warning DODGE CHALLENGER 2009 3.G User Guide

TRUNK SAFETY WARNING
WARNING!
Do not allow children to have access to the trunk,
either by climbing into the trunk from outside, or
through the inside of the vehicle. Always close the
trunk lid when your vehicle is unattended. Once in
the trunk, young children may not be able to escape,
even if they entered through the rear seat. If trapped
in the trunk, children can die from suffocation or
heat stroke.
Trunk Emergency Release
The trunk of your vehicle is equipped with an emergency
release handle. It is located on the inside of the trunk lid,
near the latch, and is coated so that it glows in a darkened
trunk. Pull on the handle to open the trunk.
Emergency Release
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 35

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, the
front airbags for both the driver and front passenger, and
the supplemental side curtain airbags for the driver and
passengers seated next to a window. If you will be
carrying children too small for adult-sized belts, your
seat belts also can be used to hold infant and child
restraint systems.
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.
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
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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 seating positions in your vehicle are equipped with
lap/shoulder belts.
The belt webbing retractor is designed to lock during
very sudden stops or impacts. This feature allows the
shoulder part of the belt to move freely with you under
normal conditions. However, in a collision, the belt will
lock and reduce your risk of 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 seri-
ously 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.
•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 best.
(Continued)
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 37

WARNING! (Continued)
•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 instructions to
wear your seat belt safely and to keep your pas-
sengers safe, too.
•Two people should never be belted into a single
seat belt. People belted together can crash into one
another in an accident, hurting one another badly.
Never use a lap/shoulder belt or a 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 front seat.2. The seat belt latch plate is contacting the seat when the
belt is routed through the seat web guide. When the belt
is routed outside of the seat web guide, the latch plate
will contact the quarter trim panel. Grasp the latch plate
and pull out the belt. Slide the latch plate up the webbing
as far as necessary to make the belt go around your lap.
Latch Plate
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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 snug.
•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 are not as strong as shoulder bones.
Wear the belt over your shoulder so that your stron-
gest bones will take the force in a collision.
(Continued)
Latch Plate To Buckle
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 39

WARNING! (Continued)
•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.
4. Position the lap belt across your thighs, below your
abdomen. To remove slack in the lap belt portion, pull up
a bit 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 cannot do its job as well. In a
collision, it could even cut into you. Be sure the belt
is straight. If you cannot 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.
40 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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.).
Lap/Shoulder Belt Untwisting Procedure
Use the following procedure to untwist a twisted lap/
shoulder belt.
1. Position the latch plate as close as possible to the
anchor point.Removing Slack From Belt
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 41

2. At about 6 to 12 in (15 to 30 cm) above the latch plate,
grasp and twist the belt webbing 180 degrees to create a
fold that begins immediately above the latch plate.
3. Slide the latch plate upward over the folded webbing.
The folded webbing must enter the slot at the top of the
latch plate.
4. Continue to slide the latch plate up until it clears the
folded webbing.
Seat Belt Pretensioners
The seat belts for both front seating positions are
equipped with pretensioning devices that are designed to
remove any slack from the seat belts in the event of a
collision. These devices improve the performance of the
seat belt system by assuring that the belt is tight around
the occupant 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 snug and positioned properly.
The pretensioners are triggered by the Occupant Re-
straint Controller (ORC). (Refer to information on Air-
bags in this section). Like the front airbags, the preten-
sioners 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 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), the Enhanced Seat Belt
Use Reminder System (BeltAlert) will 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, the BeltAlertwill continue to
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Seat Belt Extender
If a seat belt is too short even when fully extended your
authorized dealer can provide you with a seat belt
extender. This extender should be used only if the
existing belt is not long enough. When it is not required,
remove the extender and store it.
WARNING!
Using a seat belt extender when not needed can
increase the risk of injury in a collision. Only use
when the seat belt is not long enough when it is worn
low and snug and in the recommended seating posi-
tion. Remove and store the extender when not
needed.
Driver and Front Passenger Supplemental
Restraint System (SRS) - Airbags
This vehicle has front airbags for both the driver and
front passenger as a supplement to the seat belt restraintsystems. The driver side front airbag is mounted in the
center of the steering wheel. The passenger side front
airbag is mounted in the instrument panel, above the
glove compartment. The words SRS AIRBAG are em-
bossed on the airbag covers.1 — Airbags
2 — Knee Bolsters
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NOTE:The front airbags are certified to the Federal
regulations that allow less forceful deployment.
The front airbags have a multistage inflator design. This
allows the airbag to have different rates of inflation that
are based on collision severity.
WARNING!
•Do not put anything on or around the front airbag
covers or attempt to open them. You may damage the
airbags and you could be injured because the airbags
are no longer functional. These protective covers for
the airbag cushions are designed to open only when
the airbags are inflating.
•Do not drill, cut or tamper with the knee bolster in
any way.
•Do not mount any accessories to the knee bolster
such as alarm lights, stereos, citizens band radios etc.
This vehicle is also equipped with supplemental side
curtain airbags (located above the side windows) to
protect the driver and passenger sitting next to a window.
Their covers are also labeled SRS AIRBAG.
NOTE:Airbag covers may not be obvious in the interior
trim, but they will open to allow airbag deployment.
Side Window Airbag
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