2004 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN lock

² Avoid high impacts against the door stop when open-
ing the door. This is very important when your vehicle
is parked on an incline as the door will slide faster in
the downhill direction.
² There is a hold-open latch that is activated when the
sliding door is fully opened. This latch will keep your
sliding door open on any incline. To close the sliding
door after the hold-open latch is activated, you must
push the button on the inside grab handle or pull out
on the outside sliding door handle.
² Use the grab handle on the inside of the sliding door to
assist you in closing and securing the door.
Always make sure that the sliding door is fully latched
any time the vehicle is in motion. NOTE: The driver's side sliding door cannot be opened
while the fuel door is open. This feature operates only
when the sliding door is fully closed prior to opening the
fuel door.
Power Sliding Door Ð If Equipped
NOTE: The power sliding door must be unlocked before
the switches located on the trim panel, just in front of the
power sliding door will operate.
The power sliding door may be opened manually or by
using the buttons on the remote keyless entry transmitter.
Press the buttons on the remote keyless entry transmitter
twice within five seconds, to open a power sliding door.
Once the door is fully open, pressing the button twice
within five seconds a second time will close the door. THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 29
2

Child Protection Door Lock
To provide a safer environment for small children riding
in the rear seats, the sliding doors are equipped with a
child protection door lock system.
WARNING!To avoid trapping anyone in the vehicle in a colli-
sion. Remember that the sliding doors can only be
opened from the outside door handle or the switches
located on the trim panel just in front of the power
sliding door when the child protection locks are
engaged.
To activate the system, open the sliding door and move
the child lock control, located near the door's rear latch,
to the ON position. When the child lock system is engaged the door can be
opened only by using the outside door handle or the
switches located on the trim panel just in front of the
power sliding door, even though the inside door lock is in
the unlocked position.
The power sliding door will operate from the switches
located on the trim panel just in front of the power sliding32 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

door, regardless of the child lock lever position. To avoid
unintentional operation of the power sliding door from the
rear seats, press the button located in the overhead console
to disable the switches for the rear seat passengers.
NOTE:
² The power sliding door switches will not operate if the
vehicle is in gear or the vehicle speed is above 0 mph
(0 km/h).
² The power sliding door will operate from the remote
keyless entry transmitter, if the vehicle is in Park,
regardless of the child lock lever position.
LIFTGATE
NOTE: The key that is used to start the vehicle is also
used to lock or unlock the doors and open the liftgate.
To open the liftgate, insert the key into the lock and turn
to the right. On vehicles equipped with power locks the liftgate can also be unlocked using the remote keyless
entry or by activating the power door lock switches
located on the front doors.
Once unlocked, on vehicles equipped with power locks,
the liftgate can be opened or closed without using the
key. To open the liftgate, depress the liftgate release
switch located on the underside of the license plate bar
and pull the liftgate open with one fluid motion. THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 33
2

If the liftgate is locked and is not equipped with a
powered liftgate, pressing the button on the remote
keyless entry transmitter will result in the liftgate becom-
ing unlocked for 30 seconds allowing you to manually
access the liftgate area.
NOTE: On vehicles without power locks, the liftgate can
only be opened using the vehicle keys. The key must be
held in the unlocked position for the liftgate to open.
Power Liftgate Ð If Equipped
The power liftgate may be opened manually or by using
the button on the remote keyless entry transmitter. Press
the button on the remote keyless entry transmitter twice
within five seconds, to open the power liftgate. Once the
liftgate is fully open, pressing the button twice within
five seconds a second time will close the liftgate.
The power liftgate may also be opened by pressing the
button located on the overhead console. When the remote keyless entry transmitter button is
pressed and the ªLamp Flashº feature is enabled, the tail
lights will flash to signal that the liftgate is opening or
closing.34 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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.
Buckle up even though you are an excellent driver, even
on short trips. Someone on the road may be a poor driver
and cause a collision that includes you. This can happen
far away from home or on your own street.
Research has shown that seat belts save lives, and they
can reduce the seriousness of injuries in a collision. Some
of the worst injuries happen when people are thrown
from the vehicle. Seat belts reduce the possibility of ejection and the risk of injury caused by striking the
inside of the vehicle. Everyone in a motor vehicle should
be belted at all times.
Lap/Shoulder Belts
All the outboard seats in your vehicle are equipped with
Lap/Shoulder Belts.
The belt webbing retractor is designed to lock during
very sudden stops or collisions. This feature allows the
shoulder part of the belt to move freely with you under
normal conditions. But in a collision, the belt will lock
and reduce the risk of your striking the inside of the
vehicle or being thrown out. THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 39
2

As a guide, if you are shorter than average, you will
prefer a lower position, and if you are taller than average,
you'll prefer a higher position. When you release the
anchorage, try to move it up or down to make sure that
it is locked in position.
Lap/Shoulder Belt Untwisting Procedure
Use the following procedure to untwist a twisted lap/
shoulder belt.
1. Position the latch plate as close as possible to the
anchor point. THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 45
2

haven't healed significantly within a few days, or if
you have any blistering, see your doctor immediately.
² As the airbags deflate you may see some smoke-like
particles. The particles are a normal by-product of the
process that generates the nontoxic gas used for airbag
inflation. These airborne particles may irritate the skin,
eyes, nose, or throat. If you have skin or eye irritation,
rinse the area with cool water. For nose or throat
irritation, move to fresh air. If the irritation continues,
see your doctor. If these particles settle on your
clothing, follow the garment manufacturer's instruc-
tions for cleaning.
² It is not advisable to drive your vehicle after the
airbags have deployed. If you are involved in another
collision, the airbags and seat belt pretensioners will
not be in place to protect you. WARNING!Deployed airbags and seat belt pretensioners cannot
protect you in another collision. Have the airbags
and seat belt pretensioners replaced by an autho-
rized dealer as soon as possible.
Enhanced Accident Response
If the airbags and seat belt pertensioners deploy after an
impact and the electrical system remains functional,
vehicles equipped with power door locks will unlock
automatically. In addition, approximately 10 seconds
after the vehicle has stopped moving, the interior lights
will illuminate until the ignition switch is turned off.56 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Here are some tips on getting the most out of your child
restraint:
² Before buying any restraint system, make sure that it
has a label certifying that it meets all applicable Safety
Standards. We also recommend that you make sure
that you can install the child restraint in the vehicle
where you will use it, before you buy it.
² The restraint must be appropriate for your child's
weight and height. Check the label on the restraint for
weight and height limits.
² Carefully follow the instructions that come with the
restraint. If you install the restraint improperly, it may
not work when you need it.
The passenger seat belts are equipped with cinching
latch plates, which are designed to keep the lap
portion tight around the child restraint so that it is not
necessary to use a locking clip. Pulling up on the shoulder portion of the lap/shoulder belt will tighten
the belt. The cinching latch plate will keep the belt
tight, however, any seat belt system will loosen with
time, so check the belt occasionally and pull it tight if
necessary.
² 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 of the
belt several times to shorten it. Insert the latch plate
into the buckle with the release button facing out.
² 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 buckle
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. THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 61
2