child seat DODGE AVENGER 2012 2.G Owners Manual

▫Programming Additional Transmitters ...... 26
▫ Transmitter Battery Replacement .......... 26
▫ General Information ................... 27
 Remote Start System — If Equipped ......... 27
▫ How To Use Remote Start ............... 28
 Door Locks ........................... 30
▫ Manual Door Locks ................... 30
▫ Power Door Locks .................... 32
▫ Child-Protection Door Lock System —
Rear Doors .......................... 34
 Power Windows ....................... 35
▫ Power Window Switches ................ 35
▫ Auto Window Down — If Equipped ....... 36▫
Auto Window Up With Anti-Pinch
Protection— If Equipped ................ 37
▫ Window Lockout Switch ................ 38
▫ Wind Buffeting ....................... 38
 Trunk Release ......................... 39
 Trunk Safety Warning ................... 39
▫ Trunk Internal Emergency Release ......... 40
 Occupant Restraints ..................... 40
▫ Lap/Shoulder Belts .................... 44
▫ Adjustable Upper Shoulder Belt Anchorage . . . 49
▫ Rear Seat Belts ....................... 50
▫ Seat Belts In Passenger Seating Positions ..... 50
▫ Automatic Locking Retractor Mode (ALR) —
If Equipped ......................... 50
10 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

▫Energy Management Feature ............. 51
▫ Seat Belt Pretensioners ................. 52
▫ Supplemental Active Head Restraints (AHR)
— If Equipped ....................... 52
▫ Enhanced Seat Belt Use Reminder System
(BeltAlert) ......................... 56
▫ Seat Belts And Pregnant Women .......... 57
▫ Seat Belt Extender ..................... 57
▫ Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) —
Air Bags ............................ 58
▫ Air Bag System Components ............. 60
▫ Advanced Front Air Bag Features .......... 60▫
Air Bag Deployment Sensors And Controls . . . 64
▫ Event Data Recorder (EDR) .............. 71
▫ Child Restraints ...................... 72
 Engine Break-In Recommendations .......... 84
 Safety Tips ........................... 85
▫ Transporting Passengers ................ 85
▫ Exhaust Gas ......................... 86
▫ Safety Checks You Should Make Inside The
Vehicle ............................. 87
▫ Periodic Safety Checks You Should Make
Outside The Vehicle ................... 89
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 11

Child-Protection Door Lock System — Rear
Doors
To provide a safer environment for children riding in the
rear seat, the rear doors of your vehicle have a Child-
Protection Door Lock system.The Child-Protection Door Locks are located inside the
rear edge of the door. Insert the tip of the ignition key or
similar flat-bladed object into the lock and rotate approxi-
mately one-quarter turn to the lock or unlock position (as
indicated by the stamped icons).
Child-Protection Door Lock LocationChild Lock Control
34 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

TRUNK RELEASE
Use the Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter to open the trunk from
outside the vehicle. From inside the
vehicle the trunk lid can be released by
pressing the TRUNK RELEASE button
located on the instrument panel to the
left of the steering wheel.
NOTE: The shift lever must be in PARK for this switch
to operate.
With the ignition switch in the ON/RUN position, the
word “dECK” will display in place of the odometer
display indicating that the trunk is open. The odometer
display will reappear once the trunk is closed or if the
trip button is depressed. With the ignition switch in the LOCK position or with the
key out, the word “dECK” will display until the trunk is
closed.
On Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC)
equipped vehicles, the words “Trunk Ajar” will display.
TRUNK SAFETY WARNING
WARNING!
Do not allow children to have access to the trunk,
either by climbing into the trunk from outside, or
through the inside of the vehicle. Always close the
trunk lid when your vehicle is unattended. Once in
the trunk, young children may not be able to escape,
even if they entered through the rear seat. If trapped
in the trunk, children can die from suffocation or
heat stroke.
Trunk Release
Button
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 39

•Advanced Front Air Bags for driver and front passen-
ger
•Supplemental Active Head Restraints (AHR) located
on top of the front seats (integrated into the head
restraint) — if equipped
•Supplemental Side Air Bag Inflatable Curtains
(SABIC) for the driver and passengers seated next to a
window
•Supplemental Seat-Mounted Side Air Bags (SAB)
•An energy-absorbing steering column and steering
wheel
•Knee bolsters/blockers for front seat occupants
•Front seat belts incorporate pretensioners that may
enhance occupant protection by managing occupant
energy during an impact event
•All seat belt systems (except the driver’s) include
Automatic Locking Retractors (ALRs), which lock the
seat belt webbing into position by extending the belt
all the way out and then adjusting the belt to the
desired length to restrain a child seat or secure a large
item in a seat
Please pay close attention to the information in this
section. It tells you how to use your restraint system
properly, to keep you and your passengers as safe as
possible.
If you will be carrying children too small for adult-sized
seat belts, the seat belts or the Lower Anchors and Tether
for CHildren (LATCH) feature also can be used to hold
infant and child restraint systems. For more information
on LATCH, refer to Lower Anchors and Tether for
CHildren (LATCH).
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 41

NOTE:The Advanced Front Air Bags have a multistage
inflator design. This allows the air bag to have different
rates of inflation based on several factors, including the
severity and type of collision.
Here are some simple steps you can take to minimize the
risk of harm from a deploying air bag:
1. Children 12 years old and under should always ride
buckled up in a rear seat.
WARNING!
Infants in rear facing child restraints should never
ride in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger
Advanced Front Air Bag. An air bag deployment can
cause severe injury or death to infants in that posi-
tion.
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 (not in a rear facing child
seat) must ride in the front passenger seat, move the seat
as far back as possible and use the proper child restraint.
(Refer to “Child Restraints”)
You should read the instructions provided with your
child restraint to make sure that you are using it properly.
2.
All occupants should always wear their lap and
shoulder belts properly.
3. The driver and front passenger seats should be
moved back as far as practical to allow the Advanced
Front Air Bags room to inflate.
42 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Rear Seat Belts
The shoulder belt anchorages of the rear three-point belts
are nonadjustable for outboard and center rear passen-
gers on sedans. The center belt is mounted to the rear
shelf panel and exits through a bezel in the panel.
Seat Belts In Passenger Seating Positions
The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are
equipped with Automatic Locking Retractors (ALR)
which are used to secure a child restraint system. For
additional information, refer to “Installing Child Re-
straints Using The Vehicle Seat Belt” under the “Child
Restraints” section. The chart below defines the type of
feature for each seating position.
Driver Center Passenger
First Row N/A N/A ALR
Second Row ALR ALR ALR
•N/A — Not Applicable
•ALR — Automatic Locking Retractor If the passenger seating position is equipped with an
ALR and is being used for normal usage:
Only pull the belt webbing out far enough to comfortably
wrap around the occupant’s mid-section so as to not
activate the ALR. If the ALR is activated, you will hear a
ratcheting sound as the belt retracts. Allow the webbing
to retract completely in this case and then carefully pull
out only the amount of webbing necessary to comfort-
ably wrap around the occupant’s mid-section. Slide the
latch plate into the buckle until you hear a
click.
Automatic Locking Retractor Mode (ALR) — If
Equipped
In this mode, the shoulder belt is automatically pre-
locked. The belt will still retract to remove any slack in
the shoulder belt. The Automatic Locking Mode is avail-
able on all passenger-seating positions with a combina-
tion lap/shoulder belt. Use the Automatic Locking Mode
anytime a child safety seat is installed in a seating
50 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

