front Ram 1500 2020 Owners Manual

SAFETY 261
The Side Air Bags and seat belt pretensioners will not deploy
in all rollover events. The rollover sensing system deter-
mines if a rollover event may be in progress and whether
deployment is appropriate. In the event the vehicle experi -
ences a rollover or near rollover event, and deployment is
appropriate, the rollover sensing system will deploy the side
air bags and seat belt pretensioners on both sides of the
vehicle.
The SABICs may help reduce the risk of partial or complete
ejection of vehicle occupants through side windows in
certain rollover or side impact events.
Air Bag System Components
NOTE:
The Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC) monitors the
internal circuits and interconnecting wiring associated with
electrical Air Bag System Components listed below:
• Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC)
• Air Bag Warning Light
• Steering Wheel and Column
• Instrument Panel
• Knee Impact Bolsters
• Driver and Front Passenger Air Bags • Seat Belt Buckle Switch
• Supplemental Side Air Bags
• Front and Side Impact Sensors
• Seat Belt Pretensioners
• Seat Track Position Sensors
• Occupant Classification System
If A Deployment Occurs
The front air bags are designed to deflate immediately after
deployment.
NOTE:
Front and/or side air bags will not deploy in all collisions.
This does not mean something is wrong with the air bag
system.
If you do have a collision which deploys the air bags, any or
all of the following may occur:
• The air bag material may sometimes cause abrasions and/
or skin reddening to the occupants as the air bags deploy
and unfold. The abrasions are similar to friction rope burns
or those you might get sliding along a carpet or gymna -
sium floor. They are not caused by contact with chemicals.
They are not permanent and normally heal quickly.
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SAFETY 263
(Continued)
Your vehicle may also be designed to perform any of these
other functions in response to the Enhanced Accident
Response System:
• Turn off the Fuel Filter Heater, Turn off the HVAC BlowerMotor, Close the HVAC Circulation Door
• Cut off battery power to the: • Engine
• Electric Motor (if equipped)
• Electric power steering
• Brake booster
• Electric park brake
• Automatic transmission gear selector
• Horn
• Front wiper
• Headlamp washer pump
NOTE:
After an accident, remember to cycle the ignition to the STOP
(OFF/LOCK) position and remove the key from the ignition
switch to avoid draining the battery. Carefully check the
vehicle for fuel leaks in the engine compartment and on the
ground near the engine compartment and fuel tank before
resetting the system and starting the engine. If there are no
fuel leaks or damage to the vehicle electrical devices (e.g. headlights) after an accident, reset the system by following
the procedure described below. If you have any doubt,
contact an authorized dealer.
Enhanced Accident Response System Reset Procedure
In order to reset the Enhanced Accident Response System
functions after an event, the ignition switch must be changed
from ignition START or ON/RUN to ignition OFF. Carefully
check the vehicle for fuel leaks in the engine compartment
and on the ground near the engine compartment and fuel
tank before resetting the system and starting the engine.
Maintaining Your Air Bag System
WARNING!
• Modifications to any part of the air bag system could cause it to fail when you need it. You could be injured
if the air bag system is not there to protect you. Do not
modify the components or wiring, including adding
any kind of badges or stickers to the steering wheel hub
trim cover or the upper passenger side of the instru -
ment panel. Do not modify the front bumper, vehicle
body structure, or add aftermarket side steps or
running boards.
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SAFETY 265
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 prosecuted 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.
There are different sizes and types of restraints for children
from newborn size to the child almost large enough for an
adult safety 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 instructions 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
http://
www.nhtsa.gov/parents-and-caregivers or call:
1–888–327–4236
• Canadian residents should refer to Transport Canada’s website for additional information: http://www.tc.gc.ca/
eng/motorvehiclesafety/safedrivers-child -
safety-index-53.htm
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 or
killed. Any child riding in your vehicle should be in a
proper restraint for the child’s size.
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SAFETY 267
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 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.
• Never install a rear-facing child restraint in the front seat of a vehicle. Only use a rear-facing child restraint
in the rear seat. If the vehicle does not have a rear seat,
do not transport a rear-facing child restraint in that
vehicle.
WARNING!
Do not install a rear-facing car seat using a rear support
leg in this vehicle. The floor of this vehicle is not
designed to manage the crash forces of this type of car
seat. In a crash, the support leg may not function as it
was designed by the car seat manufacturer, and your
child may be more severely injured as a result.
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SAFETY 269
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 thevehicle seat?
2. Do the child’s knees bend comfortably over the front of the vehicle seat – while the child is still sitting all the way
back?
3. Does the shoulder belt cross the child’s shoulder between the neck and arm?
4. Is the lap part of the belt as low as possible, touching the child’s thighs and not the 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 peri
-
odically and make sure the seat belt buckle is latched. A
child’s squirming or slouching can move the belt out of posi -
tion. 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
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SAFETY 273
Can two child restraints be attached
using a common lower LATCH
anchorage?NoNever “share” a LATCH anchorage
with two or more child restraints. If the
center position does not have dedicated
LATCH lower anchorages, 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 passenger seat? YesThe child seat may touch the back of the
front passenger seat if the child restraint
manufacturer also allows contact. See
your child restraint owner’s manual for
more information.
Can the rear head restraints be
removed? No
Frequently Asked Questions About Installing Child Restraints With LATCH
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276 SAFETY
Always follow the directions of the child restraint manu-
facturer when installing your child restraint. Not all child
restraint systems will be installed as described here.
To Install A LATCH-Compatible Child Restraint
If the selected seating position has a Switchable Automatic
Locking Retractor (ALR) seat belt, stow the seat belt,
following the instructions below. See the section “Installing
Child Restraints Using the Vehicle Seat Belt” to check what
type of seat belt each seating position has.
1. Loosen the adjusters on the lower straps and on the tether strap of the child seat so that you can more easily attach
the hooks or connectors to the vehicle anchorages.
2. Place the child seat between the lower anchorages for that seating position. For some second row seats, you may
need to recline the seat and / or raise the head restraint (if
adjustable) to get a better fit. If the rear seat can be moved
forward and rearward in the vehicle, you may wish to move it to its rear-most position to make room for the
child seat. You may also move the front seat forward to
allow more room for the child seat.
3. Attach the lower hooks or connectors of the child restraint to the lower anchorages in the selected seating position.
4. If the child restraint has a tether strap, connect it to the top tether anchorage. See the section “Installing Child
Restraints Using the Top Tether Anchorage” for direc -
tions to attach a tether anchor.
5. Tighten all of the straps as you push the child restraint rearward and downward into the seat. Remove slack in
the straps according to the child restraint manufacturer’s
instructions.
6. Test that the child restraint is installed tightly by pulling back and forth on the child seat at the belt path. It should
not move more than 1 inch (25.4 mm) in any direction.
How To Stow An Unused Switchable-ALR (ALR) Seat
Belt:
When using the LATCH attaching system to install a child
restraint, stow all ALR seat belts that are not being used by
other occupants or being used to secure child restraints. An
unused belt could injure a child if they play with it and acci -
WARNING!
Never use the same lower anchorage to attach more than
one child restraint. Please refer to “To Install A
LATCH-Compatible Child Restraint” for typical
installation instructions.
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SAFETY 279
Frequently Asked Questions About Installing Child Restraints With Seat Belts
What is the weight limit (child’s weight
+ weight of the child restraint) for using
the Tether Anchor with the seat belt to
attach a forward facing child restraint? Weight limit of the Child RestraintAlways use the tether anchor when
using the seat belt to install a forward
facing child restraint, up to the
recommended weight limit of the child
restraint.
Can the rear-facing child restraint touch
the back of the front passenger seat? YesContact between the front passenger
seat and the child restraint is allowed, if
the child restraint manufacturer also
allows contact.
Can the rear head restraints be
removed? No
Head restraints may not be removed.
Can the buckle stalk be twisted to
tighten the seat belt against the belt path
of the child restraint? No
Do not twist the buckle stalk in a
seating position with an ALR retractor.
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280 SAFETY
Installing A Child Restraint With A Switchable Automatic
Locking Retractor (ALR):
Child restraint systems are designed to be secured in vehicle
seats by lap belts or the lap belt portion of a lap/shoulder
belt.
1. Place the child seat in the center of the seating position.For some second row seats, you may need to recline the
seat and/or raise the head restraint (if adjustable) to get a
better fit. If the rear seat can be moved forward and rear -
ward in the vehicle, you may wish to move it to its
rear-most position to make room for the child seat. You
may also move the front seat forward to allow more room
for the child seat.
2. Pull enough of the seat belt webbing from the retractor to pass it through the belt path of the child restraint. Do not
twist the belt webbing in the belt path. 3. Slide the latch plate into the buckle until you hear a
“click.”
4. Pull on the webbing to make the lap portion tight against the child seat.
5. To lock the seat belt, pull down on the shoulder part of the belt until you have pulled all the seat belt webbing out
of the retractor. Then, allow the webbing to retract back
into the retractor. As the webbing retracts, you will hear
a clicking sound. This means the seat belt is now in the
Automatic Locking mode.
6. Try to pull the webbing out of the retractor. If it is locked, you should not be able to pull out any webbing. If the
retractor is not
locked, repeat step 5.
7. Finally, pull up on any excess webbing to tighten the lap portion around the child restraint while you push the
child restraint rearward and downward into the vehicle
seat.
8. If the child restraint has a top tether strap and the seating position has a top tether anchorage, connect the tether
strap to the anchorage and tighten the tether strap. Refer
to “Installing Child Restraints Using the Top Tether
Anchorage” in this section for directions to attach a tether
anchor.
WARNING!
• Improper installation or failure to properly secure a child restraint can lead to failure of the restraint. The
child could be badly injured or killed.
• Follow the child restraint manufacturer’s directions exactly when installing an infant or child restraint.
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SAFETY 281
9. Test that the child restraint is installed tightly by pullingback and forth on the child seat at the belt path. It should
not move more than 1 inch (25.4 mm) in any direction.
Any seat belt system will loosen with time, so check the belt
occasionally, and pull it tight if necessary.
Installing Child Restraints Using The Top Tether
Anchorage The top tether anchorages in this vehicle are tether strap
loops located between the rear glass and the back of the rear
seat. There is a tether strap loop located behind each seating
position. Follow the steps below to attach the tether strap of
the child restraint.
Right Or Left Outboard Seats:
1. Reach between the rear seat and rear glass to access the
tether strap loop.
2. Place a child restraint on the seat and adjust the tether strap so that it will reach over the seat back, through the
space between the head restraint and the seat back,
through the tether strap loop behind the seat and over to
the tether strap loop behind the center seat.
WARNING!

Do not attach a tether strap for a rear-facing car seat to any
location in front of the car seat, including the seat frame or a
tether anchorage. Only attach the tether strap of a
rear-facing car seat to the tether anchorage that is approved
for that seating position, located behind the top of the
vehicle seat. See the section “Lower Anchors and Tethers
for CHildren (LATCH) Restraint System” for the location of
approved tether anchorages in your vehicle.


WARNING!
Never place a rear-facing child restraint in front of an air
bag. A deploying Passenger 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.
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