2012 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY warning

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 a collision the best.
•Wearing your belt in the wrong place could make
your injuries in a collision 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 pas-
sengers safe, too.
•Two people should never be belted into a single
seat belt. People belted together can crash into one
another in a collision, 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.
62 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
•A belt that is worn under your arm is dangerous.
Your body could strike the inside surfaces of the
vehicle in a collision, 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 a collision. 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.
Pulling Out Belt and Latch Plate
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 63

3. When the belt is long enough to fit, insert the latch
plate into the buckle until you hear a “click”.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.
4. Position the lap belt across your thighs, below your
abdomen. To remove slack in the lap belt portion, pull up
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 a collision.
Inserting Latch Plate Into Buckle
64 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
•A lap belt worn too high can increase the risk of
internal injury in a collision. 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 may 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.
Removing Slack From Belt
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 65

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 the belt to retract fully.
WARNING!
A frayed or torn belt could rip apart in a collision 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 a collision if they
have been damaged (bent retractor, torn webbing,
etc.).
Third Row Center Shoulder Belt Instructions
The shoulder belt for the third row center seat is located
in the headliner slightly behind the third row seat.Pull the strap down and secure the small latch plate of
the lap belt into the small buckle until you hear a “click”.
Position the shoulder belt on your chest so that it is
comfortable and not resting on your neck. When the belt
is long enough to fit, insert the large latch plate into the
buckle until you hear a “click.” The retractor should
withdraw any slack in the belt.
To release the small latch plate, position the end of the
large latch plate against the red button on the small latch
plate and push upward. Reinstall the latch plates into the
headliner.
Adjustable Upper Shoulder Belt Anchorage
In the front seats and the second row outboard seats, the
shoulder belt anchorage can be adjusted upward or
downward to help position the belt away from your
neck. The upper anchorage can be adjusted upward by
66 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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.
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
collision.
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.
Seat Belt Pretensioners
The seat belts for both front seating positions are
equipped with pretensioning devices that are designed to
remove slack from the seat belt in the event of a collision.
These devices may improve the performance of the seat
belt by assuring that the belt is tight about the occupant
early in a collision. Pretensioners work for all size occu-
pants, including those in child restraints.
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 air bags, the preten-
sioners are single use items. A deployed pretensioner or
a deployed air bag must be replaced immediately.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 69

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. The feature is active
whenever the ignition is on. 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 after the vehicle
speed is 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 the entire
duration or until the respective seatbelts 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 occu-
pants to fasten their seat belts. If a front seat belt is unbuckled while traveling at speeds greater than 5 mph
(8 km/h), BeltAlert
will provide both audio and visual
notification.
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. Chrysler Group LLC does not recommend deac-
tivating BeltAlert.
NOTE: Although BeltAlert has been deactivated, the
Seat Belt Reminder Light will continue to illuminate
while the driver ’s or front passenger (if equipped with
BeltAlert) seat belt remains unfastened.
74 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Seat Belt Lock Out
The center rear seat belt system has a lock out feature that
will not allow you to extract the center webbing unless
the rear seat upper latch is engaged.
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 part 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 a collision.
Seat Belt Extender
If a seat belt is too short, even when fully extended and
when the adjustable upper shoulder belt anchorage (if
equipped) is in its lowest position, your authorized
dealer can provide you with a seat belt extender. Thisextender should be used only if the existing belt is not
long enough. When it is not required, remove the ex-
tender and store it.
WARNING!
Using a seat belt extender when not needed can in-
crease the risk of injury in a collision. Only use when
the seat belt is not long enough when it is worn low
and snug, and in the recommended seating positions.
Remove and store the extender when not needed.
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) — Air Bags
This vehicle has Advanced Front Air Bags for both the
driver and front passenger as a supplement to the seat
belt restraint systems. The driver’s Advanced Front Air
Bag is mounted in the center of the steering wheel. The
passenger’s Advanced Front Air Bag is mounted in the
instrument panel, above the glove compartment. The
words SRS AIRBAG are embossed on the air bag covers.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 75