2009 DODGE AVENGER child seat

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 (if equipped)
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 Small Children
•
Safety 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 and convertible child seats. Both types of child
restraints are held in the vehicle by the lap/shoulder
belt or the LATCH child restraint anchorage system.
Refer to “Lower Anchors and Tether for CHildren
(LATCH)” in this section.
•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.
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WARNING!
Rearward-facing child seats must NEVER be 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.
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 “Lower Anchors and
Tether for CHildren (LATCH)” 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 cushion while the
child’s back is against the seatback, then the child should
use a belt-positioning booster seat. The child and booster
seat are held in the vehicle by the lap/shoulder belt.
(Some booster seats are equipped with a front shield and
are held in the vehicle by the lap portion.)
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.
(Continued)
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WARNING! (Continued)
•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.
Here are some tips on getting the most out of your
child restraints:
•
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.
•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 surethat 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.
•All passenger seating positions contain automatic
locking retractors. However, any seat belt system will
loosen with time, so check the belt occasionally and
pull it tight if necessary.
•In the rear seat, you may have trouble tightening the
lap/shoulder belt on the child restraint because the
buckle or latch plate is too close to the belt path
opening on the restraint. Disconnect the latch plate
from the buckle and twist the short buckle end of the
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belt several times to shorten it. Insert the latch plate
into the buckle with the release button facing out.
•If the belt still can’t be tightened, or if by pulling and
pushing on the restraint loosens the belt, disconnect
the latch plate from the buckle, turn the latch plate
around, and insert the latch plate into the buckle
again. If you still can’t make the child restraint secure,
try a different seating position.
•Buckle the child into the seat according to the child
restraint manufacturer’s directions.
CAUTION!
When your child restraint is not in use, secure it in
the vehicle with the seat belt or remove it from the
vehicle. Don’t leave it loose in the vehicle. In a
sudden stop or collision, it could strike the occupants
or seatbacks and cause serious personal injury.NOTE:For additional information, refer to
www.seatcheck.org or call 1-866-SEATCHECK.
Lower Anchors and Tether for CHildren (LATCH)
Your vehicle is equipped with the child restraint anchor-
age system called LATCH, which stands for Lower
Anchors and Tether for CHildren. The LATCH system
provides for the installation of the child restraint without
using the vehicle seat belt. All three rear seating positions
have lower anchorages that are capable of accommodat-
ing LATCH-compatible child seats having flexible,
webbing-mounted lower attachments. Child seats with
fixed lower attachments must be installed in the out-
board positions only. Regardless of the specific type of
lower attachment,NEVERinstall LATCH-compatible
child seats such that two seats share a common lower
anchorage. If you are installing LATCH-compatible child
restraints in adjacent rear seating positions, you can use
the LATCH anchors or the vehicle’s seat belt for the
outboard position, but you must use the vehicle’s seat
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belt at the center position. If your child restraints are not
LATCH-compatible, you can only install the child re-
straints using the vehicle’s seat belts. Please refer to
“Installing the LATCH-Compatible Child Restraint Sys-
tem” for typical installation instructions.
Rear Seat LATCH Anchors
Child restraints systems having attachments designed to
connect to the lower anchorages are now available. Child
restraints having tether straps and hooks for connection
to the top tether anchorage have been available for some
time. In fact, many child restraint manufacturers will
provide add-on tether strap kits for some of their older
products. Tether anchorage kits are also available for
most older vehicles.
Rear Seat LATCH Anchors
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Because the lower anchorages are to be introduced to
passenger carrying vehicles over a period of years, child
restraint systems having attachments for those anchor-
ages will continue to have features for installation in
vehicles using the lap or lap/shoulder belt. They will also
have tether straps, and you are urged to take advantage
of all of the available attachments provided with your
child restraint in any vehicle.
NOTE:When using the LATCH attaching system to
install a child restraint, please ensure that all seat belts
not being used for occupant restraints are stowed and out
of reach of children. It is recommended that before
installing the child restraint, buckle the seat belt so the
seat belt is tucked behind the child restraint and out of
reach. If the buckled seat belt interferes with the child
restraint installation, instead of tucking the seat belt
behind the child restraint, route the seat belt through the
child restraint belt path and then buckle it. This should
stow the seat belt out of the reach of an inquisitive child.Remind all children in the vehicle that the seat belts are
not toys and should not be played with, and never leave
your child unattended in the vehicle.
Installing the LATCH-Compatible Child Restraint
System
We urge that you carefully follow the directions of the
manufacturer when installing your child restraint. Not all
child restraint systems will be installed as described here.
Again, carefully follow the installation instructions that
were provided with the child restraint system.
The rear seat lower anchorages are round bars,
located at the rear of the seat cushion where it
meets the seatback, and are just visible when
you lean into the rear seat to install the child
restraint. You will easily feel them if you run your finger
along the intersection of the seatback and seat cushion
surfaces.
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In addition, there are tether strap anchorages
behind each rear seating position located in the
panel between the rear seatback and the rear
window. These tether strap anchorages are
under a plastic cover with this symbol on it.
Many, but not all restraint systems will be equipped with
separate straps on each side, with each having a hook or
connector for attachment to the lower anchorage and a
means of adjusting the tension in the strap. Forward-
facing toddler restraints and some rear-facing infant
restraints will also be equipped with a tether strap, a
hook for attachment to the tether strap anchorage and a
means of adjusting the tension of the strap.
You will first loosen the adjusters on the lower straps and
on the tether strap so that you can more easily attach the
hooks or connectors to the vehicle anchorages. Next,
attach the lower hooks or connectors over the top of the
seat cover material. Then rotate the tether anchoragecover directly behind the seat where you are placing the
child restraint and attach the tether strap to the anchor-
age, being careful to route the tether strap to provide the
most direct path between the anchor and the child
restraint. Finally, tighten all three straps as you push the
child restraint rearward and downward into the seat,
removing slack in the straps according to the child
restraint manufacturer’s instructions.
NOTE:
•Ensure that the tether strap does not slip into the
opening between the seatbacks as you remove slack in
the strap.
•When using the LATCH attaching system to install a
child restraint, please ensure that all seat belts not
being used for occupant restraints are stowed and out
of reach of children. It is recommended that before
installing the child restraint, buckle the seat belt so the
seat belt is tucked behind the child restraint and out of
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