Ram 1500 2009 Manual PDF

•Transmission gear selection
•Cruise control status
•Traction/stability control status
•Tire Pressure Monitoring System status (if equipped)
Child Restraint
Everyone in your vehicle needs to be buckled up all the
time, including babies and children. 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 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, even a tiny baby,
can become a projectile 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.
•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
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 69

of child restraints can be used rearward-facing: infant
carriers andconvertible child 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 must NEVERbe used in
the front seat of a vehicle with a front passenger
airbag. 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. For further information, refer to
www.seatcheck.org.
70 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 ex-
actly when installing an infant or child restraint.
•A rearward-facing child restraint should only be
used in a rear seat.
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.
•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 path
opening 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.
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 71

•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 latch plate
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.
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 installing
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 Quad Caband
Crew Cab rear seat outboard positions. LATCH equipped
seating positions feature both lower anchor bars, located
at the back of the seat cushion, and tether strap anchor-
ages, located behind the seat back (refer to “Child Re-
straint Tether Anchor” in this section).
72 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Child restraint systems having attachments designed to
connect to the lower anchorages are now available. Child
restraints having tether straps and hooks for connection
to the seat back tether anchorage have been available forsome time. In fact, many child restraint manufacturers
will provide add-on tether strap kits for some of their
older products.
Because the lower anchorages are to be introduced to
passenger carrying vehicles over a period of years, child
restraint systems having attachments for those anchor-
ages will continue to have features for installation in
vehicles using the lap or lap/shoulder belt. They will also
have tether straps, and you are urged to take advantage
of all of the available attachments provided with your
child restraint in any vehicle.
Quad Cab/Crew Cab Rear Outboard Seats Driver Side
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 73

NOTE:
•When using the LATCH attaching system to install a
child restraint, please ensure that all seat belts not
being used for occupant restraints are stowed and out
of reach of children. It is recommended that before
installing the child restraint, buckle the seat belt so the
seat belt is tucked behind the child restraint and out of
reach. If the buckled seat belt interferes with the child
restraint installation, instead of tucking the seat belt
behind the child restraint, route the seat belt through
the child restraint belt path and then buckle it. This
should stow the seat belt out of the reach of an
inquisitive child. Remind all children in the vehicle
that the seat belts are not toys and should not be
played with, and never leave your child unattended in
the vehicle.
•If your child restraint seat is not LATCH-compatible,
install the restraint using the vehicle seat belting.
Installing the Child Restraint System
WARNING!
Do not install child restraint systems equipped with
LATCH attachments in the center position of a Quad
Cabor Crew Cab model rear seat. The LATCH
anchorages in this seat are designed for the two
outboard seating positions only. A child may be
placed in the rear center seating position of a Quad
Cab or Crew Cab model using the seat belt and
child tether anchorage. Failure to follow this may
result in serious or fatal injury.
74 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

We urge you to carefully follow the directions of the
manufacturer when installing your child restraint. Many,
but not all, restraint systems will be equipped with
separate straps on each side, with each having a hook or
connector, and a means for adjusting the tension in the
strap. Forward-facing toddler restraints and some
rearward-facing infant restraints will also be equipped
with a tether strap, a hook and means for adjusting the
tension in the strap.
In general, you will first loosen the adjusters on the lower
straps and tether straps so that you can more easily attach
the hook or connector to the lower anchorages and tether
anchorages. Then tighten all three straps as you push the
child restraint rearward and downward into the seat.
Not all child restraint systems will be installed as we
have described here. Again, carefully follow the instruc-
tions that come with the child restraint system.WARNING!
Improper installation of a child restraint to the
LATCH anchorages can lead to failure of an infant or
child restraint. The child could be badly injured or
killed. Follow the 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 an 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 is not necessary
to use a locking clip. The ALR will make a ratcheting
noise if you extract the entire belt from the retractor and
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 75

then allow the belt to retract into the retractor. For
additional information on ALR, refer to “Automatic
Locking Mode” in this section.
To install a child restraint, first, pull enough of the seat
belt webbing from the retractor to route it through the
belt path of the child restraint and slide the latch plate
into the buckle. Next, extract all the seat belt webbing out
of the retractor and then allow the belt to retract into the
retractor. Finally, pull on any excess webbing to tighten
the lap portion around the child restraint. Any seat belt
system will loosen with time, so check the belt occasion-
ally, and pull it tight if necessary.
Child Restraint Tether Anchor
Child restraints having tether straps and hooks for con-
nection to tether anchors have been available for some
time. In fact, many child restraint manufacturers will
provide add-on tether strap kits for their older products.
Regular Cab models have two tether anchorages, oneeach behind the front center and right seats. Quad Cab
and Crew Cab models have three anchorages, one behind
each of the rear seats.
WARNING!
An incorrectly anchored tether strap could lead to
seat failure and injury to the child. In a collision, the
seat could come loose and allow the child to crash
into the inside of the vehicle or other passengers, or
even be thrown from the vehicle. Use only the anchor
positions directly behind the child seat to secure a
child restraint top tether strap. Follow the instruc-
tions below. See your authorized dealer for help if
necessary.
76 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Tether Anchorage Points at the Right and Center
Front Seat (Regular Cab - All Seats)
1. Place the child restraint on the seat and adjust the
tether strap so that it will reach over the seat back under
the head restraint to the tether anchor directly behind the
seat.
2. Lift the cover (if so equipped), and attach the hook to
the square opening in the sheet metal.
3. Install the child restraint and remove the slack in the
tether strap according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Regular Cab Tether Strap Mounting
1 — Tether Strap Hook
2 — Tether Strap to Child Restraint
3 — Tether Anchor
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 77

Multiple Child Restraint Installation Sequence
(Quad Cab/Crew Cab - Rear Seats)
1. Obtain tether straps by raising the head restraints and
reaching between the rear glass and rear seat. The tether
strap may be retained with an elastic band. Accessibility
to the tether strap is greatly improved by raising the seat
cushion to the “up” position. Remove the elastic before
use.
78 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE