2008 DODGE SPRINTER Owners Manual

31 At a glance
Door control panel
1
\3 Door control panel
N54.25-2914-31
Function
Page
1
Adjusts the exterior
mirrors*
208
2
Selects an exterior
mirror*
208
3
Opens / closes the left-
hand side window
244
4
Opens / closes the right-
hand side window
244
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33 Safety
2 Safety
Occupant safety............. 34
Emergency exit............. 66
Driving safety systems............. 69
Anti-theft systems............. 77
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34 SafetyOccupant safety
2
\3 Occupant safetyThis section contains all the most impor-
tant information about the restraint sys-
t e m s i n y o u r v e h i c l e . I n a n a c c i d e n t , y o u r
vehicle collides with another object, e.g.
another vehicle. This may cause your ve-
hicle to accelerate or decelerate ex-
tremely quickly. During this acceleration
or deceleration, the vehicle occupants
will be moved in the opposite direction
to the force of the impact. There is there-
fore the risk of vehicle occupants injur-
ing themselves on the vehicle interior or
on parts of the vehicle. The purpose of
supplemental restraint systems, i.e. principally the seat belts supplemented
by emergency tensioning retractors, belt
force limiters and airbags when neces-
sary, is to minimize this risk of injury.
However, the seat belts and airbags can-
not generally prevent injuries caused by
objects penetrating the vehicle from the
outside.
The most important restraint systems
are:
\4
the seat belts
\4
restraint systems for children, since
they are the most effective means of
reducing the extent to which the oc-
cupants are moved in the event of an
accidentAdditional protection is provided by:
\4
SRS (S
upplemental R
estraint S
ys-
tem), comprising:
\4
emergency tensioning retractors
\4
belt force limiters
\4
airbags
i
An airbag increases the degree of
protection afforded to vehicle occupants
wearing a seat belt and is therefore only
to be considered as an additional re-
straint system to the seat belt. Airbags
do not in any way relieve any vehicle oc-
cupants of the need to wear their seat
belt correctly at all times.
Restraint systems
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35 Safety
Occupant safety
2
\4
This is partly because an airbag is
not activated in all accident situa-
tions because in some cases it would
not provide any additional protection
to that already afforded by a correct-
ly fastened seat belt.
Furthermore, an activated airbag can
only provide increased protection if the
seat belt is being worn correctly, be-
cause:
\4
the belt helps to hold the vehicle
occupant in the best position in rela-
tion to the airbag
\4
the belt prevents the vehicle occup-
ant from being propelled in the oppo-
site direction to the force of impact, e.g. in the event of a head-on collisi-
on, and is therefore better able to re-
duce the risk of injury
\4
In accidents in which an airbag is
activated, the airbag will therefore
only offer an increase in the protec-
tion provided by the seat belt, i.e. ad-
ditional protection, if the seat belt is
worn correctly.
Warning
G
Modifications to or work incorrectly car-
ried out on a restraint system (seat belt
and seat belt anchorages, emergency
tensioning retractor, belt force limiter or
airbag) or its wiring, or tampering with
other networked electronic systems,
could cause the restraint systems to stop
working correctly.
Continued
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36 SafetyOccupant safety
2
The most important restraint systems in
the vehicle are the seat belts and child
restraint systems. They are the most ef-
fective means of preventing vehicle oc-
cupants from moving towards the point
of impact and thus reducing the risk of
occupants hitting parts of the vehicle in-
terior.
Warning (Continued)
G
The airbags or emergency tensioning re-
tractors could, for example, be activated
inadvertently or could fail in accidents in
which the deceleration force is sufficient
to trigger the airbag. For this reason, do
not modify the restraint systems. Do not
tamper with electronic components or
their software.
AirbagsWarning
G
Airbags do offer additional protection but
they are not a substitute for the seat
belts. To reduce the risk of serious or fatal
injuries, make sure that all occupants – in
particular, expectant mothers – wear
their seat belt correctly at all times, have
adopted a normal sitting position and that
the seat is positioned as upright as possi-
ble.
Seat beltsiIn many countries there are regula-
tions concerning the use of seat
belts and child restraint systems.
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37 Safety
Occupant safety
2
Warning
G
A seat belt that is worn incorrectly or not at
all, or that is not correctly engaged in the
seat belt buckle, cannot perform its intended
protective function. In certain circumstanc-
es, you could be seriously or even fatally in-
jured. Make sure, that all occupants – in
particular, expectant mothers – wear their
seat belt correctly at all times.You must make sure that the belt:is routed as low as possible across your
pelvic area, for example across your hip
joints and not across your abdomen
Continued
Warning (Continued)
G
fits closelyis not twistedis routed across the middle of your shoul-
deris not routed across your neck or under
your armis pulled tight across the lap by pulling up-
wards on the shoulder beltDo not secure any objects with a seat belt
if it is being used by one of the vehicle’s
occupants.
Warning (Continued)
G
Avoid wearing bulky clothing, for example
a winter coat.Do not route the belt strap over sharp or
fragile objects, especially if these are lo-
cated in or on your clothing, for example
eyeglasses, pens or keys. The belt strap
could otherwise tear in the event of an ac-
cident and you or other vehicle occupants
could be injured as a result.O n l y o n e p e r s o n m a y u s e e a c h s e a t b e l t a t
any one time.
Continued
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38 SafetyOccupant safety
2
Warning (Continued)
G
A child must never be carried sitting on
the lap of a vehicle occupant. It would not
be possible to restrain the child, and the
child and other vehicle occupants could
be seriously or fatally injured in the event
of abrupt braking or an accident.Persons less than 1.50 m tall or children
under 12 years of age cannot wear their
seat belt properly. They therefore require
additional restraint systems on suitable
vehicle seats for protection in an acci-
dent. Always observe the installation in-
structions issued by the manufacturer of
the child restraint systems.
Warning
G
The seat belt only provides its intended
degree of protection if the seat backrest
is positioned as vertically as possible, al-
lowing the occupant to sit upright. Avoid
seat positions that do not allow the seat
belt to be routed correctly. Therefore, po-
sition the backrest as vertically as possi-
ble. Never drive with the backrest tilted
too far back. You could otherwise be seri-
ously or even fatally injured in the event of
an accident or abrupt braking.
Warning
G
The seat belt cannot perform its protec-
tive function correctly if the seat belt
strap or buckle are dirty or damaged. You
should therefore keep the belt strap and
buckle clean, as otherwise the belt latch
plate may not be able to engage correctly.Check regularly that the seat belts:are not damagedare not routed over sharp edgesare not trapped
Continued
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