2004 JEEP LIBERTY Owners Manual

Also, the fuel system will shut off immediately upon
airbag deployment (gasoline models only). The ignition
switch will need to be cycled (i.e. turn the ignition key
from the ON position to the LOCK position) after ap-
proximately 5 seconds in order to restart the vehicle.Maintaining Your Airbag System
WARNING!
²Modifications to any part of the airbag system could cause
it to fail when you need it. You could be injured if the
airbag system is not there to protect you. Do not modify the
components or wiring, including adding any kind of
badges or stickers to the steering wheel hub trim cover or
the upper right side of the instrument panel. Do not modify
the front bumper, vehicle body structure, or add aftermar-
ket side steps or running boards.
²Do not attempt to modify any part of your advanced airbag
system. The airbag may inflate accidentally or may not
function properly if modifications are made. Take your
vehicle to an authorized dealer for any advanced airbag
system service. If your seat including your trim cover and
cushion needs to be serviced in any way, take the vehicle to
your authorized dealer. Only manufacturer approved seat
accessories may be used. If it is necessary to modify an
advanced airbag system for persons with disabilities, con-
tact your authorized dealer.
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WARNING!
²You need proper knee impact protection in a
collision. Do not mount or locate any aftermarket
equipment on or behind the knee bolsters.
²It 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 an airbag system.
Airbag Warning Light
You will want to have the airbag system ready to inflate
for your protection in an impact. The airbag system is
designed to be maintenance free. If any of the following
occurs, have an authorized dealer service the system
promptly:
²Does not come on during the 6 to 8 seconds after the
ignition switch is first turned on.
²Remains on after the 6 to 8 second interval.
²Comes on for any period of time while driving.
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.
58 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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.
Infants and Small Children
There are different sizes and types of restraints for
children from newborn size to the child almost large
enough for an adult seat 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:
²This vehicle is not capable of accommodating the
installation of a car bed used for carrying newborn
babies at the right front passenger seat position. If a car
bed must be used to transport a newborn baby, the car
bed must be installed in the second seating row only.
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 and ªconvertibleº child seats.
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). ªConvertibleº 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.
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²Rearward-facing child seats mustNEVERbe used in
the front seat of a vehicle with a front passenger
airbag. 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 are
older than one year old. 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 seat cushion while
the child's back is against the seatback, they need 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 with a front shield
and are held in the vehicle by the lap portion.)
²For additional information, refer to
www.seatcheck.org.
WARNING!
²Improper 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.
²A 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 to the infant.
60 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Here are some tips for getting the most out of your child
restraint:
²Before buying any restraint system, make sure that it
has a label certifying that it meets all applicable Safety
Standards. The manufacturer recommends that you
try a child restraint in the vehicle seats where you will
use it before you buy it.
²The restraint must be appropriate for your child's
weight and height. Check the label on the restraint for
weight and height limits.
²Carefully follow the instructions that come with the
restraint. If you install the restraint improperly, it may
not work when you need it.
²The passenger seat belts are equipped with either
cinching latch plates or automatic locking retractors,
which are designed to keep the lap portion tight
around the child restraint so that it is not necessary touse a locking clip. If the seat belt has a cinching latch
plate, 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.
If the seat belt has a automatic locking retractor, it will
have a distinctive label. Pull the belt from the retractor
until there is enough to allow you to pass through the
child restraint and slide the latch plate into the buckle.
Then, pull the belt until it is all extracted from the
retractor. Allow the belt to return to the retractor,
pulling on the excess webbing to tighten the lap
portion about the child restraint. Refer to ªAutomatic
Locking Modeº earlier in this section.
²Buckle the child into the restraint exactly as the
manufacturer's instructions tell you.
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²When your child restraint is not in use, secure it in the
vehicle with the seat belt or remove it from the vehicle.
Do not leave it loose in the vehicle. In a sudden stop or
collision, it could strike the occupants or seat backs
and cause serious personal injury.
LATCH Ð Child Seat Anchorage System (Lower
Anchors and Tether for CHildren)
Your vehicle's rear seat is equipped with the child
restraint anchorage system called LATCH. The LATCH
system provides for the installation of the child restraint
without using the vehicle's seat belts, instead securing
the child restraint using lower anchorages and upper
tether straps from the child restraint to the vehicle
structure.
LATCH-compatible child restraint systems are now avail-
able. However, because the lower anchorages are to be
introduced over a period of years, child restraint systems
having attachments for those anchorages will continue toalso have features for installation using the vehicle's seat
belts. Child restraints having tether straps and hooks for
connection to the top tether anchorages have been avail-
able for some time. For some older child restraints, many
child restraint manufacturers offer add-on tether strap
kits or retro-fit kits. You are urged to take advantage of all
the available attachments provided with your child re-
straint in any vehicle.
All three rear seating positions have lower anchorages
that are capable of accommodating LATCH-compatible
child seats having flexible, webbing-mounted lower at-
tachments. Child seats with fixed lower attachments
must be installed in the outboard positions only. Regard-
less of the specific type of lower attachment,NEVER
install LATCH-compatible child seats such that two seats
share a common lower anchorage. If installing child seats
in adjacent rear-seating positions or if your child re-
straints are not LATCH-compatible, install the restraints
using the vehicle's seat belts.
62 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Installing the LATCH-Compatible Child Restraint
System
We urge that you carefully follow the directions of the
manufacturer when installing your child restraint. Not all
child restraint systems will be installed as described here.
Again, carefully follow the installation instructions that
were provided with the child restraint system.
The rear seat lower anchorages are round bars, located at
the rear of the seat cushion where it meets the seat back,
and are just visible when you lean into the rear seat to
install the child restraint. You will easily feel them if you
run your finger along the intersection of the seatback and
seat cushion surfaces.
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In addition, there are tether strap anchorages behind each
rear seating position located on the back of the seat.
Many, but not all restraint systems will be equipped with
separate straps on each side, with each having a hook or
connector for attachment to the lower anchorage and a
means of adjusting the tension in the strap. Forward-
facing toddler restraints and some rear-facing infantrestraints will also be equipped with a tether strap, a
hook for attachment to the tether strap anchorage and a
means of adjusting the tension of the strap.
You will first loosen the adjusters on the lower straps
and on the tether strap so that you can more easily
attach the hooks or connectors to the vehicle anchor-
ages. Next attach the lower hooks or connectors over
the top of the anchorage bars, pushing aside the seat
cover material. Then lift the tether anchorage cover
directly behind the seat where you are placing the child
restraint and attach the tether strap to the anchorage,
being careful to route the tether strap to provide the
most direct path between the anchor and the child
restraint. If your vehicle is equipped with adjustable
rear head restraints, raise the head restraint and, route
the tether strap under the head restraint and between
the two posts. Finally, tighten all three straps as you
push the child restraint rearward and downward into
64 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE