ECU DODGE CARAVAN 2009 User Guide

When to Reset Remote Start
The vehicle can be started remotely up to a maximum of
two times. The vehicle is also allowed a maximum of one
failed start, where the Remote Starting sequence was
initiated but the engine stopped cranking without start-
ing. After either of these conditions, or if the Vehicle
Security Alarm system is alarming, or if the PANIC
button was pressed, the vehicle must be reset by inserting
a valid key into the ignition switch and rotating the key
to the ON position, and then rotating the key back to the
LOCK/OFF position.
DOOR LOCKS
Manual Door Locks
Lock the doors by pushing down on the lock plungers on
each door trim panel.If the lock plunger is down when you shut the door, the
door will lock. Therefore, make sure the keys are not
inside the vehicle before closing the door.
Manual Door Lock
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WARNING!
•For personal security and safety in the event of an
accident, lock the vehicle doors as you drive as
well as when you park and leave the vehicle.
•When leaving the vehicle always remove the key
from the ignition switch, and lock your vehicle.
Do not leave unattended children in the vehicle, or
with access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised
use of vehicle equipment may cause severe per-
sonal injuries and death.
Sliding Door Lock
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WARNING! (Continued)
•Do not operate the storage bin covers while the
vehicle is in motion.
•Do not use a storage bin latch as a tie down.
CAUTION!
The storage bin cover must be flat and locked to
avoid damage from contact with the front seat tracks,
which have minimal clearance to the cover.
Seat Storage Bin Cover Emergency Release Lever
— If Equipped
As a security measure, your vehicle may be built with a
Storage Bin Cover Emergency Release is built into the
storage bin cover latching mechanism.NOTE:In the event of an individual being locked inside
the storage bin, the storage bin cover can be opened from
inside of the bin by pulling on the glow-in-the-dark lever
attached to the storage bin cover latching mechanism.
Storage Bin Cover Emergency Release Lever
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OCCUPANT RESTRAINTS
Some of the most important safety features in your
vehicle are the restraint systems:
•Three-point lap and shoulder belts for all seating
positions
•Pretensioning and load-limiting retractors for the front
seat belts
•Advanced multistage driver and new active-vent front
passenger airbags
•Supplemental side airbags that span the front, second,
and third row seating for the driver and passengers
seated next to a window.
•An energy-absorbing steering column and steering
wheel
•Knee bolsters/blockers for front seat occupants
•Front seat belt retractors incorporate pretensioners to
enhance occupant protection by managing occupant
energy during an impact event.
•All 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.
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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.).
Third Row Center Shoulder Belt Instructions
The shoulder belt for the third row center seat is located
in the headliner slightly behind the third row seat.
Pull the strap down and secure the small latch plate of
the lap belt into the small buckle until you hear a “click”.
Position the shoulder belt on your chest so that it is
comfortable and not resting on your neck. When the beltis long enough to fit, insert the large latch plate into the
buckle until you hear a “click.” The retractor should
withdraw any slack in the belt.
To release the small latch plate, position the end of the
large latch plate against the red button on the small latch
plate and push upward. Reinstall the latch plates into the
headliner.
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, squeeze the actuation buttons while
simultaneously pushing down on the anchorage assem-
bly.
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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.
Children 12 years old and younger should always ride
buckled up in a rear seat. Infants in rear-facing child
restraints shouldNEVERride in the front seat of a
vehicle with a passenger front airbag. An airbag deploy-
ment 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 shouldride 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 Restraints.
You should read the instructions provided with your
child restraint to make sure that you are using it properly.
All occupants should wear their lap and shoulder belts
properly.
The driver and front passenger seats should be moved
back as far as practical to allow the front airbags room to
inflate.
If your vehicle has side airbags, do not lean against the
door, airbags will inflate forcefully into the space be-
tween you and the door.
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To obtain Integrated Child Seat replacement instruc-
tions:Refer to the Publication order forms at the back of
this manual and specify publication number
81–226–0919.
Child Restraints
Everyone in your vehicle needs to be buckled up all the
time, including babies and children. 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 younger should ride properly
buckled up in a rear seat. According to crash statistics,
children are safer when properly restrained in the rear
seats rather than in the front.
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.
Infants and Small Children
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 right seat
for your child. Use the restraint that is correct for your
child.
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•Carefully follow the instructions that come with the
restraint. If you install the restraint improperly, it may
not work when you need it.
•The passenger seat belts are equipped with cinching
latch plates, which are designed to keep the lap
portion tight around the child restraint so that it is not
necessary to use a locking clip. Pulling up on the
shoulder portion of the lap/shoulder belt will tighten
the belt. The cinching latch plate will keep the belt
tight, however, any seat belt system will loosen with
time, so check the belt occasionally and pull it tight if
necessary.
•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 of thebelt 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 pulling and
pushing on the restraint loosens the belt, 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.
•Buckle the child into the seat according to the child
restraint manufacturer’s directions.
•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 seatbacks and
cause serious personal injury.
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When using the tether anchorages in the center position
on third row fold-in-floor seating, ensure that the strap is
routed underneath the head restraint and over the seat-
back.
WARNING!
An incorrectly anchored tether strap could lead to
increased head motion and possible injury to the
child. Use only the anchor positions directly behind
the child seat to secure a child restraint top tether
strap.
Child restraint systems having attachments designed to
connect to the lower anchorages are now available. Child
restraints having tether straps and hooks for connection
to the seatback tether anchorage have been available for
some time. In fact, many child restraint manufacturers
will provide add-on tether strap kits for some of their
older products.
Rear Seat Tether Strap Mounting
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Transporting Pets
Airbags deploying in the front seat could harm your pet.
An unrestrained pet could be thrown about and possibly
injured, or injure a passenger during panic braking or in
a collision.
Pets should be restrained in the rear seat in pet harnesses
or pet carriers that are secured by seat belts.
REAR SEAT DELETE FEATURE (COMMERCIAL
VEHICLES ONLY) — IF EQUIPPED
Commercial cargo vehicles are not designed for use as a
family vehicle and are not intended for carrying children
in the front passenger seat. However, if you must carry a
child in a vehicle without a rear seat, the passenger seat
should be moved to the full rearward position and the
child must be in a proper restraint system based on its
age, size and weight.
WARNING!
NEVER carry a child in a rear facing infant carrier in
a vehicle without rear seats. In an accident, serious
injury or death may occur from the deploying pas-
senger airbag.
Commercial Child Restraint Tether Anchor
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