2007 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN Owners Manual

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 PlateTHINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 49
2

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,
increasing the possibility of injury. Wear your seat belt
snugly.
• A belt that is worn under your arm is very danger-
ous. 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 Buckle50 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

4. Position the lap belt across your thighs, below your
abdomen. To remove slack in the lap belt portion, pull up
on the shoulder belt. To loosen the lap belt if it is too tight,
tilt the latch plate and pull on the lap belt. A snug belt
reduces the risk of sliding under the belt in a collision.
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 belt as low as pos-
sible and keep it snug.
• A twisted belt can’t do its job as well. In a collision
it could even cut into you. Be sure the belt is straight.
If you can’t straighten a belt in your vehicle, take it
to your dealer and have it fixed.
5. Position the shoulder belt on your chest so that it is
comfortable and not resting on your neck. The retractor
will withdraw any slack in the belt.Removing Slack From Belt THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 51
2

6. To release the belt, push the red button on the buckle.
The belt will automatically retract to its stowed position.
If necessary, slide the latch plate down the webbing to
allow the belt to retract fully.
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 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.).
Adjustable Upper Shoulder Belt Anchorage
In the front seats and the second row outboard seats, the
shoulder belt anchorage can be adjusted upward or downward to help position the belt away from your
neck. The upper anchorage can be adjusted upward by
pushing anywhere on the anchorage. To move the an-
chorage downward, press the actuation button while
simultaneously pushing down on the anchorage assem-
bly.
Adjusting Upper Shoulder Belt52 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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.
2. At about 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) above the latch
plate, grasp and twist the belt webbing 180° to create a
fold that begins immediately above the latch plate.
3. Slide the latch plate upward over the folded webbing.
The folded webbing must enter the slot at the top of the
latch plate. 4. Continue to slide the latch plate up until it clears the
folded webbing.
Center Lap Belts
The center seating positions have a lap belt only. To fasten
the lap belt, slide the latch plate into the buckle until you
hear a “click”. To lengthen the lap belt, tilt the latch plate
and pull. To remove slack, pull the loose end of the
webbing.
Wear the lap belt snug against the hips. Sit back and erect
in the seat, then adjust the belt as tightly as is comfort-
able. THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 53
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WARNING!• A lap belt worn too loose or too high is dangerous.
• A belt worn too loose can allow you to slip down
and under the belt in a collision.
• A belt that is too high will apply crash forces to
the abdomen, not to the stronger hip bones. In
either case, the risk of internal injuries is greater.
Wear a lap belt low and snug.
Seat Belt Pretensioners
The seat belt buckles for both front seating positions are
equipped with pretensioning devices that are designed to
remove slack from the seat belt in the event of a collision.
These devices improve the performance of the seat belt
by assuring that the belt is tight about the occupant early
in a collision. Pretensioners are designed to work for all
size occupants. NOTE: These devices are not a substitute for proper seat
belt placement by the occupant. The seat belt still must be
worn snugly and positioned properly.
The pretensioners are triggered by the front airbag con-
trol module (see Front Airbag Section). Like the front
airbags, the pretensioners are single use items. After a
collision that is severe enough to deploy the front airbags
and pretensioners, both must be replaced.
Enhanced Seat Belt Use Reminder System
(BeltAlert)
If the driver’s or front passenger’s seat belt has not been
buckled within 60 seconds of starting the vehicle and if
the vehicle speed is greater than 5 mph (8 km/h), the
Enhanced Warning System (BeltAlert) will alert the
driver or front passenger to buckle their seat belt. The
driver should also instruct all other occupants to buckle
their seat belts. Once the warning is triggered, the
Enhanced Warning System (BeltAlert) will continue to54 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

chime and flash the Seat Belt Warning Light for 96
seconds or until the driver’s or front passenger’s seat belt
is buckled.
The Enhanced Warning System (BeltAlert) will be reacti-
vated if the driver’s or front passenger’s seat belt is
unbuckled for more than 10 seconds and the vehicle
speed is greater than 5 mph (8 km/h).
Belt Alert Programming
The Enhanced Warning System (BeltAlert) can be en-
abled or disabled by your authorized dealer or by
following these steps:
NOTE: The following steps must occur within the first
60 seconds of the ignition switch being turned to the
ON/RUN position. DaimlerChrysler does not recom-
mend deactivating the Enhanced Warning System
(BeltAlert). 1. With all doors closed and the ignition switch in any
position except On or Start, buckle the driver’s seat belt.
2. Turn the ignition switch to the ON/RUN position
(engine does not need to be running), and wait for the
Seat Belt Warning Light to turn off.
3. Within 60 seconds of turning the ignition switch to the
ON/RUN position, unbuckle and then re-buckle the
driver’s seat belt at least three times within 10 seconds,
ending with the seat belt buckled.
NOTE: Watch for the Seat Belt Warning Light to turn on
while unbuckling and off while re-buckling the seat belt.
It may be necessary to retract the seat belt each time,
while unbuckling and re-buckling the seat belt.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the OFF position. A single
chime will sound to signify that you have successfully
completed the programming. THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 55
2

The Enhanced Warning System (BeltAlert) can be reacti-
vated by repeating this procedure.
NOTE: Although the Enhanced Warning System
(BeltAlert) has been deactivated, the Seat Belt Warning
Light will continue to illuminate while the driver’s or
front passenger’s seat belt remains unbuckled.
Seat Belts and Pregnant Women
We recommend that pregnant women use the seat belts
throughout their pregnancies. Keeping the mother safe is
the best way to keep the baby safe.
Pregnant women should wear the lap part of the belt
across the thighs and as snug across the hips as possible.
Keep the belt low so that it does not come across the
abdomen. That way the strong bones of the hips will take
the force if there is a collision. Seat Belt Extender
If a seat belt is too short, even when fully extended and
when the adjustable upper shoulder belt anchorage (if
equipped) is in its lowest position, your dealer can
provide you with a seat belt extender. This extender
should be used only if the existing belt is not long
enough. When it is not required, remove the extender
and stow it.
WARNING!Using a seat belt extender when not needed can
increase the risk of injury in a collision. Only use
when the lap belt is not long enough when it is worn
low and snug, and in the recommended seating
positions. Remove and store the extender when not
needed.56 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE