2004 DODGE DAKOTA child seat

mWindows.............................22
NPower Windows Ð If Equipped............22
NSliding Rear WindowÐIf Equipped.........23
NClub Cab Vented Quarter Window..........24
NWind Buffeting........................24
mOccupant Restraints.....................24
NLap/Shoulder Belts.....................25
NAdjustable Upper Shoulder Belt Anchorage....29
NSeat Belt PretensionersÐQuad Cab Only......29
NFront Lap Belts........................30
NSeat Belts And Pregnant Women............30NSeat Belt Extender......................31
NDriver And Right Front Passenger Supplemental
Restraint SystemÐAirbag................31
NChild Restraint........................38
mEngine Break-In Recommendations..........52
mSafety Tips............................53
NExhaust System.......................53
NSafety Checks You Should Make Inside The
Vehicle..............................54
NSafety Checks You Should Make Outside The
Vehicle..............................54
8 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Child Protection Door Lock
To provide a safer environment for small children riding
in the rear seats, the rear doors are equipped with a child
protection door lock system.This label is located near the
lock lever.
WARNING!
Avoid trapping anyone in the vehicle in a collision.
Remember that the rear doors can only be opened
from the outside when the child protection locks are
engaged.
16 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Club Cab Vented Quarter Window
The Club Cab is equipped with rear quarter windows
that open out. Pull the window latch toward you to
unlock, and push out on the window. Press the latch
straight to secure the window in an open position.
WIND BUFFETING
Wind buffeting can be described as the perception of
pressure on the ears or a helicopter type sound in the
ears. Your vehicle may exhibit wind buffeting with the
windows down, or the sunroof (if so equipped) in certain
open or partially open positions. This is a normal occur-
rence and can be minimized. If the buffeting occurs with
the rear windows open, open the front and rear windows
together to minimize the buffeting. If the buffeting occurs
with the sunroof open, adjust the sunroof opening to
minimize the buffeting.
OCCUPANT RESTRAINTS
Some of the most important safety features in your
vehicle are the restraint systems. These include the front
and rear seat belts for the driver and all passengers, and
front airbags for both the driver and front passenger. If
you will be carrying children too small for adult-size
belts, your seat belts also can be used to hold infant and
child restraint systems.
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.
WARNING!
In a collision, you and your passengers can suffer
much greater injuries if you are not properly buck-
led 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.
24 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

occupant early in a collision. Pretensioners work for all
size occupants, 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 positioned properly.
The pretensioners are triggered by the airbag control
module. Like the airbags, the pretensioners are single use
items. After a collision that is severe enough to deploy
the airbags and pretensioners, both must be replaced.
Front Lap Belts
The center seating positions have a lap belt only. To fasten
the lap belt, slide the latch plate into the buckle until you
hear a9click.9To 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 erect in the seat, then adjust the belt as tightly as is
comfortable.
WARNING!
²A lap belt worn too loose or too high is dangerous.
²A belt worn too loose can allow you to slip down
and under the belt in a collision.
²A 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 and Pregnant Women
We recommend that pregnant women use seat belts
throughout their pregnancies. Keeping the mother safe is
the best way to keep the baby safe.
Pregnant women should wear the lap part of the belt
across the thighs and as snug against the hips as possible.
Keep the belt low so that it does not come across the
abdomen. That way the strong bones of the hips will take
the force if there is a collision.
30 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
Do not put anything on or around the front airbag
covers or attempt to manually open them. You may
damage the airbags and you could be injured be-
cause the airbags are not there to protect you. These
protective covers for the airbag cushions are de-
signed to open only when the airbags are inflating.
Airbags inflate in moderate to high speed impacts. Along
with the seatbelts, front airbags work with the instrument
panel knee bolsters to provide improved protection for
the driver and front passenger.
The seat belts are designed to protect you in many types
of collisions. The front airbags deploy in moderate to
severe frontal collisions. But even in collisions where the
airbags work, you need the seat belts to keep you in the
right position for the airbags to protect you properly.
Here are some simple steps you can follow to minimize
the risk of harm from a deploying airbag.
²Children 12 years and under should ride buckled up in
a rear seat, if available.
²Infants in rear facing child restraints mustNEVER
ride in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger front
airbagunless the airbag is turned off. An airbag
deployment could cause severe injury or death to
infants in that position. See the passenger airbag
on/off switch section.
²If your vehicle does not have a rear seat, see the
Passenger Airbag On/Off Switch section.
²Children that are not big enough to properly wear the
vehicle seat belt (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 ride properly buckled up in the rear seat.
Never allow children to slide the shoulder belt behind
them or under their arm.
²All occupants should use their seat belts properly.
32 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

seat is too small for a rear-facing infant restraint or
because the infant has a medical condition which
makes it necessary for the driver to be able to see the
infant,
²is a child, age 1 to 12 who must ride in the front seat
because there is no rear seat, because there is no rear
seat position available, or because the child has a
medical condition which makes it necessary for the
driver to be able to see the child,
²has a medical condition which makes passenger airbag
inflation (deployment) a greater risk for the passenger
than the risk of hitting the dashboard (instrument
panel) or windshield in a crash.
WARNING!
Whenever an airbag is turned off, even a lap/
shoulder belted passenger may hit their head, neck,
or chest on the dashboard (instrument panel) or
windshield in a crash. This may result in serious
injury or death.
NOTE:The Passenger Airbag On/Off Switch is not
available in the Quad Cab.
To Shut Off the Passenger Airbag
Place the ignition key in the Passenger Airbag On/Off
Switch, push the key in and turn clockwise, and remove
the key from the switch. This will shut off the passenger
side airbag. The ªOffº light near the switch will illumi-
nate when the ignition switch is turned to the ON
position.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 35
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Airbag Light
You will want to have the airbags ready to inflate for your
protection in an impact. While the airbag system is
designed to be maintenance free, if any of the following
occurs, have an authorized dealer service the system
promptly:
²The airbag light does not come on or flickers during
the 6 to 8 seconds when the ignition switch is first
turned on.
²The light remains on or flickers after the 6 to 8 second
interval.
²The light flickers or comes on and remains on while
driving.
NOTE:If the speedometer, tachometer or any engine
related gauges are not working, the airbag control mod-
ule may also be disabled. The airbags may not be ready
to inflate for your protection. Promptly check fuse num-
bers 18 and 19 in the fuse block. See your dealer if the
fuse is good.
Child Restraint
Everyone in your vehicle needs to be buckled up all the
time Ð babies and children, too. 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 and under should ride properly buck-
led 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 missile 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.
38 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Infants and Small Children
There are different sizes and types of restraints for
children from newborn size to the child almost large
enough for the adult seat belt. Use the restraint that is
correct for your child:
²Safety experts recommend that children ride
rearward-facing in the vehicle until they are at least
one year old and weigh at least 20 lbs (9 kg). Two types
of child restraints can be used rearward-facing: infant
carriers and9convertible9child seats. Both types of
child restraints are held in the vehicle by the lap/
shoulder belt.
²The infant carrier is only used rearward-facing in the
vehicle. It is recommended for children who weigh up
to about 20 lbs (9 kg).9Convertible9child 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 weigh more than 20 lbs (9 kg) but are
less than one year old.
²Rearward-facing child seats mustNEVERbe used in
the front seat of a vehicle with a front passenger airbag
unless the airbag is turned off. An airbag deployment
could cause severe injury or death to infants in this
position.
²Children who weigh more than 20 lbs. (9 kg) and who
are older than one year can ride forward-facing in the
vehicle. Forward-facing child seats and convertible
child seats used in the forward-facing direction are for
children who weigh 20 to 40 lbs (9 to 18 kg) and who
are older than one year. These child seats are also held
in the vehicle by the lap/shoulder belt.
²The belt-positioning booster seat is for children weigh-
ing more than 40 lbs (18 kg), but who are still too small
to fit the vehicle's seat belts properly. If the child
cannot sit with knees bent over the vehicle's seat
cushion while the child's back is against the seat back,
they should use a belt-positioning-booster seat. The
child and booster seat are held in the vehicle by the
lap/shoulder belt. (Some booster seats are equipped
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 39
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