2004 DODGE INTREPID child seat

▫To Program Additional Transmitters.........20
▫Transmitter Linked To Memory Programming . .21
▫General Information....................22
▫Transmitter Battery Service...............22
Security Alarm System— If Equipped........23
▫To Set The Alarm......................23
▫To Disarm The System...................24
▫Security System Manual Override...........24
Power Windows........................25
Remote Trunk Lid Release................25
Trunk Safety Warning....................26
▫Trunk Emergency Release................26
Occupant Restraints.....................26▫Lap/Shoulder Belts.....................27
▫Seat Belts And Pregnant Women............32
▫Seat Belt Extender......................32
▫Driver And Right Front Passenger Supplemental
Restraint System (SRS) - Airbag............33
▫Child Restraint........................40
Engine Break-In Recommendations..........47
Safety Tips............................47
▫Exhaust Gas..........................47
▫Safety Checks You Should Make Inside
The Vehicle..........................48
▫Periodic Safety Checks You Should Make Outside
The Vehicle..........................48
8 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

“Child-Protection” Lock System (Rear Doors)
To provide a safer environment for small children riding
in the rear seat, the rear doors of your vehicle have the
“child-protection” door lock system.
To use the system, open each rear door and use a key to
move the control near the door latch UP to the “Engage”
position as shown on the door label. When the system on
a door is engaged, that door can be opened only by using
the outside door handle. This will occur even though the
inside door lock is in the unlocked position.
NOTE:For emergency exit with the system engaged,
move the lock plunger up (unlocked position), lower the
window and open the door with the outside door handle.
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.
Automatic (Rolling) Door Locks
On vehicles equipped with an EVIC (Electronic Vehicle
Information Center), these functions can be selected at
the EVIC using the Customer Programmable Features.
Refer to the EVIC-Customer Programmable Features for
details.
The doors will lock automatically, as delivered from the
factory, if:
1. The transaxle is in gear,
2. all doors are closed,
16 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

TRUNK SAFETY WARNING
WARNING!
Do not allow children to have access to the trunk,
either by climbing into the trunk from outside, or
through the inside of the vehicle. Always close the
trunk lid when your vehicle is unattended. Once in
the trunk, young children may not be able to escape,
even if they entered through the rear seat. If trapped
in the trunk, children can die from suffocation or
heat stroke.
Trunk Emergency Release
The trunk of your vehicle is equipped with an emergency
release handle. It is located on the inside of the trunk lid,
near the latch, and is coated so that it glows in a darkened
trunk. Pull on the handle to open the trunk.
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, front
airbags for both the driver and front passenger and side
airbags, if equipped, for both the driver and right 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.
26 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
because the airbags are not there to protect you.
These protective covers are designed to open only
when the airbags are inflated.
•If your vehicle is equipped with side airbags, do
not use accessory seat covers or place objects
between you and the side airbags; the perfor-
mance could be adversely affected and/or objects
could be pushed into you, causing serious injury.
•If your vehicle is equipped with side airbags, do
not attach cup holders or any other objects on or
around the door. The inflating side airbag could
drive the objects into occupants, causing serious
injury.
Airbags inflate in moderate to high speed impacts. Along
with the seat belts, front airbags work with the instru-
ment panel knee bolsters to provide improved protectionfor the driver and front passenger. Side airbags also work
with seat belts to improve occupant protection.
The seat belts are designed to protect you in many types
of collisions. The front airbags deploy only in moderate
to severe frontal collisions. In certain types of collisions,
both the front and side airbags may be triggered. But
even in collisions where the airbags work, you need the
seat belts to keep you in the right positon for the airbags
to protect you properly.
Here are some simple steps you can take to minimize
the risk of harm from a deploying airbag.
1. Children 12 years old and under should always ride
buckled up in the rear seat.
Infants in rear-facing child restraints (designed for chil-
dren up to 20 lbs. [9kg.] and at least one year old) should
NEVERride in the front seat of a vehicle with a passen-
ger front airbag. An airbag deployment could cause
serious injury or death to an infant in that position.
Children that are not big enough to properly wear the
vehicle seat belt (see section on “Child Restraint”) should
34 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

be secured in the rear seat in child restraints or belt-
positioning booster seats appropriate for the size and age
of the child.
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.
If a child from 1 to 12 years old must ride in the front
passenger seat because the vehicle is crowded, move the
seat as far back as possible, and use the proper child
restraint. See the section on “Child Restraint”.
You should read the instructions provided with your
child restraint to make sure that you are using it properly.
2. All occupants should wear their lap and shoulder belts
properly.
3. The driver and front passenger seats should be moved
back as far as practical to allow the front airbags room to
inflate.4. If your vehicle has side airbags, do not lean against the
door, airbags will inflate forcefully into the space be-
tween you and the door.
WARNING!
•Relying on the airbags alone could lead to more
severe injuries in a collision. The airbags work
with your seat belt to restrain you properly. In
some collisions the airbags won’t deploy at all.
Always wear your seat belts even though you
have airbags.
•Being too close to the steering wheel or instru-
ment panel during airbag deployment could cause
serious injury.
•Airbags need room to inflate. Sit back, comfort-
ably extending your arms to reach the steering
wheel or instrument panel.
•If the vehicle has side airbags, they also need
room to inflate. Do not lean against the door. Sit
upright in the center of the seat.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 35
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•The side impact airbag control module monitors the
readiness of the electronic parts of the system when-
ever the ignition switch is in the “START” or “RUN”
positions. These include all of the items listed above
except for the AIRBAG light (which is controlled by
the frontal airbag system).
•In moderate to severe side collisions, the side airbag
inflator on the crash side of the vehicle is triggered,
releasing a quantity of nontoxic gas. The inflating side
airbag exits through the seat seam into the space
between the occupant and the door. The side airbag
moves at a very high speed and with such a high force,
that it could injure you if you are not seated properly,
or if items are positioned in the area where the side
airbag inflates. This especially applies to children.
Maintaining Your Airbag System
WARNING!
•Modifications to any part of the airbag system
could cause it to fail when you need it. You could
be injured because the airbag is not there to
protect you. Do not modify the components or
wiring, including adding any kind of badges or
stickers to the airbag covers. Do not modify the
front bumper or vehicle body structure.
•You need proper knee impact protection in a
collision. Do not mount or locate any aftermarket
equipment on or behind the knee impact bolsters.
•It is dangerous to try to repair any part of the
airbag system yourself. Be sure to tell anyone who
works on your vehicle that it has airbags.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 39
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Airbag Light
You will want to have the airbags ready 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 immediately.
•The AIRBAG light does not come on or flickers during
the 6 to 8 seconds when the ignition switch is first
turned on.
•The light remains on or flickers after the 6 to 8 second
interval.
•The light flickers or comes on and remains on while
driving.
Child Restraint
Everyone in your vehicle needs to be buckled up all the
time– 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. According to crash statistics,
children are safer when properly restrained in the rear
seat rather than 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
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 ensure you have the right seat for
your child. Use the restraint that is correct for your child:
40 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Infants and Child Restraints
•
Safety 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 and “convertible” child seats.
•The infant carrier is only used rearward-facing in the
vehicle. It is recommended for children who weigh up
to about 20 lbs (9 kg). “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 weigh more than 20 lbs (9 kg) but are
less than one year old. Both types of child restraints are
held in the vehicle by the lap/shoulder belt or the
LATCH anchorage system. (See the LATCH — Child
Seat Anchorage System section for greater explana-
tion.)
•Rearward-facing child seats mustNEVERbe used in
the front seat of a vehicle with a front passengerairbag. An airbag deployment could cause severe
injury or death to infants in this position.
WARNING!
•A rearward facing infant restraint should only be
used in a rear seat. A rearward facing infant
restraint in the front seat may be struck by a
deploying passenger airbag which may cause se-
vere or fatal injury to the infant.
•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.
Here are some tips on 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
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 41
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