFETY 273
How To Stow An Unused Switchable-ALR (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 acci-
dentally 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 installa -
tion, 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.
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274 SAFETY
Installing Child Restraints Using The Vehicle Seat Belt
Child restraint systems are designed to be secured in vehicle
seats by lap belts or the lap belt portion of a lap/shoulder
belt.The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are
equipped with either a Switchable Automatic Locking
Retractor (ALR) or a cinching latch plate or both. Both types
of seat belts are 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 in “Switchable
Automatic Locking Retractors (ALR)” under “Occupant
Restraint Systems” for additional information on ALR. The
cinching latch plate is designed to hold the lap portion of the
seat belt tight when webbing is pulled tight and straight
through a child restraint’s belt path.
Please see the table below and the following sections for
more information.
WARNING!
• Improper installation or failure to properly secure a child restraint 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.

SAFETY 277
Installing A Child Restraint With A Switchable Automatic
Locking Retractor (ALR):
Child restraint systems are designed to be secured in vehicle
seats by lap belts or the lap belt portion of a lap/shoulder
belt.
1.For Mega and Crew Cab Models
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 (if adjustable) to get a
better fit. If the rear seat can be moved forward and rear -
ward 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. For Regular Cab Models
Place the child seat in the center of the seating position.
Move the vehicle seat as far rearward as possible to keep
the child as far from the passenger air bag as possible.
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.
WARNING!
• Improper installation or failure to properly secure a child restraint 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.
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278 SAFETY
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 A Child Restraint With A Cinching Latch Plate
(CINCH) — If Equipped:
Child restraint systems are designed to be secured in vehicle
seats by lap belts or the lap belt portion of a lap/shoulder
belt. 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 (if adjustable) to get
a better fit. If the rear seat can be moved forward and rear -
ward 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. Next, 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. 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.

WARNING!
• Improper installation or failure to properly secure a child restraint 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.

SAFETY 279
5. If the child restraint has a top tether strap and the seatingposition 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.
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.
Any seat belt system will loosen with time, so check the belt
occasionally, and pull it tight if necessary.
If the buckle or the cinching latch plate is too close to the belt
path opening of the child restraint, you may have trouble
tightening the seat belt. If this happens, disconnect the latch
plate from the buckle and twist the short buckle-end belt up
to three full turns to shorten it. Insert the latch plate into the
buckle with the release button facing out, away from the
child restraint. Repeat steps 4 to 6, above, to complete the
installation of the child restraint.
If the belt still cannot be tightened after you shorten the
buckle, disconnect the latch plate from the buckle, turn the
buckle around one half turn, and insert the latch plate into
the buckle again. If you still cannot make the child restraint
installation tight, try a different seating position. 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.

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SAFETY 281
3. Lift the cover (if so equipped), and attach the hook to thesquare opening in the sheet metal. Tighten the tether
strap according to the child seat manufacturer’s instruc -
tions.
Crew Cab Trucks:
The top tether anchorages in this vehicle are tether strap
loops located between the rear glass and the back of the rear
seat. There is a tether strap loop located behind each seating
position. Follow the steps below to attach the tether strap of
the child restraint. Right Or Left Outboard Seats:
1. Raise the head restraint and reach between the rear seat
and rear glass to access the tether strap loop.
Head Restraint In Raised Position
WARNING!
Never place a rear-facing child restraint in front of an air
bag. A deploying Passenger Front Air Bag can cause
death or serious injury to a child 12 years or younger,
including a child in a rear-facing child restraint.
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