2007 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN child restraint

▫ Reinstalling Storage Bin Cover Emergency
Release .............................45

Occupant Restraints ......................46
▫ Lap/Shoulder Belts .....................47
▫ Lap/Shoulder Belt Untwisting Procedure .....53
▫ Center Lap Belts .......................53
▫ Seat Belt Pretensioners ...................54
▫ Enhanced Seat Belt Use Reminder System
(BeltAlert) ...........................54
▫ Seat Belts And Pregnant Women ............56
▫ Seat Belt Extender ......................56
▫ Driver And Front Passenger Supplemental
Restraint Systems (SRS) — Airbags ..........57
▫ Event Data Recorder (EDR) ...............73 ▫ DaimlerChrysler Corporation Integrated Child Seat
— If Equipped ........................74
▫ Child Restraint ........................75

Rear Seat Delete Feature (Commercial Vehicles Only)
— If Equipped ..........................83
▫ Restraining Infants And Small Children With Seat
Delete Feature (Commercial Vehicles Only) ....84

Engine Break-In Recommendations ...........88

Safety Tips ............................89
▫ Exhaust Gas ..........................89
▫ Safety Checks You Should Make Inside
The Vehicle ..........................89
▫ Periodic Safety Checks You Should Make Outside
The Vehicle ..........................90THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 11
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Push the strap into the latch mechanism until it engages
around the latch post.
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 Strap46 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

NOTE: The passenger front airbag may not deploy even
when the driver front airbag has if the Occupant Classi-
fication System (refer to “Occupant Classification Sys-
tem” in this section) has determined the seat is empty or
is occupied by a child.
If your vehicle is equipped, the window bag on the crash
side of the vehicle is triggered in moderate to severe side
collisions. But even in collisions where the airbags inflate,
you need the seat belts to keep you in the right position
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 a rear seat. Infants in rear facing child restraints should NEVER ride
in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger front airbag.
An airbag deployment can cause severe injury or death to
infants in that position.
Children that are not big enough to properly wear the
vehicle seat belt (refer to section on Child Restraint)
should be secured in the rear seat, in a child restraint or
belt-positioning booster seat. Older children who do not
use child restraints or belt-positioning booster seats
should ride properly buckled up in the rear seat, and in
the outboard seat if possible. 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.60 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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 window bags, do not lean against
the door, airbags will inflate forcefully into the space
between you and the door.
5. If the airbag system in this vehicle needs to be
modified to accommodate a disabled person, contact
the Customer Center. Phone numbers are provided in
the  If You Need Customer Assistance  section in this
manual. 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 front airbag deployment could
cause serious injury. Airbags need room to inflate.
Sit back, comfortably extending your arms to
reach the steering wheel or instrument panel.
• If the vehicle has window bags, they also need
room to inflate. Do not lean against the door or
window. Sit upright in the center of the seat. THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 61
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indicator light comes on when an adult is in the passen-
ger seat, have the passenger re-position themselves in the
seat until the light goes out.
Remember, if the PAD indicator light is illuminated the
passenger front airbag will not inflate. For almost all
properly installed child restraints, the “PAD Indicator
Light” will be illuminated indicating that the front pas-
senger airbag is turned off and will not inflate. If the
“PAD Indicator Light” is not illuminated, DO NOT
assume the airbag is turned off and move the child
restraint to the rear seat. A deploying passenger airbag
can cause death or serious injury to a child in a rear
facing infant seat.
NOTE: Even though this vehicle is equipped with an
Occupant Classification System, children 12 years and
under should always ride buckled up in a rear seat in an
appropriate child restraint. • The Occupant Classification Module (OCM) — If
Equipped is located beneath the front passenger seat.
The OCM classifies the occupant into one of three size
categories based on the input from the Bladder Assem-
bly and Belt Tension Sensor. The size categories in-
clude empty, child, and adult. The OCM sends the
Occupant Classification to the ORC to identify if a
front passenger airbag is allowed. If a fault is present,
the AIRBAG warning light is illuminated.
• The Passenger Airbag Disabled (PAD) Indicator
Light — If Equipped indicates to the driver and
passenger when the airbag is turned OFF in the
presence of a properly seated occupant. When the PAD
indicator light is illuminated, the airbag is OFF. Also,
when the Occupant Classification System detects ei-
ther an empty seat or a weight less than the predeter-
mined occupant threshold, the ORC will not illumi-
nate the PAD indicator light even though the airbag is THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 67
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To obtain Integrated Child Seat replacement
instructions:
Use the order form at the back of this manual and specify
publication number 81-016-1950.
Child Restraint
Everyone in your vehicle needs to be buckled up at all
times — 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
seats, rather than in 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.
Infants and Child Restraints
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. THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 75
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• 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. Both types of
child restraints are held in the vehicle by the lap/
shoulder belt or the LATCH child restraint anchorage
system. Refer to “Lower Anchors and Tether for CHil-
dren (LATCH)” later in this section.
• 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. • Rearward-facing child seats must NEVER be 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.
Older Children and Child Restraints
Children 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 who are older
than one year. These child seats are also held in the
vehicle by the lap/shoulder belt or the LATCH child
restraint anchorage system. Refer to “Lower Anchors and
Tether for CHildren (LATCH)” later in this section.
The belt-positioning booster seat is for children weighing
more than 40 lbs (18 kg), but who are still too small to fit
the vehicle’s seat belts properly. If the child can not sit
with knees bent over the vehicles seat cushion while the76 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

child’s back is against the seat back, they should use a
belt-positioning booster seat. The child and booster seat
are held in the vehicle by the lap/shoulder belt.
Children Too Large For Booster Seats
Children who are large enough to wear the shoulder belt
comfortably, and whose legs are long enough to bend
over the front of the seat when their back is against the
seatback, should use the lap/shoulder belt in a rear seat.
• Make sure that the child is upright in the seat.
• The lap portion should be low on the hips and as snug
as possible.
• Check belt fit periodically. A child’s squirming or
slouching can move the belt out of position.
• If the shoulder belt contacts the face or neck, move the
child closer to the center of the vehicle. If this doesn’t
help, move the child to the center rear seating position and use the lap belt. Never allow a child to put the
shoulder belt under an arm or behind their back.
NOTE: For additional information, refer to
www.seatcheck.org or call 1-866-SEATCHECK .
WARNING!• 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.
• A rearward facing child restraint should only be
used in a rear seat. A rearward facing child re-
straint in the front seat may be struck by a
deploying passenger airbag which may cause se-
vere or fatal injury to the infant. THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 77
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