belt DODGE GRAND CARAVAN 2013 5.G Owner's Guide

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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Child Restraint LATCH Positions
What is the weight limit (child’s weight +
weight of the child restraint) for using the
LATCH anchorage system to attach the
child restraint?65 lbs (29.5 kg) Use the LATCH anchorage system until
the combined weight of the child 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 system to attach a rear-
facing or forward-facing child restraint.
Can a child seat be installed in the center
position using the inner LATCH lower
anchorages?N/A
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Can two child restraints be attached 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 anchorages, use the seat belt to in-
stall a child seat in the center position next
to a child seat using the LATCH anchor-
ages in an outboard position.
Can the rear-facing child restraint touch
the back of the front passenger 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 restraint owner ’s manual for more
information.
Can the head restraints be removed? Yes; second row
outboard positions
only, third row all
positions.
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Center Seat LATCH
If a child restraint installed in the center position blocks
the seat belt webbing or buckle for the outboard position,
do not use that outboard position. If a child seat in the
center position blocks the outboard LATCH anchors or
seat belt, do not install a child seat in that outboard
position.
WARNING!
Never use the same lower anchorage to attach more
than one child restraint. Please refer to “Installing
The LATCH-Compatible 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.
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.
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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
installation, instead of buckling it behind the child re-
straint, 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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WARNING!
Improper installation of a child restraint to the
LATCH anchorages can lead to failure of the re-
straint. The child could be badly injured or killed.
Follow the child restraint manufacturer ’s directions
exactly when installing an infant or child restraint.
Installing Child Restraints Using The Vehicle
Seat Belt
The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are
equipped with either a Switchable Automatic Locking
Retractor (ALR) or a cinching latch plate or both. Both
types of seat belts are designed to keep the lap portion of
the seat belt tight around the child restraint so that it isnot necessary to use a locking clip. The ALR retractor can
be “switched” into a locked mode by pulling all of the
webbing out of the retractor and then letting the webbing
retract back into the retractor. If it is locked, the ALR will
make a clicking noise while the webbing is pulled back
into the retractor. For additional information on ALR,
refer to the “Automatic Locking Mode” description un-
der “Occupant Restraints.” The cinching latch plate is
designed to hold the lap portion of the seatbelt tight
when webbing is pulled tight and straight through a
child restraint’s belt path. Please see the table below and
the following sections for more information about both
types of seat belts.
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Lap/Shoulder Belt Systems for Installing Child
Restraints in this Vehicle
Second Row Captains Chair
Second Row Bench
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Lap/Shoulder Belt Systems
What is the weight limit (child’s
weight + weight of the child
restraint) for using the Tether
Anchor with the seat belt to attach
a forward facing child restraint?Weight limit of the Child Restraint Always use the tether anchor when
using the seat belt to install a
forward facing child restraint, up
to the recommended weight limit
of the child restraint.
Can the rear-facing child restraint
touch the back of the front
passenger seat?Yes Contact between the front passen-
ger seat and the child restraint is
allowed, if the child restraint
manufacturer also allows contact.
Can the head restraints be
removed?Yes; second row outboard posi-
tions only, third row all positions.
Can the buckle stalk be twisted to
tighten the seat belt against the belt
path of the child restraint?Yes In positions with cinching latch
plates (CINCH), the buckle stalk
may be twisted up to 3 full turns.
Do not twist the buckle stalk in a
seating position with an ALR
retractor.
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Installing A Child Restraint with a Switchable
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)
1. Place the child seat in the center of the 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.
2. Pull enough of the seat belt webbing from the retractor
to pass it through the belt path of the child restraint.
Do not twist the belt webbing in the belt path.
3. Slide the latch plate into the buckle until you hear a
“click.”
4. Pull on the webbing to make the lap portion tight
against the child seat.5. To lock the seat belt, pull down on the shoulder part of
the belt until you have pulled all the seat belt webbing
out of the retractor. Then, allow the webbing to retract
back into the retractor. As the webbing retracts, you
will hear a clicking sound. This means the seat belt is
now in the Automatic Locking mode.
6. Try to pull the webbing out of the retractor. If it is
locked, you should not be able to pull out any web-
bing. If the retractor is not locked, repeat step 5.
7. Finally, pull up on any excess webbing to tighten the
lap portion around the child restraint while you push
the child restraint rearward and downward into the
vehicle seat.
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8. If the child restraint has a top tether strap and the
seating position has a top tether anchorage, connect
the tether strap to the anchorage and tighten the tether
strap. Refer to “Lower Anchors and Tethers for Chil-
dren (LATCH) Restraint System” for directions to
attach a tether anchor.
9. 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.
Any seat belt system will loosen with time, so check the
belt occasionally, and pull it tight if necessary.Installing A Child Restraint With A Cinching
Latch Plate (CINCH) — If Equipped
1. Place the child seat in the center of the 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.
2. Next, pull enough of the seat belt webbing from the
retractor to pass it through the belt path of the child
restraint. Do not twist the belt webbing in the belt
path.
3. Slide the latch plate into the buckle until you hear a
“click.”
4. Finally, pull up on any excess webbing to tighten the
lap portion around the child restraint while you push
the child restraint rearward and downward into the
vehicle seat.
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