child restraint RAM CHASSIS CAB 2012 Owners Manual

▫ To Lock The Doors .................... 23
▫ Using The Panic Alarm ................. 24
▫ Programming Additional Transmitters ...... 25
▫ Transmitter Battery Replacement .......... 25
▫ General Information ................... 26
 Remote Starting System — If Equipped ....... 26
▫ How To Use Remote Start ............... 27
 Door Locks ........................... 30
▫ Manual Door Locks ................... 30
▫ Power Door Locks — If Equipped ......... 31
▫ Child-Protection Door Lock .............. 32
 Windows ............................ 34
▫ Power Windows – If Equipped ............ 34 ▫ Wind Buffeting ....................... 37
 Occupant Restraints ..................... 38
▫ Lap/Shoulder Belts .................... 39
▫ Adjustable Upper Shoulder Belt Anchorage . . . 48
▫ Center Lap Belts ...................... 48
▫ Seat Belts In Passenger Seating Positions ..... 49
▫ Automatic Locking Retractor Mode (ALR) —
If Equipped ......................... 50
▫ Enhanced Seat Belt Use Reminder System
(BeltAlert  ) ......................... 51
▫ Seat Belts And Pregnant Women .......... 52
▫ Seat Belt Extender ..................... 5210 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

▫ Driver And Right Front Passenger
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) — Air
Bag ............................... 52
▫ Air Bag System Components ............. 54
▫ Advanced Front Air Bag Features .......... 54
▫ Air Bag Deployment Sensors And Controls . . . 57
▫ Event Data Recorder (EDR) .............. 63
▫ Child Restraints ...................... 64  Engine Break-In Recommendations .......... 77
 Safety Tips ........................... 77
▫ Transporting Passengers ................ 77
▫ Exhaust Gas ......................... 78
▫ Safety Checks You Should Make Inside The
Vehicle ............................. 79
▫ Periodic Safety Checks You Should Make
Outside The Vehicle ................... 81
2 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 11

normal occurrence and can be minimized. If the rear
windows are open and buffeting occurs, open the front
and rear windows together to minimize the buffeting.
OCCUPANT RESTRAINTS
Some of the most important safety features in your
vehicle are the restraint systems:
• Three-point lap and shoulder belts for the driver and
all passengers
• Advanced Front Air Bags for driver and front passen-
ger — if equipped
• An energy-absorbing steering column and steering
wheel
• Knee bolsters/blockers for front seat occupants • All seat belt systems (except driver ’s regular/Crew
Cab  , first and second row center position for Crew
Cab  only) include Automatic Locking Retractors
(ALR)
If you will be carrying children too small for adult-sized
seat belts, the seat belts or the Lower Anchors and Tether
for CHildren (LATCH) feature also can be used to hold
infant and child restraint systems. For further informa-
tion, refer to “Lower Anchors and Tether for CHildren
(LATCH)”.
NOTE: The Advanced Front Air Bags have a multistage
inflator design. This allows the air bag to have different
rates of inflation based on several factors, including the
severity and type of collision.
Please pay close attention to the information in this
section. It tells you how to use your restraint system
properly, to keep you and your passengers as safe as
possible.38 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!• A lap belt worn too loose or too high is dangerous.
• A belt worn too loose can allow you to slip down
and under the belt in a collision.
• A belt that is too loose or too high will apply crash
forces to the abdomen, not to the stronger hip
bones. In either case, the risk of internal injuries is
greater. Wear a lap belt low and snug.
Seat Belts In Passenger Seating Positions
The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are
equipped with an Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) or
a cinching latch plate which are used to secure a child
restraint system. For additional information refer to
“Installing Child Restraints Using the Vehicle Seat Belt”
under the “Child Restraint” section. The chart below
defines the type of feature for each seating position. 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
If the passenger seating position is equipped with an
ALR and is being used for normal usage:
Only pull the belt webbing out far enough to comfortably
wrap around the occupants mid-section so as to not 2 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 49

WARNING! (Continued)• Do not put anything on or around the air bag
covers or attempt to open them manually. You may
damage the air bags and you could be injured
because the air bags may no longer be functional.
The protective covers for the air bag cushions are
designed to open only when the air bags are
inflating.
• Do not drill, cut or tamper with the knee bolster in
any way.
• Do not mount any accessories to the knee bolster
such as alarm lights, stereos, citizen band radios,
etc.
Knee Impact Bolsters
The Knee Impact Bolsters help protect the knees of the
driver and the front passenger, and position front occu-
pants for the best interaction with the Advanced Front
Air Bags. Here are some simple steps you can take to minimize the
risk of harm from a deploying air bag:
Children 12 years old and under should always ride
buckled up in a rear seat.
WARNING!Infants in rear-facing child restraints should never
ride in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger
Advanced Front Air Bag. An air bag deployment can
cause severe injury or death to infants in that posi-
tion.
Children that are not big enough to wear the vehicle seat
belt properly (see Section on Child Restraints) should be
secured in the rear seat in child restraints or belt-
positioning booster seats. Older children who do not use
child restraints or belt-positioning booster seats should 2 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 55

ride properly buckled up in the rear seat. Never allow
children to slide the shoulder belt behind them or under
their arm.
If a child from 1 to 12 years old (not in a rear facing child
seat) must ride in the front passenger seat, move the seat
as far back as possible and use the proper child restraint.
(Refer to “Child Restraints”)
You should read the instructions provided with your
child restraint to make sure that you are using it properly.
All occupants should always wear their lap and shoulder
belts properly.
The driver and front passenger seats should be moved
back as far as practical to allow the Advanced Front Air
Bags room to inflate. If the air bag system in this vehicle needs to be modified
to accommodate a disabled person, contact the Customer
Center. Phone numbers are provided under  If You Need
Assistance  .
WARNING!• Relying on the air bags alone could lead to 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 belts even though you have
air bags.
• Being too close to the steering wheel or instrument
panel during Advanced Front Air Bag deployment
could cause serious injury, including death. Air
Bags need room to inflate. Sit back, comfortably
extending your arms to reach the steering wheel or
instrument panel.56 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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 equip-
ment, 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 all the
time, including babies and children. Every state in the
United States and all Canadian provinces require 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 available. 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, even a tiny baby,
can become a projectile inside the vehicle. The force
required to hold even an infant on your lap can
become so great that you could not hold the child, no
matter how strong you are. The child and others
could be badly injured. Any child riding in your
vehicle should be in a proper restraint for the child’s
size.
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.64 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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 they
reach the highest weight or height allowed by their
convertible child seat. Both types of child restraints are
held in the vehicle by the lap/shoulder belt or the
LATCH child restraint anchor system. Refer to “Lower
Anchors and Tether for CHildren (LATCH)”. WARNING!Rearward-facing child seats must never be used in
the front seat of a vehicle with the front passenger air
bag. An air bag deployment could cause severe
injury or death to infants in this position.
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. These child seats are also held 2 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 65

in the vehicle by the lap/shoulder belt or the LATCH
child restraint anchorage system. Refer to “Lower An-
chors and Tether for CHildren (LATCH)”.
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 lap/shoulder belt.
NOTE: For additional information, refer to
www.seatcheck.org or call 1–866–SEATCHECK. Cana-
dian residents should refer to Transport Canada’s web-
site for additional information: http://www.tc.gc.ca/
roadsafety/safedrivers/childsafety/index.htm WARNING!• Rearward-facing child seats must never be used in
the front seat of a vehicle with a front passenger
air bag. An air bag deployment could cause severe
injury or death to infants in this position.
• 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 manufacturer’s directions ex-
actly when installing an infant or child restraint.
• A rearward-facing child restraint should only be
used in a rear seat.
Here are some tips for getting the most out of your child
restraint:
• Before buying any restraint system, make sure that it
has a label certifying that it meets all applicable Safety
Standards. Chrysler Group LLC also recommends that66 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

you make sure that you can install the child restraint in
the vehicle where you will use it before you buy it.
• The restraint must be appropriate for your child’s
weight and height. Check the label on the restraint for
weight and height limits.
• Carefully follow the instructions that come with the
restraint. If you install the restraint improperly, it may
not work when you need it.
• In the rear seat, you may have trouble tightening the
lap/shoulder belt on the child restraint because the
buckle or latch plate is too close to the belt path
opening on the restraint. Disconnect the latch plate
from the buckle and twist the short buckle-end belt
several times to shorten it. Insert the latch plate into
the buckle with the release button facing out. • If the belt still can’t be tightened, or if pulling and
pushing on the restraint loosens the belt, disconnect
the latch plate from the buckle, turn the latch plate
around, and insert the latch plate into the buckle
again. If you still can’t make the child restraint secure,
try a different seating position.
• Buckle the child into the seat according to the child
restraint manufacturer’s directions.
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 manufacturer’s directions ex-
actly when installing an infant or child restraint.
(Continued)2 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 67