child restraint DODGE VIPER 2015 VX / 3.G User Guide

Advanced Front Air Bag will not inflate even though the
Passenger Air Bag Disable (PAD) System Indicator Light
is NOT illuminated.
** It is possible for a child to be classified as an adult,
allowing the deployment of the passenger Advanced
Front Air Bag. Never allow children to ride in the front
passenger seat and never install a child restraint system,
including a rear-facing child restraint, in this vehicle.
Passenger Advanced Front Air Bag Disabled (PAD)
Indicator Light
The PAD Indicator Light (an amber light located in the
center of the instrument panel) tells the driver and front
passenger when the passenger Advanced Front Air Bag is
deactivated. The PAD Indicator light illuminates the
words “PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF” to show that the
Passenger Advanced Front Air Bag will not inflate during
a collision. When the right front passenger seat is empty
or when very light objects are placed on the seat, the
Passenger Advanced Front Air Bag will not inflate even
though the PAD Indicator Light is not illuminated.
The PAD Indicator Light should not be illuminated when
an adult passenger is properly seated in the front passen-
ger seat. Drivers and adult passengers should verify that
the PAD Indicator Light is not illuminated when an adult
is riding in the front passenger seat. If an adult is not
seated properly the Passenger Advanced Front Air Bag
may be deactivated and the PAD Indicator Light will be
illuminated.
The PAD Indicator Light should be illuminated and the
Passenger Advanced Front Air Bag should be deactivated
for most properly seated and restrained children in the
passenger seat and for most properly installed child
restraint systems. However, under certain conditions,
even with a properly installed child restraint system, the
PAD Indicator Light may not be illuminated, even
though the Advanced Front Air Bag is deactivated. This
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 53

can occur if the child restraint is lighter than the lightest
weight necessary to illuminate the PAD Indicator Light.
NEVER assume the Passenger Advanced Front Air Bag is
deactivated unless the PAD Indicator Light is illuminated
with the words “PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF.”
If The Pad Indicator Light Is Illuminated For An
Adult Passenger:
If an adult passenger is seated in the passenger seat and
the PAD Indicator Light is illuminated, the passenger
may be sitting improperly. Follow the steps below to
allow the OCS to detect the adult passenger ’s seated
weight to activate the Passenger Advanced Front Air Bag:
1. Turn off the vehicle and have the adult passenger step
out of the vehicle.
2. Remove any extra materials from the passenger seat,
such as cushions, pads, seat covers, seat massagers,
blankets, extra clothing, etc.
3. Place the seatback in the full upright position.
4. Have the adult passenger sit upright in the passenger
seat, sitting in the center of the seat cushion, with the
passenger ’s legs fully extended.
5. Restart the vehicle and have the passenger remain in
this sitting position for two to three minutes after
restarting the vehicle.
54 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
•If the PAD Indicator Light remains illuminated for
an adult passenger, have an authorized dealer ser-
vice the air bag system immediately. Failure to do
so may cause serious injury or death. If the PAD
Indicator Light is illuminated with the words
“PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF” the Passenger Ad-
vanced Front Air Bag will not inflate in the event of
a collision.
•Never place a rear facing infant seat in front of a
Passenger Advanced Front 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 a rear-facing child restraint in a vehicle
with a rear seat.
Lighter Weight Passengers (Including Small
Adults)
When a lighter weight passenger, including a small adult,
occupies the passenger seat, the Passenger Advanced
Front Air Bag may be deactivated. Therefore, the Passen-
ger Advanced Front Air Bag may or may not deploy for
a lighter weight passenger, including a small adult (de-
pending on size), who is seated in the front passenger
seat. This does not mean that the OCS is working
improperly.
The driver and passenger must always pay attention to
the Passenger Air Bag Disable (PAD) System. The PAD
Indicator Light tells you whether the Passenger Ad-
vanced Front Air Bag is activated or deactivated. If the
PAD Indicator Light is illuminated with the words “PAS-
SENGER AIR BAG OFF,” the Passenger Advanced Front
Air Bag may not inflate in the event of a collision. If the
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 55

The SABICs may help reduce the risk of partial or
complete ejection of vehicle occupants through side
windows in certain side impact events.
The SABICs deploy upward, covering the side windows.
An inflating SABIC pushes the outside edge of the trim
out of the way and covers the window. The SABICs
inflate with enough force to injure you if you are not
belted and seated properly, or if items are positioned in
the area where the SABICs inflate. Children are at an
even greater risk of injury from a deploying air bag.
SABICs are designed to activate in certain side impacts.
The Occupant Restraint Controller (“ORC”) determines
whether the deployment of the SABIC in a particular
impact event is appropriate, based on the severity and
type of collision. The side impact sensors aid the ORC in
determining the appropriate response to impact events.
The system is calibrated to deploy the SABIC on the
impact side of the vehicle during impacts that require
SABIC occupant protection. In side impacts, the SABICs
deploy independently; a left side impact deploys the left
side SABIC only and a right-side impact deploys the
right side SABIC only. Vehicle damage by itself is not a
good indicator of whether or not SABICs should have
deployed.
Supplemental Door-Integrated Side Air Bag Label
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 63

SABICs will not deploy in all side collisions, including
some collisions at certain angles, or some side collisions
that do not impact the area of the passenger compart-
ment. SABICs may deploy during angled or offset frontal
collisions where the Advanced Front Air Bags deploy.
SABICs are a supplement to the seat belt restraint system.
SABICs deploy in less time than it takes to blink your
eyes. Occupants, including children, who are up against
or very close to SABICs can be seriously injured or killed.
Occupants, including children, should never lean on or
sleep against the door, side windows, or area where the
side air bags inflate, even if they are in an infant or child
restraint.
Seat belts (and child restraints where appropriate) are
necessary for your protection in all collisions. They also
help keep you in position, away from an inflating SABIC.
To get the best protection from the SABICs, occupants
must wear their seat belts properly and sit upright with
their backs against the seats. Children must be properly
restrained in a child restraint or booster seat that is
appropriate for the size of the child.
WARNING!
•Your vehicle is equipped with left and right
Supplemental Door-Integrated Side Air Bag Inflat-
able Curtains (SABICs). Do not stack luggage or
other cargo up high enough to block the deploy-
ment of the SABICs. The door trim below the side
windows where the SABIC and its deployment
path are located, should remain free from any
obstructions.
•SABICs need room to inflate. Do not lean against
the door or window. Sit upright in the center of the
seat.
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64 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

bag deployment or hitting a road obstacle, data that will
assist in understanding how a vehicle’s systems per-
formed. The EDR is designed to record data related to
vehicle dynamics and safety systems for a short period of
time, typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in this vehicle
is designed to record such data as:
•How various systems in your vehicle were operating;
•Whether or not the driver and passenger safety belts
were buckled/fastened;
•How far (if at all) the driver was pushing the accelera-
tor and/or brake pedal; and,
•How fast the vehicle was traveling.
These data can help provide a better understanding of
the circumstances in which crashes and injuries occur.
NOTE:EDR data are recorded by your vehicle only if a
non-trivial crash situation occurs; no data are recorded by
the EDR under normal driving conditions and no per-
sonal data (e.g., name, gender, age, and crash location)
are recorded. However, other parties, such as law en-
forcement, could combine the EDR data with the type of
personally identifying data routinely acquired during a
crash investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special equipment is
required, and access to the vehicle or the EDR is needed.
In addition to the vehicle manufacturer, other parties,
such as law enforcement, that have the special equip-
ment, can read the information if they have access to the
vehicle or the EDR.
Child Restraints
Everyone in your vehicle needs to be buckled up at all
times, including babies and children.
70 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Every state in the United States, and every Canadian
province, requires that small children ride in proper
restraint systems. This is the law, and you can be pros-
ecuted for ignoring it.
Children 12 years or younger should ride properly
buckled 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 can become a
projectile inside the vehicle. The force required to
hold even an infant on your lap could 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.
There are different sizes and types of restraints for
children from newborn size to the child almost large
enough for an adult seat belt. Always check the child seat
Owner ’s Manual to make sure you have the correct seat
for your child. Carefully read and follow all the instruc-
tions and warnings in the child restraint Owner ’s Manual
and on all the labels attached to the child restraint.
Before buying any restraint system, make sure that it has
a label certifying that it meets all applicable Safety
Standards. You should also make sure that you can install
it in the vehicle where you will use it.
NOTE:
•For additional information, refer to www.seatcheck.org
or call 1–866–SEATCHECK (732–8243). Canadian resi-
dents should refer to Transport Canada’s website for
additional information:
•www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/
safedrivers-childsafety-index-53.htm
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 71

Summary Of Recommendations For Restraining Children In Vehicles
Child Size, Height, Weight Or Age Recommended Type Of Child Restraint
Infants and Toddlers Children who are two years old or
younger and who have not reached the
height or weight limits of their child
restraint
Either an Infant Carrier or a Convertible
Child Restraint, facing rearward in the
rear seat of the vehicle
Small Children Children who are at least two years old
or who have out-grown the height or
weight limit of their rear-facing child
restraint
Forward-Facing Child Restraint with a
five-point Harness, facing forward in the
rear seat of the vehicle
Larger Children Children who have out-grown their
forward-facing child restraint, but are
too small to properly fit the vehicle’s
seat belt
Belt Positioning Booster Seat and the
vehicle seat belt, seated in the rear seat
of the vehicle
Children Too Large for
Child Restraints
Children 12 years old or younger, who
have out-grown the height or weight
limit of their booster seat
Vehicle Seat Belt, seated in the rear seat
of the vehicle
72 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Infants And Child Restraints
Safety experts recommend that children ride rear-facing
in the vehicle until they are two years old or until they
reach either the height or weight limit of their rear-facing
child restraint. Two types of child restraints can be used
rear-facing: infant carriers and convertible child seats.
The infant carrier is only used rear-facing in the vehicle.
It is recommended for children from birth until they
reach the weight or height limit of the infant carrier.
Convertible child seats can be used either rear-facing or
forward-facing in the vehicle. Convertible child seats
often have a higher weight limit in the rear-facing
direction than infant carriers do, so they can be used
rear-facing by children who have outgrown their infant
carrier but are still less than at least two years old.
Children should remain rear-facing until they reach the
highest weight or height allowed by their convertible
child seat.
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 a rear-facing child restraint in a vehicle
with a rear seat.
Older Children And Child Restraints
Children who are two years old or who have outgrown
their rear-facing convertible child seat can ride forward-
facing in the vehicle. Forward-facing child seats and
convertible child seats used in the forward-facing direc-
tion are for children who are over two years old or who
have outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit of
their rear-facing convertible child seat. Children should
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 73

remain in a forward-facing child seat with a harness for
as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height
allowed by the child seat.
All children whose weight or height is above the
forward-facing limit for the child seat should use a
belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle’s seat belts
fit properly. If the child cannot sit with knees bent over
the vehicle’s seat cushion while the child’s back is against
the seatback, they should use a belt-positioning booster
seat. The child and belt-positioning booster seat are held
in the vehicle by the seat belt.
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 child restraint manufacturer ’s
directions exactly when installing an infant or
child restraint.
•After a child restraint is installed in the vehicle, do
not move the vehicle seat forward or rearward
because it can loosen the child restraint attach-
ments. Remove the child restraint before adjusting
the vehicle seat position. When the vehicle seat has
been adjusted, reinstall the child restraint.
(Continued)
74 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE