
WARNING!
Driving with the flipper glass open can allow poi-
sonous exhaust gases into your vehicle. You and your
passengers could be injured by these fumes. Keep
the flipper glass 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
window bags 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 airbags 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.WARNING!
•In a collision, you and your passengers can suffer
injuries, including fatalities, if you are not prop-
erly 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.
(Continued)
36 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

As a guide, if you are shorter than average, you will
prefer a lower position, and if you are taller than average,
you’ll 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 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.
When to Use the Automatic Locking Mode
Use Automatic Locking mode anytime a child safety seat
is installed in the rear center 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 and shoulder belt.
2. Grasp the shoulder portion and pull downward until
the entire belt is fully extended.
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.Adjusting Upper Shoulder Belt
42 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

front airbags work with the instrument panel knee bol-
sters to provide improved protection for the driver and
front passenger. Window bags also work with seat belts
to improve occupant protection.
The seat belts are designed to protect you in many types
of collisions. The front airbags deploy in moderate to
severe frontal collisions.
The window bag on the crash side of the vehicle is
triggered in moderate to severe side collisions. In certain
types of collisions, both the front and side airbags may be
triggered. But even in collisions where the airbags work,
you need the seat belts to keep you in the right position
for the airbags to protect you properly.
Here are some simple steps you can take to minimize the
risk of harm from a deploying airbag.
1. Children 12 years and under should always ride
buckled up in a rear seat.WARNING!
Infants in rear facing child restraints should NEVER
ride 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 the
seat as far back as possible, and use the proper child
restraint. Refer to “Child Restraints” in this section.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 49
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Airbag System Components
The airbag system consists of the following:
•Occupant Restraint Control (ORC)
•Airbag Warning Light
•Driver Airbag
•Passenger Airbag
•Side Curtain Airbags above Side Windows
•Side Remote Acceleration Sensors
•Driver Side Seat Track Position Sensor
•Steering Wheel and Column
•Instrument Panel
•Interconnecting Wiring
•Knee Impact Bolsters
•Front Acceleration Sensors
•Driver and Front Passenger Seat Belt Pretensioners
How the Airbag System Works
•
TheOccupant Restraint Control (ORC)determines if
a frontal, side, or rollover collision is severe enough to
require the front and/or side airbags to inflate. The
front airbag inflators are designed to provide different
rates of airbag inflation from direction provided by the
ORC. The ORC will detect roll overs, not rear impacts.
The ORC also monitors the readiness of the electronic
parts of the system whenever the ignition switch is in
the START or ON positions. These include all of the
items listed above except the knee bolster, the instru-
ment panel, and the steering wheel and column. If the
key is in the LOCK position, in the ACC position, or
not in the ignition, the airbags are not on and will not
inflate.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 51
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4. Otherwise required by law.
Data parameters that may be recorded:
•Diagnostic trouble code(s) and warning lamp status
for electronically-controlled safety systems, including
the airbag system
•Airbag disable lamp 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 — babies and children, too. 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 under should ride properly buck-
led 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
58 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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.
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 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 an-
chorage system (Refer to LATCH — Child Seat An-
chorage System in this section.)
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 59
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WARNING!
•Rearward-facing child seats must NEVER be used
in the front seat of a vehicle with the front passen-
ger airbag unless the airbag is turned off. An
airbag deployment could cause severe injury or
death to infants in this position.
•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 infant restraint should only be
used in a rear seat. A rearward facing infant
restraint in the front seat may be struck by a
deploying passenger airbag which may cause se-
vere or fatal injury to the infant.Here are some tips for 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. Chrysler LLC also recommends that you
try a child restraint in the vehicle seats 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.
•Except for the second row center seating position, all
passenger seat belts are equipped with cinching latch
plates. The second row center position has an auto-
matic locking retractor. Both types of seat belts are
60 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

designed to keep the lap portion tight around the child
restraint so that it is not necessary to use a locking clip.
If the seat belt has a cinching latch plate, pulling up on
the shoulder portion of the lap/shoulder belt will
tighten the belt (the cinching latch plate will keep the
belt tight, however, any seat belt system will loosen
with time, so check the belt occasionally and pull it
tight if necessary). For the second row center seat belt
with the automatic locking retractor, pull the belt from
the retractor until there is enough allowance to pass it
through the child restraint and slide the latch plate
into the buckle. Then, pull the belt until it is fully
extended from the retractor. Allow the belt to return
into the retractor, pulling on the excess webbing to
tighten the lap portion about the child restraint. For
additional information, refer toAutomatic Locking
Modeearlier in this section.
•In the rear seat, you may have trouble tightening the
lap/shoulder belt on the child restraint because thebuckle 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 belt
several times to shorten it. Insert the latch plate into
the buckle with the release button facing out.
•If the belt still cannot be tightened, or if pulling and
pushing on the restraint loosens the belt, disconnect
the latch plate from the buckle, turn the buckle
around, and insert the latch plate into the buckle
again. If you still cannot make the child restraint
secure, try a different seating position.
•Buckle the child into the restraint exactly as the
manufacturer’s instructions tell you.
•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.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 61
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