belt DODGE CARAVAN 2007 4.G Owners Manual

▫Reinstalling Storage Bin Cover Emergency
Release .............................45

Occupant Restraints ......................46
▫ Lap/Shoulder Belts .....................47
▫ Lap/Shoulder Belt Untwisting Procedure .....53
▫ Center Lap Belts .......................53
▫ Seat Belt Pretensioners ...................54
▫ Enhanced Seat Belt Use Reminder System
(BeltAlert) ...........................54
▫ Seat Belts And Pregnant Women ............56
▫ Seat Belt Extender ......................56
▫ Driver And Front Passenger Supplemental
Restraint Systems (SRS) — Airbags ..........57
▫ Event Data Recorder (EDR) ...............73 ▫
DaimlerChrysler Corporation Integrated Child Seat
— If Equipped ........................74
▫ Child Restraint ........................75

Rear Seat Delete Feature (Commercial Vehicles Only)
— If Equipped ..........................83
▫ Restraining Infants And Small Children With Seat
Delete Feature (Commercial Vehicles Only) ....84

Engine Break-In Recommendations ...........88

Safety Tips ............................89
▫ Exhaust Gas ..........................89
▫ Safety Checks You Should Make Inside
The Vehicle ..........................89
▫ Periodic Safety Checks You Should Make Outside
The Vehicle ..........................90
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 11
2

If you press the power door lock switch while the key is
in the ignition, and any front door is open, the power
locks will not operate. This prevents you from acciden-
tally locking your keys in the vehicle. Removing the key
or closing the door will allow the locks to operate. A
chime will sound if the key is in the ignition switch and
a door is open, as a reminder to remove the key.
If you press the power door lock switch while the sliding
door is open, the sliding door will lock.
Automatic Door Locks — If Equipped
If this feature is enabled, your door locks will lock
automatically when the vehicles speed exceeds 15 mph.
Automatic Door Lock Programming
This feature is enabled when your vehicle is shipped
from the assembly plant and can be disabled by using the
following procedure:
•On electronic vehicle information center (EVIC)
equipped vehicles refer to Personal Settingsin the
EVIC section of this manual.
•On non EVIC - equipped vehicles perform the follow-
ing steps:
1. Enter your vehicle and close all doors.
2. Fasten your seat belt (Fastening the seat belt will
cancel any chiming that may confuse you during this
programming procedure).
3. Place the key into the ignition.
4. Within 15 seconds cycle the key from the LOCK
position to the ON/RUN position a minimum of four
times; ending in the LOCK position ( Do not start the
engine ).
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 29
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5. Within 30 seconds, press the driver’s door lock switch
in the LOCK direction.
6. A single chime will be heard to indicate the feature has
been disabled.
7. To reactivate this feature, repeat the above steps.
8. If a chime is not heard, program mode was canceled
before the feature could be disabled. If necessary, repeat
the above procedure.
You can turn the feature back on by repeating the above
mentioned procedure or by performing the procedure in
the Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC), Cus-
tomer Programmable Features section on vehicles so
equipped.
Auto Unlock On Exit — If Equipped
This feature unlocks all of the doors of the vehicle when
any door is opened. This will occur only after the vehicle has been shifted into the Park position after the vehicle
has been driven (shifted out of Park and all doors closed).
This feature will not operate if there is any manual
operation of the power door locks (Lock or Unlock).
Auto Unlock On Exit Programming — If Equipped
The doors will unlock automatically on vehicles with
power door locks if:
1. Enter your vehicle and close all doors.
2. Fasten your seat belt (fastening the seat belt will cancel
any chimes that may be confusing during this program-
ming procedure).
3. Insert the key into the ignition.
4. Within 15 seconds, cycle the key from the LOCK
position to the ON/RUN position a minimum of four
times ending in the LOCK position
(do not start the
engine) .
30 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Push the strap into the latch mechanism until it engages
around the latch post.
NOTE: Do not use the storage bin emergency release to
lift the storage bin cover. The strap is intended for
emergency release only.OCCUPANT RESTRAINTS
Some of the most important safety features in your
vehicle are the restraint systems. These include the front
and rear seat belts for the driver and all passengers, front
airbags for both the driver and front passenger, driver
inflatable knee blocker and if equipped, window bags for
the driver and passengers seated next to a window. If you
will be carrying children too small for adult-size seat
belts, your seat belts or the LATCH feature (Lower
Anchors and Tether for CHildren) also, can be used to
hold infant and child restraint systems.
NOTE: The front airbags have a multi stage inflator
design. This allows the airbag to have different rates of
inflation that are based on collision severity.
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.
Reinstall Cover Strap
46 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
In a collision, you and your passengers can suffer
much greater injuries if you are not properly buck-
led up. You can strike the interior of your vehicle or
other passengers, or you can be thrown out of the
vehicle. Always be sure you and others in your
vehicle are buckled up properly.
Buckle up even though you are an excellent driver, even
on short trips. Someone on the road may be a poor driver
and cause a collision that includes you. This can happen
far away from home or on your own street.
Research has shown that seat belts save lives, and they
can reduce the seriousness of injuries in a collision. Some of the worst injuries happen when people are thrown
from the vehicle. Seat belts reduce the possibility of
ejection and the risk of injury caused by striking the
inside of the vehicle.
Everyonein a motor vehicle should
be belted at all times.
Lap/Shoulder Belts
All the outboard seats in your vehicle are equipped with
Lap/Shoulder Belts.
The belt webbing retractor is designed to lock during
very sudden stops or collisions. This feature allows the
shoulder part of the belt to move freely with you under
normal conditions. But in a collision, the belt will lock
and reduce the risk of your striking the inside of the
vehicle or being thrown out.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 47
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WARNING!
•It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision,
people riding in these areas are more likely to be
seriously injured or killed.
•Do not allow people to ride in any area of your
vehicle that is not equipped with seats and seat
belts.
•Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and
using a seat belt properly.
WARNING!
•Wearing a seat belt incorrectly is dangerous. Seat
belts are designed to go around the large bones of
your body. These are the strongest parts of your
body and can take the forces of a collision the
best.
•Wearing your belt in the wrong place could make
your injuries in a collision much worse. You
might suffer internal injuries, or you could even
slide out of part of the belt. Follow these instruc-
tions to wear your seat belt safely and to keep
your passengers safe, too.
•Two people should never be belted into a single
seat belt. People belted together can crash into one
another in a collision, hurting one another badly.
Never use a lap/shoulder belt or lap belt for more
than one person, no matter what their size.
48 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Lap/Shoulder Belt Operating Instructions
1. Enter the vehicle and close the door. Sit back and
adjust the seat.
2. The seat belt latch plate is near the seatback of the
front seats and next to your arm in the rear seats. Grasp
the latch plate and pull out the belt. Slide the latch plate
up the webbing as far as necessary to allow the belt to go
around your lap.
Latch Plate
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 49
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3. When the belt is long enough to fit, insert the latch
plate into the buckle until you hear a “click”.WARNING!
•A belt that is buckled into the wrong buckle will not
protect you properly. The lap portion could ride too
high on your body, possibly causing internal injuries.
Always buckle your belt into the buckle nearest you.
•A belt that is too loose will not protect you as well.
In a sudden stop you could move too far forward,
increasing the possibility of injury. Wear your seat belt
snugly.
•A belt that is worn under your arm is very danger-
ous. Your body could strike the inside surfaces of the
vehicle in a collision, increasing head and neck injury.
A belt worn under the arm can cause internal injuries.
Ribs aren’t as strong as shoulder bones. Wear the belt
over your shoulder so that your strongest bones will
take the force in a collision.
•A shoulder belt placed behind you will not protect
you from injury during a collision. You are more likely
to hit your head in a collision if you do not wear your
shoulder belt. The lap and shoulder belt are meant to
be used together.Latch Plate To Buckle
50 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

4. Position the lap belt across your thighs, below your
abdomen. To remove slack in the lap belt portion, pull up
on the shoulder belt. To loosen the lap belt if it is too tight,
tilt the latch plate and pull on the lap belt. A snug belt
reduces the risk of sliding under the belt in a collision.WARNING!
• A lap belt worn too high can increase the risk of
internal injury in a collision. The belt forces won’t
be at the strong hip and pelvic bones, but across your
abdomen. Always wear the lap belt as low as pos-
sible and keep it snug.
• A twisted belt can’t do its job as well. In a collision
it could even cut into you. Be sure the belt is straight.
If you can’t straighten a belt in your vehicle, take it
to your dealer and have it fixed.
5. Position the shoulder belt on your chest so that it is
comfortable and not resting on your neck. The retractor
will withdraw any slack in the belt.
Removing Slack From Belt
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 51
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6. To release the belt, push the red button on the buckle.
The belt will automatically retract to its stowed position.
If necessary, slide the latch plate down the webbing to
allow the belt to retract fully.
WARNING!
A frayed or torn belt could rip apart in a collision
and leave you with no protection. Inspect the belt
system periodically, checking for cuts, frays, or loose
parts. Damaged parts must be replaced immediately.
Do not disassemble or modify the system. Seat belt
assemblies must be replaced after a collision if they
have been damaged (bent retractor, torn webbing,
etc.).
Adjustable Upper Shoulder Belt Anchorage
In the front seats and the second row outboard seats, the
shoulder belt anchorage can be adjusted upward or downward to help position the belt away from your
neck. The upper anchorage can be adjusted upward by
pushing anywhere on the anchorage. To move the an-
chorage downward, press the actuation button while
simultaneously pushing down on the anchorage assem-
bly.Adjusting Upper Shoulder Belt
52 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE