2013 DODGE CHARGER Owners Manual

Locating The LATCH Anchorages
In addition, there are tether strap anchorages
behind each rear seating position located in the
panel between the rear seatback and the rear
window. These tether strap anchorages are under
a plastic cover with the tether anchorage symbol on it.
LATCH-compatible child restraint systems will be
equipped with a rigid bar or a flexible strap on each side.
Each will have a hook or connector to attach to the lower
anchorage and a way to tighten the connection to the
anchorage. Forward-facing child restraints and some
rear-facing infant restraints will also be equipped with a
tether strap. The tether strap will have a hook at the end
to attach to the top tether anchorage and a way to tighten
the strap after it is attached to the anchorage.
Center Seat LATCH
If a child restraint installed in the center position blocks
the seat belt webbing or buckle for the outboard position,
do not use that outboard position. If a child seat in the
center position blocks the outboard LATCH anchors or
seat belt, do not install a child seat in that outboard
position.
Tether Strap Anchorages
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 87

WARNING!
Never use the same lower anchorage to attach more
than one child restraint. Please refer to “Installing
The LATCH-Compatible Child Restraint System” for
typical installation instructions.
Always follow the directions of the child restraint manu-
facturer when installing your child restraint. Not all child
restraint systems will be installed as described here.
To Install A LATCH-compatible Child Restraint
1. If the selected seating position has a Switchable Auto- matic Locking Retractor (ALR) seat belt, stow the seat
belt, following the instructions below. See the section
“Installing Child Restraints Using the Vehicle Seat
Belt” to check what type of seat belt each seating
position has. 2. Loosen the adjusters on the lower straps and on the
tether strap of the child seat so that you can more
easily attach the hooks or connectors to the vehicle
anchorages.
3. Place the child seat between the lower anchorages for that seating position. For some second row seats, you
may need to recline the seat and / or raise the head
restraint to get a better fit.
4. Attach the lower hooks or connectors of the child restraint to the lower anchorages in the selected seat-
ing position.
5. If the child restraint has a tether strap, connect it to the top tether anchorage. See the section “Installing Child
Restraints Using the Top Tether Anchorage” for direc-
tions to attach a tether anchor.
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6. Tighten all of the straps as you push the child restraintrearward and downward into the seat. Remove slack
in the straps according to the child restraint manufac-
turer ’s instructions.
7. Test that the child restraint is installed tightly by pulling back and forth on the child seat at the belt
path. It should not move more than 1 inch (25.4 mm)
in any direction.
How To Stow An Unused ALR Seatbelt
When using the LATCH attaching system to install a child
restraint, stow all ALR seat belts that are not being used by
other occupants or being used to secure child restraints. An
unused belt could injure a child if they play with it and
accidentally lock the seatbelt retractor. Before installing a
child restraint using the LATCH system, buckle the seat belt behind the child restraint and out of the child’s reach.
If the buckled seat belt interferes with the child restraint
installation, instead of buckling it behind the child re-
straint, route the seat belt through the child restraint belt
path and then buckle it. Do not lock the seatbelt. Remind
all children in the vehicle that the seat belts are not toys and
that they should not play with them.
WARNING!
Improper installation of a child restraint to the LATCH
anchorages can lead to failure of the restraint. The
child could be badly injured or killed. Follow the child
restraint manufacturer ’s directions exactly when in-
stalling an infant or child restraint.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 89

Installing Child Restraints Using The Vehicle Seat
Belt
The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are
equipped with either a Switchable Automatic Locking
Retractor (ALR) or a cinching latch plate or both. Both
types of seat belts are designed to keep the lap portion of
the seat belt tight around the child restraint so that it is
not necessary to use a locking clip. The ALR retractor can
be “switched” into a locked mode by pulling all of the
webbing out of the retractor and then letting the webbing
retract back into the retractor. If it is locked, the ALR will
make a clicking noise while the webbing is pulled back
into the retractor. For additional information on ALR,
refer to the “Automatic Locking Mode” description un-
der “Occupant Restraints.” The cinching latch plate is
designed to hold the lap portion of the seatbelt tight
when webbing is pulled tight and straight through a
child restraint’s belt path. Please see the table below and
the following sections for more information about both
types of seat belts.
Lap/Shoulder Belt Systems for Installing Child
Restraints in this Vehicle
90 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

What is the weight limit (child’s weight +
weight of the child restraint) for using the
Tether Anchor with the seat belt to attach a
forward facing child restraint?Weight limit of the
Child Restraint Always use the tether anchor when using
the seat belt to install a forward facing
child restraint, up to the recommended weight limit of the child restraint.
Can the rear-facing child restraint touch the back of the front passenger seat? Yes
Contact between the front passenger seat
and the child restraint is allowed, if the
child restraint manufacturer also allows contact.
Can the head restraints be removed? Yes, center position only.
Can the buckle stalk be twisted to tighten the seat belt against the belt path of the child restraint? Yes
In positions with cinching latch plates
(CINCH), the buckle stalk may be twisted up to 3 full turns. Do not twist the buckle stalk in a seating position with an ALR retractor.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 91

Installing A Child Restraint with a Switchable
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)
1. Place the child seat in the center of the seatingposition. For some second row seats, you may need to
recline the seat and/or raise the head restraint to get a
better fit.
2. Pull enough of the seat belt webbing from the retractor to pass it through the belt path of the child restraint.
Do not twist the belt webbing in the belt path.
3. Slide the latch plate into the buckle until you hear a “click.”
4. Pull on the webbing to make the lap portion tight against the child seat. 5. To lock the seat belt, pull down on the shoulder part of
the belt until you have pulled all the seat belt webbing
out of the retractor. Then, allow the webbing to retract
back into the retractor. As the webbing retracts, you
will hear a clicking sound. This means the seat belt is
now in the Automatic Locking mode.
6. Try to pull the webbing out of the retractor. If it is locked, you should not be able to pull out any web-
bing. If the retractor is not locked, repeat step 5.
7. Finally, pull up on any excess webbing to tighten the lap portion around the child restraint while you push
the child restraint rearward and downward into the
vehicle seat.
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8. If the child restraint has a top tether strap and theseating position has a top tether anchorage, connect
the tether strap to the anchorage and tighten the tether
strap. Refer to “Lower Anchors and Tethers for Chil-
dren (LATCH) Restraint System” for directions to
attach a tether anchor.
9. Test that the child restraint is installed tightly by pulling back and forth on the child seat at the belt
path. It should not move more than 1 inch (25.4 mm)
in any direction.
Any seat belt system will loosen with time, so check the
belt occasionally, and pull it tight if necessary.Installing A Child Restraint With A Cinching
Latch Plate (CINCH) — If Equipped
1. Place the child seat in the center of the seating position. For some second row seats, you may need to
recline the seat and / or raise the head restraint to get
a better fit.
2. Next, pull enough of the seat belt webbing from the retractor to pass it through the belt path of the child
restraint. Do not twist the belt webbing in the belt
path.
3. Slide the latch plate into the buckle until you hear a “click.”
4. Finally, pull up on any excess webbing to tighten the lap portion around the child restraint while you push
the child restraint rearward and downward into the
vehicle seat.
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5. If the child restraint has a top tether strap and theseating position has a top tether anchorage, connect
the tether strap to the anchorage and tighten the tether
strap. Refer to “Lower Anchors and Tethers for Chil-
dren (LATCH) Restraint System” for directions to
attach a tether anchor.
6. Test that the child restraint is installed tightly by pulling back and forth on the child seat at the belt
path. It should not move more than 1 inch (25.4 mm)
in any direction.
Any seat belt system will loosen with time, so check the
belt occasionally, and pull it tight if necessary. If the buckle or the cinching latch plate is too close to the
belt path opening of the child restraint, you may have
trouble tightening the seat belt. If this happens, discon-
nect the latch plate from the buckle and twist the short
buckle-end belt up to three full turns to shorten it. Insert
the latch plate into the buckle with the release button
facing out, away from the child restraint. Repeat steps 4
to 6, above, to complete the installation of the child
restraint.
If the belt still cannot be tightened after you shorten the
buckle, disconnect the latch plate from the buckle, turn
the buckle around one half turn, and insert the latch plate
into the buckle again. If you still cannot make the child
restraint installation tight, try a different seating position.
94 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE