Page 11 of 504

Occupant Restraints......................45
▫Lap/Shoulder Belts.....................46
▫Lap/Shoulder Belt Untwisting Procedure.....52
▫Center Lap Belts.......................52
▫Seat Belt Pretensioners...................53
▫Enhanced Seat Belt Use Reminder System
(BeltAlert)...........................53
▫Seat Belts And Pregnant Women............55
▫Seat Belt Extender......................55
▫Driver And Front Passenger Supplemental
Restraint Systems (SRS) — Airbags..........56
▫Event Data Recorder (EDR)...............71
▫DaimlerChrysler Corporation Integrated Child
Seat — If Equipped.....................73▫Child Restraint........................73
Rear Seat Delete Feature (Commercial Vehicles
Only) — If Equipped.....................82
▫Restraining Infants And Small Children With Seat
Delete Feature (Commercial Vehicles Only)....83
Engine Break-In Recommendations...........86
SafetyTips ............................87
▫Exhaust Gas..........................87
▫Safety Checks You Should Make Inside The
Vehicle ..............................87
▫Periodic Safety Checks You Should Make Outside
TheVehicle ..........................88
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•On non EVIC - equipped vehicles perform the follow-
ing steps:
1. Enter your vehicle and close all doors.
2. Fasten your seat belt (Fastening the seat belt will
cancel any chiming that may confuse you during this
programming procedure).
3. Place the key into the ignition.
4. Within 15 seconds cycle the key from the LOCK
position to the ON/RUN position a minimum of four
times; ending in the LOCK position (Do not start the
engine).
5. Within 30 seconds, press the driver’s door lock switch
in the LOCK direction.
6. A single chime will be heard to indicate the feature has
been disabled.
7. To reactivate this feature, repeat the above steps.8. If a chime is not heard, program mode was canceled
before the feature could be disabled. If necessary, repeat
the above procedure.
You can turn the feature back on by repeating the above
mentioned procedure or by performing the procedure in
the Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC), Cus-
tomer Programmable Features section on vehicles so
equipped.
Auto Unlock On Exit — If Equipped
This feature unlocks all of the doors of the vehicle when
any door is opened. This will occur only after the vehicle
has been shifted into the Park position after the vehicle
has been driven (shifted out of Park and all doors closed).
This feature will not operate if there is any manual
operation of the power door locks (Lock or Unlock).
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 29
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Auto Unlock On Exit Programming — If Equipped
The doors will unlock automatically on vehicles with
power door locks if:
1. Enter your vehicle and close all doors.
2. Fasten your seat belt (fastening the seat belt will cancel
any chimes that may be confusing during this program-
ming procedure).
3. Insert the key into the ignition.
4. Within 15 seconds, cycle the key from the LOCK
position to the ON/RUN position a minimum of four
times ending in the LOCK position(do not start the
engine).
5. Within 30 seconds, press the driver’s door lock switch
in the UNLOCK direction.
6. A single chime will sound to indicate the feature has
been changed.7. Repeat the above steps to alternate the availability of
this feature.
8. If a chime is not heard, program mode was canceled
before the feature could be changed. If necessary repeat
the above procedure.
The Auto Unlock On Exit feature can be enabled or
disabled by performing the procedure in the Electronic
Vehicle Information Center (EVIC), Customer Program-
mable Features section on vehicles so equipped.
NOTE:Use the Auto Door Locks and Auto Unlock
features in accordance with local laws.
30 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
Page 45 of 504

NOTE:Do not use the storage bin emergency release to
lift the storage bin cover. The strap is intended for
emergency release only.
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, driver
inflatable knee blocker and if equipped, window bags for
the driver and passengers seated next to a window. If you
will be carrying children too small for adult-size seat
belts, your seat belts or the LATCH feature (Lower
Anchors and Tether for CHildren) also, can be used to
hold infant and child restraint systems.
NOTE:The front airbags have a multi stage inflator
design. This allows the airbag to have different rates of
inflation that are based on collision severity.
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.
Reinstall Cover Strap
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Page 46 of 504

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 ofejection and the risk of injury caused by striking the
inside of the vehicle.Everyonein 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.
46 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
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WARNING!
•It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision,
people riding in these areas are more likely to be
seriously injured or killed.
•Do not allow people to ride in any area of your
vehicle that is not equipped with seats and seat
belts.
•Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and
using a seat belt properly.
WARNING!
•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 instruc-
tions to wear your seat belt safely and to keep
your passengers safe, too.
•Two people should never be belted into a single
seat belt. People belted together can crash into one
another in a collision, hurting one another badly.
Never use a lap/shoulder belt or lap belt for more
than one person, no matter what their size.
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Page 48 of 504
Lap/Shoulder Belt Operating Instructions
1. Enter the vehicle and close the door. Sit back and
adjust the seat.
2. The seat belt latch plate is near the seatback of the
front seats and next to your arm in the rear seats. Grasp
the latch plate and pull out the belt. Slide the latch plate
up the webbing as far as necessary to allow the belt to go
around your lap.
Latch Plate
48 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
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3. When the belt is long enough to fit, insert the latch
plate into the buckle until you hear a “click”.WARNING!
•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 internal 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, increas-
ing the possibility of injury. 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 a 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.Latch Plate To Buckle
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 49
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