belt DODGE DURANGO 2014 3.G Owner's Guide

WARNING!(Continued)
•When your child restraint is not in use, secure it in
the vehicle with the seat belt or LATCH anchor-
ages, or remove it from the vehicle. Do not leave it
loose in the vehicle. In a sudden stop or accident, it
could strike the occupants or seatbacks and cause
serious personal injury.
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 seat belt in a rear seat. Use this
simple 5-step test to decide whether the child can use the
vehicle’s seat belt alone: 1. Can the child sit all the way back against the back of
the vehicle seat?
2. Do the child’s knees bend comfortably over the front of the vehicle seat – while they are still sitting all the
way back?
3. Does the shoulder belt cross the child’s shoulder between their neck and arm?
4. Is the lap part of the belt as low as possible, touching the child’s thighs and not their stomach?
5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?
90 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

If the answer to any of these questions was “no,” then the
child still needs to use a booster seat in this vehicle. If the
child is using the lap/shoulder belt, check belt fit peri-
odically and make sure the seat belt buckle is latched. 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, or use
a booster seat to position the seat belt on the child
correctly.WARNING!
Never allow a child to put the shoulder belt under an
arm or behind their back. In a crash, the shoulder belt
will not protect a child properly, which may result in
serious injury or death. A child must always wear
both the lap and shoulder portions of the seat belt
correctly.
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Recommendations For Attaching Child Restraints
Restraint TypeCombined
Weight of the
Child + Child Restraint Use any attachment method shown with an “X” Below
LATCH –
Lower Anchors Only Seat Belt Only LATCH –
Lower Anchors + Top Tether Anchor Seat Belt + Top
Tether Anchor
Rear-Facing
Child Restraint Up to 65 lbs
(29.5 kg) XX
Rear-Facing
Child Restraint More than
65 lbs (29.5 kg) X
Forward-Facing Child Restraint Up to 65 lbs
(29.5 kg) XX
Forward-Facing Child Restraint More than
65 lbs (29.5 kg) X
92 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Lower Anchors And Tethers For Children (LATCH)
Restraint SystemYour vehicle is equipped with the child restraint anchor-
age system called LATCH, which stands for Lower
Anchors and Tethers for CHildren. The LATCH system
has three vehicle anchor points for installing LATCH-
equipped child seats. There are two lower anchorages
located at the back of the seat cushion where it meets the
seatback and one top tether anchorage located behind the
seating position. These anchorages are used to install
LATCH-equipped child seats without using the vehicle’s
seat belts. Some seating positions may have a top tether
anchorage but no lower anchorages. In these seating
positions, the seat belt must be used with the top tether
anchorage to install the child restraint. Please see the
following table for more information.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 93

What is the weight limit (child’s
weight + weight of the child re-
straint) for using the LATCH an-
chorage system to attach the child
restraint?65 lbs (29.5 kg) Use the LATCH anchorage system
until the combined weight of thechild and the child restraint is
65 lbs (29.5 kg). Use the seat belt and tether anchor instead of the
LATCH system once the combined weight is more than 65 lbs (29.5 kg).
Can the LATCH anchorages and the seat belt be used together to attach a rear-facing or forward- facing child restraint? No Do not use the seat belt when you
use the LATCH anchorage systemto attach a rear-facing or forward- facing child restraint.
Can a child seat be installed in the center position using the innerLATCH lower anchorages? No
Use the seat belt and tether anchor
to install a child seat in the center seating position.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 95

Can two child restraints be at-tached using a common lower LATCH anchorage? No Never “share” a LATCH anchorage
with two or more child restraints.
If the center position does not have dedicated LATCH lower anchor-
ages, use the seat belt to install a child seat in the center position next to a child seat using the
LATCH anchorages in an outboard position.
Can the rear-facing child restraint
touch the back of the front passen- ger seat? Yes
The child seat may touch the back
of the front passenger seat if the
child restraint manufacturer also
allows contact. See your child re- straint owner ’s manual for more information.
Can the head restraints be re- moved? Yes
Center position only may be re-
moved.
96 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

LATCH-compatible child restraint systems will be
equipped with a rigid bar or a flexible strap on each side.
Each will have a hook or connector to attach to the lower
anchorage and a way to tighten the connection to the
anchorage. Forward-facing child restraints and somerear-facing infant restraints will also be equipped with a
tether strap. The tether strap will have a hook at the end
to attach to the top tether anchorage and a way to tighten
the strap after it is attached to the anchorage.
Center Seat LATCH — Second Row 60/40
Do not install a child restraint in the center position using
the LATCH system. Use the seat belt and tether anchor to
install a child seat in the center seating position.
WARNING!
Never use the same lower anchorage to attach more
than one child restraint. Please refer to “Installing
The LATCH Child Restraint System” for typical
installation instructions.
Always follow the directions of the child restraint manu-
facturer when installing your child restraint. Not all child
restraint systems will be installed as described here.Pulling Down The Carpet Floor Panel To Access Top Tether Strap
100 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Vehicles With A Center Arm Rest Tether
For rearward facing infant seats secured in the center seat
position with the vehicle seat belts, the rear center seat
position has an armrest tether that secures the arm rest in
the upward position.
1. To access the center seat arm rest tether, first lower thearm rest. The tether is located behind the armrest and
hooked onto the plastic seat backing.
2. Pull down on the tether to unhook it from the plasticseat backing.
3. Raise the armrest and attach the tether hook to the strap located on the front of the arm rest.
Center Seat Position Arm Rest Tether
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Always follow the directions of the child restraint
manufacturer when installing your child restraint. Not
all child restraint systems will be installed as described
here.
To Install A LATCH-Compatible Child Restraint
1. If the selected seating position has a Switchable Auto-matic Locking Retractor (ALR) seat belt, stow the seat
belt following the instructions below. See the section
“Installing Child Restraints Using the Vehicle Seat
Belt” to check what type of seat belt each seating
position has.
2. Loosen the adjusters on the lower straps and on the tether strap of the child seat so that you can more
easily attach the hooks or connectors to the vehicle
anchorages.
3. Place the child seat between the lower anchorages for that seating position. For some second row seats, you
may need to recline the seat and/or raise the head
restraint to get a better fit. If the rear seat can be moved
forward and rearward in the vehicle, you may wish to
Center Seat Position Arm Rest Tether Attached
102 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

move it to its rear-most position to make room for the
child seat. You may also move the front seat forward
to allow more room for the child seat.
4. Attach the lower hooks or connectors of the child restraint to the lower anchorages in the selected seat-
ing position.
5. If the child restraint has a tether strap, connect it to the top tether anchorage. See the section “Installing Child
Restraints Using the Top Tether Anchorage” for direc-
tions to attach a tether anchor.
6. Tighten all of the straps as you push the child restraint rearward and downward into the seat. Remove slack
in the straps according to the child restraint manufac-
turer ’s instructions. 7. Test that the child restraint is installed tightly by
pulling back and forth on the child seat at the belt
path. It should not move more than 1 inch (25.4 mm)
in any direction.
How To Stow An Unused ALR Seatbelt
When using the LATCH attaching system to install a child
restraint, stow all ALR seat belts that are not being used by
other occupants or being used to secure child restraints. An
unused belt could injure a child if they play with it and
accidentally lock the seatbelt retractor. Before installing a
child restraint using the LATCH system, buckle the seat belt
behind the child restraint and out of the child’s reach. If the
buckled seat belt interferes with the child restraint installa-
tion, instead of buckling it behind the child restraint, route
the seat belt through the child restraint belt path and then
buckle it. Do not lock the seatbelt. Remind all children in the
vehicle that the seat belts are not toys and that they should
not play with them.
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