weight Ram Cargo Van 2014 Owner's Manual

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.
SAB air bags are a supplement to the seat belt restraint
system. Occupants, including children who are up
against or very close to SAB air bags can be seriously
injured or killed. Occupants, especially children, should
not lean on or sleep against the door, side windows, or
area where the SAB air bags inflate, even if they are in an
infant or child restraint.
Always sit upright as possible with your back against the
seat back, use the seat belts properly, and use the
appropriate sized child restraint, infant restraint or
booster seat recommended for the size and weight of the
child.
Supplemental Driver Side Knee Air Bag
The Supplemental Driver Side Knee Air Bag provides
enhanced protection and works together with the Driver
Advanced Front Air Bag during a frontal impact.
Knee Impact Bolsters
The Knee Impact Bolsters help protect the knees of the
driver and front passenger, and position the front occu-
pants for the best interaction with the Advanced Front
Air Bags.
Along with seat belts and pretensioners, Advanced Front
Air Bags and the Supplemental Driver Side Knee Air Bag
work with the knee impact bolsters to provide improved
protection for the driver and front passenger.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 77

Summary Of Recommendations For Restraining Children In Vehicles
Child Size, Height, Weight or Age Recommended Type of Child Restraint
Infants and Tod- dlers Children who are two years old or
younger and who have not reached the
height or weight limits of their child re- straint 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 out-grown the height or weightlimit 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 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 ve-
hicle seat belt, seated in the rear seat of the vehicle
Children Too Large
for Child Restraints 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
88 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Infants And Child Restraints
Safety experts recommend that children ride rearward-
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 safety seat. Two types of child restraints can
be used rearward-facing: infant carriers and convertible
child seats.
The infant carrier is only used rearward-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 rearward-
facing or forward-facing in the vehicle. Convertible child
seats often have a higher weight limit in the rearward-
facing direction than infant carriers do, so they can be
used rearward-facing by children who have outgrown
their infant carrier but are still less than at least two years
old. Children should remain rearward-facing until theyreach the highest weight or height allowed by their
convertible child seat.
WARNING!
•
Never place a rear facing infant seat 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 rearward
facing infant seat.
• Only use a rearward-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
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 89

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.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.
• Do not change the forward or rearward position of
a vehicle seat where a child restraint is installed, as
it can loosen the attachments of the car seat. Re-
move the child restraint before adjusting the ve-
hicle seat position. When the vehicle seat has been
adjusted, reinstall the child restraint.
(Continued)
90 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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.
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.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 91

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 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
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.
Installing Child Restraints in Commercial Vehicles
This commercial vehicle is not designed for use as a
family vehicle and is not intended for carrying children
in the front passenger seat(s). Never install rearward-
facing child restraints in this vehicle. If you must carry a
child in a forward-facing child restraint, the passenger
seat should be moved to the full rearward position and
the child must be in a proper restraint system based on its
age, size and weight. Follow the instructions below to
secure the child restraint using the seat belt and tether
anchorage.
WARNING!
Rearward-facing infant restraints must never be se-
cured in the passenger seat of a vehicle with a
passenger Air Bag. In a collision, a passenger Air Bag
may deploy causing severe injury or death to infants
riding in rearward-facing infant restraints.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 93

4. Remove slack in the tether strap according to the childrestraint manufacturer ’s instructions.
WARNING!
An incorrectly anchored tether strap could lead to
increased head motion and possible injury to the
child. Use only the anchorage position directly be-
hind the child seat to secure a child restraint top
tether strap.
Transporting Pets
Air Bags deploying in the front seat could harm your pet.
An unrestrained pet could be thrown about and possibly
injured, or injure a passenger during panic braking or in
a collision.
Pets should be restrained in the rear seat in pet harnesses
or pet carriers that are secured by seat belts.
COMMERCIAL CARGO VEHICLES (NO FACTORY
INSTALLED REAR SEATS) — IF EQUIPPED
Commercial cargo vehicles are not designed for use as a
family vehicle and are not intended for carrying children
in the front passenger seat. However, if you must carry a
child in a vehicle without a rear seat, the passenger seat
should be moved to the full rearward position and the
child must be in a proper restraint system based on its
age, size and weight.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 97

3. Pulling strap “4” releases the seatback to return to itsfull upright position.
4. Raise the head restraint to its upright position.
WARNING!
• In a collision, you or others in your vehicle could
be injured if seats are not properly latched to their
floor attachments. Always be sure the seats are
fully latched.
• Sitting in a seat with the head restraint in its
lowered position could result in serious injury or
death in a collision. Always make sure the head
restraints are in their upright positions when the
seat is to be occupied.
Tailgate Mode
1. Pull release strap “3”, then pull release strap “4” to rotate the entire seat rearward. 2. To restore the seat to its upright position, lift up on the
seatback and push forward until the anchors latch.
WARNING!
To avoid serious injury or death, never operate the
vehicle with occupants in the third row seat while in
the tailgate mode.
Plastic Grocery Bag Retainer Hooks
Retainer hooks which will hold plastic grocery bag
handles are built into the seatbacks of all rear seats and
some front seats. The floor supports the partial weight of
the bagged goods.
DRIVER MEMORY SEAT — IF EQUIPPED
The Memory Buttons 1 and 2 on the driver’s door panel
can be programmed to recall the driver’s seat, outside
mirrors, adjustable brake and accelerator pedals, and
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 197

•To prevent excessive battery drain, use the rear win-
dow defroster only when the engine is operating.
CAUTION!
Failure to follow these cautions can cause damage to
the heating elements:
• Use care when washing the inside of the rear
window. Do not use abrasive window cleaners on
the interior surface of the window. Use a soft cloth
and a mild washing solution, wiping parallel to the
heating elements. Labels can be peeled off after
soaking with warm water.
• Do not use scrapers, sharp instruments, or abrasive
window cleaners on the interior surface of the
window.
• Keep all objects a safe distance from the window.
LOAD LEVELING SYSTEM — IF EQUIPPED
The automatic load leveling system will provide a level-
riding vehicle under most passenger and cargo loading
conditions.
A hydraulic pump contained within the shock absorbers
raises the rear of the vehicle to the correct height. It takes
approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) of driving for the leveling
to complete depending on road surface conditions.
If the leveled vehicle is not moved for approximately 15
hours, the leveling system will bleed itself down. The
vehicle must be driven to reset the system.
ROOF LUGGAGE RACK — IF EQUIPPED
The crossbars on your vehicle are delivered stowed
within the roof rack side rails. If adding cargo, deploy the
crossbars. Distribute cargo weight evenly on the roof rack
crossbars, to maximum of 150 lbs (68 kg). The roof rack
does not increase the total load carrying capacity of the
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 279

vehicle. Be sure the total load of cargo inside the vehicle
plus that on the external rack does not exceed the
maximum vehicle load capacity.
The crossbars and side rails are designed to carry weight
on vehicles equipped with a luggage rack. The load mustnot exceed 150 lbs (68 kg), and should be uniformly
distributed over the luggage rack crossbars.
NOTE:
•
Crossbars are error-proofed and cannot be deployed or
stowed in the incorrect positions.
• To help control wind noise, stow the crossbars in the
side rails when they are not in use.
Deploying the Crossbars
To deploy the crossbars, completely loosen the thumb
screws at both ends of the crossbar and lift the crossbar
from its stowed position in the side rail. Repeat with
crossbar on the opposite side.
Crossbar Stowed In Side Rail
280 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE