2012 JEEP COMPASS belt

control. Failure to operate this vehicle safely may result
in a collision, rollover of the vehicle, and severe or fatal
injury. Drive carefully.
Failure to use the driver and passenger seat belts pro-
vided is a major cause of severe or fatal injury. In fact, the
U.S. government notes that the universal use of existingseat belts could cut the highway death toll by 10,000 or
more each year and could reduce disabling injuries by
two million annually. In a rollover crash, an unbelted
person is significantly more likely to die than a person
wearing a seat belt. Always buckle up.
HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL
Consult the Table of Contents to determine which section
contains the information you desire.
Since the specification of your vehicle depends on the
items of equipment ordered, certain descriptions and
illustrations may differ from your vehicle’s equipment.
The detailed index at the back of this Owner’s Manual
contains a complete listing of all subjects.
Consult the following table for a description of the
symbols that may be used on your vehicle or throughout
this Owner’s Manual:
Rollover Warning Label
1
INTRODUCTION 5

▫Illuminated Approach — If Equipped ....... 22
▫ To Lock The Doors And Liftgate .......... 22
▫ Sound Horn With Remote Key Lock ........ 22
▫ Flash Lights With Remote Key Lock/Unlock . . 23
▫ Using The Panic Alarm ................. 24
▫ Programming Additional Transmitters ...... 25
▫ General Information ................... 25
▫ Transmitter Battery Replacement .......... 25
 Remote Starting System — If Equipped ....... 26
▫ How To Use Remote Start ............... 27
 Door Locks ........................... 30
▫ Manual Door Locks ................... 30
▫ Power Door Locks .................... 31 ▫
Child-Protection Door Lock System — Rear
Doors ............................. 34
 Power Windows — If Equipped ............ 36
▫ Power Window Switches ................ 36
▫ Auto-Down ......................... 37
▫ Window Lockout Switch ................ 37
 Liftgate ............................. 38
 Occupant Restraints ..................... 39
▫ Lap/Shoulder Belts .................... 43
▫ Adjustable Upper Shoulder Belt Anchorage . . . 48
▫ Second Row Center Lap/Shoulder Belt
Operating Instructions .................. 49
▫ Lap/Shoulder Belt Untwisting Procedure .... 52
▫ Seat Belts In Passenger Seating Positions ..... 52
10 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

▫Automatic Locking Retractor Mode (ALR) —
If Equipped ......................... 53
▫ Energy Management Feature ............. 54
▫ Seat Belt Pretensioners ................. 54
▫ Supplemental Active Head Restraints (AHR)
— If Equipped ....................... 55
▫ Enhanced Seat Belt Use Reminder System
(BeltAlert) ......................... 59
▫ Seat Belt Extender ..................... 60
▫ Seat Belts And Pregnant Women .......... 61
▫ Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) —
Air Bags ............................ 61
▫ Advanced Front Air Bag Features .......... 63▫
Air Bag Deployment Sensors And Controls . . . 67
▫ Event Data Recorder (EDR) .............. 74
▫ Child Restraints ...................... 75
 Engine Break-In Recommendations .......... 84
 Safety Tips ........................... 85
▫ Transporting Passengers ................ 85
▫ Exhaust Gas ......................... 85
▫ Safety Checks You Should Make Inside The
Vehicle ............................. 86
▫ Periodic Safety Checks You Should Make
Outside The Vehicle ................... 88
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 11

•Although the liftgate has no inside release mechanism,
the liftgate trim panel includes an opening with a
snap-in cap that provides access to release the latch in
the event of an electrical system malfunction.
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 the driver and
all passengers
•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
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 39

•Supplemental Side Air Bag Inflatable Curtains (SABIC)
for the driver and passengers seated next to a window
•Supplemental Seat-Mounted Side Air Bags (SAB) — if
equipped
•An energy-absorbing steering column and steering
wheel
•Knee bolsters for front seat occupants
•Front seat belts incorporate pretensioners that may
enhance occupant protection by managing occupant
energy during an impact event
•All seat belt systems (except the driver’s) 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 — if equipped
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, see 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 several factors, including 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.
40 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 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
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.
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.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 41

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.
•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.(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•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 a collision, 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 a collision that includes you. This can happen
far away from home or on your own street.
42 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Research has shown that seat belts save lives, and they
can reduce the seriousness of injuries in a collision. 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 seating positions in your vehicle are equipped with
lap/shoulder belts.
The belt webbing retractor is designed to lock during
very sudden stops or collisions. This feature allows the
shoulder part of the belt to move freely with you under
normal conditions. However, in a collision 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 a collision, 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.
•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.(Continued)
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 43