2008 JEEP COMPASS child restraint

NTo Lock The Doors And Liftgate............21
NUsing The Panic Alarm..................21
NTo Turn Off ªFlash Lights With Lockº........22
NProgramming Additional Transmitters........22
NGeneral Information....................24
NBattery Replacement....................24
mDoor Locks............................26
NManual Door Locks.....................26
NPower Door Locks.....................27
NªChild-Protectionº Door Lock System
(Rear Doors) Ð If Equipped...............30
mPower WindowsÐ If Equipped..............31
NPower Window Switches.................31NAuto Down..........................31
NWindow Lockout Switch.................32
mLiftgate...............................32
mOccupant Restraints......................34
NLap/Shoulder Belts.....................35
NAdjustable Upper Shoulder Belt Anchorage....39
NSecond Row Center Lap/Shoulder Belt
Operating Instructions...................40
NSeat Belt Pretensioners...................43
NEnhanced Driver Seat Belt Reminder System
(BeltAlert)...........................44
NSeat Belt Extender......................45
NSeat Belts And Pregnant Women............46
10 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

NDriver And Front Passenger Supplemental
Restraint System (SRS) - Airbag............46
NEvent Data Recorder (EDR)...............55
NChild Restraint........................57
mEngine Break-In Recommendations...........65
mSafety Tips............................66NExhaust Gas..........................66
NSafety Checks You Should Make Inside The
Vehicle..............................66
NPeriodic Safety Checks You Should Make
Outside The Vehicle....................67
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 11
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Gas props support the liftgate in the open position.
However, because the gas pressure drops with tempera-
ture, it may be necessary to assist the props when
opening the liftgate in cold weather.
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 and if
equipped, side airbags for both the driver and front
passenger. If you will be carrying children too small for
adult-size seat belts, your seat belts or the LATCH feature
also, can be used to hold infant and child restraint
systems.
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.
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
34 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

8. 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.
9. To release the belt, push the red button on the buckle.10. To disengage the mini latch from the mini buckle for
storage, insert the regular latch plate into the black
button on the top of the mini 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. Insert the mini latch plate into the slot
provided in the trim panel.
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.
Detaching Mini Latch and Buckle
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 43
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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 Cur-
tain Airbags also work with seat belts to improve occu-
pant protection.
The seat belts are designed to protect you in many types
of collisions. The front airbags deploy in moderate to
severe frontal collisions.
If your vehicle is so equipped, the Side Curtain Airbag on
the crash side of the vehicle is triggered 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 prop-
erly.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.
48 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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 side curtain 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.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 49
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²Cruise control status
²Traction/stability control status
²Tire pressure monitoring system status
Child Restraint
Everyone in your vehicle needs to be buckled up at all
times 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.
Infants And Small Children
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:
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 57
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²Safety 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 and9convertible9child seats. Both types of
child restraints are held in the vehicle by the lap/
shoulder belt or the LATCH child restraint anchorage
system.
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).9Convertible9child 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 9 kg (20 lbs) but are
less than one year old.
²Rearward-facing child seats mustNEVERbe 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.
²Children 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.
²The belt-positioning booster seat is for children weigh-
ing 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 cushion
while the 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/
58 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE