seats DODGE AVENGER 2008 Owners Manual

The seat belts are designed to protect you in many types
of collisions. The front airbags deploy in moderate to
severe frontal collisions. If your vehicle is equipped, the
side airbag on the crash side of the vehicle is triggered in
moderate to severe side collisions. In certain types of
collisions, both the front and side airbags may be trig-
gered. However, even in collisions where the airbags
work, you need the seat belts to keep you in the right
position for the airbags to protect you properly.
Here are some simple steps you can take to minimize the
risk of harm from a deploying airbag.
1. Children 12 years old and under should always ride
buckled up in a rear seat.
Infants in rear facing child restraints should NEVER ride
in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger front airbag.
An airbag deployment can cause severe injury or death to
infants in that position. Children that are not big enough to wear the vehicle seat
belt properly (see Section on Child Restraints) should be
secured in the rear seat in child restraints or belt-
positioning booster seats. Older children who do not use
child restraints or belt-positioning booster seats should
ride properly buckled up in the rear seat. Never allow
children to slide the shoulder belt behind them or under
their arm.
If a child from 1 to 12 years old must ride in the front
passenger seat because the vehicle is crowded, move the
seat as far back as possible, and use the proper child
restraint. Refer to the section on Child Restraint.
You should read the instructions provided with your
child restraint to make sure that you are using it properly.
2. All occupants should wear their lap and shoulder
belts properly. THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 57
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3. The driver and front passenger seats should be
moved back as far as practical to allow the front airbags
room to inflate.
4. If your vehicle has side airbags, do not lean against
the door, airbags will inflate forcefully into the space
between you and the door.
5. If the airbag system in this vehicle needs to be
modified to accommodate a disabled person, contact
the Customer Center. Phone numbers are provided
under ( If You Need Assistance ( in Section 9 of this
manual. WARNING!² Relying on the airbags alone could lead to more
severe injuries in a collision. The airbags work
with your seat belt to restrain you properly. In
some collisions, the airbags won't deploy at all.
Always wear your seat belts even though you have
airbags.
² Being too close to the steering wheel or instrument
panel during front airbag deployment could cause
serious injury. Airbags need room to inflate. Sit
back, comfortably extending your arms to reach
the steering wheel or instrument panel.
² Side airbags also need room to inflate. Do not lean
against the door. Sit upright in the center of the
seat.58 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Data Parameters that May Be Recorded:
² Diagnostic trouble code(s) and warning light status for
electronically-controlled safety systems, including the
airbag system
² Airbag disable light status (if equipped)
² 9 Time 9 of airbag deployment (in terms of ignition
cycles and vehicle mileage)
² Airbag deployment level (if applicable)
² Impact acceleration and angle
² Seatbelt status
² Brake status (service and parking brakes)
² Accelerator status (including vehicle speed)
² Engine control status (including engine speed) ² Transmission gear selection
² Cruise control status
² Traction/Stability Control status
² Tire Pressure Monitoring System status ± If Equipped
CHILD RESTRAINT
Everyone in your vehicle needs to be buckled up at all
times Ð babies and children, too. Every state in the
United States and all Canadian provinces require that
small children ride in proper restraint systems. This is the
law, and you can be prosecuted for ignoring it.
Children 12 years and under should ride properly buck-
led up in a rear seat, if available. According to crash
statistics, children are safer when properly restrained in
the rear seats, rather than in the front. THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 67
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WARNING!In a collision, an unrestrained child, even a tiny baby,
can become a missile inside the vehicle. The force
required to hold even an infant on your lap could
become so great that you could not hold the child, no
matter how strong you are. The child and others
could be badly injured. Any child riding in your
vehicle should be in a proper restraint for the child's
size.
There are different sizes and types of restraints for
children from newborn size to the child almost large
enough for an adult safety belt. Always check the child
seat owner's manual to ensure you have the correct seat
for your child. Use the restraint that is correct for your
child. Infants And Small Children
² Safety experts recommend that children ride
rearward-facing in the vehicle until they are at least
one year old and weigh at least 20 lbs (9 kg). Two types
of child restraints can be used rearward-facing: infant
carriers and 9 convertible 9 child seats. Both types of
child restraints are held in the vehicle by the lap/
shoulder belt or the LATCH child restraint anchorage
system.
² The infant carrier is only used rearward-facing in the
vehicle. It is recommended for children who weigh up
to about 20 lbs (9 kg). 9 Convertible 9 child seats can be
used either rearward-facing or forward-facing in the
vehicle. Convertible child seats often have a higher
weight limit in the rearward-facing direction than
infant carriers do, so they can be used rearward-facing
by children who weigh more than 20 lbs (9 kg) but are
less than one year old.68 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

