Ram 4500 Chassis Cab 2018 Manual Online

BeltAlert can be activated or deactivated by
your authorized dealer. FCA US LLC does not
recommend deactivating BeltAlert.
NOTE:
If BeltAlert has been deactivated and the
driver or outboard front seat passenger (if
equipped with outboard front passenger seat
BeltAlert) is unbuckled the Seat Belt Re-
minder Light will turn on and remain on until
the driver and outboard front seat passenger
seat belts are buckled.
Lap/Shoulder Belts
All seating positions except the Crew Cab
front center seating position have combina-
tion lap/shoulder belts.
The seat belt webbing retractor will lock only
during very sudden stops or collisions. This
feature allows the shoulder part of the seat
belt to move freely with you under normal
conditions. However, in a collision the seat
belt will lock and reduce your risk of striking
the inside of the vehicle or being thrown out
of the vehicle.
WARNING!
• Relying on the air bags alone could leadto 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 belt even though you have
air bags.
• In a collision, you and your passengers
can suffer much greater injuries if you
are not properly buckled 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.
• It is dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of a vehicle. In a colli-
sion, 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.
WARNING!
• Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in aseat and using a seat belt properly. Oc-
cupants, including the driver, should al-
ways wear their seat belts whether or not
an air bag is also provided at their seat-
ing position to minimize the risk of se-
vere injury or death in the event of a
crash.
• Wearing your seat belt incorrectly could
make your injuries in a collision much
worse. You might suffer internal injuries,
or you could even slide out of the seat
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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WARNING!
• A lap belt worn too high can increase therisk of injury in a collision. The seat belt
forces won’t be at the strong hip and
pelvic bones, but across your abdomen.
Always wear the lap part of your seat belt
as low as possible and keep it snug.
• A twisted seat belt may not protect you
properly. In a collision, it could even cut
into you. Be sure the seat belt is flat
against your body, without twists. If you
can’t straighten a seat belt in your ve-
hicle, take it to your authorized dealer
immediately and have it fixed.
• A seat belt that is buckled into the wrong
buckle will not protect you properly. The
lap portion could ride too high on your
body, possibly causing internal injuries.
Always buckle your seat belt into the
buckle nearest you.
• A seat belt that is too loose will not
protect you properly. In a sudden stop,
you could move too far forward, increas-
ing the possibility of injury. Wear your
seat belt snugly.
WARNING!
• A seat belt that is worn under your arm isdangerous. Your body could strike the
inside surfaces of the vehicle in a colli-
sion, increasing head and neck injury. A
seat belt worn under the arm can cause
internal injuries. Ribs aren’t as strong as
shoulder bones. Wear the seat belt over
your shoulder so that your strongest
bones will take the force in a collision.
• 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.
• A frayed or torn seat belt could rip apart
in a collision and leave you with no
protection. Inspect the seat belt system
periodically, checking for cuts, frays, or
loose parts. Damaged parts must be re-
placed immediately. Do not disassemble
or modify the seat belt system. Seat belt
assemblies must be replaced after a
collision.
Lap/Shoulder Belt Operating Instructions
1. Enter the vehicle and close the door. Sit
back and adjust the seat.
2. The seat belt latch plate is above the back of the front seat, and next to your arm in
the rear seat (for vehicles equipped with a
rear seat). Grasp the latch plate and pull
out the seat belt. Slide the latch plate up
the webbing as far as necessary to allow
the seat belt to go around your lap.
Pulling Out The Latch Plate
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3. When the seat belt is long enough to fit,insert the latch plate into the buckle until
you hear a “click.”
4. Position the lap belt so that it is snug and lies low across your hips, below your ab-
domen. 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
seat belt reduces the risk of sliding under
the seat belt in a collision. 5. Position the shoulder belt across the
shoulder and chest with minimal, if any
slack so that it is comfortable and not
resting on your neck. The retractor will
withdraw any slack in the shoulder belt.
6. To release the seat belt, push the red button on the buckle. The seat belt will
automatically retract to its stowed posi-
tion. If necessary, slide the latch plate
down the webbing to allow the seat belt to
retract fully.Lap/Shoulder Belt Untwisting Procedure
Use the following procedure to untwist a
twisted lap/shoulder belt.
1. Position the latch plate as close as pos-sible to the anchor point.
2. At about 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) above the latch plate, grasp and twist the
seat 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 and the seat
belt is no longer twisted.
Adjustable Upper Shoulder Belt Anchorage
In the driver and front passenger seats, the
top of the shoulder belt can be adjusted
upward or downward to position the seat belt
away from your neck. Push or squeeze the
anchorage button to release the anchorage,
and move it up or down to the position that
serves you best.
Inserting Latch Plate Into Buckle
Positioning The Lap Belt
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As a guide, if you are shorter than average,
you will prefer the shoulder belt anchorage in
a lower position, and if you are taller than
average, you will prefer the shoulder belt
anchorage in a higher position. After you
release the anchorage button, try to move it
up or down to make sure that it is locked in
position.NOTE:
The adjustable upper shoulder belt anchor-
age is equipped with an Easy Up feature. This
feature allows the shoulder belt anchorage to
be adjusted in the upward position without
pushing or squeezing the release button. To
verify the shoulder belt anchorage is latched,
pull downward on the shoulder belt anchor-
age until it is locked into position.
WARNING!
• Wearing your seat belt incorrectly could
make your injuries in a collision much
worse. You might suffer internal injuries,
or you could even slide out of the seat
belt. Follow these instructions to wear
your seat belt safely and to keep your
passengers safe, too.
• Position the shoulder belt across the
shoulder and chest with minimal, if any
slack so that it is comfortable and not
resting on your neck. The retractor will
withdraw any slack in the shoulder belt.
• Misadjustment of the seat belt could
reduce the effectiveness of the safety
belt in a crash.
First Row Center Seat Belt Operating
Instructions (Regular Cab Only)
The first row center seat belt (Regular Cab
only) features a seat belt with a mini-latch
plate and buckle, which allows the seat belt
to detach from the lower anchor when the
seat is folded. The latch plate and regular
latch plate can then be stored out of the way
in the seat for added convenience to open up
utilization of the storage areas behind the
front seats when the seat is not occupied.
Adjustable Anchorage
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1. Remove the mini-latch plate and regularlatch plate from its stowed position on the
seat.
2. Grasp the mini-latch plate and pull theseat belt over the seat.
3. Route the shoulder belt to the inside of the right head restraint.
4. When the seat belt is long enough to fit, insert the mini-latch plate into the mini-
buckle until you hear a “click.” 5. Sit back in seat. Slide the regular latch
plate up the webbing as far as necessary
to allow the seat belt to go around your
lap.
6. When the seat belt is long enough to fit, insert the latch plate into the buckle until
you hear a “click.”
7. Position the lap belt so that it is snug and lies low across your hips, below your ab-
domen. To remove slack in the lap belt
portion, pull up on the shoulder belt. To
loosen the lap belt if it is too tight, pull on
the lap belt. A snug seat belt reduces the
risk of sliding under the seat belt in a
collision.
8. Position the shoulder belt on your chest so that it is comfortable and not resting on
your neck. The retractor will withdraw any
slack in the seat belt.
9. To release the seat belt, push the red button on the buckle.
Connect Mini-Latch To Mini-Buckle
Mini-Latch And Mini-Buckle Connected
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10. To disengage the mini-latch plate fromthe mini-buckle for storage, insert the
regular latch plate into the center red
slot on the mini-buckle. The seat belt
will automatically retract to its stowed
position. If necessary, slide the latch
plate down the webbing to allow the seat
belt to retract fully. Insert the mini-latch
plate and regular latch plate into its
stowed position.WARNING!
• If the mini-latch plate and mini-buckleare not properly connected when the
seat belt is used by an occupant, the
seat belt will not be able to provide
proper restraint and will increase the
risk of injury in a collision.
• When reattaching the mini-latch plate
and mini-buckle, ensure the seat belt
webbing is not twisted. If the webbing is
twisted, follow the preceding procedure
to detach the mini-latch plate and mini-
buckle, untwist the webbing, and reat-
tach the mini-latch plate and mini-
buckle.
First Row Center Lap Belt Operating Instruc-
tions — If Equipped
The center seating position for the Crew Cab
front seat has a lap belt only. To buckle the
lap belt, slide the latch plate into the buckle
until you hear a "click." To lengthen the lap
belt, tilt the latch plate and pull. To remove slack, pull the loose end of the
webbing. Wear the lap belt snug against the
hips. Sit back and upright in the seat, then
adjust the seat belt as tightly as is comfort-
able.
Seat Belt Extender
If a seat belt is not long enough to fit properly,
even when the webbing is fully extended and
the adjustable upper shoulder belt anchorage
(if equipped) is in its lowest position, your
authorized dealer can provide you with a Seat
Belt Extender. The Seat Belt Extender should
be used only if the existing seat belt is not
long enough. When the Seat Belt Extender is
not required for a different occupant, it must
be removed.
WARNING!
• ONLY use a Seat Belt Extender if it is
physically required in order to properly
fit the original seat belt system. DO NOT
USE the Seat Belt Extender if, when
worn, the distance between the front
edge of the Seat Belt Extender buckle
Detaching Mini-Buckle With Seat Belt Tongue
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WARNING!
and the center of the occupant’s body is
LESS than 6 inches.
• Using a Seat Belt Extender when not
needed can increase the risk of serious
injury or death in a collision. Only use
the Seat Belt Extender when the lap belt
is not long enough and only use in the
recommended seating positions. Re-
move and store the Seat Belt Extender
when not needed.
Seat Belts And Pregnant Women
Seat belts must be worn by all occupants
including pregnant women: the risk of injury
in the event of an accident is reduced for the
mother and the unborn child if they are wear-
ing a seat belt.
Position the lap belt snug and low below the
abdomen and across the strong bones of the
hips. Place the shoulder belt across the chest
and away from the neck. Never place the
shoulder belt behind the back or under the
arm.
Seat Belt Pretensioner — If Equipped
The front seat belt system may be equipped
with pretensioning devices that are designed
to remove slack from the seat belt in the
event of a collision. These devices may im-
prove the performance of the seat belt by
removing slack from the seat belt early in a
collision. Pretensioners work for all size oc-
cupants, 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 posi-
tioned properly. The pretensioners are triggered by the Occu-
pant Restraint Controller (ORC). Like the air
bags, the pretensioners are single use items.
A deployed pretensioner or a deployed air bag
must be replaced immediately.
Energy Management Feature — If Equipped
The front seat belt system may be equipped
with an Energy Management feature that may
help further reduce the risk of injury in the
event of a collision. The seat belt system has
a retractor assembly that is designed to re-
lease webbing in a controlled manner.
Switchable Automatic Locking Retractors
(ALR)
The seat belts in the passenger seating posi-
tions are equipped with a Switchable Auto-
matic Locking Retractor (ALR) which is used
to secure a child restraint system. For addi-
tional information, refer to “Installing Child
Restraints Using The Vehicle Seat Belt” un-
der the “Child Restraints” section of this
manual. The figure below illustrates the lock-
ing feature for each seating position.
Pregnant Women And Seat Belts
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If the passenger seating position is equipped
with an ALR and is being used for normal
usage, only pull the seat belt webbing out far
enough to comfortably wrap around the occu-
pant’s mid-section so as to not activate the
ALR. If the ALR is activated, you will hear a
clicking sound as the seat belt retracts. Allow
the webbing to retract completely in this case
and then carefully pull out only the amount ofwebbing necessary to comfortably wrap
around the occupant’s mid-section. Slide the
latch plate into the buckle until you hear a
"click."
In Automatic Locking Mode, the shoulder
belt is automatically pre-locked. The seat
belt will still retract to remove any slack in
the shoulder belt. Use the Automatic Locking
Mode anytime a child restraint is installed in
a seating position that has a seat belt with
this feature. Children 12 years old and under
should always be properly restrained in a
vehicle with a rear 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.
Regular Cab Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) Locations
ALR = Switchable Automatic Locking
Retractor
Crew Cab Automatic Locking Retractor(ALR) Locations
ALR = Switchable Automatic Locking
Retractor
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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

ON/RUN position. If the ignition switch is in
the OFF position or in the ACC position, the
air bag system is not on and the air bags will
not inflate.
The ORC contains a backup power supply
system that may deploy the air bag system
even if the battery loses power or it becomes
disconnected prior to deployment.
The ORC turns on the Air Bag Warning Light
in the instrument panel for approximately
four to eight seconds for a self-check when
the ignition switch is first in the ON/RUN
position. After the self-check, the Air Bag
Warning Light will turn off. If the ORC detects
a malfunction in any part of the system, it
turns on the Air Bag Warning Light, either
momentarily or continuously. A single chime
will sound to alert you if the light comes on
again after initial startup.
The ORC also includes diagnostics that will
illuminate the instrument panel Air Bag
Warning Light if a malfunction is detected
that could affect the air bag system. The
diagnostics also record the nature of the
malfunction. While the air bag system isdesigned to be maintenance free, if any of
the following occurs, have an authorized
dealer service the air bag system immedi-
ately.
• The Air Bag Warning Light does not come
on during the four to eight seconds when
the ignition switch is first in the ON/RUN
position.
• The Air Bag Warning Light remains on after the four to eight-second interval.
• The Air Bag Warning Light comes on inter- mittently or remains on while driving.
NOTE:
If the speedometer, tachometer, or any en-
gine related gauges are not working, the Oc-
cupant Restraint Controller (ORC) may also
be disabled. In this condition the air bags
may not be ready to inflate for your protec-
tion. Have an authorized dealer service the
air bag system immediately.WARNING!
Ignoring the Air Bag Warning Light in your
instrument panel could mean you won’t
have the air bag system to protect you in a
collision. If the light does not come on as a
bulb check when the ignition is first
turned on, stays on after you start the
vehicle, or if it comes on as you drive, have
an authorized dealer service the air bag
system immediately.
Front Air Bags
This vehicle has front air bags and lap/
shoulder belts for both the driver and front
passenger. The front air bags are a supple-
ment to the seat belt restraint systems. The
driver front air bag is mounted in the center
of the steering wheel. The passenger front air
bag is mounted in the instrument panel,
above the glove compartment. The words
“SRS AIRBAG” or “AIRBAG” are embossed
on the air bag covers.
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