child restraint Ram ProMaster 2015 User Guide

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. Any child riding in your vehicle
should be in a proper restraint for the child’s size.
There are different sizes and types of restraints 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 labels 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.seatcheck.org or call 1–866–732–8243.
• Canadian residents should refer to Transport Cana-
da’s website for additional information: www.tc.gc.ca/
eng/motorvehiclesafety/safedrivers-childsafety-
index-53.htm2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 53

Summary Of Recommendations For Restraining Children In Vehicles
Child Size, Height, Weight Or Age Recommended Type Of Child Restraint
Infants and Toddlers Children who are two years old or younger and who have not reachedthe 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 out-grown 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 out-grown their forward-facing child restraint, but
are too small to properly fit the ve- hicle’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
54 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Infants 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 restraint. Two types of child restraints can be used
rear-facing: infant carriers and convertible 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 children 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 passenger Advanced 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.
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
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 55

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
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
directions 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 attach-
ments. Remove the child restraint before adjusting
the vehicle seat position. When the vehicle seat has
been adjusted, reinstall the child restraint.
• 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.
56 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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. Although the seat
belt can be locked to secure a child restraint, there are no
tether anchorages to complete the proper installation of a
forward-facing child restraint. 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.
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.
Installing Child Restraints Using the Vehicle Seat
Belt
The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are
equipped with a Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor
(ALR) that is 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 retractor can be
“switched” into a locked mode by pulling all of the
webbing out of the retractor and then letting the webbing
retract back into the retractor. If it is locked, the ALR will
make a clicking noise while the webbing is pulled back
58 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Installing a Child Restraint with a Switchable
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR):
1. Place the child seat in the center of the seatingposition. Move the vehicle seat as far rearward as
possible to keep the child as far from the advanced
passenger air bag as possible.
2. Pull enough of the seat belt webbing from the retractor to pass it through the belt path of the child restraint.
Do not twist the belt webbing in the belt path.
3. Slide the latch plate into the buckle until you hear a “click.”
4. Pull on the webbing to make the lap portion tight against the child seat.
5. To lock the seat belt, pull down on the shoulder part of the belt until you have pulled all the seat belt webbing
out of the retractor. Then, allow the webbing to retract back into the retractor. As the webbing retracts, you
will hear a clicking sound. This means the seat belt is
now in the Automatic Locking mode.
6. Try to pull the webbing out of the retractor. If it is locked, you should not be able to pull out any web-
bing. If the retractor is not locked, repeat step 5.
7. Finally, pull up on any excess webbing to tighten the lap portion around the child restraint while you push
the child restraint rearward and downward into the
vehicle seat.
8. If the child restraint has a top tether strap and the seating position has a top tether anchorage, connect
the tether strap to the anchorage and tighten the tether
strap. See the section “Installing Child Restraints
Using the Top Tether Anchorage” for directions to
attach a tether anchor.
60 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

9. Test that the child restraint is installed tightly bypulling back and forth on the child seat at the belt
path. It should not move more than 1 inch (25.4 mm)
in any direction.
Any seat belt system will loosen with time, so check the
belt occasionally, and pull it tight if necessary.
Transporting Pets
Air Bags deploying in the front seat could harm your pet.
An unrestrained pet will 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.
FUEL CUT OFF SWITCH
The vehicle is fitted with a safety switch that, in the event
of an accident, comes into operation by cutting off the
fuel supply and turning off the engine as a consequence.
When the inertia switch cuts in, this cuts off the fuel
supply and also activates the hazard warning lights, side
lights, and courtesy lights while releasing all the doors
and displaying a message; they are deactivated by push-
ing button A.
NOTE: After an accident, remember to cycle the ignition
to the STOP (OFF/LOCK) position and remove the key
from the ignition switch to avoid draining the battery. If
no fuel leaks or damage to vehicle electrical devices (e.g.
headlights) are detected after the impact, reactivate the
automatic fuel cut off following the procedure described
below.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 61

Carbon Monoxide Warning...................64
Cargo Light ..............................96
Car Washes ............................ .356
Cellular Phone .......................... .182
Certification Label ........................ .269
Chains, Tire ............................ .254
Chart, Tire Sizing ........................ .232
Check Engine Light (Malfunction Indicator Light) ............128, 331
Checking Your Vehicle For Safety ...............63
Checks, Safety ............................63
Child Restraint ............................52
Child Restraints Booster Seats ...........................57
Child Restraints .........................52
Infants And Child Restraints ................55
Older Children And Child Restraints ..........55
Cigar Lighter ............................118
Clean Air Gasoline ........................262 Climate Control
..........................183
Manual ............................. .183
Cold Weather Operation ....................201
Compact Disc (CD) Maintenance ..............182
Compact Spare Tire ........................249
Console, Overhead ........................114
Contract, Service ..........................399
Coolant Pressure Cap (Radiator Cap) ...........349
Cooling System .......................... .346
Adding Coolant (Antifreeze) ...............348
Coolant Capacity .......................382
Coolant Level ..................... .346, 350
Disposal Of Used Coolant .................350
Drain, Flush, And Refill ...................346
Inspection ............................350
Points To Remember .....................350
Pressure Cap ..........................349
Radiator Cap ..........................349
Selection Of Coolant (Antifreeze) ......347, 382, 383
408 INDEX

Restraints, Child...........................52
Restraints, Occupant ........................24
Rotation, Tires .......................... .256
Safety Checks Inside Vehicle ..................65
Safety Checks Outside Vehicle .................67
Safety Defects, Reporting ....................400
Safety, Exhaust Gas .........................64
Safety Information, Tire .....................230
Safety Tips ...............................63
Schedule, Maintenance .....................388
Seat Belt Adjustable Upper Shoulder Belt Anchorage ......32
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) ...........34
Energy Management Feature ................34
Lap/Shoulder Belt Operation ................29
Lap/Shoulder Belts .......................27
Lap/Shoulder Belt Untwisting ...............31
Pregnant Women ........................33 Seat Belt Pretensioner
.....................34
Seat Belt Reminder .......................26
Seat Belt System .........................24
Seat Belt Maintenance ..................... .360
Seat Belt Reminder .........................26
Seat Belts ............................ .25, 65
Adjustable Shoulder Belt ...................32
Adjustable Upper Shoulder Anchorage .........32
Child Restraint ..........................52
Front Seat ........................25, 27, 29
Inspection .............................65
Operating Instructions ....................29
Pregnant Women ........................33
Pretensioners ...........................34
Rear Seat ..............................27
Reminder ............................ .128
Untwisting Procedure .....................31
Seats ...................................76
Adjustment ............................76
10
INDEX 417