2010 DODGE CARAVAN Owners Manual

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.
•Rearward-facing child seats and infant carriers must
NEVERbe used while the second row Swivel ’n Go
seats are in the rearward-facing position.
WARNING!
Never place any child seat, booster seat, or infant
carrier in the Swivel ’n Go seat while it is in the
rearward-facing position. The swivel seat should be
locked in the forward position when using any child
seat, booster seat, or infant carriers, with the vehicle
in motion. Failure to do so could result in serious
injury or even death.
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)”.
An aftermarket belt-positioning booster seat is for chil-
dren weighing more than 40 lbs (18 kg), but who are still
too small to properly fit the vehicle’s seat belts. If the
child can not sit with knees bent over the vehicles seat
cushion while the child’s back is against the seatback,
they should use a belt-positioning booster seat. The child
and booster seat are held in the vehicle by the lap/
shoulder belt.
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Children Too Large for Booster Seats
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.
•Make sure that the child is upright in the seat.
•The lap portion should be low on the hips and as snug
as possible.
•Check belt fit periodically. A child’s squirming or
slouching can move the belt out of position.
•If the shoulder belt contacts the face or neck, move the
child closer to the center of the vehicle. If this doesn’t
help, move the child to the center rear seating position
and use both the lap and shoulder belt. Never allow a
child to put the shoulder belt under an arm or behind
their back.NOTE: For additional information, refer to
www.seatcheck.org or call 1–866–SEATCHECK. Cana-
dian residents, should refer to Transport Canada’s web-
site for additional information. http://www.tc.gc.ca/
roadsafety/safedrivers/childsafety/index.htm
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.
•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.
(Continued)
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WARNING! (Continued)
•Occupants riding in Swivel ’n Go seating must be
wearing their seat belt and the seat must be locked
in either the forward or rearward position. Failure
to do so could result in serious injury or even
death.
Here are some tips on 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. We also recommend that you make sure
that 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.
•The passenger seat belts are equipped with cinching
latch plates, which are designed to keep the lap
portion tight around the child restraint so that it is not
necessary to use a locking clip. 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.
•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 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 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.
•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.
Installing the Child Restraint System
We urge you to carefully follow the directions of the
manufacturer when installing your child restraint. Many,
but not all restraint systems will be equipped with
separate straps on each side, with each having a hook or
connector, and a means for adjusting the tension in the
strap. Forward-facing toddler restraints and some
rearward-facing infant restraints will also be equipped
with a tether strap, a hook and means for adjusting the
tension in the strap. Not all child restraint systems will be
installed as described here. Again, carefully follow the
installation instructions that are provided with the child
restraint system.
In general, you will first loosen the adjusters on the lower
straps and tether straps so that you can more easily attach
the hook or connector to the lower anchorages and tether
anchorages. Then tighten all three straps as you push the
child restraint rearward and downward into the seat.
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Not all child restraint systems will be installed as we
have described here. Again, carefully follow the instruc-
tions that come with the child restraint system.
WARNING!
Improper installation of a child restraint to the
LATCH anchorages can lead to failure of an infant or
child restraint. The child could be badly injured or
killed. Follow the manufacturer’s directions exactly
when installing an infant or child restraint.
Installing the LATCH-Compatible Child Restraint
System
Each vehicle, except commercial cargo vehicles, is
equipped with the child restraint anchorage system
called LATCH, which stands for Lower Anchors and
Tether for CHildren. Two LATCH child restraint anchor-
age systems are installed on all second-row seats and in
the center position on all third row fold-in-floor seats.Second-row seats also feature tether strap anchorages,
located in the rear surface of the seatback. In addition, all
third row fold-in-floor seats are equipped with a child
restraint tether anchor at the center seating position.
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.
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•If your child restraint seat is not LATCH-compatible,
install the restraint using the vehicle seat belts.
Installing the Lower Attachments:
1. The vehicle lower anchorages are round bars located
at the rear of the seat cushion where it meets the seatback.
2. Loosen the adjusters on the lower child restraint
attachment straps (reference the child restraint seat in-
structions) to ease the installation.
NOTE: It is recommended to loosen the top tether strap
and route it loosely prior to securing the lower anchors so
the top tether strap is not trapped between the vehicle
seat and child restraint.
3. Attach the lower child restraint attachment straps to
the vehicle’s lower anchor bars. Ensure that the lower
attachment strap is firmly engaged and that the hook is
secure. 4. Tighten the lower attachment strap while firmly push-
ing the child restraint rearward and downward into the
vehicle seat. Remove all slack in the lower attachment
straps. Reference the child restraint instructions for infor-
mation on properly removing slack.
LATCH Anchorages
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Installing the Top Tether Strap
(with either Lower Anchors or Vehicle Seat Belt):
1. Route the top tether strap under the adjustable head
restraint between the steel posts.
2. Provide enough slack (reference child restraint in-
structions) for the tether strap to reach the tether anchor
located near the bottom of the seat back.
3. Clip tether hook to tether anchor. Ensure that the hook
is firmly engaged and secure.
4. Remove all slack and tighten tether strap according to
child restraint manufacturer ’s instructions.
NOTE:The top tether strap is always to be secured,
regardless of if the child restraint is installed with the
lower anchors or the vehicle seat belt.
Rear Seat Tether Strap Mounting
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WARNING!
An incorrectly anchored tether strap could lead to
increased head motion and possible injury to the
child. Use only the anchor positions directly behind
the child seat to secure a child restraint top tether
strap.
Installing the Child Restraint Using the Vehicle
Seat Belts
The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are
equipped with either an Automatic Locking Retractor
(ALR) or a cinching latch plate or both. Both types of seat
belts are designed to keep the lap portion of the seat belt
tight around the child restraint so that it is not necessary
to use a locking clip. The ALR will make a ratcheting
noise if you extract the entire belt from the retractor and
then allow the belt to retract into the retractor. For
additional information on ALR, refer to “Automatic
Locking Mode”.To install a child restraint, first, pull enough of the seat
belt webbing from the retractor to route it through the
belt path of the child restraint and slide the latch plate
into the buckle. Next, extract all the seat belt webbing out
of the retractor and then allow the belt to retract into the
retractor. Finally, pull on any excess webbing to tighten
the lap portion around the child restraint. Any seat belt
system will loosen with time, so check the belt occasion-
ally, and pull it tight if necessary.
Once you have completed securing the child restraint
with the seat belt secure the top tether strap. Refer to
Installing the Top Tether Strap
for further details.
Transporting Pets
Airbags deploying in the front seat could harm your pet.
An unrestrained pet could be thrown about and possibly
injured, or injure a passenger during panic braking or in
a collision.
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