DODGE DURANGO 2009 2.G Service Manual

Gas props support the liftgate in the open position.
However, because the gas pressure drops with tempera-
ture, it may be necessary to assist the props when
opening the liftgate in cold weather.
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, knee
bolsters, front airbags for both the driver and front
passenger, and left and right side curtain airbags for the
driver and passengers seated next to a window. If you
will be carrying children too small for adult-size seat
belts, your seat belts or the LATCH feature (refer to the
“Child Restraint” in this section), 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.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 39
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Research has shown that seat belts save lives, and that
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.Everyonein a motor vehicle should
be belted at all times.
Lap/Shoulder Belts
All seating positions in your vehicle have combination
lap/shoulder belts. The belt webbing retractor is de-
signed to lock during very sudden stops or collisions.
This feature allows the shoulder part of the belt to move
freely with you under normal conditions. But in a colli-
sion, the belt will lock and reduce the risk of your 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 seriously
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.
40 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
•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 the best.
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 seat.
Pulling Out Belt And Latch Plate
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2. The seat belt latch plate is above the back of the front
seat, next to your arm in the rear seat. Grasp the latch
plate and pull out the belt. Slide the latch plate up the
webbing as far as necessary to allow the belt to go around
your lap.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 inju-
ries. 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 snugly.
(Continued)
Latch Plate To Buckle
42 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING! (Continued)
•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. And 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 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
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.
Removing Slack From Belt
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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 can’t do its job as well. 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 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.
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.). If the front airbags are deployed the front
pretensioning retractors must be replaced.
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. Push in on the
anchorage release button to release the anchorage, and
then move it up or down to the position that fits you best.
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’ll prefer a higher position. When you release the
anchorage, try to move it up or down to make sure that
it is locked in the desired position. Pull the seatback
forward to ensure that it is locked in the upright position.
WARNING!
A 20% seatback that is not fully latched in the
upright position will not protect you properly.
Automatic Locking Retractors (ALR) Mode – 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.
When To Use The Automatic Locking Mode
Use the automatic locking mode any time a child safety
seat is installed in a passenger seating position. Children
12 years old and under should be properly restrained in
the rear seat whenever possible.
Adjusting Upper Shoulder Belt
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How To Use The Automatic Locking Mode
1. Buckle the combination lap/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
Disconnect the combination lap/shoulder belt and allow
it to retract completely to disengage the automatic lock-
ing mode and activate the vehicle sensitive (emergency)
locking mode.
Rear 60/40 Seat Third Row Center Three Point
Belt — If Equipped
The center three point seat belt for the third row rear seat
may be disconnected to allow the 60% seatback to easily
fold down. The keyed buckle latch plate (small latch plateat the end of the belt) can be detached from the keyed
seat belt buckle (buckle without a red release button)
located on the left inboard side of the third row bench
seat. Insert the ignition key into the center white slot on
the keyed buckle. The small latchplate can be removed
when the key is pressed into the buckle. Allow the
retractor to take up the surplus webbing, and insert the
latch plates into the slots in the headliner for storage
while the 60% seatback is folded down.
WARNING!
•If the small (keyed buckle) latch plate and keyed
buckle are not properly connected when the seat
belt is used by an occupant, the seat belt will not
be able to provide the proper restraint and will
increase the risk of injury in a collision.
(Continued)
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WARNING! (Continued)
•When reattaching the small (keyed buckle) latch
plate and keyed buckle, ensure the seat belt web-
bing is not twisted. If the webbing is twisted,
follow the preceding procedure to detach the small
latch plate from the keyed buckle, untwist the
webbing, and reattach the small latch plate and
keyed buckle.
Third Row Center Seat Belt
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To reattach the seat belt to the third row center seat, pull
the small (keyed buckle) latch plate forward from the
headliner slots and insert it into the keyed buckle until
there is an audible click. Refer to the previous section for
the proper seat belt usage.
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 belt system in the event of
a collision. These devices improve the performance of the
seat belt by assuring that the belt is tight about the
Third Row Center Seat Belt
Headliner Stowage Slots
48 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE