2010 DODGE VIPER Owners Manual

WARNING! (Continued)
•A belt that is worn under your arm is dangerous.
Your body could strike the inside surfaces of the
vehicle in an accident, 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 an accident. 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.
5. Position the lap belt across your thighs, below your
abdomen. To remove slack in the lap belt portion, pull up
a little on the shoulder belt, as shown. 6. To loosen the lap belt if it is too tight, lift up on the
shoulder belt and pull on the lap belt. A snug belt reduces
the risk of sliding under the belt in an accident.
Removing Slack From Belt (Convertible Shown)
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 37

WARNING!
•A lap belt worn too high can increase the risk of
internal injury in an accident. 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 possible and keep it snug.
•A twisted belt can’t do its job properly. 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 an authorized dealer imme-
diately and have it fixed.
7. 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. 8. To release the belt, push the red button in the buckle.
The belt will retract automatically to its stowed position.
If necessary, slide the latch plate down the webbing to
allow it to retract fully.
WARNING!
A frayed or torn belt could rip apart in an accident
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 an accident if they
have been damaged (bent retractor, torn webbing,
etc.).
Lap/Shoulder Belt Untwisting Procedure
Use the following procedure to untwist a twisted lap/
shoulder belt.
38 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

1. Position the latch plate as close as possible to the
anchor point.
2. At about 6 to 12 in (15 to 30 cm) above the latch plate,
grasp and twist the belt webbing 180 degrees to create a
fold that begins immediately above the latch plate.
3. Slide the latch plate upward over the folded webbing.
The folded webbing must enter the slot at the top of the
latch plate.
4. Continue to slide the latch plate up until it clears the
folded webbing.
Enhanced Seat Belt Use Reminder System
(BeltAlert)
If the driver ’s or front passenger ’s (if equipped with belt
alert) seat belt has not been buckled within 60 seconds of
starting the vehicle and if the vehicle speed is greater
than 5 mph (8 km/h), the Enhanced Warning System
(BeltAlert) will alert the driver or front passenger tobuckle the seat belt. The driver should also instruct all
other occupants to buckle their seat belts. Once the
warning is triggered, BeltAlert
will continue to chime
and flash the Seat Belt Reminder Light for 96 seconds or
until the driver ’s or front passenger ’s seat belt is buckled.
BeltAlert will be reactivated if the driver ’s or passen-
ger ’s seat belt is unbuckled for more than 10 seconds and
the vehicle speed is greater than 5 mph (8 km/h).
For front passenger seats equipped with BeltAlert, your
vehicle is equipped to detect when it is occupied. The
BeltAlert warning system is not activated when the
front passenger seat is unoccupied. The BeltAlert warn-
ing system may be triggered when an animal or heavy
object is on the front passenger seat or when the seat is
folded flat (if equipped). It is recommended that pets be
restrained in the rear seat in pet harnesses or pet carriers
that are secured by seat belts and cargo is properly
stowed.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 39

BeltAlertProgramming
BeltAlertcan be enabled or disabled by your authorized
dealer or by performing the following steps:
NOTE: Chrysler Group LLC does not recommend de-
activating BeltAlert.
1. Close all doors.
2. Turn the ignition switch to the OFF/LOCK position.
3. Buckle the driver’s seat belt.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the ON/RUN position, but
do not start the engine. Wait for the Seat Belt Reminder
Light to turn off and then proceed to the next step.
NOTE: You must perform the following steps within
60 seconds of turning the ignition switch to the ON/RUN
position. 5. Within 60 seconds of turning the ignition switch to the
ON/RUN position, unbuckle and then re-buckle the
driver’s seat belt at least three times within 10 seconds,
ending with the seat belt buckled.
NOTE:
Watch for the Seat Belt Reminder Light to turn
on while unbuckling the seat belt and turn off while
re-buckling the seat belt. It may be necessary to retract
the seat belt.
6. Turn the ignition switch to the OFF/LOCK position. A
single chime will sound to signify that you have com-
pleted the programming successfully.
BeltAlert can be reactivated by repeating this procedure.
NOTE:
When BeltAlert is deactivated, the Seat Belt
Reminder Light will continue to illuminate as long as the
driver’s seat belt or the passenger’s seat belt is unbuckled.
40 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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.
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 an
accident. These devices improve the performance of the
seat belt by assuring that the belt is tight about the
occupant early in an accident. Pretensioners work for all
size occupants, including those in child restraints.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 41

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.
Seat Belts and Pregnant Women
We recommend that pregnant women use the seat belts
throughout their pregnancy. Keeping the mother safe is
the best way to keep the baby safe.
Pregnant women should wear the lap portion of the belt
across the thighs and as snug across the hips as possible.
Keep the belt low so that it does not come across the
abdomen. That way the strong bones of the hips will take
the force if there is an accident.
Seat Belt Extender
If a seat belt is too short, even when extended fully, your
authorized dealer can provide you with a seat belt
extender. This extender should only be used if the
existing belt is not long enough. When it is not required,
remove the extender, and store it.
WARNING!
Using a seat belt extender when not needed can
increase the risk of injury in an accident. Only use a
seat belt extender when the seat belt is not long
enough when worn low and snug and in the recom-
mended seating positions. Remove and store the
extender when not needed.
Driver and Passenger Supplemental Restraint
System (SRS) - Airbags
This vehicle is equipped with airbags for the driver and
passenger as a supplement to the seat belt restraint
42 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

systems. The driver’s Advanced Front Airbag is mounted
in the steering wheel. The passenger’s Advanced Front
Airbag is mounted underneath a cover in the passenger’s
side of the instrument panel. The words SRS/AIRBAG is
embossed on the airbag covers.NOTE:
These airbags are certified to the new Federal
regulations for Advanced Airbags. The passenger’s Ad-
vanced Front Airbag is certified to the Federal regulations
that define Occupant Classification (Refer to “Airbag
Deployment Sensors and Controls”).
The airbags have a multistage inflator design. This allows
the airbag to have different rates of inflation that are
based on collision severity and occupant size.
WARNING!
•No objects should be placed over or near the
airbag on the instrument panel, because any such
objects could cause harm if the vehicle is in a
collision severe enough to cause the airbag to
inflate.
(Continued)
Advanced Front Airbag and Knee Bolster Locations
1 — Driver And Passenger Advanced Front Airbag
2 — Knee Bolster
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 43

WARNING! (Continued)
•Do not put anything on or around the airbag
covers or attempt to open them manually. You may
damage the airbags and you could be injured
because the airbags are no longer functional.
These protective covers for the airbag cushions are
designed to open only when the airbags are inflat-
ing.
•Do not drill, cut, or tamper with the knee bolster
in any way.
•Do not mount any accessories to the knee bolster
such as alarm lights, stereos, citizens band radios,
etc.(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•Relying on the airbags alone could lead to more
severe injuries in a collision. The airbags work
with your seat belt to restrain you properly. In
some collisions, the airbags won’t deploy at all.
Always wear your seat belts even though you have
airbags.
•Being too close to the steering wheel or instrument
panel during airbag deployment could cause seri-
ous injury. Airbags need room to inflate. Sit back,
extending your arms comfortably to reach the
steering wheel or instrument panel.
Knee Impact Bolsters
The Knee Impact Bolsters help protect the knees of the
driver and the passenger, and position front occupants
for the best interaction with the airbags.
44 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE