belt DODGE AVENGER 2014 2.G Owner's Guide

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 ofthe 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 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
position. 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.
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.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 79

Recommendations For Attaching Child Restraints
Restraint Type CombinedWeight of the
Child + Child Restraint Use any attachment method shown with an “X” Below
LATCH –
Lower Anchors Only Seat Belt Only LATCH –
Lower Anchors+ Top Tether Anchor Seat Belt + Top
Tether Anchor
Rear-Facing
Child Restraint Up to 65 lbs
(29.5 kg) XX
Rear-Facing
Child Restraint More than
65 lbs (29.5 kg) X
Forward-Facing Child Restraint Up to 65 lbs
(29.5 kg) XX
Forward-Facing Child Restraint More than
65 lbs (29.5 kg) X
80 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Lower Anchors And Tethers For Children (LATCH)
Restraint System
Your vehicle is equipped with the child restraint anchor-
age system called LATCH, which stands for Lower
Anchors and Tethers for CHildren. The LATCH system
has three vehicle anchor points for installing LATCH-
equipped 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 theseating 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.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 81

What is the weight limit (child’s weight +
weight of the child restraint) for using the
LATCH anchorage system to attach the child
restraint?65 lbs (29.5 kg) Use the LATCH anchorage system until the
combined weight of the child and the child
restraint is 65 lbs (29.5 kg). Use the seat belt
and tether anchor instead of the LATCH an-
chorage system once the combined weight is more than 65 lbs (29.5 kg).
Can the LATCH anchorages and the seat belt be used together to attach a rear-facing or forward-facing child restraint? No Do not use the seat belt when you use the
LATCH anchorage system to attach a rear-facing or forward-facing child restraint.
Can a child seat be installed in the center
position using the inner LATCH lower an- chorages? Yes You can install child restraints with flexible
lower anchors in the center position. The
inner anchorages are 15.4 inches (392 mm) apart. Do not install child restraints with
rigid lower anchors in the center position.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 83

Can two child restraints be attached using acommon lower LATCH anchorage? No Never “share” a LATCH anchorage with two
or more child restraints. If the center posi-
tion does not have dedicated LATCH lower
anchorages, use the seat belt to install a child seat in the center position next to a child
seat using the LATCH anchorages in an out- board position.
Can the rear-facing child restraint touch the back of the front passenger seat? Yes The child seat may touch the back of the
front passenger seat if the child restraint
manufacturer also allows contact. See your
child restraint owner ’s manual for more in- formation.
Can the head restraints be removed? No
84 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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
Do not install child restraints with rigid lower attach-
ments in the center seating position. Only install this type
of child restraint in the outboard seating positions. Child
restraints with flexible, webbing mounted lower attach-
ments can be installed in any rear seating position.
WARNING!
Never use the same lower anchorage to attach more
than one child restraint. If you are installing LATCH-
compatible child restraints next to each other, you
must use the seat belt for the center position. You can
then use either the LATCH anchors or the vehicle’s
(Continued)
WARNING!(Continued)
seat belt for installing child seats in the outboard
positions. Please refer to “Installing The LATCH-
Compatible Child Restraint System” for typical in-
stallation instructions.
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
1. If the selected seating position has a Switchable Auto- matic 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.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 87

2. Loosen the adjusters on the lower straps and on thetether strap of the child seat so that you can more
easily attach the hooks or connectors to the vehicle
anchorages.
3. 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 car seat.
4. Attach the lower hooks or connectors of the child restraint to the lower anchorages in the selected seat-
ing position. 5. 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.
6. 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 manufac-
turer ’s instructions.
7. 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 Seatbelt
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
88 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

with it and accidentally lock the seatbelt 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 seatbelt. 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 an infant
or child restraint. The child could be badly injured
or killed. Follow the manufacturer’s directions ex-
actly when installing an infant or child restraint.
• Child restraint anchorages are designed to with-
stand 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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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 89

Installing Child Restraints Using The Vehicle Seat
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 web-
bing 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. For additional information on ALR, refer to the
“Automatic Locking Mode” description under “Occupant
Restraints”. The cinching latch plate is designed to hold the
lap portion of the seatbelt tight when webbing is pulled
tight and straight through a child restraint’s belt path.
Please see the following table(s) and the following sections
for more information about both types of seat belts.
Lap/Shoulder Belt Systems For Installing Child
Restraints In This Vehicle
90 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

What is the weight limit (child’s weight +
weight of the child restraint) for using the
Tether Anchor with the seat belt to attach a
forward facing child restraint?Weight limit of
the ChildRestraint Always use the tether anchor when using
the seat belt to install a forward facing child restraint, up to the recommended weight limit of the child restraint.
Can the rear-facing child restraint touch the back of the front passenger seat? Yes
Contact between the front passenger seat
and the child restraint is allowed, if the child restraint manufacturer also allows contact.
Can the head restraints be removed? No
Can the buckle stalk be twisted to tighten
the seat belt against the belt path of the child restraint? Yes
In positions with cinching latch plates
(CINCH), the buckle stalk may be twisted up to 3 full turns. Do not twist the buckle
stalk in a seating position with an ALR re- tractor.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 91