child restraint DODGE CARAVAN 2009 Owners Manual

Sliding Side Door....................... 42
▫Power Sliding Side Door — If Equipped..... 43
▫Sliding Side Door Child Protection Lock..... 47
Liftgate.............................. 49
▫Power Liftgate — If Equipped............ 50
Storage Bin Safety Warning................ 53
▫Safety Warning....................... 53
Occupant Restraints..................... 55
▫Lap/Shoulder Belts.................... 56
▫Automatic Locking Retractors (ALR) Mode
— If Equipped........................ 62
▫Seat Belt Pretensioners.................. 62▫Enhanced Seat Belt Use Reminder System
(BeltAlert).......................... 63
▫Seat Belts And Pregnant Women........... 64
▫Seat Belt Extender..................... 64
▫Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) -
Airbag............................. 65
▫Airbag System Components.............. 66
▫Front Seat Airbag Features............... 66
▫Airbag Deployment Sensors And Controls.... 70
▫Event Data Recorder (EDR).............. 76
▫Integrated Child Booster Seat — If Equipped . . 78
▫Integrated Child Seat — If Equipped........ 80
▫Child Restraints....................... 81
10 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
ProCarManuals.com

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.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 55
2
ProCarManuals.com

by assuring that the belt is tight about the occupant early
in a collision. Pretensioners work for all size occupants,
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 front airbags, the
pretensioners are single use items. After a collision that is
severe enough to deploy the airbags and pretensioners,
both must be replaced.
Enhanced Seat Belt Use Reminder System
(BeltAlert)
If the occupied driver’s seat belt has not been buckled
within 60 seconds of starting the vehicle and if the vehicle
speed is greater than 5 mph (8 km/h), BeltAlertwill
alert the driver to buckle the seat belt. The driver should
also instruct all other occupants to buckle their seat belts.Once the warning is triggered, BeltAlertwill continue to
chime and flash the Seat Belt Warning Light for 96 sec-
onds or until the driver’s seat belt is buckled.
BeltAlertwill be reactivated if the driver’s seat belt is
unbuckled for more than 10 seconds and the vehicle
speed is greater than 5 mph (8 km/h).
BeltAlertProgramming
BeltAlertcan be enabled or disabled by your authorized
dealer or by following these steps:
NOTE:The following steps must occur within the first
60 seconds of the ignition switch being turned to the ON
or START position. Chrysler LLC does not recommend
deactivating BeltAlert.
1. With all doors closed and the ignition switch in any
position except ON or START, buckle the driver’s seat
belt.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 63
2
ProCarManuals.com

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.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 69
2
ProCarManuals.com

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.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 81
2
ProCarManuals.com

•Safety experts recommend that children ride
rearward-facing in the vehicle until they are at least
one year old and weigh at least 20 lbs (9 kg). Two types
of child restraints can be used rearward-facing: infant
carriers and convertible child seats. Both types of child
restraints are held in the vehicle by the lap/shoulder
belt or the LATCH child restraint anchorage system.
Refer to “Lower Anchors and Tether for CHildren
(LATCH)” later in this section.
•The infant carrier is only used rearward-facing in the
vehicle. It is recommended for children who weigh up
to about 20 lbs (9 kg). Convertible child seats can be
used either rearward-facing or forward-facing in the
vehicle. Convertible child seats often have a higher
weight limit in the rearward-facing direction than
infant carriers do, so they can be used rearward-facing
by children who weigh more than 20 lbs (9 kg) but are
less than one year old.
WARNING!
Rearward-facing child seats must NEVER be used in
the front seat of a vehicle with a front passenger
airbag. An airbag deployment could cause severe
injury or death to infants in this position.
•Rearward-facing child seats and infant carriers must
NEVERbe used while the second row Swivel ’n Go
seats are in the rearward-facing position.
WARNING!
Never place any child seat or infant carrier in the
Swivel ’n Go seat while it is in the rearward-facing
position. The swivel seat should be locked in the
forward position when using any child seat or infant
carriers, with the vehicle in motion. Failure to do so
could result in serious injury or even death.
82 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
ProCarManuals.com

Older Children and Child Restraints
Children who weigh more than 20 lbs (9 kg) and who are
older than one year can ride forward-facing in the
vehicle. Forward-facing child seats and convertible child
seats used in the forward-facing direction are for children
who weigh 20 to 40 lbs (9 to 18 kg) and who are older
than one year. These child seats are also held in the
vehicle by the lap/shoulder belt or the LATCH child
restraint anchorage system. Refer to “Lower Anchors and
Tether for CHildren (LATCH)” later in this section.
An aftermarket belt-positioning booster seat is for chil-
dren weighing more than 40 lbs (18 kg), but who are still
too small to properly fit the vehicle’s seat belts. If the
child can not sit with knees bent over the vehicles seat
cushion while the child’s back is against the seatback,
they should use a belt-positioning booster seat. The child
and booster seat are held in the vehicle by the lap/shoulder belt. (Some booster seats are equipped with a
front shield and are held in the vehicle by the lap
portion.)
Children Too Large for Booster Seats
Children who are large enough to wear the shoulder belt
comfortably, and whose legs are long enough to bend
over the front of the seat when their back is against the
seatback, should use the lap/shoulder belt in a rear seat.
•Make sure that the child is upright in the seat.
•The lap portion should be low on the hips and as snug
as possible.
•Check belt fit periodically. 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. If this doesn’t
help, move the child to the center rear seating position
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 83
2
ProCarManuals.com

and use the lap belt. Never allow a child to put the
shoulder belt under an arm or behind their back.
NOTE:For additional information, refer to
www.seatcheck.org or call 1-866-SEATCHECK.
WARNING!
•Improper installation can lead to failure of an
infant or child restraint. It could come loose in a
collision. The child could be badly injured or
killed. Follow the manufacturer’s directions ex-
actly when installing an infant or child restraint.
•A rearward-facing child restraint should only be
used in a rear seat. A rearward-facing child re-
straint in the front seat may be struck by a deploy-
ing passenger airbag which may cause severe or
fatal injury to the infant.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•Occupants riding in Swivel ’n Go seating must be
wearing their seat belt and the seat must be locked
in either the forward or rearward position. Failure
to do so could result in serious injury or even
death.
Here are some tips on getting the most out of your child
restraint:
•Before buying any restraint system, make sure that it
has a label certifying that it meets all applicable Safety
Standards. We also recommend that you make sure
that you can install the child restraint in the vehicle
where you will use it, before you buy it.
•The restraint must be appropriate for your child’s
weight and height. Check the label on the restraint for
weight and height limits.
84 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
ProCarManuals.com

•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.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 85
2
ProCarManuals.com

Lower Anchors and Tether for CHildren (LATCH)
Each vehicle, except commercial cargo vehicles, is
equipped with the child restraint anchorage system
called LATCH, which stands for Lower Anchors and
Tether for CHildren. Two LATCH child restraint anchor-
age systems are installed on all second-row seats and in
the center position on all third row fold-in-floor seats.
Second-row seats also feature tether strap anchorages,
located in the rear surface of the seatback. In addition, all
third row fold-in-floor seats are equipped with a child
restraint tether anchor at the center seating position.
When using the tether anchorages in the outboard seat-
ing positions, ensure that the strap is routed underneath
the head restraint and over the seatback.
LATCH Anchorages
86 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
ProCarManuals.com