2008 DODGE MAGNUM seats

Child Protection Door Lock
To provide a safer environment for small children riding
in the rear seats, the rear doors are equipped with a child
protection door lock system.
To Engage the Child Protection Door Lock
1. Open the rear door.
2. Insert the tip of the valet key or alike into the child
lock control and pull it upward.
3. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 on the opposite rear door.
NOTE:When the child lock system is engaged, the door
can be opened only by using the outside door handle
even though the inside door lock is in the unlocked
position.
Child Lock Control
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 33
2

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.
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.
42 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
The rear center lap/shoulder belt is equipped with a
lock-out feature to ensure that the rear seat back is in
the fully upright and locked position when occupied.
If the rear seat back is not fully upright and locked
and the rear center lap/shoulder belt can be pulled
out of the retractor, the vehicle should immediately
be taken to your dealer for service. Failure to follow
this warning could result in serious or fatal injury.
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.
Adjusting Upper Shoulder Belt
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 47
2

NOTE:Do not use a clothing bar mounted to the coat
hooks in this vehicle. A clothing bar will impede the
proper performance of the curtain airbags.
Along with the seat belts, front airbags work with the
instrument panel knee bolsters to provide improved
protection for the driver and front passenger. Side curtain
and seat airbags also work with seat belts to improve
occupant protection.
While the seat belts are designed to protect you in many
types of collisions, the front airbags will deploy in
moderate to severe frontal collisions. For vehicles so
equipped, the supplemental side curtain airbag and
front-seat-mounted side airbag on the crash side of the
vehicle will also trigger in moderate to severe side
collisions. However, even in collisions where the airbags
deploy, you need the seat belts to keep you in the correct
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 ride buckled
up in the rear seat.
2. Infants in rear-facing child restraints shouldNEVER
ride in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger front
airbag. An airbag deployment could cause severe injury
or death to infants in that position.
3. Children that are not big enough to wear the vehicle
seat belt properly (refer to information on Child Restraint
in this section) should be secured in the rear seat in child
restraints or belt-positioning booster seats.
4. Older children who do not use child restraints or
belt-positioning booster seats should ride properly buck-
led up in the rear seat. Never allow children to slide the
shoulder belt behind them or under their arm.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 55
2

5.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
(refer to information on Child Restraint in this section).
6. You should read the instructions provided with your
child restraint to make sure that you are using it properly.
7. All occupants should use their seat belts properly.
8. The driver and front passenger seats should be moved
back as far as practical to allow the airbags time to inflate.
9. If your vehicle has supplemental side curtain airbags
and/or supplemental front-seat-mounted side airbags,
do not lean against the door, airbags will inflate forcefully
into the space between you and the door.
10. 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 the9If
You Need Customer Assistance9section in this manual.
WARNING!
²Relying 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.
²Being too close to the steering wheel or instrument
panel during airbag deployment could cause seri-
ous injury. Airbags need room to inflate. Sit back,
comfortably extending your arms to reach the
steering wheel or instrument panel.
²If the vehicle has side curtain airbags, they also
need room to inflate. Do not lean against the door
or window. Sit upright in the center of the seat.
56 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

²Traction/stability control status
²Tire pressure monitoring system status (if equipped)
Child Restraint
Everyone in your vehicle needs to be buckled up all the
time Ð 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, if available. 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.
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 correct seat
for your child. Use the restraint that is correct for your
child:
66 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Infants and Child Restraints
²
Safety experts recommend that children ride
rearward-facing in the vehicle until they are at least
one year oldandweigh at least 20 lbs (9 kg). Two types
of child restraints can be used rearward-facing: infant
carriers and ªconvertibleº child seats.
²The infant carrier is only used rearward-facing in the
vehicle. It is recommended for children who weigh up
to about 20 lbs (9 kg). ªConvertibleº 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. Both types of child restraints are
held in the vehicle by the lap/shoulder belt or the
LATCH child restraint anchorage system. Refer toªLATCH Ð Child Seat Anchorage System (Lower
Anchors and Tether for CHildren)º in this section.
²Rearward-facing child seats mustNEVERbe used in
the front seat of a vehicle with the front passenger
airbag unless the airbag is turned off. 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 ªLATCH Ð Child
Seat Anchorage System (Lower Anchors and Tether for
CHildren)º in this section.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 67
2

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 cannot sit
with knees bent over the vehicle's seat cushion while the
child's back is against the seat back, they should use a
belt-positioning booster seat. The child and belt-
positioning 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
seat back, should use the lap/shoulder belt in a rear seat.
²Make sure that the child is upright in the seat.
²The lap portion should be low on the hips and as snug
as possible.
²Check belt fit periodically. A child's squirming or
slouching can move the belt out of position.
²If the shoulder belt contacts the face or neck, move the
child closer to the center of the vehicle. 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.
68 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE