belt DODGE DAKOTA 2011 3.G User Guide

3. When the belt is long enough to fit, insert the latch
plate into the buckle until you hear a “click.”
WARNING!
•A belt 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
properly. In a sudden stop you could move too far
forward, increasing the possibility of injury. Wear
your seat belt snugly.(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•A belt that is worn under your arm is dangerous.
Your body could strike the inside surfaces of the
vehicle in an accident, 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 strongest bones will take the force in a
collision.
•A shoulder belt placed behind you will not protect
you from injury during an accident. 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.
42 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 an accident.WARNING!
•A lap belt worn too high can increase the risk of
internal injury in an accident. 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 possible and keep it snug.
•A twisted belt will not protect you properly. 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
immediately and have it fixed.
Removing Slack From Belt
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 43

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.
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 an accident
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 an accident if they
have been damaged (bent retractor, torn webbing,
etc.).
Adjustable Upper Shoulder Belt Anchorage
In the front and second row outboard seats, the shoulder
belt can be adjusted upward or downward to help
position the belt away from your neck. Press the release
button to release the anchorage, and then move it up or
down to the position that fits you best.
Adjustable Upper Shoulder Belt Anchorage(Extended Cab)
44 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

As a guide, if you are shorter than average, you will
prefer a lower position, and if you are taller than average,
you will prefer a higher position. When you release the
anchorage, try to move it down to make sure that it is
locked in the desired position.NOTE:
The adjustable upper shoulder belt anchorage is
equipped with an Easy Up feature. This feature allows
the shoulder belt anchorage to be adjusted in the upward
position without pushing the release button. To verify the
shoulder belt anchorage is latched, pull downward on
the shoulder belt anchorage until it is locked into
position.
Center Lap Belts
The front center seating position has a lap belt only. To
fasten the lap belt, slide the latch plate into the buckle
until you hear a “click.” To lengthen the lap belt, tilt the
latch plate and pull. To remove slack, pull the loose end
of the webbing. Wear the lap belt snug against the hips.
Sit back and erect in the seat, then adjust the belt as
tightly as is comfortable.
Adjusting Upper Shoulder Belt
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 45

WARNING!
•A lap belt worn too loose or too high is dangerous.
•A belt worn too loose can allow you to slip down
and under the belt in a collision.
•A belt that is too loose or too high will apply crash
forces to the abdomen, not to the stronger hip
bones. In either case, the risk of internal injuries is
greater. Wear a lap belt low and snug.
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.
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 Belts In Passenger Seating Positions
The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are
equipped with a cinching latch plate which are used to
secure a child restraint system. For additional informa-
tion, refer to “Installing Child Restraints Using The
Vehicle Seat Belt” under the “Child Restraints” section.
The following chart defines the type of feature for each
seating position.
Left Center Right
First Row Cinch – if equippedCinch
Second Row Cinch Cinch – if equippedCinch
46 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

If the passenger seating position is equipped with an
ALR and is being used for normal usage:
Only pull the belt webbing out far enough to comfortably
wrap around the occupant’s mid-section so as to not
activate the ALR. If the ALR is activated, you will hear a
ratcheting sound as the belt retracts. Allow the webbing
to retract completely in this case and then carefully pull
out only the amount of webbing necessary to comfort-
ably wrap around the occupant’s mid-section. Slide the
latch plate into the buckle until you hear aclick.
Automatic Locking Retractor Mode (ALR) —
If Equipped
In this mode, the shoulder belt is automatically pre-
locked. The belt will still retract to remove any slack in
the shoulder belt. The Automatic Locking Mode is avail-
able on all passenger-seating positions with a combina-
tion lap/shoulder belt. Use the Automatic Locking Mode
anytime a child safety seat is installed in a seating position that has a belt with this feature. Children
12 years old and under should always be properly
restrained in the rear seat.
How To Engage The Automatic Locking Mode
1. Buckle the combination lap and shoulder belt.
2. Grasp the shoulder portion and pull downward until
the entire belt is extracted.
3. Allow the belt to retract. As the belt retracts, you will
hear a clicking sound. This indicates the safety belt is
now in the Automatic Locking Mode.
How To Disengage The Automatic Locking Mode
Unbuckle the combination lap/shoulder belt and allow it
to retract completely to disengage the Automatic Locking
Mode and activate the vehicle sensitive (emergency)
locking mode.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 47

WARNING!
•The belt and retractor assembly must be replaced
if the seat belt assembly Automatic Locking Re-
tractor (ALR) feature or any other seat belt func-
tion is not working properly when checked ac-
cording to the procedures in the Service Manual.
•Failure to replace the belt and retractor assembly
could increase the risk of injury in collisions.
Seat Belt Pretensioners
The seat belts for both front seating positions are
equipped with pretensioning devices that are designed to
remove slack from the seat belt in the event of an
accident. These devices may improve the performance of
the seat belt by assuring that the belt is tight around 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 air bags, the preten-
sioners are single use items. A deployed pretensioner or
a deployed air bag must be replaced immediately.
Energy Management Feature
This vehicle has a safety belt system with an Energy
Management feature in the front seating positions to help
further reduce the risk of injury in the event of a head-on
accident. This safety belt system has a retractor assembly
that is designed to release webbing in a controlled
manner. This feature is designed to help reduce the belt
force acting on the occupant’s chest.
48 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
•The belt and retractor assembly must be replaced
if the seat belt assembly Automatic Locking Re-
tractor (ALR) feature or any other seat belt func-
tion is not working properly when checked ac-
cording to the procedures in the Service Manual.
•Failure to replace the belt and retractor assembly
could increase the risk of injury in accidents.
Enhanced Seat Belt Use Reminder System
(BeltAlert)
BeltAlertis a feature intended to remind the driver to
fasten their seat belt. This feature is active whenever the
ignition is on. If the driver is unbelted, the Seat Belt
Reminder Light will turn on and remain on until the
driver seat belt is fastened. BeltAlert triggers within60 seconds of vehicle speed over 5 mph (8 km/h). The
reminder sequence lasts for 96 seconds or until the driver
seat belt is fastened. After the sequence completes, the
Seat Belt Reminder Light remains illuminated until the
driver seat belt is fastened. The driver should instruct all
other occupants to fasten their seat belts. If the driver seat
belt is unbuckled while traveling at speeds greater than
5 mph (8 km/h), BeltAlert
will chime as a single
notification and illuminate the Seat Belt Reminder Light,
then will proceed to the 96 second reminder sequence.
BeltAlert will 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).
BeltAlert Programming
Chrysler Group LLC does not recommend deactivating
the BeltAlert.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 49

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/RUN or START position.
1. With all doors closed, and the ignition switch in any
position except ON/RUN or START, buckle the driver ’s
seat belt.
2. Turn the ignition switch to the ON/RUN position,
(engine does not need to be running). Wait for the Seat
Belt Reminder Light to turn off.
3. Within 60 seconds of turning the ignition switch to the
ON/RUN position, unbuckle and then re-buckle the
driver ’s seat belt at least three times within 60 seconds,
ending with the seat belt buckled.
4.
Turn off the engine. A single chime will sound to signify
that you have successfully completed the programming.
NOTE: Watch the Seat Belt reminder Light to turn on
while the seat belt retracts and turn off while re-buckling
the seat belt.
BeltAlert can be reactivated by repeating this procedure.
NOTE: Although BeltAlert has been deactivated, the
Seat Belt Reminder Light will continue to illuminate
while the driver’s seat belt remains unbuckled.
Seat Belts And Pregnant Women
We recommend that pregnant women use seat belts
throughout their pregnancy. Keeping the mother safe is
the best way to keep the baby safe.
Pregnant women should wear the lap part of the belt
across the thighs and as snug against the hips as possible.
Keep the belt low so that it does not come across the
abdomen. That way the strong bones of the hips will take
the force if there is an accident.
50 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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 an accident. Only use
the seat belt extender when the lap belt is not long
enough when it is worn low and snug, and in the
recommended seating positions. Remove and store
the extender when not needed.
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) – Air Bags
This vehicle has Advanced Front Air Bags for both the
driver and front passenger as a supplement to the seat
belt restraint systems. The driver’s Advanced Front AirBag is mounted in the center of the steering wheel. The
passenger’s Advanced Front Air Bag is mounted in the
instrument panel, above the glove compartment. The
words SRS AIRBAG are embossed on the air bag covers.Advanced Front Air Bag And Knee Bolster Locations
1 — Driver And Passenger Advanced Front Air Bags
2 — Knee Bolster
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