DODGE DART 2015 PF / 1.G Workshop Manual

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
Some of the most important safety features in your
vehicle are the restraint systems:
•Seat Belt Systems
•Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS) Air Bags
•Child Restraints
Important Safety Precautions
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.
Here are some simple steps you can take to minimize the
risk of harm from a deploying air bag:
1. Children 12 years old and under should always ride
buckled up in a vehicle with a rear seat.
Trunk Emergency Release
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 49

2. If a child from 2 to 12 years old (not in a rear-facing
child restraint) must ride in the front passenger seat,
move the seat as far back as possible and use the
proper child restraint. (Refer to “Child Restraints”)
3. Children that are not big enough to wear the vehicle
seat belt properly (Refer to#Child Restraints#) should
be secured in a vehicle with a rear seat in child
restraints or belt-positioning booster seats. Older chil-
dren who do not use child restraints or belt-
positioning booster seats should ride properly buckled
up in a vehicle with a rear seat.
4. Never allow children to slide the shoulder belt behind
them or under their arm.
5. You should read the instructions provided with your
child restraint to make sure that you are using it
properly.
6. All occupants should always wear their lap and
shoulder belts properly.
7. The driver and front passenger seats should be moved
back as far as practical to allow the Advanced Front
Air Bags room to inflate.
8. Do not lean against the door or window. If your
vehicle has side air bags, and deployment occurs, the
side air bags will inflate forcefully into the space
between you and the door and you could be injured.
9. If the air bag system in this vehicle needs to be
modified to accommodate a disabled person, contact
the Customer Center. Phone numbers are provided
under#If You Need Assistance.#
50 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
•Never place a rear-facing child restraint in front of
an air bag. A deploying Passenger Advanced Front
Air Bag can cause death or serious injury to a child
12 years or younger, including a child in a rear-
facing child restraint.
•Only use rear-facing child restraint in a vehicle
with a rear seat.
Seat Belt Systems
Buckle up even though you are an excellent driver, even
on short trips. Someone on the road may be a poor driver
and could 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
ejection and the risk of injury caused by striking the
inside of the vehicle. Everyone in a motor vehicle should
be belted at all times.
Enhanced Seat Belt Use Reminder System
(BeltAlert)
BeltAlert is a feature intended to remind the driver
and outboard front passenger (if equipped with out-
board front passenger BeltAlert) to buckle their seat
belts. The feature is active whenever the ignition
switch is in the START or ON/RUN position. If the
driver or outboard front seat passenger is unbelted,
the Seat Belt Reminder Light will turn on and remain
on until both outboard front seat belts are buckled.
The BeltAlert warning sequence begins after the vehicle
speed is over 5 MPH (8 km/h) by blinking the Seat Belt
Reminder Light and sounding an intermittent chime.
Once the sequence starts, it will continue for the entire
duration or until the respective seat belts are buckled.
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After the sequence completes, the Seat Belt Reminder
Light remains illuminated until the respective seat belts
are buckled. The driver should instruct all other occu-
pants to buckle their seat belts. If an outboard front seat
belt is unbuckled while traveling at speeds greater than 5
MPH (8 km/h), BeltAlert will provide both audio and
visual notification.
The outboard front passenger seat BeltAlert is not active
when the outboard front passenger seat is unoccupied.
BeltAlert may be triggered when an animal or heavy
object is on the outboard front passenger seat or when the
seat is folded flat (if equipped). It is recommended that
pets be restrained in the rear seat (if equipped) in pet
harnesses or pet carriers that are secured by seat belts,
and cargo is properly stowed.
BeltAlert can be activated or deactivated by your autho-
rized dealer. Chrysler Group LLC does not recommend
deactivating BeltAlert.
NOTE:If BeltAlert has been deactivated, the Seat Belt
Reminder Light will continue to illuminate while the
driver ’s or outboard front passenger ’s (if equipped with
BeltAlert) seat belt remains unbuckled.
Lap/Shoulder Belts
All seating positions in your vehicle are equipped with
lap/shoulder belts.
The seat belt webbing retractor will lock only during very
sudden stops or collisions. This feature allows the shoul-
der part of the seat belt to move freely with you under
normal conditions. However, in a collision the seat belt
will lock and reduce your risk of striking the inside of the
vehicle or being thrown out of the vehicle.
52 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
•Relying on the air bags alone could lead to more
severe injuries in a collision. The air bags work
with your seat belt to restrain you properly. In
some collisions, the air bags won’t deploy at all.
Always wear your seat belt even though you have
air bags.
•In a collision, you and your passengers can suffer
much greater injuries if you are not properly buck-
led 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.
•It is 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 seriously injured
or killed.
(Continued)
WARNING!(Continued)
•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 your seat belt incorrectly could make your
injuries in a collision much worse. You might
suffer internal injuries, or you could even slide out
of the seat belt. Follow these instructions to wear
your seat belt safely and to keep your passengers
safe, too.
•Two people should never be belted into a single
seat belt. People belted together can crash into one
another in a collision, hurting one another badly.
Never use a lap/shoulder belt or a lap belt for more
than one person, no matter what their size.
(Continued)
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 53

WARNING!(Continued)
•A lap belt worn too high can increase the risk of
injury in a collision. The seat belt forces won’t be at
the strong hip and pelvic bones, but across your
abdomen. Always wear the lap part of your seat
belt as low as possible and keep it snug.
•A twisted seat belt may not protect you properly. In
a collision, it could even cut into you. Be sure the
seat belt is flat against your body, without twists. If
you can’t straighten a seat belt in your vehicle, take
it to your authorized dealer immediately and have
it fixed.
•A seat 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 inter-
nal injuries. Always buckle your seat belt into the
buckle nearest you.
(Continued)
WARNING!(Continued)
•A seat 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.
•A seat belt that is worn under your arm is danger-
ous. Your body could strike the inside surfaces of
the vehicle in a collision, increasing head and neck
injury. A seat belt worn under the arm can cause
internal injuries. Ribs aren’t as strong as shoulder
bones. Wear the seat belt over your shoulder so that
your strongest bones will take the force in a colli-
sion.
(Continued)
54 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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.
•A frayed or torn seat belt could rip apart in a
collision and leave you with no protection. Inspect
the seat belt system periodically, checking for cuts,
frays, or loose parts. Damaged parts must be re-
placed immediately. Do not disassemble or modify
the seat belt system. Seat belt assemblies must be
replaced after a collision.
Lap/Shoulder Belt Operating Instructions
1. Enter the vehicle and close the door. Sit back and
adjust the seat.
2. The seat belt latch plate is above the back of the front
seat, and next to your arm in the rear seat (for vehicles
equipped with a rear seat). Grasp the latch plate and
pull out the seat belt. Slide the latch plate up the
webbing as far as necessary to allow the seat belt to go
around your lap.
Pulling Out The Latch Plate
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3. When the seat belt is long enough to fit, insert the latch
plate into the buckle until you hear a “click.”
4. Position the lap belt so that it is snug and lies low
across your hips, 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 seat belt reduces
the risk of sliding under the seat belt in a collision.
5. Position the shoulder belt across the shoulder and
chest with minimal, if any slack so that it is comfort-
able and not resting on your neck. The retractor will
withdraw any slack in the shoulder belt.
Inserting Latch Plate Into BucklePositioning The Lap Belt
56 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

6. To release the seat belt, push the red button on the
buckle. The seat belt will automatically retract to its
stowed position. If necessary, slide the latch plate
down the webbing to allow the seat belt to retract
fully.
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 seat belt webbing 180° 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 and the seat belt is no longer twisted.
Adjustable Upper Shoulder Belt Anchorage
In the driver and front passenger seats, the top of the
shoulder belt can be adjusted upward or downward to
position the seat belt away from your neck. Push or
squeeze the anchorage button to release the anchorage,
and move it up or down to the position that serves you
best.
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As a guide, if you are shorter than average, you will
prefer the shoulder belt anchorage in a lower position,
and if you are taller than average, you will prefer the
shoulder belt anchorage in a higher position. After you
release the anchorage button, try to move it up or down
to make sure that it is locked in 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 or squeezing the release but-
ton. To verify the shoulder belt anchorage is latched, pull
downward on the shoulder belt anchorage until it is
locked into position.
Seat Belt Extender
If a seat belt is not long enough to fit properly, even when
the webbing is fully extended and the adjustable upper
shoulder belt anchorage (if equipped) is in its lowest
position, your authorized dealer can provide you with a
Seat Belt Extender. The Seat Belt Extender should be used
only if the existing seat belt is not long enough. When the
Seat Belt Extender is not required for a different occu-
pant, it must be removed.
Adjustable Anchorage
58 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE