2009 DODGE NITRO child restraint

▫Battery Replacement................... 23
▫General Information.................... 24
Remote Starting System — If Equipped....... 25
Door Locks........................... 26
▫Manual Door Locks.................... 27
▫Power Door Locks..................... 28
▫Automatic Door Locks.................. 29
▫Automatic Unlock Doors On Exit.......... 30
▫Child-Protection Door Lock System (Rear
Doors)............................. 31
Windows............................. 32
▫Power Windows...................... 32
▫Wind Buffeting....................... 36Liftgate.............................. 36
Occupant Restraints..................... 37
▫Lap/Shoulder Belts.................... 38
▫Lap/Shoulder Belt Operating Instructions.... 39
▫Adjustable Upper Shoulder Belt Anchorage . . . 43
▫Automatic Locking Mode — If Equipped..... 44
▫Energy Management Feature............. 44
▫Enhanced Seat Belt Use Reminder System
(BeltAlert).......................... 45
▫Seat Belts And Pregnant Women........... 47
▫Seat Belt Extender..................... 47
▫Driver And Front Passenger Supplemental
Restraint Systems (SRS)................. 48
▫Child Restraint....................... 65
10 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
Driving with the liftgate open can allow poisonous
exhaust gases into your vehicle. You and your pas-
sengers could be injured by these fumes. Keep the
liftgate closed when you are operating the vehicle.
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 right front passenger, and
side curtain airbags for the driver and passengers seated
next to a window. If you will be carrying children too
small for adult-size belts, your seat belts 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.
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.
Liftgate Release
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 37
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Here are some simple steps you can take to minimize the
risk of harm from a deploying airbag.
1. Children 12 years and younger should always ride
buckled up in a rear seat.
Infants in rear facing child restraints shouldNEVERride
in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger airbag. An
airbag deployment could cause severe injury or death to
infants in that position.
Children that are not big enough to properly wear the
vehicle seat belt should be secured in the rear seat, in a
child restraint or belt-positioning booster seat. Older
children who do not use child restraints or belt-
positioning booster seats should ride properly buckled
up in the rear seat. Never allow children to slide the
shoulder belt behind them or under their arm.
If a child from 1 to 12 years old must ride in the front
passenger seat because the vehicle is crowded, move theseat as far back as possible, and use the proper child
restraint. See “Child Restraint” in this section.
You should read the instructions provided with your
child restraint to make sure that you are using it properly.
2. All occupants should use their lap and shoulder belts
properly.
3. The driver and front passenger seats should be moved
back as far as practical to allow the front airbags room to
inflate.
4. Do not lean against the door or window, airbags will
inflate forcefully into the space between you and the
door.
5. If the airbag system in this vehicle needs to be
modified to accommodate a disabled person, contact the
customer center. Phone numbers are provided under “If
You Need Assistance” in Section 9.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 51
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WARNING!
Ignoring the “Airbag Warning Light” in your instru-
ment panel could mean you won’t have the airbags to
protect you in a collision. If the light does not come
on, stays on after you start the vehicle, or if it comes
on as you drive, have the airbag system checked right
away.
•TheOccupant Classification System (OCS)is part of
a Federally regulated safety system required for this
vehicle. It is designed to turn off the front passenger
airbag for an empty seat and for occupants classified
in a category other than an adult. This could be a child,
teenager, or even an adult.NOTE:Children 12 years and younger should always
ride buckled up in a rear seat in an appropriate child
restraint.
•ThePassenger Airbag Disable (PAD) Indicator Light
(an amber light located in the center of the instrument
panel) tells the driver and front passenger when the
front passenger airbag is turned off. The “PAD Indi-
cator Light” illuminates the wordsPASS AIR BAG
OFFto show that the passenger airbag will not inflate
during a collision requiring airbags. When the right
front passenger seat is empty or when very light
objects are placed on the seat, the passenger airbag
will not inflate even though the “PAD Indicator Light”
is not illuminated.
54 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

The “PAD Indicator Light” should not be illuminated
when an adult passenger is properly seated in the front
passenger seat. In this case, the airbag is ready to be
inflated if a collision requiring an airbag occurs.
For occupants classified in the “child” size category, the
“PAD Indicator Light” will be illuminated, indicating
that the front passenger airbag is turned off and will not
inflate. If the “PAD Indicator Light” is not illuminated,
DO NOTassume the airbag is turned off. Move the child
restraint to the rear seat. A deploying passenger airbag
can cause death or serious injury to a child in a rear
facing infant seat.
Indicator Light Location
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 55
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NOTE:Even though this vehicle is equipped with an
Occupant Classification System, children 12 years and
younger should always ride buckled up in a rear seat in
an appropriate child restraint.
Front Passenger
Seat OccupantPassenger Air-
bag Disable
(PAD) Indicator
LightAirbag Status
Adult OFF ON
Grocery Bags,
Heavy Briefcases
and Other Rela-
tively Light Ob-
jectsON OFF
Empty or Very
Small ObjectsOFF* OFF
* Since the system senses weight, some small objects
will turn the PAD Indicator Light on.
The OCS classifies an occupant using weight sensors
mounted in the base of the front passenger seat. Any
weight on the seat will be sensed by the system. Objects
hanging on the seat or other passengers pushing down on
the seat will also be sensed. The weight of an adult will
cause the system to turn the airbag on. In this case, the
OCS has classified the occupant of the seat as an adult. An
adult occupant needs to sit in a normal position (with their
feet on or near the floor) in order to be properly classified.
Reclining the seat back too far may change how an
occupant is classified by the OCS.
Drivers and adult passengers should verify that the
“PAD Indicator Light” is not illuminated when an adult
is riding in the front passenger seat. If an adult occu-
pant’s weight is transferred to another part of the vehicle
(like the door or instrument panel), the weight sensors in
the seat may not properly classify the occupant. Objects
lodged under the seat or between the seat and the center
console can prevent the occupant’s weight from being
measured properly and may result in the occupant being
56 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

The driver front airbag gas is vented through the vent
holes in the sides of the airbag. The passenger front
airbag gas is vented through the vent holes in the sides
of the airbag. In this way, the airbags do not interfere
with your control of the vehicle.
•TheOccupant Classification Module (OCM)is lo-
cated beneath the front passenger seat. The OCM
classifies the occupant into categories based on the
measurements made by the seat weight sensors. The
OCM communicates with the Occupant Restraint Con-
trol (ORC) module. The ORC uses the occupant cat-
egory to determine whether the front passenger airbag
should be turned off. It also determines the rate of
airbag inflation during a collision.
•Your vehicle has fourweight sensorslocated between
the seat and the floor pan. The weight sensors measure
applied weight and transfers that information to the
OCM.
•TheSide Impact SRS Side Curtain Airbagsare de-
signed to activate only in certain side collisions and
rollover events. When the ORC 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 to inflate the side curtain
airbag. The inflating side curtain airbag pushes the
outside edge of the headliner out of the way and
covers the window. The airbag inflates in about 30
milliseconds (about one quarter of the time 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 children. The side
curtain airbag is only about 3
12inches (9 cm) thick
when it is inflated.
58 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

•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 Restraint
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.
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 right seat for your child. Use
the restraint that is correct for your child:
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 can 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.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 65
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