2007 DODGE SPRINTER Owners Manual

40 SafetyOccupant safety
2
1Securing rings - LATCH type anchors
Warning
G
If the child restraint system has not been in-
stalled correctly on a suitable vehicle seat,
the child cannot be restrained in the event
of an accident or sudden braking and could
be seriously or fatally injured. You must
therefore observe the installation instruc-
tions issued by the child restraint system
manufacturer when installing a child re-
straint system.
On the rear bench seat, only use LATCH type
child restraint systems with ISOFIX child
seat mountings that have been recommend-
ed by the manufacturer.
An incorrectly installed child restraint sys-
tem could come loose and the child or other
vehicle occupants could be fatally injured.
You must therefore make sure that the child
restraint system is engaged in the securing
rings on the left and right-hand sides after it
has been installed.
Warning
G
If the child restraint system or its securing
system, for example the ISOFIX child seat
securing system, are damaged or have been
subjected to a load in an accident, the child
secured in it could suffer severe or fatal in-
juries in the event of an accident, heavy
braking or a sudden change of direction.
For this reason, have restraint systems and
their mountings checked immediately and
replaced if necessary at a qualified special-
ist workshop which has the necessary spe-
cialist knowledge and tools to carry out the
work required if they are damaged or have
been subjected to a load in an accident.
The manufacturer recommends that you use
an authorized Sprinter Dealer for this pur-
pose. In particular, work relevant to safety
or on safety-related systems must be car-
ried out at a qualified specialist workshop.
!
CAUTION
Take care not to trap the seat belt on
the middle seat when you install the
child restraint system.
Warning
G
Do not leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle, even if they are secured by a child
restraint system. The children could:
\4injure themselves on parts of the vehicle
\4be seriously or even fatally injured by
prolonged exposure to extreme heat or
cold

41 Safety
Occupant safety
2
TopTether
The TopTether anchorages are on the feet
of the rear bench seat.1Head restraints
2TopTether anchorages
2 TopTether anchorage
3TopTether hook
4TopTether belt of
LATCH type
child re-
straint system\1Slide head restraint1 upward.
\1Guide TopTether belt4 under head
restraint1 from the front and be-
tween the two head restraint bars.
\1Hook TopTether hook3 into
TopTether anchorage2 on the feet of
the bench seat.
\1If necessary, slide head restraint1
back down a little (\2page 72). Make
sure that TopTether belt4 can move
freely.
\1Install the
LATCH type
child restraint
system with TopTether. The manufac-
turer’s installation instructions must be
observed.
Warning
G
Do not expose child restraint systems to di-
rect sunlight. Metallic parts of the child re-
straint system could heat up, for example,
and the child could burn him / herself on the
hot parts.
If the children open a door, they could:
\4cause injury to others as a result
\4get out of the vehicle and could either
injure themselves when doing so or they
could be injured by passing vehicles
\4sustain serious injuries if they were to
fall out of the vehicle, due in particular
to the height of the passenger compart-
ment from the ground

42 SafetyDriving safety systems
2
\3 Driving safety systemsIn this section, you will find information
about the following driving safety systems:
\4ABS (A
ntilock B
rake S
ystem)
\4BAS (B
rake As
sist)
\4ESP
® (E
lectronic S
tability P
rogram)
\4ASR (acceleration skid control)
\4EBV (electronic brake force distribu-
tion)ABS regulates the brake pressure in such a
way that the wheels do not lock when you
brake. This allows you to continue steering
when braking.
ABS works from a speed of about 3 mph
(5 km/h) upwards, regardless of road sur-
face conditions.
ABS works on slippery surfaces, even
when you only brake gently.
There is a malfunction if the - indicator
lamp is permanently lit while the engine is
running (\2page 271).
Despite this, the normal driving and brak-
ing functions remain available.
iThe maximum effect of ABS, BAS,
ESP
®, ASR and EBV can only be
achieved if you:
\4always drive with the correct tire
pressures adjusted according to
the load (\2page 210)
\4use winter tires (M+S tires) in win-
try conditions, with snow chains if
necessary
Warning
G
There is an increased risk of an accident if
you:
\4drive too fast, in particular when corner-
ing and on a wet or slippery road surface
\4drive too close to the vehicle in front
The driving safety systems described in this
section cannot reduce this risk and are un-
able to override the laws of physics.
Always adapt your driving style to the pre-
vailing road and weather conditions, and
maintain an adequately safe distance from
other road users as well as any obstacles on
the road.iOnly use wheels with the recommend-
ed tire sizes (\2page 367), otherwise
the driving safety systems will not work
correctly.
Antilock Brake System (ABS)Warning
G
Do not depress the brake pedal several
times in quick succession (pumping). De-
press the brake firmly and evenly. Pumping
the brake pedal may reduce the braking ef-
fect.

