seats Ram 4500 Chassis Cab 2018 Owner's Manual

How To Engage The Automatic Locking Mode
1. Buckle the combination lap and shoulderbelt.
2. Grasp the shoulder portion and pull down- ward until the entire seat belt is extracted.
3. Allow the seat belt to retract. As the seat belt retracts, you will hear a clicking
sound. This indicates the seat belt is now
in the Automatic Locking Mode.
How To Disengage The Automatic Locking Mode
Unbuckle the combination lap/shoulder belt
and allow it to retract completely to disen-
gage the Automatic Locking Mode and acti-
vate the vehicle sensitive (emergency) lock-
ing mode.
WARNING!
• The seat belt assembly must be replaced if the switchable Automatic Locking Re-
tractor (ALR) feature or any other seat
belt function is not working properly
when checked according to the proce-
dures in the Service Manual.
WARNING!
• Failure to replace the seat belt assemblycould increase the risk of injury in colli-
sions.
• Do not use the Automatic Locking Mode
to restrain occupants who are wearing
the seat belt or children who are using
booster seats. The locked mode is only
used to install rear-facing or forward-
facing child restraints that have a har-
ness for restraining the child.
Supplemental Restraint Systems
(SRS)
Some of the safety features described in this
section may be standard equipment on some
models, or may be optional equipment on
others. If you are not sure, ask your autho-
rized dealer.
The air bag system must be ready to protect
you in a collision. The Occupant Restraint
Controller (ORC) monitors the internal cir-
cuits and interconnecting wiring associated with the electrical Air Bag System Compo-
nents. Your vehicle may be equipped with the
following Air Bag System Components:
Air Bag System Components
• 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 — If Equipped
• Front and Side Impact Sensors — If
Equipped
• Seat Belt Pretensioners — If Equipped
Air Bag Warning Light
The ORC monitors the readiness of the
electronic parts of the air bag system when-
ever the ignition switch is in the START or
87

Supplemental Seat-Mounted Side Air Bags
(SABs) are located in the outboard side of the
front seats. The SABs are marked with a
“SRS AIRBAG” or “AIRBAG” label sewn into
the outboard side of the seats.
The SABs (if equipped with SABs) may help
to reduce the risk of occupant injury during
certain side impacts, in addition to the injury
reduction potential provided by the seat belts
and body structure.When the SAB deploys, it opens the seam on the
outboard side of the seatback’s trim cover. The
inflating SAB deploys through the seat seam
into the space between the occupant and the
door. The SAB moves at a very high speed and
with such a high force that it could injure
occupants if they are not seated properly, or if
items are positioned in the area where the SAB
inflates. Children are at an even greater risk of
injury from a deploying air bag.
WARNING!
Do not use accessory seat covers or place
objects between you and the Side Air
Bags; the performance could be adversely
affected and/or objects could be pushed
into you, causing serious injury.
Supplemental Side Air Bag Inflatable Curtains
(SABICs) — If Equipped
Your vehicle may be equipped with Supple-
mental Side Air Bag Inflatable Curtains
(SABICs). If your vehicle is equipped with
Supplemental Side Air Bag Inflatable Cur-
tains (SABICs), please refer to the informa-
tion below. Supplemental Side Air Bag Inflatable Cur-
tains (SABICs) are located above the side
windows. The trim covering the SABICs is
labeled “SRS AIRBAG” or “AIRBAG.”
SABICs (if equipped with SABICs) may help
reduce the risk of head and other injuries to
front and rear seat outboard occupants in
certain side impacts, in addition to the injury
reduction potential provided by the seat belts
and body structure.
Supplemental Seat-Mounted Side Air Bag
Label
Supplemental Side Air Bag InflatableCurtain (SABIC) Label Location
91

WARNING!
in all collisions. They also help keep you in
position, away from an inflating Side Air
Bag. To get the best protection from the
Side Air Bags, occupants must wear their
seat belts properly and sit upright with
their backs against the seats. Children
must be properly restrained in a child re-
straint or booster seat that is appropriate
for the size of the child.
WARNING!
• Side Air Bags need room to inflate. Donot lean against the door or window. Sit
upright in the center of the seat.
• Being too close to the Side Air Bags
during deployment could cause you to
be severely injured or killed.
• Relying on the Side Air Bags alone could
lead to more severe injuries in a colli-
sion. The Side Air Bags work with your
seat belt to restrain you properly. In
some collisions, Side Air Bags won’t
deploy at all. Always wear your seat belt
even though you have Side Air Bags. NOTE:
Air bag covers may not be obvious in the
interior trim, but they will open during air bag
deployment.
Rollover Events (If Equipped With Rollover
Sensing)
Side Air Bags are designed to activate in
certain rollover events. The Occupant Re-
straint Controller (ORC) determines whether
the deployment of the Side Air Bags in a
particular rollover event is appropriate, based
on the severity and type of collision. Vehicle
damage by itself is not a good indicator of
whether or not Side Air Bags should have
deployed.
The Side Air Bags will not deploy in all
rollover events. The rollover sensing-system
determines if a rollover event may be in
progress and whether deployment is appro-
priate. A slower-developing event may deploy
the seat belt pretensioners on both sides of
the vehicle. A faster-developing event may
deploy the seat belt pretensioners as well as
the Side Air Bags on both sides of the vehicle.
The rollover sensing-system may also deploy the seat belt pretensioners, with or without
the Side Air Bags, on both sides of the vehicle
if the vehicle experiences a near rollover
event.
The SABICs may help reduce the risk of
partial or complete ejection of vehicle occu-
pants through side windows in certain roll-
over or side impact events.
Air Bag System Components
NOTE:
The Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC)
monitors the internal circuits and intercon-
necting 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 — If Equipped
93

NOTE:
EDR data are recorded by your vehicle only if
a non-trivial crash situation occurs; no data
are recorded by the EDR under normal driving
conditions and no personal data (e.g., name,
gender, age, and crash location) are re-
corded. However, other parties, such as law
enforcement, could combine the EDR data
with the type of personally identifying data
routinely acquired during a crash investiga-
tion.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special
equipment is required, and access to the
vehicle or the EDR is needed. In addition to
the vehicle manufacturer, other parties, such
as law enforcement, that have the special
equipment, can read the information if they
have access to the vehicle or the EDR.
Child Restraints
Everyone in your vehicle needs to be buckled
up at all times, including babies and chil-
dren. 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 avail-
able. 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 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 re-
straint for the child’s size.
There are different sizes and types of re-
straints 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 la-
bels 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
www.safercar.gov/parents/index.htm 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-childsafety-index-53.htm
SAFETY
96

Summary Of Recommendations For Restraining Children In Vehicles
Child Size, Height, Weight Or AgeRecommended Type Of Child Restraint
Infants and Toddlers Children who are two years old or younger and
who have not reached the height or weight limits of their child restraint Either an Infant Carrier or a Convertible Child
Restraint, facing rearward in the rear seat of the vehicle
Small Children Children who are at least two years old or who
have outgrown the height or weight limit of their rear-facing child restraint Forward-Facing Child Restraint with a five-
point Harness, facing forward in the rear seat of the vehicle
Larger Children Children who have outgrown 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 Restraints Children 12 years old or younger, who have
outgrown the height or weight limit of their booster seat Vehicle Seat Belt, seated in the rear seat of the
vehicle
Infant 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 re-
straint. Two types of child restraints can be
used rear-facing: infant carriers and convert-
ible 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 chil-
dren 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 pas-
senger 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.
97

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 manufac-
turer, and your child may be more severely
injured as a result.
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 re-
main 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.WARNING!
• Improper installation can lead to failureof 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 direc-
tions 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 attachments.
Remove the child restraint before ad-
justing the vehicle seat position. When
the vehicle seat has been adjusted, re-
install the child restraint.
• When your child restraint is not in use,
secure it in the vehicle with the seat belt
or LATCH anchorages, 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.
SAFETY
98

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 againstthe back of the vehicle 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 their 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 periodically and make sure the seat belt
buckle is latched. A child’s squirming or
slouching can move the 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.
99

Lower Anchors And Tethers For CHildren
(LATCH) Restraint System
Your vehicle is equipped with the child re-
straint anchorage 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 onetop tether anchorage located behind the seat-
ing 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 re-
straint. Please see the following table for
more information.
LATCH Positions For Installing Child
Restraints In This Vehicle
LATCH Label
Regular Cab LATCH Positions
Top Tether Anchorage Symbol
Crew Cab 60/40 Split Bench LATCH
Positions
Lower Anchorage Symbol (2 An-
chorages Per Seating Position)
Top Tether Anchorage Symbol
101

Frequently Asked Questions About Installing Child Restraints With LATCH
Can the LATCH anchorages and the seat belt be used together to attach a rear-facing or forward-facing child restraint? NoDo not use the seat belt when you use the
LATCH anchorage system to attach a rear- facing or forward-facing child restraint.
Booster seats may be attached to the LATCH anchorages if allowed by the booster seat
manufacturer. See your booster seat owner’s manual for more information.
Can a child seat be installed in the center posi- tion using the inner LATCH lower anchorages? NoFull bench rear seat only: Use the seat belt and
tether anchor to install a child seat in the cen- ter seating position.
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 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 passenger seat? Ye sThe child seat may touch the back of the front
passenger seat if the child restraint manufac- turer also allows contact. See your child re-
straint owner’s manual for more information.
Can the head restraints be removed? No
103

Locating The LATCH Anchorages — Crew
Cab Only
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 The Upper Tether Anchorages
Regular Cab models have tether strap
anchorages behind the front center and right
seats. Crew Cab models have tether strap
anchorages located behind each of the rear
seats.
Lower Anchors
Regular Cab Tether Anchorages
1 — Tether Strap Hook
2 — Tether Strap To Child Restraint
3 — Tether Anchor
Crew Cab Outboard Tether Anchorage
Crew Cab Center Tether Anchorage With Head Restraint In Raised Position
SAFETY
104