child restraint RAM CHASSIS CAB 2012 User Guide

WARNING! (Continued)• When your child restraint is not in use, secure it in
the vehicle with the seat belt or remove it from the
vehicle. Do not leave it loose in the vehicle. In a
sudden stop or accident, it could strike the occu-
pants or seatbacks and cause serious personal
injury.
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
seat back should use the lap/shoulder belt in a rear seat.
• Make sure that the child is upright in the seat.
• The lap portion should be low on the hips and as snug
as possible. • Check belt fit periodically. 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. Never allow a
child to put the shoulder belt under an arm or behind
their back.
Lower Anchors and Tether for CHildren (LATCH)
Each vehicle is equipped with the child restraint anchor-
age system called LATCH, which stands for Lower
Anchors and Tether for CHildren. The LATCH system
provides for the installation of the child restraint without
using the vehicle seat belt, instead securing the child
restraint using lower anchorages and upper tether straps
from the child restraint to the vehicle structure. LATCH
child restraint anchorage systems are installed in the
Quad Cab  , Mega Cab  and Crew Cab rear seat outboard
positions. LATCH equipped seating positions feature
both lower anchor bars, located at the back of the seat68 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

cushion, and tether strap anchorages, located behind the
seat back (refer to “Child Restraint Tether Anchor”). Child restraint systems having attachments designed to
connect to the lower anchorages are now available. Child
restraints having tether straps and hooks for connection
to the seat back tether anchorage have been available for
some time. In fact, many child restraint manufacturers
will provide add-on tether strap kits for some of their
older products.
Because the lower anchorages are to be introduced to
passenger carrying vehicles over a period of years, child
restraint systems having attachments for those anchor-
ages will continue to have features for installation in
vehicles using the lap or lap/shoulder belt. They will also
have tether straps, and you are urged to take advantage
of all of the available attachments provided with your
child restraint in any vehicle.Crew Cab Rear Outboard Seats Driver Side
2 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 69

NOTE:
• When using the LATCH attaching system to install a
child restraint, please ensure that all seat belts not
being used for occupant restraints are stowed and out
of reach of children. It is recommended that before
installing the child restraint, buckle the seat belt so the
seat belt is tucked behind the child restraint and out of
reach. If the buckled seat belt interferes with the child
restraint installation, instead of tucking the seat belt
behind the child restraint, route the seat belt through
the child restraint belt path and then buckle it. This
should stow the seat belt out of the reach of an
inquisitive child. Remind all children in the vehicle
that the seat belts are not toys and should not be
played with, and never leave your child unattended in
the vehicle.
• If your child restraint seat is not LATCH-compatible,
install the restraint using the vehicle seat belting. Installing The Child Restraint System
WARNING!Do not install child restraint systems equipped with
LATCH mechanisms in the center position of a Crew
Cab model with a bench rear seat. A child may be
placed in the rear center seating position of a Crew
Cab bench model using the seat belt and child tether
anchorage. The LATCH anchorages in the rear seat
are designed for the two outboard seating positions
for Crew Cab  with a full bench rear seat, and all
three positions for Crew Cab  with a split bench rear
seat. Failure to follow this may result in serious or
fatal injury.70 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

We urge you to carefully follow the directions of the
manufacturer when installing your child restraint. Many,
but not all, restraint systems will be equipped with
separate straps on each side, with each having a hook or
connector, and a means for adjusting the tension in the
strap. Forward-facing toddler restraints and some
rearward-facing infant restraints will also be equipped
with a tether strap, a hook and means for adjusting the
tension in the strap.
In general, you will first loosen the child seat adjusters on
the lower straps and tether straps so that you can more
easily attach the hook or connector to the lower anchor-
ages and tether anchorages. Then tighten all three straps
as you push the child restraint rearward and downward
into the seat.
Not all child restraint systems will be installed as we
have described here. Again, carefully follow the instruc-
tions that come with the child restraint system. WARNING!Improper installation of a child restraint to the
LATCH anchorages can lead to failure of an infant or
child restraint. The child could be badly injured or
killed. Follow the manufacturer’s directions exactly
when installing an infant or child restraint.
Installing Child Restraints Using The Vehicle Seat
Belt
The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are
equipped with either an 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 will make a ratcheting
noise if you extract the entire belt from the retractor and
then allow the belt to retract into the retractor. For
additional information on ALR, refer to “Automatic
Locking Mode”. 2 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 71

The chart below defines the seating positions with an
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) or a cinching latch
plate.
Regular Cab
Left Center Right
First Row N/A ALR ALR
• N/A — Not Applicable
• ALR — Automatic Locking Retractor
Crew Cab 
Left Center Right
First Row N/A N/A ALR
Second Row ALR Cinch ALR
• N/A — Not Applicable
• ALR — Automatic Locking Retractor Installing a Child Restraint with an ALR:
1. To install a child restraint with ALR, first, pull enough
of the seat belt webbing from the retractor to route it
through the belt path of the child restraint. Slide the latch
plate into the buckle until you hear a “click.” Next,
extract all the seat belt webbing out of the retractor and
then allow the belt to retract into the retractor. As the belt
retracts, you will hear a ratcheting sound. This indicates
the safety belt is now in the Automatic Locking mode.
2. Finally, pull on any excess webbing to tighten the lap
portion around the child restraint. Any seat belt system
will loosen with time, so check the belt occasionally, and
pull it tight if necessary.
Installing a Child Restraint with a Cinching Latch Plate:
1. To install a child restraint with a cinching latch plate,
first, pull enough of the seat belt webbing from the72 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

retractor to route it through the belt path of the child
restraint. Slide the latch plate into the buckle until you
hear a “click.”
2. Finally, pull on any excess webbing to tighten the lap
portion around the child restraint. Any seat belt system
will loosen with time, so check the belt occasionally, and
pull it tight if necessary.
To attach a child restraint tether strap:
• Route the tether strap to provide the most direct path
for the strap between the anchor and the child seat,
preferably between the head restraint posts under-
neath the head restraint.
Child Restraint Tether Anchor
Child restraints having tether straps and hooks for con-
nection to tether anchors have been available for some
time. In fact, many child restraint manufacturers will
provide add-on tether strap kits for their older products. Regular Cab models have two tether anchorages, one
each behind the front center and right seats. Crew Cab
models have three anchorages, one behind each of the
rear seats.
WARNING!An incorrectly anchored tether strap could lead to
seat failure and injury to the child. In a collision, the
seat could come loose and allow the child to crash
into the inside of the vehicle or other passengers, or
even be thrown from the vehicle. Use only the anchor
positions directly behind the child seat to secure a
child restraint top tether strap. Follow the instruc-
tions below. See your authorized dealer for help if
necessary. 2 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 73

Tether Anchorage Points at the Right and Center
Front Seat (Regular Cab - All Seats)
1. Place the child restraint on the seat and adjust the
tether strap so that it will reach over the seat back under
the head restraint to the tether anchor directly behind the
seat.
2. Lift the cover (if so equipped), and attach the hook to
the square opening in the sheet metal.
3. Install the child restraint and remove the slack in the
tether strap according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Regular Cab Tether Strap Mounting1 — Tether Strap Hook
2 — Tether Strap to Child Restraint
3 — Tether Anchor74 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Multiple Child Restraint Installation Sequence
(Crew Cab — Rear Seats)
Crew Cab
1. The tether straps loops are located between the rear
glass and the rear seat. There is a tether strap loop located
behind each seating position. You can gain access to the
center seating position tether strap loop by raising the
head restraint and reaching between the rear glass and
rear seat.
2. Place a child restraint on each outboard rear seat and
adjust the tether strap so that it will reach under the head
restraint, through the outboard tether strap loop, then
route it to the tether strap loop located directly behind
the center rear seat. Head Restraint Adjustment
2 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 75

3. Pass each tether strap hook under the head restraint
and through the loop of webbing behind the child seat.
4. Route each tether strap to the anchor behind the center
seat, and attach the hooks to the anchor loop.
5. Place a child restraint on the center rear seat and
adjust the tether strap so that it will reach under the head
restraint through the center seat tether strap loop and
anchor to the tether strap loop located behind either
outboard seating positions.
6. Install each child restraint and remove the slack in the
tether strap according to the child restraint manufactur-
er’s instructions. Multiple Child Restraint Crew Cab1 — Anchor Loops
2 — Snap Hook
3 — Tether Strap
4 — Passenger’s Side Rear Child Seat
5 — Rear Center Child Seat
6 — Driver’s Side Rear Child Seat76 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Carbon Monoxide Warning ............... 78,339
Cargo Light ............................ 152
Cellular Phone ........................ 93,255
Center High Mounted Stop Light ............ 445
Center Lap Belts ......................... 48
Center Seat Storage Compartment ............ 176
Certification Label ....................... 342
Chart, Tire Sizing ........................ 310
Check Engine Light
(Malfunction Indicator Light) ............. 199,403
Checking Your Vehicle For Safety ............. 77
Checks, Safety ........................... 77
Child Restraint ........................ 64,65
Child Restraint Tether Anchors ............. 68,73
Child Seat .............................. 70
Cigar Lighter ........................... 169
Cleaning
Wheels ............................ 432
Climate Control ......................... 256 Clock ............................. 223,232
Cold Weather Operation ................... 274
Compact Disc (CD) Maintenance ............. 255
Compact Spare Tire ...................... 325
Compass .............................. 214
Compass Calibration ..................... 215
Compass Variance ....................... 215
Computer, Trip/Travel .................... 212
Connector
UCI .............................. 246
Universal Consumer Interface (UCI) ....... 246
Console, Overhead ....................... 163
Contract, Service ........................ 475
Coolant Pressure Cap (Radiator Cap) .......... 419
Cooling System ......................... 417
Adding Coolant (Antifreeze) ............. 418
Coolant Capacity ..................... 449
Coolant Level .................... 417,420
Disposal of Used Coolant ............... 420484 INDEX