2012 JEEP LIBERTY Owners Manual

Wind Buffeting
Wind buffeting can be described as the perception of
pressure on the ears or a helicopter-type sound in the
ears. Your vehicle may exhibit wind buffeting with the
windows down, or the sunroof or Sky Slider™ (if
equipped) in certain open or partially open positions.
This is a normal occurrence and can be minimized. If the
buffeting occurs with the rear windows open, then open
the front and rear windows together to minimize the
buffeting. If the buffeting occurs with the sunroof or Sky
Slider™ open, adjust the sunroof or Sky Slider™ opening
to minimize the buffeting or open any window.
Window Lockout Button
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 39

LIFTGATE
To open the liftgate, pull up (squeeze) on the handle and
lift.NOTE:
Use the power door LOCK switch on either front
door trim panel or the Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter to lock and unlock the liftgate. The manual
door locks on the doors and the driver’s door lock
cylinder will not lock and unlock the liftgate.
WARNING!
Driving with the liftgate open can allow poisonous
exhaust gases into your vehicle. You and your pas-
sengers could be injured by these fumes. Keep the
liftgate closed when you are operating the vehicle.
Liftgate Flipper Glass
The liftgate flipper glass is also unlocked when the
liftgate is unlocked. To open the flipper glass, push up on
the window switch located on the liftgate.
Liftgate Release
40 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

NOTE:To prevent accidental damage the Liftgate Flip-
per Glass will not open if the liftgate is ajar. Make sure the
liftgate is fully closed when attempting to open the
Flipper Glass.
WARNING!
To avoid injury, stand back when opening. Glass may
automatically rise.
NOTE: If a malfunction to the liftgate latch should
occur, an emergency liftgate latch release can be used to
open the liftgate. The emergency liftgate latch release can
be accessed through a snap-in cover located on the
liftgate trim panel.
WARNING!
Driving with the flipper glass open can allow poi-
sonous exhaust gases into your vehicle. You and your
passengers could be injured by these fumes. Keep
the flipper glass closed when you are operating the
vehicle.Liftgate Flipper Glass Release
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 41

OCCUPANT RESTRAINTS
Some of the most important safety features in your
vehicle are the restraint systems:
•Three-point lap and shoulder belts for all seating
positions
•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)
•Supplemental Side Air Bag Inflatable Curtains
(SABIC) for the driver and passengers seated next to a
window
•An energy-absorbing steering column and steering
wheel
•Knee bolsters/blockers 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 and rear
center) 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, refer to Lower Anchors and Tether for
CHildren (LATCH).
42 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

NOTE:The Advanced Front Air Bags have a multistage
inflator design. This allows the air bag to have different
rates of inflation based on 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.
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 posi-
tion.
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.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 43

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.
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.
(Continued)
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 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.
44 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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.
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 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 acollision, the belt will lock and reduce your risk of
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 45

WARNING! (Continued)
•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 a 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 located on the B-Pillar along
the outboard side and rear of the seat cushion. The rearseat belt latch plates are located on the C-Pillar for the
outboard rear seating positions and next to your arm in
the center rear seating position. Grasp the latch plate and
pull out the belt. Slide the latch plate up the webbing as
far as necessary to make the belt go around your lap.
Latch Plate
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