position that has a belt with this feature. Children
12 years old and under should always be properly
restrained in the rear seat.
How To Engage The Automatic Locking Mode
1. Buckle the combination lap and shoulder belt.
2. Grasp the shoulder portion and pull downward until
the entire belt is extracted.
3. Allow the belt to retract. As the belt retracts, you will
hear a clicking sound. This indicates the safety belt is
now in the Automatic Locking Mode.
How To Disengage The Automatic Locking Mode
Unbuckle the combination lap/shoulder belt and allow it
to retract completely to disengage the Automatic Locking
Mode and activate the vehicle sensitive (emergency)
locking mode.
WARNING!
•The belt and retractor assembly must be replaced
if the seat belt assembly Automatic Locking Re-
tractor (ALR) feature or any other seat belt func-
tion is not working properly when checked ac-
cording to the procedures in the Service Manual.
•Failure to replace the belt and retractor assembly
could increase the risk of injury in collisions.
Energy Management Feature
This vehicle has a safety belt system with an Energy
Management feature in the front seating positions to help
further reduce the risk of injury in the event of a head-on
collision. This safety belt system has a retractor assembly
that is designed to release webbing in a controlled
manner. This feature is designed to help reduce the belt
force acting on the occupant’s chest.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 51

Seat Belt Pretensioners
The seat belts for both front seating positions are
equipped with pretensioning devices that are designed to
remove slack from the seat belt in the event of a collision.
These devices may improve the performance of the seat
belt by assuring that the belt is tight about the occupant
early in a collision. Pretensioners work for all size occu-
pants, including those in child restraints.
NOTE:These devices are not a substitute for proper seat
belt placement by the occupant. The seat belt still must be
worn snugly and positioned properly.
The pretensioners are triggered by the Occupant Re-
straint Controller (ORC). Like the air bags, the preten-
sioners are single use items. A deployed pretensioner or
a deployed air bag must be replaced immediately.
Supplemental Active Head Restraints (AHR) — If
Equipped
These head restraints are passive, deployable compo-
nents, and vehicles with this equipment cannot be readily
identified by any markings, only through visual inspec-
tion of the head restraint. The head restraint will be split
in two halves, with the front half being soft foam and
trim, the back half being decorative plastic.
How The Active Head Restraints (AHR) Work
The Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC) determines
whether the severity, or type of rear impact will require
the Active Head Restraints (AHR) to deploy. If a rear
impact requires deployment, both the driver and front
passenger seat AHRs will be deployed.
When AHRs deploy during a rear impact, the front half
of the head restraint extends forward to minimize the gap
between the back of the occupant’s head and the AHR.
52 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Based on several factors, including the severity and type
of collision, the side air bag inflator on the crash side of
the vehicle may be triggered, releasing a quantity of
non-toxic gas. The inflating SAB exits through the seat
seam into the space between the occupant and the door.
The SAB fully inflate in about 10 milliseconds. The side
air bag moves at a very high speed and with such a high
force that it could injure you if you are not seated
properly, or if items are positioned in the area where the
side air bag inflates. This especially applies to children.
Supplemental Side Air Bag Inflatable Curtain
(SABIC) Inflator Units
During collisions where the impact is confined to a
particular area of the side of the vehicle, the ORC may
deploy the SABIC air bags, depending on several factors,
including the severity and type of collision. In these
events, the ORC will deploy the SABIC only on the
impact side of the vehicle.A quantity of non-toxic gas is generated to inflate the side
curtain air bag. The inflating side curtain air bag pushes
the outside edge of the headliner out of the way and
covers the window. The air bag inflates in about 30
milliseconds (about one-quarter of the time that it takes
to blink your eyes) with enough force to injure you if you
are not belted and seated properly, or if items are
positioned in the area where the side curtain air bag
inflates. This especially applies to children. The side
curtain air bag is only about 3-1/2 in (9 cm) thick when
it is inflated.
Because air bag sensors estimate deceleration over time,
vehicle speed and damage are not good indicators of
whether or not an air bag should have deployed.
Front And Side Impact Sensors
In front and side impacts, impact sensors can aid the
ORC in determining appropriate response to impact
events.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 67