43 Safety
Driving safety systems
2
Braking
If ABS intervenes during braking, you will
feel the steering wheel vibrate gently and
the brake pedal pulsate.
If ABS intervenes:
\1Continue to depress the brake pedal
firmly until the braking situation is over.
For full brake application:
\1Depress the brake pedal with maxi-
mum force.Brake Assist operates in emergency brak-
ing situations. If you depress the brake
pedal quickly, BAS automatically increases
the brake pressure, thereby reducing the
stopping distance.
\1Keep the brake pedal firmly depressed
until the emergency braking situation is
over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
When you release the brake pedal, the
brakes will work as normal again. BAS is
deactivated.
Vehicles without steering wheel buttons:
There is a malfunction if thek indicator
lamp is permanently lit while the engine is
running (\2page 270).ESP
® monitors driving stability and detects
a tendency of the vehicle to understeer or
oversteer (skidding). ESP
® stabilizes the
vehicle by braking individual wheels, limit-
ing the engine power output, and greatly
assists you when driving on wet or slippery
road surfaces. ESP
® also stabilizes the ve-
hicle when braking.
When ESP
® intervenes, thev warning
lamp in the speedometer flashes.
Warning
G
Always adapt your driving style to the pre-
vailing road and weather conditions, and
maintain an adequately safe distance from
other road users as well as any obstacles on
the road.
If ABS malfunctions, the wheels could lock
when you brake. This means that the steer-
ability of the vehicle is restricted during
braking and the stopping distance may in-
crease. If ABS is deactivated due to a mal-
function, BAS is also deactivated.Brake Assist (BAS)
Warning
G
If BAS malfunctions, the brake system is still
available with the full brake boosting effect.
In an emergency braking situation, however,
the braking force will not be additionally
boosted automatically and the stopping dis-
tance may increase.Electronic Stability Program (ESP
®)

44 SafetyDriving safety systems
2
There is a malfunction if the # indicator
lamp is permanently lit while the engine is
running (\2page 272).
If ESP
® malfunctions, engine power output
may be reduced.ASR improves traction for a sustained peri-
od, i.e. the transfer of power from the tires
to the road surface, and thus also improves
the driving stability of the vehicle. ASR as-
sists you when pulling away and accelerat-
ing, especially on smooth and slippery
surfaces.
ASR brakes individual drive wheels and
limits the engine torque to prevent the
drive wheels from spinning. When ASR in-
tervenes, thev indicator lamp in the
speedometer flashes.
If the road surface is not capable of provid-
ing sufficient traction, bearing in mind the
tires, load and gradient, it is not be possi-
ble to pull away smoothly even with ASR.
Vehicles without steering wheel buttons:
There is a malfunction if thek indicator
lamp is permanently lit while the engine is
running (\2page 270).
If ASR malfunctions, engine power output
may be reduced.
Warning
G
Proceed as follows if the v warning lamp
in the speedometer flashes:
\4Do not deactivate ASR under any cir-
cumstances.
\4Only depress the accelerator pedal as
far as necessary when pulling away.
\4Adapt your driving style to suit the pre-
vailing road and weather conditions.
Otherwise, the vehicle could begin to skid.
ESP
® cannot reduce the risk of an accident
if you drive too fast. ESP
® is unable to over-
ride the laws of physics.
!
CAUTION
Only operate the vehicle briefly (maxi-
mum of 10 seconds) on a brake dyna-
mometer. The key must be turned to
position1 in the ignition lock during
this time. You could damage the drive
train or the brake system.
!
CAUTION
Do not operate the vehicle on a roller
dynamometer (for example for perfor-
mance testing). If you wish to operate
the vehicle on a roller dynamometer,
please consult an authorized Sprinter
Dealer beforehand. You could other-
wise damage the drive train or the
brake system.
Acceleration skid control (ASR)

