belt DODGE CARAVAN 2008 5.G Owners Manual

NPower Sliding Side Door Ð If Equipped......42
NSliding Side Door Child Protection Lock......46
mLiftgate...............................48
NPower Liftgate Ð If Equipped.............49
mStorage Bin Safety Warning.................52
NSafety Warnings.......................52
NStorage Bin Cover Emergency Release Strap Ð
If Equipped..........................54
NReinstalling Storage Bin Cover Emergency
Release Strap.........................54
mOccupant Restraints......................55
NLap/Shoulder Belts.....................57
NAutomatic Locking Retractors (ALR) Mode ±
If Equipped..........................63NSeat Belt Pretensioners...................64
NEnhanced Seat Belt Use Reminder System
(BeltAlertt) ..........................64
NSeat Belts And Pregnant Women............65
NSeat Belt Extender......................66
NSupplemental Restraint System (SRS) - Airbag . .66
NAirbag System Components...............67
NFront Seat Airbag Features................67
NAirbag Deployment Sensors And Controls.....72
NEvent Data Recorder (EDR)...............78
NIntegrated Child Seat Ð If Equipped........80
NChild Restraints.......................81
mRear Seat Delete Feature (Commercial Vehicles Only)
Ð If Equipped..........................89
10 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Lock Doors Automatically Ð If Equipped
If the Lock Doors Automatically feature is enabled, your
door locks will lock automatically when the vehicle's
speed exceeds 15 mph (24 km/h).
The Lock Doors Automatically feature is enabled when
your vehicle is shipped from the assembly plant and can
be disabled by using the following procedure:
²On Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC)
equipped vehicles, refer to9Personal Settings9in the
EVIC section of this manual.
²On 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 ignition key from the OFF
position to the ON/RUN position a minimum of four
times, ending in the OFF position(do not start the
engine).
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, the program mode was
canceled before the feature could be disabled. If neces-
sary, repeat the above procedure.
34 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

The Lock Doors Automatically at 15 mph (24 km/h)
feature can be reactivated by repeating the above men-
tioned procedure or by performing the procedure in the
EVIC, Customer Programmable Features section on ve-
hicles so equipped.
Unlock Doors Automatically On Exit Ð If
Equipped
The Unlock Doors Automatically On Exit feature unlocks
all of the doors of the vehicle when any door is opened.
This will occur only after the gear selector lever has been
shifted into the PARK position after the vehicle has been
driven (the gear selector lever has been shifted out of
PARK and all doors closed).
The Unlock Doors Automatically On Exit feature will not
operate if there is any manual operation of the power
door locks (lock or unlock).The Unlock Doors Automatically On Exit feature can be
enabled or disabled by performing the following proce-
dure:
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
programming procedure.)
3. Insert the key into the ignition switch.
4. Within 15 seconds, cycle the ignition key from the OFF
position to the ON/RUN position a minimum of four
times ending in the OFF position(Do not start the
engine).
5. Within 30 seconds, press the driver's door lock switch
in the unlock direction.
6. A single chime will sound to indicate the feature has
been changed.
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NOTE:Do not use the storage bin emergency release
strap 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:
²Three-point lap and shoulder belts for all seating
positions
²Pretensioning and load-limiting retractors for the front
seat belts
²Advanced multistage driver and new active-vent front
passenger airbags
²An energy-absorbing steering column and steering
wheel
²Knee Bolsters/Blockers for front seat occupants
²Front seat belt retractors incorporate pretensioners to
enhance occupant protection by managing occupant
energy during an impact event.
Reinstalling Storage Bin Cover Emergency Release Strap
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 55
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²All seat belt systems (except the driver's, Swivel n' Go,
and third row center position) 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.
If you will be carrying children too small for adult-size
seat belts, your seat belts or the Lower Anchors and
Tether for CHildren (LATCH) feature also can be used to
hold infant and child restraint systems.
NOTE:The front airbags have a multistage 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.WARNING!
In a collision, you and your passengers can suffer
much greater injuries if you are not properly buckled
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.
56 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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.Everyone in a motor vehicle should
be belted at all times.
Lap/Shoulder Belts
All seats in your vehicle are equipped with Lap/
Shoulder Belts.
The belt webbing in the 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.
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.
WARNING!
²Do not allow people to ride in any area of your
vehicle that is not equipped with seats and seat
belts.
²Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and
using a seat belt properly.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 57
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WARNING!
²Wearing 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.
²Wearing 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 instructions to
wear your seat belt safely and to keep your pas-
sengers safe, too.
WARNING!
Two people should never be belted into a single seat
belt. People belted together can crash into one an-
other 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.
Lap/Shoulder Belt Operating Instructions
1. Enter the vehicle and close the door. Sit back and
adjust the seat.
58 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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.WARNING!
A belt that is worn under your arm is very dangerous.
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 stron-
gest bones will take the force in a collision.
WARNING!
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
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 59
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3. When the belt is long enough to fit, insert the latch
plate into the buckle until you hear a ªclickº.WARNING!
²A 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.
²A 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.
Latch Plate To Buckle
60 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!
²A 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.
²A 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 authorized 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
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