2008 DODGE CHARGER Owners Manual

WARNING!
In a collision, you and your passengers can suffer
much greater injuries if you are not properly buckled
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 of
ejection 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 seating positions in your vehicle are equipped with
Lap/Shoulder Belts.
The belt webbing retractor is designed to lock during
very sudden stops or impacts. This feature allows the
shoulder part of the belt to move freely with you under
normal conditions. However, in a collision, the belt will
lock and reduce your risk of striking the inside of the
vehicle or being thrown out.
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WARNING!
²It 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.
²Do not allow people to ride in any area of your vehicle that
is not equipped with seats and seat belts.
²Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a seat
belt properly.
²Wearing 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.
²Wearing 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.
²Two 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. Never use a lap/
shoulder belt or a lap belt for more than one person, no
matter what their size.
Lap/Shoulder Belt Operating Instructions
1. Enter the vehicle and close the door. Sit back and
adjust the front seat.
2. The seat belt latch plate is above the back of your seat.
Grasp the latch plate and pull out the belt. Slide the latch
plate up the webbing as far as necessary to make the belt
go around your lap.
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3. When the belt is long enough to fit, insert the latch
plate into the buckle until you hear a ªclick.º
Pulling Out Lap/Shoulder Belt
Connecting Latch Plate To Buckle
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WARNING!
²A 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.
²A belt that is too loose will not protect you as well. In
a sudden stop, you could move too far forward, in-
creasing the possibility of injury. Wear your seat belt
snugly.
²A 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.
²A 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.
4. Position the lap belt across your thighs, below your
abdomen. To remove slack in the lap belt portion, pull up
a bit 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.
Removing Slack From Belt
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WARNING!
²A 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.
²A 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.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.).
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Adjustable Upper Shoulder Belt Anchorage
In the driver and front passenger seats, the shoulder belt
can be adjusted upward or downward to position the belt
away from your neck. Push and fully depress the button
above the webbing to release the anchorage, and then
move it up or down to the position that serves you best.As a guide, if you are shorter than average, you will
prefer a lower position, and if you are taller than average,
you will prefer a higher position. When you release the
anchorage, try to move it up and down to make sure that
it is locked in position.
In the rear seat, move toward the center of the seat to
position the belt away from your neck.
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 180É to create a
fold that begins immediately above the latch plate.
Adjusting Upper Shoulder Belt
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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.
Seat Belt Pretensioners
The seat belts for both front seating positions are
equipped with pretensioning devices that are designed to
remove any slack from the seat belts in the event of a
collision. These devices improve the performance of the
seat belt system by assuring that the belt is tight about the
occupant in a collision. Pretensioners work for all size
occupants, including those in child restraints.
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 Occupant Re-
straint Controller (ORC) (refer to information on Airbags
in this section). Like the front airbags, the pretensioners
are single use items. After a collision that is severe
enough to deploy the airbags and pretensioners, both
must be replaced.Enhanced Seat Belt Reminder System (BeltAlertT)
If the driver'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 (BeltAlertt) will alert the driver to buckle their
seat belt. The driver should also instruct all other occu-
pants to buckle their seat belts. Once the warning is
triggered, the Enhanced Warning System (BeltAlertt)
will continue to chime and flash the Seat Belt Reminder
Light for 96 seconds or until the driver's seat belt is
buckled. The Enhanced Warning System (BeltAlertt) will
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be reactivated if the driver's seat belt is unbuckled for
more than 10 seconds and the vehicle speed is greater
than 5 mph (8 km/h).
BeltAlerttProgramming
The Enhanced Warning System (BeltAlertt) can be en-
abled or disabled by your authorized dealer or by
performing the following steps:
NOTE:DaimlerChrysler does not recommend deacti-
vating the Enhanced Warning System (BeltAlertt).
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 position, but do not
start the engine. Wait for the Seat Belt Reminder Light to
turn off and then proceed to the next step.
NOTE:You must perform the following steps within 60
seconds of turning the ignition switch to the ON position.3. Within 60 seconds of turning the ignition switch to the
ON 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 Reminder Light to turn
on while unbuckling the seat belt and turn off while
re-buckling the seat belt. It may be necessary to retract
the seat belt.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the LOCK position. A
single chime will sound to signify that you have success-
fully completed the programming.
The Enhanced Warning System (BeltAlertt) can be reac-
tivated by repeating this procedure.
NOTE:When the Enhanced Warning System
(BeltAlertt) is deactivated, the Seat Belt Reminder Light
will continue to illuminate as long as the driver's seat belt
is unbuckled.
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