seats DODGE CARAVAN 2012 User Guide

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 belt
is 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 bypushing anywhere on the anchorage. To move the an-
chorage downward, squeeze the actuation buttons while
simultaneously pushing down on the anchorage assem-
bly.
Adjustable Anchorage
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This vehicle is equipped with Supplemental Seat-
Mounted Side Air Bags (SAB) to provide enhanced
protection for an occupant during a side impact. The
SABs are located in the outboard side of the front seats.
NOTE:
•Air Bag covers may not be obvious in the interior trim,
but they will open during air bag deployment.
•After any accident, the vehicle should be taken to an
authorized dealer immediately.
Air Bag System Components
Your vehicle may be equipped with the following air bag
system components:
•Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC)
•Air Bag Warning Light
•Steering Wheel and Column
•Instrument Panel
•Supplemental Driver Side Knee Air Bag
•Knee Impact Bolster
•Driver Advanced Front Air Bag
•Passenger Advanced Front Air Bag
•Supplemental Seat-Mounted Side Air Bags (SAB)
•Supplemental Side Air Bag Inflatable Curtains
(SABIC)
•Front and Side Impact Sensors
•Front Seat Belt Pretensioners, Seat Belt Buckle Switch,
and Seat Track Position Sensors
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Supplemental Seat-Mounted Side Air Bags (SAB)
Supplemental Seat-Mounted Side Air Bags (SAB) may
provide enhanced protection to help protect an occupant
during a side impact. The SAB is marked with an air bag
label sewn into the outboard side of the front seats.When the air bag deploys, it opens the seam between the
front and side of the seat’s trim cover. Each air bag
deploys independently; a left side impact deploys the left
air bag only and a right-side impact deploys the right air
bag only.
Supplemental Side Air Bag Inflatable Curtain
(SABIC)
SABIC air bags may offer side-impact and vehicle roll-
over protection to front and rear seat outboard occupants
in addition to that provided by the body structure. Each
air bag features inflated chambers placed adjacent to the
head of each outboard occupant that reduce the potential
for side-impact head injuries. The SABIC deploy down-
ward, covering both windows on the impact side.
NOTE:
•Should a vehicle rollover occur, the pretensioners
and/or SAB and SABIC air bags on both sides of the
vehicle may deploy.
Supplemental Seat-Mounted Side Air Bag Label
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To read data recorded by an EDR, special equipment is
required, and access to the vehicle or the EDR is needed.
In addition to the vehicle manufacturer, other parties,
such as law enforcement, that have the special equip-
ment, can read the information if they have access to the
vehicle or the EDR.
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 or 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 projectile 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 Child Restraints
Safety experts recommend that children ride rearward-
facing in the vehicle until they are two years old or until
they reach either the height or weight limit of their rear
facing child safety seat. Two types of child restraints can
be used rearward-facing: infant carriers and convertible
child seats.
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The infant carrier is only used rearward-facing in the
vehicle. It is recommended for children from birth until
they reach the weight or height limit of the infant carrier.
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 have outgrown
their infant carrier but are still less than at least two years
old. Children should remain rearward-facing until they
reach the highest weight or height allowed by their
convertible child seat. Both types of child restraints are
held in the vehicle by the lap/shoulder belt or the
LATCH child restraint anchor system. Refer to “Lower
Anchors and Tether for CHildren (LATCH)”.WARNING!
Rearward-facing child seats must never be used in
the front seat of a vehicle with the front passenger air
bag. An air bag deployment could cause severe
injury or death to infants in this position.
Older Children And Child Restraints
Children who are two years old or who have outgrown
their rear-facing convertible child seat can ride forward-
facing in the vehicle. Forward-facing child seats and
convertible child seats used in the forward-facing direc-
tion are for children who are over two years old or who
have outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit of
their rear-facing convertible child seat. Children should
remain in a forward-facing child seat with a harness for
as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height
allowed by the child seat. These child seats are also held
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in the vehicle by the lap/shoulder belt or the LATCH
child restraint anchorage system. Refer to “Lower An-
chors and Tether for CHildren (LATCH)”.
All children whose weight or height is above the
forward-facing limit for the child seat should use a
belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle’s seat belts
fit properly. If the child cannot sit with knees bent over
the vehicle’s seat cushion while the child’s back is against
the seatback, they should use a belt-positioning booster
seat. The child and belt-positioning booster seat are held
in the vehicle by the lap/shoulder belt.
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
and use both the lap and shoulder 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. Cana-
dian residents should refer to Transport Canada’s web-
site for additional information: http://www.tc.gc.ca/
roadsafety/safedrivers/childsafety/index.htm
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Installing The LATCH-Compatible Child Restraint
System
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 anchorage 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. NOTE:
•When using the LATCH attaching system to install a
child restraint, please ensure that all seat belts not
being used for occupant restraints are stowed and out
of reach of children. It is recommended that before
installing the child restraint, buckle the seat belt so the
seat belt is tucked behind the child restraint and out of
reach. If the buckled seat belt interferes with the child
restraint installation, instead of tucking the seat belt
behind the child restraint, route the seat belt through
the child restraint belt path and then buckle it. This
should stow the seat belt out of the reach of an
inquisitive child. Remind all children in the vehicle
that the seat belts are not toys and should not be
played with, and never leave your child unattended in
the vehicle.
•If your child restraint seat is not LATCH-compatible,
install the restraint using the vehicle seat belts.
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then allow the belt to retract into the retractor. As the belt
retracts, you will hear a ratcheting sound. This indicates
the safety belt is now in the Automatic Locking mode.
2. Finally, pull on any excess webbing to tighten the lap
portion around the child restraint. Any seat belt system
will loosen with time, so check the belt occasionally, and
pull it tight if necessary.
Installing a Child Restraint with a Cinching Latch Plate:
1. To install a child restraint with a cinching latch plate,
first, pull enough of the seat belt webbing from the
retractor to route it through the belt path of the child
restraint. Slide the latch plate into the buckle until you
hear a “click.”
2. Finally, pull on any excess webbing to tighten the lap
portion around the child restraint. Any seat belt system
will loosen with time, so check the belt occasionally, and
pull it tight if necessary.Transporting Pets
Air Bags 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.
COMMERCIAL CARGO VEHICLES (NO FACTORY
INSTALLED REAR SEATS) — 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.
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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.This vehicle is equipped with a child restraint tether
anchor located on the lower rear of the front passenger
seat.
Use this tether anchor to secure only forward-
facing child restraints equipped with an upper tether
strap.
WARNING!
Rearward-facing infant restraints must never be se-
cured in the passenger seat of a vehicle with a
passenger airbag. In an accident, a passenger airbag
may deploy causing severe injury or death to infants
riding in rearward-facing infant restraints.
Commercial Child Restraint Tether Anchor
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Restraining Infants And Small Children In
Commercial Cargo Vehicles
There are different sizes and types of restraints for
children from newborn size to the child almost large
enough for an adult safety belt. Use the restraint that is
correct for your child:
•The forward-facing child seat is for children from
about 20 to 40 lbs (9 to 18 kg), and more than one year
old.
•A convertible child seat, one that is designed to be
used for children who are too heavy for a rearward-
facing infant seat, may be used IN THE FORWARD
FACING POSITION ONLY, IT MUST NEVER BE
INSTALLED FACING TO THE REAR IN A COMMER-
CIAL CARGO VEHICLE. When a convertible seat is
properly installed facing forward, the vehicle seat
should be adjusted to therear most position.
•Children more than 40 lbs (18 kg) should be secured in
the passenger seat in a child restraint or belt-
positioning booster seat with the seat adjusted to the
rear most position. Older children who do not use
child restraints or belt-positioning booster seats
should ride properly buckled in the passenger seat
with the seat adjusted to the rearmost position. Never
allow children to slide the shoulder belt behind them
or under their arm.
Tether Installation For Commercial Cargo Vehicles
To secure the child restraint upper tether strap to the
vehicle, follow the instructions shown:
1. Locate the child restraint tether anchor on the lower
rear of the front passenger seat.
2. Follow the child restraint manufacturer’s directions
for proper use of connecting the child restraint to the
extended tether strap.
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