child restraint DODGE POWER WAGON 2005 2.G Owners Manual

▫To Unlock The Doors...................25
▫To Lock The Doors.....................26
▫Using The Panic Alarm..................27
▫Programming Additional Transmitters........28
▫General Information....................29
▫Transmitter Battery Service...............30

Security Alarm System—If Equipped.........31
▫Rearming Of The System.................31
▫To Set The Alarm......................31
▫To Disarm The System...................32

Windows.............................33
▫Power Windows—If Equipped.............33
▫Sliding Rear Window—If Equipped.........34▫Wind Buffeting........................35

Occupant Restraints......................35
▫Lap/Shoulder Belts.....................36
▫Adjustable Upper Shoulder Belt Anchorage....43
▫Automatic Locking Mode (If Equipped)......44
▫Center Lap Belts.......................44
▫Seat Belt Pretensioners...................45
▫Enhanced Driver Seat Belt Reminder System
(BeltAlert)...........................45
▫Seat Belts And Pregnant Women............47
▫Seat Belt Extender......................47
▫Driver And Right Front Passenger Supplemental
Restraint System (SRS)—Airbag............47
▫Child Restraint........................59
10 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WIND BUFFETING
Wind buffeting can be described as the perception of
pressure on the ears or a helicopter type sound in the
ears. Your vehicle may exhibit wind buffeting with the
windows down or partially open positions. This is a
normal occurrence and can be minimized. If the buffeting
occurs with the rear windows open, open the front and
rear windows together to minimize the buffeting.
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, front
airbags for both the driver and front passenger and, if so
equipped, window bags for the driver and passengers
seated next to a window. If you will be carrying children
too small for adult-size belts, your seat belts also 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 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.
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.
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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.
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
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 airbag control
module. Like the airbags, the pretensioners are single use
items. After a collision that is severe enough to deploy
the airbags and pretensioners, both must be replaced.
Enhanced Driver Seat Belt Reminder System
(BeltAlert)
If the driver’s seat belt has not been buckled within 60
seconds of starting the vehicle and if the vehicle speed is
greater than 5 mph (8 km/h), the Enhanced Warning
System (BeltAlert) will alert the driver to buckle their seat
belt. The driver should also instruct all other occupants to
buckle their seat belts. Once the warning is triggered, the
Enhanced Warning System (BeltAlert) will continue to
chime and flash the Seat Belt Warning Light for 96
seconds or until the driver’s seat belt is buckled. The
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 45
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Airbags inflate in moderate to high speed impacts. Along
with the seatbelts, front airbags work with the instrument
panel knee bolsters to provide improved protection for
the driver and front passenger. Window bags also work
with seat belts to improve occupant protection.
The seat belts are designed to protect you in many types
of collisions. The front airbags deploy in moderate to
severe frontal collisions. If your vehicle is so equipped,
the window bag on the crash side of the vehicle is
triggered in moderate to severe side collisions. In certain
types of collisions, both the front and side airbags may be
triggered. But even in collisions where the airbags work,
you need the seat belts to keep you in the right position
for the airbags to protect you properly.
Here are some simple steps you can follow to minimize
the risk of harm from a deploying airbag.•Children 12 years and under should ride buckled up in
a rear seat, if available.
•Infants in rear facing child restraints mustNEVER
ride in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger front
airbagunless the airbag is turned off(Standard Cab
Vehicles Only). An airbag deployment can cause se-
vere injury or death to infants in that position. See the
Passenger Airbag On/Off Switch section.
•If your vehicle does not have a rear seat, see the
Passenger Airbag On/Off Switch section.
•Children that are not big enough to properly wear the
vehicle seat belt (see section on Child Restraints)
should be secured in the rear seat in child restraints or
belt-positioning booster seats. Older children who do
not use child restraints or belt-positioning booster
seats should ride properly buckled up in the rear seat.
Never allow children to slide the shoulder belt behind
them or under their arm.
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The passenger front airbag is to be turned off only if the
passenger:
•is an infant (less than 1 year old) who must ride in the
front seat because there is no rear seat, because the rear
seat is too small for a rear-facing infant restraint or
because the infant has a medical condition which
makes it necessary for the driver to be able to see the
infant,
•is a child, age 1 to 12 who must ride in the front seat
because there is no rear seat, because there is no rear
seat position available, or because the child has a
medical condition which makes it necessary for the
driver to be able to see the child,
•has a medical condition which makes passenger airbag
inflation (deployment) a greater risk for the passenger
than the risk of hitting the dashboard (instrument
panel) or windshield in a crash.
WARNING!
Whenever an airbag is turned off, even a lap/
shoulder belted passenger may hit their head, neck,
or chest on the dashboard (instrument panel) or
windshield in a crash. This may result in serious
injury or death.
To Shut Off the Passenger Airbag (Standard Cab Ve-
hicles Only)
Place the ignition key in the Passenger Airbag On/Off
Switch, push the key in and turn clockwise, and remove
the key from the switch. This will shut off the passenger
side airbag. The“Off”light near the switch will illumi-
nate when the ignition switch is turned to the ON
position.
54 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

NOTE:If the speedometer, tachometer or any engine
related gauges are not working, the airbag control mod-
ule may also be disabled. The airbags may not be ready
to inflate for your protection. Promptly check fuse num-
bers 52 and 53 in the fuse and relay center. See your
dealer if the fuse is good.
Child Restraint
Everyone in your vehicle needs to be buckled up all the
time—babies and children, too. Every state in the United
States and all Canadian provinces require that small
children ride in proper restraint systems. This is the law,
and you can be prosecuted for ignoring it.
Children 12 years and under should ride properly buck-
led up in a rear seat, if available. According to crash
statistics, children are safer when properly restrained in
the rear seats rather than in the front.
WARNING!
In a collision, an unrestrained child, even a tiny
baby, can become a missile inside the vehicle. The
force required to hold even an infant on your lap can
become so great that you could not hold the child, no
matter how strong you are. The child and others
could be badly injured. Any child riding in your
vehicle should be in a proper restraint for the child’s
size.
Infants and Small Children
There are different sizes and types of restraints for
children from newborn size to the child almost large
enough for an adult safety belt. Use the restraint that is
correct for your child:
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•Safety experts recommend that children ride
rearward-facing in the vehicle until they are at least
one year old and weigh at least 20 lbs (9 kg). Two types
of child restraints can be used rearward-facing: infant
carriers andconvertiblechild seats. Both types of
child restraints are held in the vehicle by the lap/
shoulder belt.
•The infant carrier is only used rearward-facing in the
vehicle. It is recommended for children who weigh up
to about 20 lbs (9 kg).Convertiblechild seats can be
used either rearward-facing or forward-facing in the
vehicle. Convertible child seats often have a higher
weight limit in the rearward-facing direction than
infant carriers do, so they can be used rearward-facing
by children who weigh more than 20 lbs (9 kg) but are
less than one year old.
•Rearward-facing child seats mustNEVERbe used in
the front seat of a vehicle with a front passenger airbagunless the airbag is turned off. An airbag deployment
could cause severe injury or death to infants in this
position.
•Children who weigh more than 20 lbs (9 kg) and who
are older than one year can ride forward-facing in the
vehicle. Forward-facing child seats and convertible
child seats used in the forward-facing direction are for
children who weigh 20 to 40 lbs (9 to 18 kg) and who
are older than one year. These child seats are also held
in the vehicle by the lap/shoulder belt.
•The belt-positioning booster seat is for children weigh-
ing more than 40 lbs (18 kg), but who are still too small
to fit the vehicle’s seat belts properly. If the child
cannot sit with knees bent over the vehicle’s seat
cushion while the child’s back is against the seat back,
they should use a belt-positioning-booster seat. The
child and booster seat are held in the vehicle by the
lap/shoulder belt. (Some booster seats are equipped
60 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

with a front shield and are held in the vehicle by the
lap portion.) For further information refer to
www.seatcheck.org.
WARNING!
•Improper installation can lead to failure of an
infant or child restraint. It could come loose in a
collision. The child could be badly injured or
killed. Follow the manufacturer’s directions ex-
actly when installing an infant or child restraint.
•A rearward facing child restraint should only be
used in a rear seat, or in the front seat if the
passenger’s front airbag is Off. If the airbag is left
On, a rearward facing child restraint in the front
seat may be struck by a deploying passenger
airbag which may cause severe or fatal injury to
the infant.
Here are some tips for getting the most out of your child
restraint:
•Before buying any restraint system, make sure that it
has a label certifying that it meets all applicable Safety
Standards. We also recommend that you make sure
that you can install the child restraint in the vehicle
where you will use it before you buy it.
•The restraint must be appropriate for your child’s
weight and height. Check the label on the restraint for
weight and height limits.
•Carefully follow the instructions that come with the
restraint. If you install the restraint improperly, it may
not work when you need it.
•The passenger seat belts are equipped with either
cinching latch plates or switchable seat belt retractors,
which are designed to keep the lap portion tight
around the child restraint so that it is not necessary to
use a locking clip.
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If the seat belt has a cinching latch plate, pulling up on
the shoulder portion of the lap/shoulder belt will
tighten the belt. The cinching latch plate will keep the
belt tight, however, any seat belt system will loosen
with time, so check the belt occasionally and pull it
tight if necessary.
If the seat belt has a switchable retractor, it will have a
distinctive label: Pull the belt from the retractor until
there is enough to allow you to pass through the child
restraint and slide the latch plate into the buckle. Then
pull on the belt until it is all removed from the retractor.
Allow the belt to return to the retractor, pulling on the
excess webbing to tighten the lap portion about the child
restraint. Refer to theAutomatic Locking Modeearlier
in this section.
•In the rear seat, you may have trouble tightening the
lap/shoulder belt on the child restraint because the
buckle or latch plate is too close to the belt pathopening on the restraint. Disconnect the latch plate
from the buckle and twist the short buckle-end belt
several times to shorten it. Insert the latch plate into
the buckle with the release button facing out.
•If the belt still can’t be tightened, or if pulling and
pushing on the restraint loosens the belt, disconnect
the latch plate from the buckle, turn the buckle
around, and insert the latch plate into the buckle
again. If you still can’t make the child restraint secure,
try a different seating position.
•Buckle the child into the seat according to the child
restraint manufacturer’s directions.
•When your child restraint is not in use, secure it in the
vehicle with the seat belt or remove it from the vehicle.
Do not leave it loose in the vehicle. In a sudden stop or
collision, it could strike the occupants or seat backs
and cause serious personal injury.
62 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
Improper installation can lead to failure of an infant
or child restraint. It could come loose in a collision.
The child could be badly injured or killed. Follow
the manufacturer’s directions exactly when install-
ing an infant or child restraint.
Lower Anchors and Tether for CHildren (LATCH)
Each vehicle is equipped with the child restraint anchor-
age system called LATCH, which stands for Lower
Anchors and Tether for CHildren. LATCH child restraint
anchorage systems are installed in the Standard Cab
passenger seat position and the Quad Cab rear seat
outboard positions and also feature tether strap anchor-
ages, which must be used, located behind the seatback
(refer to Child Restraint Tether Anchor later in this
section).Identification dots are located above the standard cab
front seat lower anchorages as a guide for locating lower
anchors.
NOTE:For children riding in the front seat of a Stan-
dard Cab model refer to the“Passenger Airbag On/Off
Switch”located in this section.
Standard Cab Passenger Seat
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