2012 DODGE AVENGER Owners Manual

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.
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.
Positioning The Lap Belt
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 47

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. 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 (i.e., bent retractor, torn web-
bing, etc.).
Lap/Shoulder Belt Untwisting Procedure
Use the following procedure to untwist a twisted lap/
shoulder belt.
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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° 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.
Adjustable Upper Shoulder Belt Anchorage
In the front seat, the shoulder belt can be adjusted
upward or downward to position the belt away from
your neck. Push ANCHORAGE button to release the
anchorage, and move it up or down to the position that
fits you best.As a guide, if you are shorter than average, you will
prefer a lower position, and if you are taller than average,
you will prefer a higher position. When you release the
anchorage, try to move it up or down to make sure that
it is locked in position.
Adjustable Anchorage
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 49

Rear Seat Belts
The shoulder belt anchorages of the rear three-point belts
are nonadjustable for outboard and center rear passen-
gers on sedans. The center belt is mounted to the rear
shelf panel and exits through a bezel in the panel.
Seat Belts In Passenger Seating Positions
The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are
equipped with Automatic Locking Retractors (ALR)
which are used to secure a child restraint system. For
additional information, refer to “Installing Child Re-
straints Using The Vehicle Seat Belt” under the “Child
Restraints” section. The chart below defines the type of
feature for each seating position.
Driver Center Passenger
First Row N/A N/A ALR
Second Row ALR ALR ALR
•N/A — Not Applicable
•ALR — Automatic Locking Retractor If the passenger seating position is equipped with an
ALR and is being used for normal usage:
Only pull the belt webbing out far enough to comfortably
wrap around the occupant’s mid-section so as to not
activate the ALR. If the ALR is activated, you will hear a
ratcheting sound as the belt retracts. Allow the webbing
to retract completely in this case and then carefully pull
out only the amount of webbing necessary to comfort-
ably wrap around the occupant’s mid-section. Slide the
latch plate into the buckle until you hear a
click.
Automatic Locking Retractor Mode (ALR) — 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. Use the Automatic Locking Mode
anytime a child safety seat is installed in a seating
50 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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.
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.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 51

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.
Supplemental Active Head Restraints (AHR) — If
Equipped
These head restraints are passive, deployable compo-
nents, and vehicles with this equipment cannot be readily
identified 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.
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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.
However if during a front impact, a secondary rear
impact occurs, the AHR may deploy based on several
factors, including the severity and type of the impact.
Active Head Restraint (AHR) Components
1 — Head Restraint Front Half
(Soft Foam and Trim) 3 — Head Restraint Back Half
(Decorative Plastic Rear
Cover)
2 — Seatback 4 — Head Restraint Guide
Tubes
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 53

CAUTION!
All occupants, including the driver, should not oper-
ate a vehicle or sit in a vehicle’s seat until the head
restraints are placed in their proper positions in order
to minimize the risk of neck injury in the event of a
collision.
NOTE: For more information on properly adjusting and
positioning the head restraint, refer to “Adjusting Active
Head Restraints” in “Understanding The Features Of
Your Vehicle”.
Resetting Active Head Restraints (AHR)
If the Active Head Restraints are triggered in a collision,
you must reset the head restraint on the driver ’s and
front passenger seat. You can recognize when the Active
Head Restraint has been triggered by the fact that they
have moved forward (as shown in step three of the
resetting procedure). 1. Grasp the deployed AHR from the rear seat.
2. Position the hands on the top of the deployed AHR at
a comfortable position.
3. Pull
downthenrearward towards the rear of the
vehicle then downto engage the locking mechanism.Hand Positioning Points On AHR
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