45 Safety
Driving safety systems
2
Activating/deactivating ASR
ASR is automatically activated as soon as
the engine is switched on.
It may be best to deactivate ASR in the fol-
lowing situations:
\4if snow chains are being used
\4in deep snow
\4on sand or gravel
If you deactivate ASR:
\4the engine’s torque is then no longer
limited and the drive wheels could spin;
the spinning wheels produce a cutting
effect for better traction
\4traction control still intervenes by brak-
ing if one drive wheel reaches its grip
limit, for example if the surface under
one side of the vehicle is slippery. The
wheel is then braked to increase trac-
tion in this situation.
\4ESP
® still intervenes to stabilize the ve-
hicleThe ASR switch is located on the center
console.
1To deactivate/activate ASR
\1To switch off: press upper section1
of the switch.
The v warning lamp in the speed-
ometer lights up.
\1To switch on: press upper section1
of the switch again.
Thev warning lamp in the speed-
ometer goes out.
Warning
G
ESP
® remains active despite ASR having
been deactivated and carries out braking in-
terventions if this is necessary to improve
driving stability. Thev warning lamp
flashes.
If ASR is deactivated, there is an increased
risk that the brake system of your vehicle
could overheat and be damaged when sub-
jected to high loads for a long period of time.
A hot brake system also increases the stop-
ping distance.
For this reason, only deactivate ASR when it
is absolutely necessary.
N54.25-2916-31

46 SafetyDriving safety systems
2
EBV monitors and regulates the brake
pressure at the rear wheels to improve
driving stability during braking.There is a malfunction if the #, k,
- and indicator lamps are perma-
nently lit while the engine is running
(\2page 268). Electronic brake force distribution
(EBV)Warning
G
If EBV malfunctions, the brake system is still
available with the full brake boosting effect.
However, the rear wheels may lock, for ex-
ample if the brakes are applied with maxi-
mum force. You could then lose control of
the vehicle and cause an accident. Always
adapt your driving style to the change in
handling characteristics.
Have the system checked at an authorized
Sprinter Dealer as soon as possible.

47 Safety
Anti-theft systems
2
\3 Anti-theft systemsThe immobilizer prevents the vehicle from
being started without the correct key.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
key or remote keyless entry transmitter
with you and lock the vehicle. The engine
could be started by anyone with a valid key
or remote keyless entry transmitter that is
left inside the vehicle
\1To switch on: remove the key from the
ignition lock (\2page 67).
\1To switch off: switch on the ignition
(\2page 67).A visual and audible alarm is triggered if
the alarm system is enabled and:
\4a door is opened
\4the hood is opened
Enabling the alarm system
\1Close all the doors.
\1Lock the vehicle using the‹ button
on the key (\2page 52).
The indicator lamp in the central lock-
ing switch (\2page 63) flashes.
Deactivating the anti-theft alarm sys-
tem
\1Unlock the vehicle using theΠbut-
ton on the key (\2page 52).
The indicator lamp in the central lock-
ing switch (\2page 63) goes out.Switching off the alarm
\1Insert the key into the ignition lock.
or
\1Press theΠbutton (\2page 52).
The alarm is switched off.Immobilizer
Anti-theft alarm system (ATA)*
iThe vehicle locks again automatically if
you do not open a door within 40 sec-
onds after unlocking the vehicle.iThe alarm system will be triggered if
the vehicle has been locked with the
key and is then unlocked from the in-
side.