warning Ram 1500 2014 User Guide

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.
If you will be carrying children too small for adult-sized
seat belts, the seat belts or the Lower Anchors and Tether
for CHildren (LATCH) feature also can be used to hold
infant and child restraint systems. For more information
on LATCH, refer to Lower Anchors and Tether for
CHildren (LATCH).
NOTE:The Advanced Front Air Bags have a multistage
inflator design. This allows the air bag to have different
rates of inflation based on several factors, including the
severity and type of collision. Here are some simple steps you can take to minimize the
risk of harm from a deploying air bag:
1.
Children 12 years old and under should always ride
buckled up in a rear seat.
WARNING!
•Never place a rear facing infant seat 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 rearward
facing infant seat.
• Only use a rearward-facing child restraint in a
vehicle with a rear seat.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 51

WARNING!
•Relying on the air bags alone could lead to more
severe injuries in a collision. The air bags work
with your seat belt to restrain you properly. In
some collisions, the air bags won’t deploy at all.
Always wear your seat belts even though you have
air bags.
• Being too close to the steering wheel or instrument
panel during Advanced Front Air Bag deployment
could cause serious injury, including death. Air
bags need room to inflate. Sit back, comfortably
extending your arms to reach the steering wheel or
instrument panel.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•Supplemental Side Air Bag Inflatable Curtain
(SABIC) and Seat-Mounted Side Air Bags (SAB)
also need room to inflate. Do not lean against the
door or window. Sit upright in the center of the
seat.
• 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.
• Being too close to the Supplemental Side Air Bag
Inflatable Curtain (SABIC) and/or Seat-Mounted
Side Air Bag (SAB) during deployment could cause
you to be severely injured or killed.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 53

WARNING!
•It is dangerous to ride in a cargo area, inside or
outside of a vehicle. In a collision, people riding in
these areas are more likely to be seriously injured
or killed.
• Do not allow people to ride in any area of your
vehicle that is not equipped with seats and seat
belts.
• Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat using
a seat belt properly.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•Wearing a seat belt incorrectly is dangerous. Seat
belts are designed to go around the large bones of
your body. These are the strongest parts of your
body and take the forces of a collision the best.
Wearing your belt in the wrong place could make
your injuries in a collision much worse. You might
suffer internal injuries, or you could even slide out
of part of the belt. Follow these instructions to wear
your seat belt safely and to keep your passengers
safe, too.
• Two people should never be belted into a single
seat belt. People belted together can crash into one
another in a collision, hurting one another badly.
Never use a lap/shoulder belt or a lap belt for more
than one person, no matter what their size.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 55

3. When the belt is long enough to fit, insert the latchplate into the buckle until you hear a “click.”WARNING!
•A belt buckled into the wrong buckle will not
protect you properly. The lap portion could ride too
high on your body, possibly causing internal inju-
ries. Always buckle your belt into the buckle
nearest you.
• A belt that is too loose will not protect you prop-
erly. In a sudden stop you could move too far
forward, increasing the possibility of injury. Wear
your seat belt snugly.
(Continued)
Latch Plate To Buckle
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 57

WARNING!(Continued)
•A belt that is worn under your arm is dangerous.
Your body could strike the inside surfaces of the
vehicle in a collision, increasing head and neck
injury. A belt worn under the arm can cause inter-
nal injuries. Ribs aren’t as strong as shoulder
bones. Wear the belt over your shoulder so that
your strongest bones will take the force in a colli-
sion.
• A shoulder belt placed behind you will not protect
you from injury during a collision. You are more
likely to hit your head in a collision if you do not
wear your shoulder belt. The lap and shoulder belt
are meant to be used together. 4. Position the lap belt across your thighs, below your
abdomen. To remove slack in the lap belt portion, pull
up on the shoulder belt. To loosen the lap belt if it is
too tight, tilt the latch plate and pull on the lap belt. A
snug belt reduces the risk of sliding under the belt in
a collision.
Removing Slack From Belt
58 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
•A lap belt worn too high can increase the risk of
internal injury in a collision. The belt forces won’t
be at the strong hip and pelvic bones, but across
your abdomen. Always wear the lap belt as low as
possible and keep it snug.
• A twisted belt may not protect you properly. In a
collision, it could even cut into you. Be sure the belt
is straight. If you can’t straighten a belt in a vehicle,
take it to your authorized dealer immediately and
have it fixed.
5. Position the shoulder belt on your chest so that it is comfortable and not resting on your neck. The retrac-
tor will withdraw any slack in the belt. 6. To release the belt, push the red button on the buckle.
The belt will automatically retract to its stowed posi-
tion. If necessary, slide the latch plate down the
webbing to allow the belt to retract fully.
WARNING!
A frayed or torn belt could rip apart in a collision and
leave you with no protection. Inspect the belt system
periodically, checking for cuts, frays, or loose parts.
Damaged parts must be replaced immediately. Do
not disassemble or modify the system. Seat belt
assemblies must be replaced after a collision if they
have been damaged (bent retractor, torn webbing,
etc.) or if the air bag deployed.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 59

WARNING!
•If the black latch and black buckle are not properly
connected when the seat belt is used by an occu-
pant, the seat belt will not be able to provide
proper restraint and will increase the risk of injury
in a collision.
• When reattaching the black latch and black buckle,
ensure the seat belt webbing is not twisted. If the
webbing is twisted, follow the preceding proce-
dure to detach the black latch and black buckle,
untwist the webbing, and reattach the black latch
and black buckle.
Lap/Shoulder Belt Untwisting Procedure
Use the following procedure to untwist a twisted lap/
shoulder belt.
1. Position the latch plate as close as possible to the anchor point.
2. At about 6 to 12 in (15 to 30 cm) above the latch plate, grasp and twist the belt webbing 180 degrees to create
a fold that begins immediately above the latch plate.
3. Slide the latch plate upward over the folded webbing. The folded webbing must enter the slot at the top of
the latch plate.
4. Continue to slide the latch plate up until it clears the folded webbing.
62 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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 Belts In Passenger Seating Positions
The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are
equipped with either a switchable Automatic Locking
Retractors (ALR) or with a Cinching Latchplate which is
used to secure a child restraint system. For additional
information, refer to “Installing Child Restraints Using
The Vehicle Seat Belt” under the “Child Restraints”
section. The chart below defines the type of feature for
each seating position. For Quad Cab®, Mega Cab® and Crew Cab Only
Driver Center Passenger
First Row N/A Cinch ALR
Second Row ALR Cinch ALR
• N/A — Not Applicable
• ALR — Automatic Locking Retractor
For Standard Cab Only
Driver Center Passenger
First Row N/A ALR ALR
Second Row N/A N/A N/A
• N/A — Not Applicable
• ALR — Automatic Locking Retactor
64 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
•The belt and retractor assembly must be replaced if
the seat belt assembly Automatic Locking Retractor
(ALR) feature or any other seat belt function is not
working properly when checked according to the
procedures in the Service Manual.
• Failure to replace the belt and retractor assembly
could increase the risk of injury in collisions.
Energy Management Feature
This vehicle has a safety belt system with an Energy
Management feature in the front seating positions to help
further reduce the risk of injury in the event of a head-on
collision.
This safety belt system has a retractor assembly that is
designed to release webbing in a controlled manner. This
feature is designed to help reduce the belt force acting on
the occupant’s chest.
Seat Belt Pretensioners
The seat belts for both front seating positions are
equipped with pretensioning devices that are designed to
remove slack from the seat belt in the event of a collision.
These devices may improve the performance of the seat
belt by assuring that the belt is tight around the occupant
early in a collision. Pretensioners work for all size occu-
pants, 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 Occupant Re-
straint Controller (ORC). Like the air bags, the preten-
sioners are single use items. A deployed pretensioner or
a deployed air bag must be replaced immediately.
66 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Enhanced Seat Belt Use Reminder System
(BeltAlert®)
BeltAlert® is a feature intended to remind the driver and
front passenger (if equipped with front passenger
BeltAlert®) to fasten their seat belts. The feature is active
whenever the ignition is on. If the driver or front seat
passenger is unbelted, the Seat Belt Reminder Light will
turn on and remain on until both front seat belts are
fastened.
The BeltAlert® warning sequence begins after the vehicle
speed is over 5 mph (8 km/h), by blinking the Seat Belt
Reminder Light and sounding an intermittent chime.
Once the sequence starts, it will continue for the entire
duration or until the respective seatbelts are fastened.
After the sequence completes, the Seat Belt Reminder
Light remains illuminated until the respective seat belts
are fastened. The driver should instruct all other occu-
pants to fasten their seat belts. If a front seat belt isunbuckled while traveling at speeds greater than 5 mph
(8 km/h), BeltAlert® will provide both audio and visual
notification.
The front passenger seat BeltAlert® is not active when
the front passenger seat is unoccupied. BeltAlert® may
be triggered when an animal or heavy object is on the
front passenger seat or when the seat is folded flat (if
equipped). It is recommended that pets be restrained in
the rear seat (if equipped) in pet harnesses or pet carriers
that are secured by seat belts, and cargo is properly
stowed.
BeltAlert® can be enabled or disabled by your autho-
rized dealer. Chrysler Group LLC does not recommend
deactivating BeltAlert®.
NOTE:
Although BeltAlert® has been deactivated, the
Seat Belt Reminder Light will continue to illuminate
while the driver ’s or front passenger (if equipped with
BeltAlert®) seat belt remains unfastened.
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