² Rearward-facing child seats must NEVER be used in
the front seat of a vehicle with a front passenger
airbag. An airbag deployment could cause severe
injury or death to infants in this position.
Older Children and Child Restraints
Children who weigh more than 20 lbs (9 kg) and who are
older than one year 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 weigh 20 to 40 lbs (9 to 18 kg) and who are older
than one year. These child seats are also held in the
vehicle by the lap/shoulder belt or the LATCH child
restraint anchorage system. Refer to ªLATCH Ð Child
Seat Anchorage System (Lower Anchors and Tether for
CHildren)º in this section.
The belt-positioning booster seat is for children weighing
more than 40 lbs (18 kg), but who are still too small to fit
the vehicle's seat belts properly. If the child cannot sit with knees bent over the vehicle's cushion while the
child's back is against the seatback, then the child should
use a Belt Positioning Booster Seat. The child and booster
seat are held in the vehicle by the lap/shoulder belt.
(Some booster seats are equipped with a front shield and
are held in the vehicle by the lap portion.)
WARNING!² 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 manufacturer's directions ex-
actly when installing an infant or child restraint.
² A rearward facing child restraint should only be
used in a rear seat. A rearward facing child re-
straint in the front seat may be struck by a deploy-
ing passenger airbag which may cause severe or
fatal injury to the infant. THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 69
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around, and insert the latch plate into the buckle
again. If you still can't make the child restraint secure,
try a different seating position.
² Buckle the child into the seat according to the child
restraint manufacturer's directions.
² When your child restraint is not in use, secure it in the
vehicle with the seat belt or remove it from the vehicle.
Don't leave it loose in the vehicle. In a sudden stop or
collision, it could strike the occupants or seat backs
and cause serious personal injury.
NOTE: For additional information, refer online to
www.seatcheck.org.
Lower Anchors and Tether for CHildren (LATCH)
Your vehicle is equipped with the child restraint anchor-
age system called LATCH, which stands for Lower
Anchors and Tether for CHildren. The LATCH system
provides for the installation of the child restraint without using the vehicle seat belt. The outboard rear seating
positions have lower anchorages that are capable of
accommodating LATCH-compatible child seats having
flexible, webbing-mounted lower attachments. Child
seats with fixed lower attachments must be installed in
the outboard positions only. Regardless of the specific
type of lower attachment, NEVER install LATCH-
compatible child seats such that two seats share a com-
mon lower anchorage. If you are installing LATCH-
compatible child restraints in adjacent rear seating
positions, you can use the LATCH anchors or the vehi-
cle'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 LATCH-compatible, you can only in-
stall the child restraints using the vehicle's seat belts.
Please refer to ªInstalling the Child Restraint Systemº for
typical installation instructions. THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 71
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In the rear seat, you may have trouble tightening the
lap/shoulder belt on the child restraint because the
buckle or latch plate is too close to the belt path opening
on the restraint. Disconnect the latch plate from the
buckle and twist the short buckle-end belt several times
to shorten it. Insert the latch plate into the buckle with the
release button facing out.
If the belt still can't be tightened, or if by pulling and
pushing on the restraint loosens the belt, you may need
to do something more. Disconnect the latch plate from
the buckle, turn the buckle around, and insert the latch
plate into the buckle again. If you still can't make the
child restraint secure, try a different seating position.
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
seat back, should use the lap/shoulder belt in a rear seat.
Make sure that:
² The child is upright in the seat.
² The lap portion should be low on the hips and as snug
as possible.
² Check belt fit periodically. A child's squirming or
slouching can move the belt out of position.
² If the shoulder belt contacts the face or neck, move the
child closer to the center of the vehicle. Never allow a
child to put the shoulder belt under an arm or behind
their back.
Transporting Pets
Airbags 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. THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 77
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N Voice Training ........................119
m Seats ................................120
N Manual Front Seat Adjustments ...........120
N Power Seats Ð If Equipped ..............123
N Heated Seats Ð If Equpped ..............123
N Fold-Flat Front Passenger Seat ............124
N Adjustable Head Restraints ..............125
N Folding Rear Seat .....................126
N Folding Rear Seat Center Armrest ..........127
m To Open And Close The Hood .............127
m Lights ...............................129
N Map/Reading/Interior Lights ............129
N Multi-Function Control Lever .............130 N Headlights; Parking Lights; Instrument Lights . . 130
N Automatic Headlight System Ð If Equipped . . 131
N Headlight Time Delay ..................131
N Passing Light / Flash-To-Pass .............131
N Daytime Running Lights (DRL) Ð
If Equipped .........................132
N Lights On Reminder ...................132
N Fog Lights Ð If Equipped ...............132
N Turn Signals .........................133
N Highbeam/Lowbeam Select Switch .........134
m Windshield Wipers And Washers ............134
N Intermittent Wiper System ...............136
N Mist Feature .........................13782 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

SEATS
Manual Front Seat Adjustments
Forward/Rearward
The adjusting bar is at the front of the seats, near the
floor. Pull the bar up to move the seat to the desired
position.
After releasing the adjusting bar, apply forward and
rearward body pressure to be sure the seat is latched. Manual Seat Adjusting Bar120 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Driver Seat Manual Height Adjuster Ð If
Equipped
A lever style height adjustment feature enhances comfort
for petite as well as tall drivers. A lever with a ratcheting
mechanism, located on the outboard side of the seat,
raises and lowers it. Total travel is 2.2 in. (56 mm). Reclining Bucket Seats
The recliner control is on the side of the seat. To recline,
lean forward slightly before lifting the lever, then lean
back to the desired position and release the lever. Lean
forward and lift the lever to return the seatback to its
normal position.
Manual Seat Height Adjustment Lever Seatback AdjustmentUNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 121
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