child seat Ram 2500 2016 Owner's Guide

Lower Anchors And Tethers For CHildren
(LATCH) Restraint SystemYour 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.
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LATCH Positions For Installing Child Restraints In
This Vehicle
Regular Cab
•Lower Anchorage Symbol – 2 anchorages per
seating position
•Top Tether Anchorage Symbol
Quad Cab/Crew Cab/Mega Cab 60/40 Split Bench
•Lower Anchorage Symbol - 2 anchorages per
seating position
•Top Tether Anchorage Symbol
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Frequently Asked Questions About Installing Child Restraints With LATCH
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 systemto attach a rear-facing or forward- facing child restraint.
Can a child seat be installed in the center position using the innerLATCH 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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Frequently Asked Questions About Installing Child Restraints With LATCH
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? Yes
The 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
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Locating LATCH Anchorages
The lower anchorages are round bars that are
found at the rear of the seat cushion where it
meets the seatback. They are just visible when
you lean into the rear seat to install the child
restraint. You will easily feel them if you run your finger
along the gap between the seatback and seat cushion.
Locating Tether Anchorages
Regular Cab models have tether strap anchor-
ages behind the front center and right seats.
Quad Cab/Mega Cab/Crew Cab Rear Outboard Seats
Driver Side
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Quad Cab, Mega Cab and Crew Cab models have tether
strap anchorages located behind each of the rear seats.
1 — Tether Strap Hook
2 — Tether Strap To Child Restraint
3 — Tether Anchor
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 child restraints will also be equipped with aRegular Cab Tether Anchorages
Mega Cab Tether Anchorages (Behind Covers)
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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 — Regular 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.
Center Seat LATCH — Quad Cab/Mega Cab/Crew
Cab Split Bench
If a child restraint installed in the center position blocks
the seat belt webbing or buckle for the outboard position,
do not use that outboard position. If a child seat in the
center position blocks the outboard LATCH anchors or
seat belt, do not install a child seat in that outboard
position.
WARNING!
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.
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.
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To Install A LATCH-Compatible Child Restraint
If the selected seating position has a Switchable Auto-
matic 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 thetether 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 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 seat-
ing 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 manufac-
turer ’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.
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How To Stow An Unused 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 accidentally lock the seat belt retractor. Before
installing a child restraint using the LATCH system,
buckle the seat belt behind the child restraint and out of
the child’s reach. If the buckled seat belt interferes with
the child restraint installation, instead of buckling it
behind the child restraint, route the seat belt through the
child restraint belt path and then buckle it. Do not lock
the seat belt. Remind all children in the vehicle that the
seat belts are not toys and that they should not play with
them.
WARNING!
•Improper installation of a child restraint to the
LATCH anchorages can lead to failure of the re-
straint. The child could be badly injured or killed.
Follow the child restraint manufacturer ’s directions
exactly when installing an infant or child restraint.
• Child restraint anchorages are designed to with-
stand only those loads imposed by correctly-fitted
child restraints. Under no circumstances are they to
be used for adult seat belts, harnesses, or for
attaching other items or equipment to the vehicle.
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Installing Child Restraints Using The Vehicle Seat
Belt
The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are
equipped with either a Switchable 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 retractor can
be “switched” into a locked mode by pulling all of thewebbing out of the retractor and then letting the webbing
retract back into the retractor. If it is locked, the ALR will
make a clicking noise while the webbing is pulled back
into the retractor. Refer to the “Automatic Locking
Mode” description under “Occupant Restraints” for ad-
ditional information on ALR. The cinching latch plate is
designed to hold the lap portion of the seat belt tight
when webbing is pulled tight and straight through a
child restraint’s belt path.2
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