2010 DODGE AVENGER child seat

▫Adjustable Upper Shoulder Belt Anchorage . . . 45
▫ Rear Seat Belts ....................... 46
▫ Automatic Locking Retractors (ALR)
Mode — If Equipped ................... 46
▫ Seat Belt Pretensioners — If Equipped ...... 47
▫ Supplemental Active Head Restraints (AHR) . . 47
▫ Enhanced Seat Belt Use Reminder System
(BeltAlert) ......................... 51
▫ BeltAlert Programming ................ 51
▫ Seat Belts And Pregnant Women .......... 52
▫ Seat Belt Extender ..................... 52
▫ Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) -
Airbags ............................ 53
▫ Airbag System Components .............. 54▫
Advanced Front Airbag Features .......... 55
▫ Airbag Deployment Sensors And Controls . . . 60
▫ Event Data Recorder (EDR) .............. 67
▫ Child Restraints ...................... 69
 Engine Break-In Recommendations .......... 79
 Safety Tips ........................... 80
▫ Transporting Passengers ................ 80
▫ Exhaust Gas ......................... 81
▫ Safety Checks You Should Make Inside The
Vehicle ............................. 82
▫ Periodic Safety Checks You Should Make
Outside The Vehicle ................... 84
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 11

buffeting occurs with the sunroof open, then adjust the
sunroof opening to minimize the buffeting.
TRUNK RELEASE
Use the Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter to open the trunk from
outside the vehicle. From inside the
vehicle the trunk lid can be released by
pressing the TRUNK RELEASE button
located on the instrument panel to the
left of the steering wheel.
NOTE: The shift lever must be in PARK for this switch
to operate.
With the ignition ON, the word “deck” will display in
place of the odometer display indicating that the trunk is
open. The odometer display will reappear once the trunk
is closed or if the trip button is depressed. With the ignition switch in the LOCK position or with the
key out, the word “deck” will display until the trunk is
closed.
On Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC)
equipped vehicles, the words “Trunk Ajar” will display.
TRUNK SAFETY WARNING
WARNING!
Do not allow children to have access to the trunk,
either by climbing into the trunk from outside, or
through the inside of the vehicle. Always close the
trunk lid when your vehicle is unattended. Once in
the trunk, young children may not be able to escape,
even if they entered through the rear seat. If trapped
in the trunk, children can die from suffocation or
heat stroke.Trunk Release
Button
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 37

•An energy-absorbing steering column and steering
wheel
•Knee bolsters/blockers for front seat occupants
•Front seat belts incorporate pretensioners to enhance
occupant protection by managing occupant energy
during an impact event — if equipped
•All seat belt systems (except the driver’s) 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 equipped
If you will be carrying children too small for adult-sized
seat belts, the seat belts or the Lower Anchors and Tether
for CHildren (LATCH) feature also can be used to hold
infant and child restraint systems. Refer to “Lower An-
chors and Tether for CHildren (LATCH)”.
NOTE: The Advanced Front Airbags have a multistage
inflator design. This allows the airbag to have different
rates of inflation based on the severity and type of
collision.
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.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 39

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.
Rear Seat Belts
The shoulder belt anchorages of the rear three-point belts
are nonadjustable for outboard and center rear passen-
gers on sedans. The center belt is mounted to the rear
shelf panel and exits through a bezel in the panel.
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 seating position that has a belt with
this feature. Children 12 years old and under should
always be properly restrained in the rear seat.
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
hear 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/shoulder belt and allow it
to retract completely to disengage the Automatic Locking
Mode and activate the vehicle sensitive (emergency)
locking mode.
46 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Seat Belt Pretensioners — If Equipped
The seat belts for both front seating positions may be
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
by assuring that the belt is tight about the occupant early
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). Like the airbags, the pretension-
ers are single use items. A deployed pretensioner or a
deployed airbag must be replaced immediately.
Supplemental Active Head Restraints (AHR)
These head restraints are passive, deployable compo-
nents, and vehicles with this equipment can not be readily identified by any markings, only through visual
inspection of the head restraint. The head restraint will be
split in two halves, with the front half being soft foam
and trim, the back half being decorative plastic.
How the Active Head Restraints (AHR) Work
The Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC) determines
whether the severity, or type of rear impact will require
the Active Head Restraints (AHR) to deploy. If a rear
impact requires deployment, both the driver and front
passenger seat AHRs will be deployed.
When AHRs deploy during a rear impact, the front half
of the head restraint extends forward to minimize the gap
between the back of the occupant’s head and the AHR.
This system is designed to help prevent or reduce the
extent of injuries to the driver and front passenger in
certain types of rear impacts.
NOTE:
The Active Head Restraints (AHR) may or may
not deploy in the event of a front or side impact.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 47

The system includes side impact sensors adjacent to both
front and rear seat occupants that are calibrated to deploy
the SABIC airbags during impacts that require airbag
occupant protection.
WARNING!
•If your vehicle is equipped with left and right
Supplemental Side Airbag Inflatable Curtain
(SABIC), do not stack luggage or other cargo up
high enough to block the location of the SABIC.
The area where the SABIC is located should re-
main free from any obstructions.
•Do not use accessory seat covers or place objects
between you and the side airbags; the performance
could be adversely affected and/or objects could
be pushed into you, causing serious injury.
Knee Impact Bolsters
The Knee Impact Bolsters help protect the knees of the
driver and the front passenger, and position front occu-
pants for the best interaction with the Advanced Front
Airbags.
Along with seat belts and pretensioners, Advanced Front
Airbags work with the knee bolsters to provide improved
protection for the driver and front passenger. Side airbags
also work with seat belts to improve occupant protection.
Here are some simple steps you can take to minimize the
risk of harm from a deploying airbag:
1.Children 12 years old and under should always ride
buckled up in a rear seat.
58 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
Infants in rear facing child restraints should NEVER
ride in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger
Advanced Front Airbag. An airbag deployment can
cause severe injury or death to infants in that posi-
tion.
Children that are not big enough to wear the vehicle seat
belt properly (see section on Child Restraints) should be
secured in the rear seat in child restraints or belt-
positioning booster seats. 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 (not in a rear facing child
seat) must ride in the front passenger seat, move the seat
as far back as possible and use the proper child restraint.
(Refer to “Child Restraints”)
You should read the instructions provided with your
child restraint to make sure that you are using it properly.
2.
All occupants should ALWAYS wear their lap and
shoulder belts properly.
3. The driver and front passenger seats should be
moved back as far as practical to allow the Advanced
Front Airbags room to inflate.
4. Do not lean against the door or window. If your
vehicle has side airbags, and deployment occurs, the
side airbags will inflate forcefully into the space be-
tween you and the door.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 59

separate and fold out of the way as the airbags inflate to
their full size. The airbags fully inflate in about 50 to 70
milliseconds. This is about half of the time it takes to
blink your eyes. The airbags then quickly deflate while
helping to restrain the driver and front passenger.
The Advanced 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.
Supplemental Seat-Mounted Side Airbag Inflator
Units — If Equipped
The Side Impact (SRS) Seat-Mounted Side Airbags are
designed to activate only in certain side collisions.
The ORC determines if a side collision requires the side
airbags to inflate based on the severity and type of
collision.
Based on the severity and type of collision, the side
airbag inflator on the crash side of the vehicle may betriggered, releasing a quantity of non-toxic gas. The
inflating side airbag exits through the seat seam into the
space between the occupant and the door. The side
airbags fully inflate in about 10 milliseconds. The side
airbag moves at a very high speed and with such a high
force, that it could injure you if you are not seated
properly, or if items are positioned in the area where the
side airbag inflates. This especially applies to children.
Supplemental Side Airbag Inflatable Curtain
(SABIC) Inflator Units — If Equipped
During collisions where the impact is confined to a
particular area of the side of the vehicle, the ORC may
deploy the SABIC airbags, depending on the severity and
type of collision. In these events, the ORC will deploy the
SABIC only on the impact side of the vehicle.
A quantity of non-toxic 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
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 63