2011 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN belt

▫Power Sliding Side Door — If Equipped ..... 43
▫ Sliding Side Door Child Protection Lock ..... 47
 Liftgate ............................. 49
▫ Power Liftgate — If Equipped ............ 50
 Occupant Restraints ..................... 53
▫ Lap/Shoulder Belts .................... 57
▫ Seat Belts In Passenger Seating Positions ..... 63
▫ Automatic Locking Retractor Mode (ALR) —
If Equipped ......................... 64
▫ Energy Management Feature ............. 65
▫ Seat Belt Pretensioners ................. 65
▫ Supplemental Active Head Restraints (AHR)
— If Equipped ....................... 66 ▫
Enhanced Seat Belt Use Reminder System
(BeltAlert) ......................... 70
▫ Seat Belt Lock Out .................... 71
▫ Seat Belts And Pregnant Women .......... 71
▫ Seat Belt Extender ..................... 72
▫ Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) — Air
Bags .............................. 72
▫ Air Bag System Components ............. 74
▫ Advanced Front Air Bag Features .......... 75
▫ Air Bag Deployment Sensors And Controls . . . 78
▫ Event Data Recorder (EDR) .............. 86
▫ Child Restraints ...................... 87
10 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

The Unlock Doors Automatically On Exit feature will not
operate if there is any manual operation of the power
door locks (lock or unlock).
•On vehicles equipped with the optional Electronic
Vehicle Information Center (EVIC), refer to “Electronic
Vehicle Information Center (EVIC)/Personal Settings
(Customer-Programmable Features)” in “Understand-
ing Your Instrument Panel” for further information.
•On vehicles not equipped with the optional EVIC
perform the following steps:
1. Enter your vehicle and close all doors.
2. Fasten your seat belt. (Fastening the seat belt will
cancel any chimes that may be confusing during this
programming procedure.)
3. Insert the Key Fob into the ignition switch. 4. Within 15-seconds, cycle the ignition Key Fob from the
OFF position to the ON/RUN position a minimum of
five times ending in the ON/RUN position
(do not start
the engine).
5. Within 30 seconds, press the driver’s door lock switch
in the UNLOCK direction.
6. A single chime will sound to indicate the feature has
been changed.
7. To reactivate this feature, repeat the above steps.
8. If a chime is not heard, the program mode was
canceled before the feature could be changed. If neces-
sary, repeat the previous procedure.
The Unlock Doors Automatically On Exit feature can be
reactivated by repeating the above mentioned procedure
or by performing the procedure in the EVIC, Customer-
Programmable Features on vehicles so equipped.
36 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

•If the power liftgate encounters multiple obstructions
within the same cycle, the system will automatically
stop and must be opened or closed manually.
WARNING!
•Driving with the liftgate open can allow poison-
ous exhaust gases into your vehicle. You and your
passengers could be injured by these fumes. Keep
the liftgate closed when you are operating the
vehicle.
•If you are required to drive with the liftgate open,
make sure that all windows are closed, and the
climate control blower switch is set at high speed.
Do not use the recirculation mode.
Gas props support the liftgate in the open position.
However, because the gas pressure drops with tempera-
ture, it may be necessary to assist the props when
opening the liftgate in cold weather.
OCCUPANT RESTRAINTS
Some of the most important safety features in your
vehicle are the restraint systems:
•Three-point lap and shoulder belts for all seating
positions
•Advanced Front Air Bags for driver and front passen-
ger
•Supplemental Active Head Restraints (AHR) located
on top of the front seats (integrated into the head
restraint) — if equipped
•Supplemental Driver Side Knee Air Bag
•Supplemental Side Air Bag Inflatable Curtains
(SABIC) that span the front, second, and third row
seating for the driver and passengers seated next to a
window
•Supplemental Seat-Mounted Side Air Bags (SAB)
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 53

•An energy-absorbing steering column and steering
wheel
•Knee bolsters/blockers for front seat occupants
•All seat belt systems (except the driver ’s and third row
center) 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
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. 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. For more information
on LATCH, refer to Lower Anchors and Tether for
CHildren (LATCH).
NOTE:
The Advanced Front Air Bags have a multistage
inflator design. This allows the air bag to have different
rates of inflation based on the severity and type of
collision.
Here are some simple steps you can take to minimize the
risk of harm from a deploying air bag:
1. Children 12 years old and under should always ride
buckled up in a rear seat.
54 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 Air Bag. An air bag 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 Air Bags room to inflate.
4. Do not lean against the door or window. If your
vehicle has side air bags, and deployment occurs, the
side air bags will inflate forcefully into the space
between you and the door.
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 55

5.If the air bag 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.
WARNING!
•Relying on the air bags alone could lead to more
severe injuries in a collision. The air bags work
with your seat belt to restrain you properly. In
some collisions, the air bags won’t deploy at all.
Always wear your seat belts even though you have
air bags.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•Being too close to the steering wheel or instrument
panel during Advanced Front Air Bag deployment
could cause serious injury, including death. Air
Bags need room to inflate. Sit back, comfortably
extending your arms to reach the steering wheel or
instrument panel.
•Supplemental Side Air Bag Inflatable Curtain
(SABIC) and Seat-Mounted Side Air Bags (SAB)
also need room to inflate. Do not lean against the
door or window. Sit upright in the center of the
seat.
•In an accident, 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.
56 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Buckle up even though you are an excellent driver, even
on short trips. Someone on the road may be a poor driver
and cause an accident that includes you. This can happen
far away from home or on your own street.
Research has shown that seat belts save lives, and they
can reduce the seriousness of injuries in an accident.
Some of the worst injuries happen when people are
thrown from the vehicle. Seat belts reduce the possibility
of ejection and the risk of injury caused by striking the
inside of the vehicle. Everyone in a motor vehicle should
be belted at all times.
Lap/Shoulder Belts
All seats in your vehicle are equipped with lap/shoulder
belts.
The belt webbing in the retractor is designed to lock
during very sudden stops or accidents. This feature
allows the shoulder part of the belt to move freely withyou under normal conditions. However, in an accident
the belt will lock and reduce the risk of you striking the
inside of the vehicle or being thrown out.
WARNING!
•It is dangerous to ride in a cargo area, inside or
outside of a vehicle. In an accident, people riding
in these areas are more likely to be seriously
injured or killed.
•Do not allow people to ride in any area of your
vehicle that is not equipped with seats and seat
belts.
•Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and
using a seat belt properly.
(Continued)
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 57

WARNING! (Continued)
•Wearing a seat belt incorrectly is dangerous. Seat
belts are designed to go around the large bones of
your body. These are the strongest parts of your
body and can take the forces of an accident the
best.
•Wearing your belt in the wrong place could make
your injuries in an accident much worse. You
might suffer internal injuries, or you could even
slide out of part of the belt. Follow these instruc-
tions to wear your seat belt safely and to keep your
passengers safe, too.
•Two people should never be belted into a single
seat belt. People belted together can crash into one
another in an accident, hurting one another badly.
Never use a lap/shoulder belt or lap belt for more
than one person, no matter what their size.
Lap/Shoulder Belt Operating Instructions
1. Enter the vehicle and close the door. Sit back and
adjust the seat.
2. The seat belt latch plate is near the seatback of the
front seats and next to your arm in the rear seats. Grasp
the latch plate and pull out the belt. Slide the latch plate
up the webbing as far as necessary to allow the belt to go
around your lap.
58 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE