
Airbag System Components
The airbag system consists of the following:
•Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC)
•Side Remote Acceleration Sensors (if equipped)
•Airbag Warning Light
•Driver Airbag
•Front Passenger Airbag
•Supplemental Side Curtain Airbags above Side Win-
dows (if equipped)
•Supplemental Front Seat-Mounted Side Airbags (if
equipped)
•Steering Wheel and Column
•Instrument Panel
•Interconnecting Wiring
•Seat Belt Reminder Light
•Knee Impact Bolsters
•Front Acceleration Sensors
•Driver and Front Passenger Seat Belt Pretensioners
How the Airbag System Works
•
TheOccupant Restraint Controller (ORC)determines
if a frontal collision is severe enough to require the
airbags to inflate. The front airbag inflators are de-
signed to provide different rates of airbag inflation
from direction provided by the ORC. The ORC will not
detect rollover.
•For vehicles so equipped, the ORC also determines if a
side impact is severe enough to deploy the supple-
mental side curtain airbag and/or supplemental front
seat-mounted side airbag as required for each type of
impact.
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their full size. The bags fully inflate in about 50 to 70
ms. This is about half of the time that it takes to blink
your eyes. The bags then quickly deflate while helping
to restrain the driver and front passenger. The driver’s
front airbag gas is vented through vent holes in the
sides of the airbag. The passenger’s front airbag gas is
vented through vent holes in the sides of the airbag. In
this way, the airbags do not interfere with your control
of the vehicle.
•TheKnee Impact Bolstershelp protect the knees of
the driver and the front passenger and position every-
one for the best interaction with the front airbag.
•TheSupplemental Side Impact SRS Side Curtain
Airbagsare designed to activate only in certain side
collisions. When the ORC (with side impact option)
detects a collision requiring the side curtain airbag to
inflate, it signals the inflators on the crash side of the
vehicle. A quantity of nontoxic gas is generated toinflate the side curtain airbag. The inflating side cur-
tain airbag pushes the outside edge of the headliner
out of the way and covers the window. The airbag
inflates in about 30 ms (about one-quarter of the time
that it takes to blink your eyes) with enough force to
injure you if you are not belted and seated properly, or
if items are positioned in the area where the side
curtain airbag inflates. This especially applies to chil-
dren. The side curtain airbag is only about 3-1/2 in
(9 cm) thick when it is inflated.
•TheSupplemental Front Seat-Mounted Side Airbags
are designed to activate only in certain side collisions.
When the ORC (with side impact option) detects a
collision requiring the front seat-mounted side airbag
to inflate, it signals the inflators on the crash side of the
vehicle. A quantity of nontoxic gas is generated to
inflate the front seat-mounted side airbag. The inflat-
ing front seat-mounted side airbag pushes through the
seam in the seat’s trim cover and opens into the space
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between the occupant and the door. The airbag inflates
at a very high speed and with enough force to injure
you if you are not belted and seated properly, or if
items are positioned in the area where the front
seat-mounted side airbag inflates. This especially ap-
plies to children.
The following requirements must be strictly adhered
to:
•Do not make any modifications to the front seat
components, assembly, or to the seat cover in any
way.
•Do not use prior or future model year seat covers
not designated for the specific model being re-
paired. Always use the correct seat cover specified
for the vehicle.
•Do not replace the seat cover with an aftermarket
seat cover.
•Do not add a secondary seat cover other than those
approved by Chrysler LLC/Mopar.
•At no time should any supplemental restraint sys-
tem (SRS) component or SRS-related component or
fastener be modified or replaced with any part
except those which are approved by Chrysler LLC/
Mopar.
WARNING!
Unapproved modifications or service procedures to
the front seat assembly, its related components, or
seat cover may inadvertently change the airbag de-
ployment in case of a frontal crash. This could result
in death or serious injury to the driver or front seat
passenger if the vehicle is involved in an accident. A
modified vehicle may not comply with required
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).
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Data parameters that may be recorded:
•Diagnostic trouble code(s) and warning light status for
electronically-controlled safety systems, including the
airbag system
•Airbag disable light status (if equipped)
•Timeof airbag deployment (in terms of ignition
cycles and vehicle mileage)
•Airbag deployment level (if applicable)
•Impact acceleration and angle
•Seat belt status
•Brake status (service and parking brakes)
•Accelerator status (including vehicle speed)
•Engine control status (including engine speed)
•Transmission gear selection
•Cruise control status
•Traction/stability control status
•Tire Pressure Monitoring System status
Child Restraints
Everyone in your vehicle needs to be buckled up all the
time, including babies and children. 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 younger should ride properly
buckled 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.
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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.
Infants and Child Restraints
•
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 convertible child seats.
•The infant carrier is only used rearward-facing in the
vehicle. It is recommended for children who weigh up
to about 20 lbs (9 kg). Convertible 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 to
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“LATCH — Child Seat Anchorage System (Lower
Anchors and Tether for CHildren)” in this section.
WARNING!
Rearward-facing child seats must NEVER be 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 childrestraint anchorage system. Refer to “LATCH — Child
Seat Anchorage System (Lower Anchors and Tether for
CHildren)” in this section.
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 seatback, 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
seatback should use the lap/shoulder belt in a rear seat.
•Make sure that the child is upright in the seat.
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•The lap portion should be low on the hips and as snug
as possible.
•Check belt fit periodically. A child’s squirming or
slouching can move the belt out of position.
•If 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.
WARNING!
•Improper installation can lead to failure of an
infant or child restraint. It could come loose in a
collision. The child could be badly injured or
killed. Follow the manufacturer’s directions ex-
actly when installing an infant or child restraint.
•A rearward-facing child restraint should only be
used in a rear seat. A rearward-facing child re-
straint in the front seat may be struck by a deploy-
ing passenger airbag, which may cause severe or
fatal injury to the infant.
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Here are some tips on getting the most out of your child
restraint:
•Before buying any restraint system, make sure that it
has a label certifying that it meets all applicable Safety
Standards. We also recommend that you make sure
that you can install the child restraint in the vehicle
where you will use it before you buy it.
•The restraint must be appropriate for your child’s
weight and height. Check the label on the restraint for
weight and height limits.
•Carefully follow the instructions that come with the
restraint. If you install the restraint improperly, it may
not work when you need it.
•Buckle the child into the seat according to the child
restraint manufacturer’s directions.
•When your child restraint is not in use, secure it in the
vehicle with the seat belt or remove it from the vehicle.Do not leave it loose in the vehicle. In a sudden stop or
collision, it could strike the occupants or seatbacks and
cause serious personal injury.
LATCH — Child Seat Anchorage System (Lower
Anchors and Tether for CHildren)
Your vehicle’s rear seat is equipped with the child
restraint anchorage system called LATCH. The LATCH
system provides for the installation of the child restraint
without using the vehicle’s seat belts, instead securing
the child restraint using lower anchorages and upper
tether straps from the child restraint to the vehicle
structure.
LATCH-compatible child restraint systems are now avail-
able. However, because the lower anchorages are to be
introduced over a period of years, child restraint systems
having attachments for those anchorages will continue to
have features for installation using the vehicle’s seat
belts. Child restraints having tether straps and hooks for
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