belt Ram 1500 2015 Owner's Guide

Child Restraints
Everyone in your vehicle needs to be buckled up at all
times, including babies and children.
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
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WARNING!(Continued)
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.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 83

Child Size, Height, Weight Or
Age
Recommended Type Of Child
Restraint
Larger ChildrenChildren 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 Re-
straints
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
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.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 85

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
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.
86 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 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.
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WARNING!(Continued)
•When your child restraint is not in use, secure it in
the vehicle with the seat belt or LATCH anchor-
ages, or remove it from the vehicle. Do not leave it
loose in the vehicle. In a sudden stop or accident, it
could strike the occupants or seatbacks and cause
serious personal injury.
Children Too Large For Booster Seats
Children who are large enough to wear the shoulder belt
comfortably, and whose legs are long enough to bend
over the front of the seat when their back is against the
seatback, should use the seat belt in a rear seat. Use this
simple 5-step test to decide whether the child can use the
vehicle’s seat belt alone:
1. Can the child sit all the way back against the back of
the vehicle seat?
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 87

2. Do the child’s knees bend comfortably over the front
of the vehicle seat – while they are still sitting all the
way back?
3. Does the shoulder belt cross the child’s shoulder
between their neck and arm?
4. Is the lap part of the seat belt as low as possible,
touching the child’s thighs and not their stomach?
5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?
If the answer to any of these questions was “no,” then the
child still needs to use a booster seat in this vehicle. If the
child is using the lap/shoulder belt, check seat belt fit
periodically and make sure the seat belt buckle is latched.
A child’s squirming or slouching can move the seat belt
out of position. If the shoulder belt contacts the face or
neck, move the child closer to the center of the vehicle, or
use a booster seat to position the seat belt on the child
correctly.
WARNING!
Never allow a child to put the shoulder belt under an
arm or behind their back. In a crash, the shoulder belt
will not protect a child properly, which may result in
serious injury or death. A child must always wear
both the lap and shoulder portions of the seat belt
correctly.
88 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Recommendations For Attaching Child Restraints
Restraint Type Combined
Weight of the
Child + Child
Restraint
Use any attachment method shown with an “X” Below
LATCH –
Lower Anchors
Only
Seat Belt Only LATCH –
Lower Anchors
+ Top Tether
Anchor
Seat Belt + Top
Tether Anchor
Rear-Facing
Child Restraint
Up to 65 lbs
(29.5 kg)
XX
Rear-Facing
Child Restraint
More than
65 lbs (29.5 kg)
X
Forward-Facing
Child Restraint
Up to 65 lbs
(29.5 kg)
XX
Forward-Facing
Child Restraint
More than
65 lbs (29.5 kg)
X
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 89

Lower Anchors And Tethers For Children (LATCH)
Restraint System
Your 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.
90 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

What is the weight limit (child’s
weight + weight of the child re-
straint) for using the LATCH an-
chorage 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?
No#Full bench rear seat only: Use the
seat belt and tether anchor to in-
stall a child seat in the center seat-
ing position.#
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 93

Can two child restraints be at-
tached 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 anchor-
ages, use the seat belt to install a
child seat in the center position
next to a child seat using the
LATCH anchorages in an outboard
position.
Can the rear-facing child restraint
touch the back of the front passen-
ger seat?
YesThe child seat may touch the back
of the front passenger seat if the
child restraint manufacturer also
allows contact. See your child re-
straint owner ’s manual for more
information.
Can the head restraints be re-
moved?
No
94 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

LATCH-compatible child restraint systems will be
equipped with a rigid bar or a flexible strap on each side.
Each will have a hook or connector to attach to the lower
anchorage and a way to tighten the connection to the
anchorage. Forward-facing child restraints and some
rear-facing infant restraints will also be equipped with a
tether strap. The tether strap will have a hook at the end
to attach to the top tether anchorage and a way to tighten
the strap after it is attached to the anchorage.
Center Seat LATCH — Standard Cab/Quad
Cab®/Crew Cab Full Bench
WARNING!
•Do not install a child restraint in the center posi-
tion using the LATCH system. This position is not
approved for installing child seats using the
LATCH attachments. You must use the seat belt
and tether anchor to install a child seat in the center
seating position.
•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.
Mega Cab® Tether Strap Mounting (Behind Covers)
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