2005 DODGE SPRINTER Owners Manual

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 41
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SEAT BELTS
WARNING!
Children should never ride sitting on the lap of
another occupant. In an accident they will be com-
pletely without protection and could even be in-
jured by the person they are sitting on. For the
safety of all occupants read the child restraint sys-
tem manufacturer’s instructions carefully when
fitting any child restraint system.
When the child restraint is not in use, remove it
from the vehicle or secure it with the seat belt to
prevent the child restraint from becoming a
projectile in the event of an accident.
Do not leave children unsupervised in the vehicle,
even if they are secured by a child restraint
system.
WARNING!
Always wear the seat belts, even for very short-
trips.
Wearing a seat belt incorrectly is dangerous. Seat
belts are designed to go around the large bones of
your body. These are the strongest parts of your
body and can take the forces of a collision the best.
Wearing your belt in the wrong place could make
your injuries in a collision much worse. You
might suffer internal injuries, or you could even
slide out of part of the belt. Follow these
instructions to wear your seat belt safely and to
keep your passengers safe, too.
A belt that is buckled into the wrong buckle will
not protect you properly. The lap portion could
ride too high on your body, possibly causing
injuries. Always buckle your belt into the buckle
nearest you.
A belt that is too loose will not protect you as well.
In a sudden stop you could move too far forward,
increasing the possibility of injury.

42 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
WARNING!
Wear your seat belt snugly.
A belt that is worn under your arm is very
dangerous. Your body could strike the inside
surfaces of the vehicle in a collision, increasing
head and neck injury. A belt worn under the arm
can cause internal injuries. Ribs aren’t as strong as
shoulder bones. Wear the belt over your shoulder
so that your strongest bones will take the force in
collision.
A shoulder belt placed behind you will not protect
you from injury during a collision. You are more
likely to hit your head in a collision if you do not
wear your shoulder belt. The lap and shoulder
belt are meant to be used together.
Pregnant women should also use a lapshoulder
belt. The lap belt portion should be positioned as
low as possible on the hips to avoid any possible
pressure on the abdomen.
Two people should never be belted into a single
seat belt. People belted together can crash into one
another in an accident, hurting one another badly.
WARNING!
Do not secure any objects with a seat belt if it is
also being used for one of the vehicle’s occupants.
Do not allow the seat belt straps to become caught
or to be damaged by sharp objects. A frayed or
torn belt could rip apart in a collision and leave
you with no seat belt protection. Inspect the belt
system periodically, checking for cuts, frays, or
loose parts. Damaged parts must be replaced
immediately.
Do not disassemble or modify the system. Seat
belt assemblies must be replaced after a collision
if they have been damaged (bent retractor, torn
webbing, etc.). Have damaged seat belt
assemblies replaced by an authorized Sprinter
Dealer. Only use seat belt assemblies approved by
the manufacturer.
Keep the backrest upright or nearly upright.

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 43
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WARNING!
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the backrest
reclined. Sitting in an excessively reclined posi-
tion can be dangerous. You could slide under the
seat belt in a collision. If you slide under it, the
belt would apply force at the abdomen or neck.
This could result in severe personal injuries and
death.
The backrest and seat belt provide the best
restraint when the wearer is in an upright position
and the belt is properly positioned on the body.Failure to wear and properly fasten and position your
seat belt greatly increases your risk of injuries and
their likely severity in an accident. You and your
passengers should always wear seat belts.If you are ever in an accident, your injuries can be
considerably more severe without your seat belt
properly buckled. Without your seat belt buckled,
you are much more likely to hit the interior of the
vehicle or to be ejected from it. You can be
seriously injured or killed.
WARNING!
In the same crash, the possibility for injury or
death is lessened with your seat belt buckled.
Seat belts which have been subjected to heavy
loads in an accident must be replaced and their
anchorages must also be checked. Only use seat
belts which have been supplied and installed by
an authorized Sprinter Dealer.
No modifications are to be made to the seat belts,
their anchorages, the inertia reels or belt buckles.

44 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLESeat Belt Warning Lamp and Airbag MalfunctionWhen the key is in position 2 in the ignition lock, the
warning lamp < lights up for about 6 seconds; this
takes place whether or not the driver’s seat belt is
fastened.
The warning lamp < must go out after about
6 seconds if the driver’s safety belt is fastened, or the
vehicle is standing still and the driver’s door is opened.
If after about 6 seconds, the driver’s safety belt is not
fastened with all doors closed,
– and the vehicle speed does not exceed 15 mph (25 km/h), the warning lamp < remains on for as
long as the driver ’s safety belt is not fastened.
– and the vehicle speed exceeds 15 mph (25 km/h), the warning lamp < flashes and a warning
signal sounds, which is repeated increasingly
frequently until the driver ’s safety belt is fastened,
or for a maximum of 153 seconds from the time the
vehicle speed exceeded 15 mph (25 km/h) if the
driver ’s safety belt remains unfastened. If the driver’s safety belt remains unfastened after 153
seconds, the warning lamp
< stops flashing and the
warning signal stops sounding. The warning lamp
< lights up for as long as the driver’s safety belt is
not fastened.
If the warning lamp < flashes after the first 6
seconds and no warning signal is audible, the
malfunction indicator lamp 1 is defective.
Have the malfunction indicator lamp 1checked and
repaired by an authorized Sprinter Dealer as soon as
possible.
Malfunction indicator lamp 1, refer to “SRS
Malfunction Indicator Lamp”.

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 45
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Fastening and RemovingBelt tongue (1)
Belt buckle (2)
Release button (3) Fastening Seat Belts
1. Pull the seat belt over the body. The seat belt must
not be twisted or you could be injured.
2. Press the tongue into the buckle and make sure that it is heard to engage.
3. The seat belt must be tight across the body. Check this immediately after fastening the seat belt, and at
regular intervals during the trip.
If necessary, tension the lap belt by pulling the
shoulder strap up in front of the body.
WARNING!
A lap belt worn too high can increase the risk of
internal injury in a collision. The belt forces won’t
be at the strong hip and pelvic bones, but across
your abdomen. Always wear the lap part as low as
possible and keep it snug.In an accident a twisted belt cannot fufill its
protective function. In a collision it could even cut
into you. Be sure the belt is straight. If you cannot
straighten a belt in your vehicle, take it to an
authorized Sprinter dealer and have it fixed.

46 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLERemoving Seat Belts
1. Press the release button in the belt buckle.
2. Guide the seat belt back to its rest position.
Seat Belt Warning System
When the key is turned to position 2 in the ignition
lock, a warning buzzer sounds for about 6 seconds if
the driver’s safety belt is not pressed into the belt
buckle. The buzzer stops as soon as the safety belt is
fastened. Press the safety belt into the belt buckle.
Belt Height AdjustmentBelt height adjustment button 4
Do not adjust the belt height while the vehicle is
moving.
To lower:
Press the button and move the belt sash guide down.
To raise:
Move the belt sash guide up.
The shoulder strap must pass between the neck and the
shoulder.
WARNING!
A frayed or torn belt could rip apart in a collision
and leave you with no protection. Inspect the belt
system periodically, checking for cuts, frays, or
loose parts. Damaged parts must be replaced im-
mediately. Do not disassemble or modify the sys-
tem. Seat belt assemblies must be replaced after a
collision if they have been damaged (bent retrac-
tor, torn webbing, etc.).

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 47
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DRIVER’S AIRBAGThe driver’s airbag is located within the padded center
of the steering wheel.
WARNING!
To reduce the risk of injury when the front airbag
inflates, it is very important for the driver to al-
ways be in a properly seated position and to wear
the seat belt. Since the airbag inflates with consid-
erable speed and force, a proper seating position
with hands on the steering wheel will help to
keep you in a safe distance from the airbag. Keep
hands on the outside of the steering wheel rim.
Placing hands and arms inside the rim can in-
crease the risk and the potential severity of hand/
arm injury when the driver front airbag inflates.

48 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLEFRONT SEAT PASSENGER AIRBAG (NOT IN
CONJUNCTION WITH FOLDING SEAT IN
PARTITION WALL)
WARNING!
To reduce the risk of injury when the front airbag
inflates, it is very important for the driver to al-
ways be in a properly seated position and to wear
the seat belt. Since the airbag inflates with consid-
erable speed and force, a proper seating position
with hands on the steering wheel will help to
keep you in a safe distance from the airbag.
Do not place any pieces on the top of the
mounting lid above the airbag. If the airbag is
activated the pieces could be thrown into the
passenger compartment. This could result in
severe personal injuries and death.