2011 Ram 5500 Chassis Cab belt

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 may no longer be functional.
The 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, citizen band radios,
etc.
Knee Impact Bolsters
The Knee Impact Bolsters help protect the knees of the
driver and the front passenger, and position everyone for
the best interaction with the Advanced Front Airbag.Here are some simple steps you can take to minimize the
risk of harm from a deploying airbag:
Children 12 years old and younger should always ride
buckled up in a rear seat.
WARNING!
Infants in rear-facing child restraints should NEVER
ride in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger
front airbag. An airbag deployment can cause severe
injury or death to infants in that position.
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
52 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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.
All occupants should ALWAYS wear their lap and shoul-
der belts properly.
The driver and front passenger seats should be moved
back as far as practical to allow the Advanced Front
Airbags room to inflate.If the airbag 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 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 front airbag deployment could cause
serious injury, including death. Airbags need
room to inflate. Sit back, comfortably extending
your arms to reach the steering wheel or instru-
ment panel.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 53

Airbag Deployment Sensors and Controls
Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC)
TheORC is part of a Federally regulated safety system
required for this vehicle.
The ORC determines if deployment of the front airbags in
a frontal collision is required. Based on impact sensor
signals a central electronic ORC deploys the Advanced
Front Airbags, as required, depending on severity and
type of impact.
Advanced Front Airbags are designed to provide addi-
tional protection by supplementing the seat belts in
certain frontal collisions depending on the severity and
type of collision. Advanced Front Airbags are not ex-
pected to reduce the risk of injury in rear, side or rollover
collisions.
The Advanced Front Airbags will not deploy in all frontal
collisions, including some that may produce substantial vehicle damage — for example, some pole collisions,
truck underrides, and angle offset collisions. On the other
hand, depending on the type and location of impact,
Advanced Front Airbags may deploy in crashes with
little vehicle front-end damage but that produce a severe
initial deceleration.
Because airbag sensors measure vehicle deceleration over
time, vehicle speed and damage by themselves are not
good indicators of whether or not an airbag should have
deployed.
Seat belts are necessary for your protection in all colli-
sions, and also are needed to help keep you in position,
away from an inflating airbag.
The ORC monitors the readiness of the electronic parts of
the system whenever the ignition switch is in the START
or ON position. If the key is in the LOCK position, in the
ACC position, or not in the ignition, the airbags are not
on and will not inflate.
54 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Infants and Small Children
There are different sizes and types of restraints for
children from newborn size to the child almost large
enough for an adult safety belt. Use the restraint that is
correct for your child.
•Safety experts recommend that children ride
rearward-facing in the vehicle until they are at least
one year old and weigh at least 20 lbs (9 kg). Two types
of child restraints can be used rearward-facing: infant
carriers andconvertible child seats. Both types of
child restraints are held in the vehicle by the lap/
shoulder belt.
•The infant carrier is only used rearward-facing in the
vehicle. It is recommended for children who weigh up
to about 20 lbs (9 kg). Convertiblechild seats can be
used either rearward-facing or forward-facing in the
vehicle. Convertible child seats often have a higher
weight limit in the rearward-facing direction than infant carriers do, so they can be used rearward-facing
by children who weigh more than 20 lbs (9 kg) but are
less than one year old.
•Rearward-facing child seats must
NEVERbe 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.
•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.
•The belt-positioning booster seat is for children weigh-
ing more than 40 lbs (18 kg), but who are still too small
to fit the vehicle’s seat belts properly. If the child
cannot sit with knees bent over the vehicle’s seat
62 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

cushion while the child’s back is against the seat back,
they should use a belt-positioning booster seat. The
child and booster seat are held in the vehicle by the
lap/shoulder belt.
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. Here are some tips for 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.
•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
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 63

from the buckle and twist the short buckle-end 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 latch plate
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.
Do not leave it loose in the vehicle. In a sudden stop or
collision, it could strike the occupants or seat backs
and cause serious personal injury.
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 exactly when installing
an infant or child restraint.
Lower Anchors and Tether for CHildren (LATCH)
Each vehicle is equipped with the child restraint anchor-
age system called LATCH, which stands for Lower
Anchors and Tether for CHildren. LATCH child restraint
anchorage systems are installed in the Crew Cab rear seat
outboard positions. LATCH equipped seating positions
feature both lower anchor bars, located at the back of the
seat cushion, and tether strap anchorages, located behind
the seat back (refer to “Child Restraint Tether Anchor”).
64 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Child restraint systems having attachments designed to
connect to the lower anchorages are now available. Child
restraints having tether straps and hooks for connection
to the seat back tether anchorage have been available forsome time. In fact, many child restraint manufacturers
will provide add-on tether strap kits for some of their
older products.
Because the lower anchorages are to be introduced to
passenger carrying vehicles over a period of years, child
restraint systems having attachments for those anchor-
ages will continue to have features for installation in
vehicles using the lap or lap/shoulder belt. They will also
have tether straps, and you are urged to take advantage
of all of the available attachments provided with your
child restraint in any vehicle.
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
Crew Cab Rear Outboard Seats Driver Side
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 65

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.
•If your child restraint seat is not LATCH-compatible,
install the restraint using the vehicle seat belting.
Installing the Child Restraint System
WARNING!
Do not install child restraint systems equipped with
LATCH attachments in the center position of a Crew
Cab model rear seat. The LATCH anchorages in this
seat are designed for the two outboard seating posi-
tions only. A child may be placed in the rear center
seating position of a Crew Cab model using the seat
belt and child tether anchorage. Failure to follow this
may result in serious or fatal injury.
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
66 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE