2009 CHRYSLER 300 C Owners Manual

WARNING!
•A 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.
•A belt that is too loose will not protect you as well.
In a sudden stop, you could move too far forward,
increasing the possibility of injury. Wear your seat
belt snugly.
•A belt that is worn under your arm is very danger-
ous. 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 stron-
gest bones will take the force in a collision.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•A 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.
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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.WARNING!
•A 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.
•A 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 authorized 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.
Removing Slack from Belt
48 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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.).
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, then move it
up or down to the position that fits 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
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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 in (15 to 30 cm) above the latch plate,
grasp and twist the belt webbing 180 degrees to create a
fold that begins immediately above the latch plate.
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 around
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 Air-
bags in this section). Like the front airbags, the preten-
sioners are single use items. After a collision that is severe
enough to deploy the airbags and pretensioners, both
must be replaced.
50 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Enhanced Seat Belt Reminder System (BeltAlert)
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 (BeltAlert) 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 BeltAlertwill continue to chime and flash
the Seat Belt Reminder Light for 96 seconds or until the
driver’s seat belt is buckled. The BeltAlertwill 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).
BeltAlertProgramming
The BeltAlertcan be enabled or disabled by your
authorized dealer or by performing the following steps:
NOTE:Chrysler LLC does not recommend deactivating
the BeltAlert.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.
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4. Turn the ignition switch to the LOCK position. A
single chime will sound to signify that you have success-
fully completed the programming.
BeltAlertcan be reactivated by repeating this procedure.
NOTE:Although BeltAlerthas been deactivated, the
Seat Belt Reminder Light will continue to illuminate as
long as the driver’s seat belt is unbuckled.
Automatic Locking Mode — If Equipped
In this mode, the shoulder belt is automatically pre-
locked. However, the belt will still retract to remove slack
in the shoulder belt. Use the Automatic Locking mode
any time a child safety seat is installed in a seating
position that has a seat belt with this feature. Seat belts
that have the Automatic Locking mode feature have a
distinctive label on the webbing. Children 12 years old
and younger should be properly restrained in the rear
seat whenever possible.
How to Engage the Automatic Locking Mode
1. Buckle the combination lap and shoulder belt.
2. Grasp the shoulder portion and pull downward until
the entire belt is extracted.
3. Allow the belt to retract. As the belt retracts, you will
here a clicking sound. This indicates the safety belt is
now in the Automatic Locking mode.
How to Disengage the Automatic Locking Mode
Unbuckle the combination lap and shoulder belt and
allow it to retract completely to disengage the Automatic
Locking mode and activate the Vehicle Sensitive (Emer-
gency) Locking mode.
52 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Seat Belts and Pregnant Women
We recommend that pregnant women use the seat belts
throughout their pregnancy. Keeping the mother safe is
the best way to keep the baby safe.
Pregnant women should wear the lap part of the belt
across the thighs and as snug across the hips as possible.
Keep the belt low so that it does not come across the
abdomen. That way the strong bones of the hips will take
the force if there is a collision.
Seat Belt Extender
If a seat belt is too short even when fully extended and
when the adjustable upper shoulder belt anchorage (if so
equipped) is in its lowest position, your authorized
dealer can provide you with a seat belt extender. Thisextender should be used only if the existing belt is not
long enough. When it is not required, remove the ex-
tender and store it.
WARNING!
Using a seat belt extender when not needed can
increase the risk of injury in a collision. Only use
when the seat belt is not long enough when it is worn
low and snug and in the recommended seating posi-
tions. Remove and store the extender when not
needed.
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Driver and Front Passenger Supplemental
Restraint System (SRS) - Airbag
This vehicle has front airbags for both the driver and
front passenger as a supplement to the seat belt restraint
systems. The driver’s airbag is mounted in the center of
the steering wheel. The passenger’s front airbag is
mounted in the instrument panel, above the glove com-
partment. The words SRS AIRBAG are embossed on the
airbag covers.
Front Airbag Components
1 — Airbags
2 — Knee Bolsters 54 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE