2009 DODGE CARAVAN Owners Manual

OCCUPANT RESTRAINTS
Some of the most important safety features in your
vehicle are the restraint systems:
•Three-point lap and shoulder belts for all seating
positions
•Pretensioning and load-limiting retractors for the front
seat belts
•Advanced multistage driver and new active-vent front
passenger airbags
•Supplemental side airbags that span the front, second,
and third row seating for the driver and passengers
seated next to a window.
•An energy-absorbing steering column and steering
wheel
•Knee bolsters/blockers for front seat occupants
•Front seat belt retractors incorporate pretensioners to
enhance occupant protection by managing occupant
energy during an impact event.
•All seat belt systems (except the driver’s, Swivel n’ Go,
and third row center position) include Automatic
Locking Retractors (ALRs), which lock the seat belt
webbing into position by extending the belt all the
way out and then adjusting the belt to the desired
length to restrain a child seat or secure a large item in
a seat.
If you will be carrying children too small for adult-size
seat belts, your seat belts or the Lower Anchors and
Tether for CHildren (LATCH) feature also can be used to
hold infant and child restraint systems.
NOTE:The front airbags have a multistage inflator
design. This allows the airbag to have different rates of
inflation that are based on collision severity.
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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
ejection and the risk of injury caused by striking the
inside of the vehicle.Everyone in a motor vehicle should
be belted at all times.
Lap/Shoulder Belts
All seats in your vehicle are equipped with lap/shoulder
belts.
The belt webbing in the retractor is designed to lock
during very sudden stops or collisions. This feature
allows the shoulder part of the belt to move freely with
you under normal conditions. But in a collision, the belt
will lock and reduce the risk of your striking the inside of
the vehicle or being thrown out.
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WARNING!
•It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision, people
riding in these areas are more likely to be seri-
ously injured or killed.
•Do not allow people to ride in any area of your
vehicle that is not equipped with seats and seat
belts.
•Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and
using a seat belt properly.
•Wearing a seat belt incorrectly is dangerous. Seat
belts are designed to go around the large bones of
your body. These are the strongest parts of your
body and can take the forces of a collision the best.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•Wearing your belt in the wrong place could make
your injuries in a collision much worse. You might
suffer internal injuries, or you could even slide out
of part of the belt. Follow these instructions to
wear your seat belt safely and to keep your pas-
sengers safe, too.
•Two people should never be belted into a single
seat belt. People belted together can crash into one
another in a collision, hurting one another badly.
Never use a lap/shoulder belt or lap belt for more
than one person, no matter what their size.
Lap/Shoulder Belt Operating Instructions
1. Enter the vehicle and close the door. Sit back and
adjust the seat.
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2. The seat belt latch plate is near the seatback of the
front seats and next to your arm in the rear seats. Grasp
the latch plate and pull out the belt. Slide the latch plate
up the webbing as far as necessary to allow the belt to go
around your lap.WARNING!
•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 strongest bones will take the force in a
collision.
•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.
Pulling Out Belt and Latch Plate
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3. When the belt is long enough to fit, insert the latch
plate into the buckle until you hear a “click”.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.
Inserting Latch Plate into Buckle
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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
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
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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.).
Third Row Center Shoulder Belt Instructions
The shoulder belt for the third row center seat is located
in the headliner slightly behind the third row seat.
Pull the strap down and secure the small latch plate of
the lap belt into the small buckle until you hear a “click”.
Position the shoulder belt on your chest so that it is
comfortable and not resting on your neck. When the beltis long enough to fit, insert the large latch plate into the
buckle until you hear a “click.” The retractor should
withdraw any slack in the belt.
To release the small latch plate, position the end of the
large latch plate against the red button on the small latch
plate and push upward. Reinstall the latch plates into the
headliner.
Adjustable Upper Shoulder Belt Anchorage
In the front seats and the second row outboard seats, the
shoulder belt anchorage can be adjusted upward or
downward to help position the belt away from your
neck. The upper anchorage can be adjusted upward by
pushing anywhere on the anchorage. To move the an-
chorage downward, squeeze the actuation buttons while
simultaneously pushing down on the anchorage assem-
bly.
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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 or down to make sure that
it is locked in position.
Automatic Locking Retractors (ALR) Mode — If
Equipped
In this mode, the shoulder belt is automatically pre-
locked. The belt will still retract to remove any slack in
the shoulder belt. The Automatic Locking mode is avail-
able on all passenger-seating positions with a combina-
tion lap/shoulder belt.
When to Use the Automatic Locking Mode
Use The Automatic Locking mode anytime a child safety
seat is installed in a passenger seating position. Children
12 years old and younger should be properly restrained
in the rear seat whenever possible.
How to Use the Automatic Locking Mode
1. Buckle the combination lap/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
hear a clicking sound. This indicates the safety belt is
now in the Automatic Locking mode.
How to Disengage the Automatic Locking Mode
Disconnect the combination lap/shoulder belt and allow
it to retract completely to disengage the Automatic
Locking mode and activate the Vehicle Sensitive (Emer-
gency) Locking mode.
Seat Belt Pretensioners
The seat belts for both front seating positions are
equipped with pretensioning devices that are designed to
remove slack from the seat belt in the event of a collision.
These devices improve the performance of the seat belt
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