2011 DODGE NITRO warning

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) 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.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.
42 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Lap/Shoulder Belts
All seating positions in your vehicle are equipped with
lap/shoulder belts. The belt webbing retractor is de-
signed to lock during very sudden stops or accidents.
This feature allows the shoulder part of the belt to move
freely with you 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.(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and
using a seat belt properly.
•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
instructions 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 a lap belt for more
than one person, no matter what their size.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 43

WARNING!
•A belt that is buckled into the wrong buckle will
not protect you properly. The lap portion could
ride too high on your body, possibly causing
internal injuries. Always buckle your belt into the
buckle nearest you.
•A belt that is too loose will not protect you
properly. In a sudden stop you could move too far
forward, increasing the possibility of injury. Wear
your seat belt snugly.(Continued)
Latch Plate To Buckle
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 45

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.
4. Position the lap belt across your thighs, below your
abdomen. To remove slack in the lap portion, pull up a
bit on the shoulder belt. To loosen the lap belt if it is too tight, tilt the latch plate and pull on the lap belt. A snug
belt reduces the risk of sliding under the belt in an
accident.
WARNING!
•A lap belt worn too high can increase the risk of
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 part of your seat
belt as low as possible and keep it snug.
•A twisted belt will not protect you 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 your authorized dealer
immediately and have it fixed.
5. 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.
46 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

6. To release the belt, push the red button on the buckle.
The belt will automatically retract 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.
1. Position the latch plate as close as possible to the
anchor point.Removing Slack From Belt
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 47

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.
WARNING!
•The belt and retractor assembly must be replaced
if the seat belt assembly Automatic Locking Re-
tractor (ALR) feature or any other seat belt func-
tion is not working properly when checked ac-
cording to the procedures in the Service Manual.
•Failure to replace the belt and retractor assembly
could increase the risk of injury in collisions.
Supplemental Active Head Restraints (AHR)
These head restraints are passive, deployable compo-
nents, and vehicles with this equipment cannot be readilyidentified by any markings, only through visual inspec-
tion 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 51

Energy Management Feature
This vehicle has a safety belt system with an energy
management feature in the front seating positions to help
further reduce the risk of injury in the event of a head-on
accident.
This safety belt system has a retractor assembly that is
designed to release webbing in a controlled manner. This
feature is designed to help reduce the belt force acting on
the occupant’s chest.
WARNING!
•The belt and retractor assembly must be replaced
if the seat belt assembly “Automatic Locking Re-
tractor (ALR)” feature or any other seat belt func-
tion is not working properly when checked ac-
cording to the procedures in the Service Manual.
•Failure to replace the belt and retractor assembly
could increase the risk of injury in accidents.
Enhanced Seat Belt Use Reminder System
(BeltAlert)
BeltAlertis a feature intended to remind the driver and
front passenger (if equipped with front passenger
BeltAlert) to fasten their seat belts. If the driver or front
seat passenger is unbelted, the Seat Belt Reminder Light
will turn on and remain on until both front seat belts are
fastened.
The BeltAlert warning sequence begins within 60 sec-
onds of the vehicle speed over 5 mph (8 km/h), by
blinking the Seat Belt Reminder Light and sounding an
intermittent chime. Once the sequence starts, it will
continue for 96 seconds or until the respective seat belts
are fastened. After the sequence completes, the Seat Belt
Reminder Light remains illuminated until the respective
seat belts are fastened. The driver should instruct all
other occupants to fasten their seat belts. If a front seat
belt is unbuckled while traveling at speeds greater than
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 55

5 mph (8 km/h), BeltAlertwill chime once and illumi-
nate the Seat Belt Reminder Light, then will proceed to
the 96 second warning sequence.
The front passenger seat BeltAlert is not active when the
front passenger seat is unoccupied. BeltAlert 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.
BeltAlert can be enabled or disabled by your authorized
dealer or by following these steps:
NOTE: The following steps must occur within the first
60 seconds of the ignition switch being cycled to the
ON/RUN position. Chrysler Group LLC does not recom-
mend deactivating BeltAlert. 1. With the ignition in the OFF position, buckle the
driver ’s seat belt.
2. Turn the ignition switch to the ON/RUN position (do
not start the engine), and wait for the Seat Belt Reminder
Light to turn off.
3. Unbuckle and then re-buckle the driver ’s seat belt
three times, ending with the seat belt buckled. This must
be completed within 60 seconds of turning the ignition
switch to the ON/RUN position.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the OFF position. A single
chime will sound to signify that you have successfully
completed the programming.
NOTE:
Watch for the Seat Belt Reminder Light to turn
on while the seat belt retracts and turn off while re-
buckling the seat belt.
BeltAlert can be reactivated by repeating this procedure.
56 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE