2014 DODGE DART child seat

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
position that has a belt with this feature. Children 12
years old and under should always be properly re-
strained in a vehicle with a 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 untilthe 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 Retractor
(ALR) feature or any other seat belt function is not
working properly when checked according to the
procedures in the Service Manual.
• Failure to replace the belt and retractor assembly
could increase the risk of injury in collisions.
58 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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.
Belt Pretensioning And Load Limitation
The driver and passenger front seating positions are
equipped with seat belt systems that may incorporate
retractor pretensioning devices, anchor/buckle preten-
sioning devices, and load limiting devices. These devicesare designed to remove any slack from the seat belt
systems in the event of a collision. These devices may
improve the performance of the seat belt by assuring that
the belt is tight around the occupant early in a collision.
Pretensioners work for all size occupants, including those
in child restraints.
NOTE:
These devices are not a substitute for proper seat
belt placement by the occupant. The seat belt must still 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 59

The system includes side impact sensors that are cali-
brated to deploy the side air bags during impacts that
require air bag occupant protection.
SAB and SABIC air bags are a supplement to the seat belt
restraint system.
Occupants, including children who are up against or very
close to SABIC or SAB air bags can be seriously injured or
killed.
Occupants, especially children, should not lean on or
sleep against the door, side windows, or area where the
SABIC or SAB air bags inflate, even if they are in an
infant or child restraint.
Always sit upright as possible with your back against the
seat back, use the seat belts properly, and use the
appropriate sized child restraint, infant restraint or
booster seat recommended for the size and weight of the
child.WARNING!
•Your vehicle is equipped with left and right
SABIC, do not stack luggage or other cargo up high
enough to block the location of the SABIC. The
area where the side curtain air bag is located
should remain free from any obstructions.
• Do not use accessory seat covers or place objects
between you and the SAB; the performance could
be adversely affected and/or objects could be
pushed into you, causing serious injury.
• Your vehicle is equipped with SABIC air bags, do
not have any accessory items installed which will
alter the roof, including adding a sunroof to your
vehicle. Do not add roof racks that require perma-
nent attachments (bolts or screws) for installation
on the vehicle roof. Do not drill into the roof of the
vehicle for any reason.
66 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

It also includes diagnostics that will illuminate the instru-
ment cluster Air Bag Warning Light if a malfunction is
noted that could affect the air bag system. The diagnos-
tics also record the nature of the malfunction.
WARNING!
Ignoring the Air Bag Warning Light in your instru-
ment panel could mean you won’t have the air bags
to protect you in a collision. If the light does not come
on as a bulb check when the ignition is first turned
on, stays on after you start the vehicle, or if it comes
on as you drive, have an authorized dealer service the
air bag system immediately.
Occupant Classification System (OCS) — Front
Passenger Seat
The OCS is part of a Federally regulated safety system for
this vehicle.The Occupant Classification System (OCS) consists of the
following:
•
Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC)
• Occupant Classification Module (OCM) located in the
front passenger seat
• OCS Sensor located in the front passenger seat
• Air Bag Warning Light
The OCS will NOT prevent deployment of the passenger
Advanced Front Air Bag. The OCS may reduce the
inflation rate of the passenger Advanced Front Air Bag if
the sensors estimate that:
•The front passenger seat is unoccupied or has very
light objects in it; or
• The front passenger seat is occupied by a small pas-
senger, including a child; or
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 69

•The front passenger seat is occupied by a rearward
facing infant seat; or
• The front passenger is not properly seated or his or her
weight is taken off of the seat for a period of time.
Front Passenger Seat
Occupant Status Front Passenger Air
Bag Classification
Rearward-facing infant seat* Reduced-power
deployment
Child, including a child in a forward-facing child
restraint or booster seat* Full-power deployment
OR reduced-power deployment
Properly seated adult Full-power deployment OR reduced-powerdeployment
Unoccupied seat Reduced-power deployment* It is possible for a child to be classified as an adult,
allowing a full-power front passenger air bag deploy-
ment. Never allow children to ride in the front passenger
seat and never install a child restraint system, including
a rearward-facing infant seat, in the front passenger seat.WARNING!
•
Never place a rear facing infant seat in front of an
air bag. A deploying Passenger Advanced Front Air
Bag can cause death or serious injury to a child 12
years or younger, including a child in a rearward
facing infant seat.
• Children 12 years or younger should always ride
buckled up in a rear seat in an appropriate child
restraint.
70 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Supplemental Seat-Mounted Side Air Bag (SAB)
Inflator Units
The Supplemental Seat-Mounted Side Air Bags (SAB) are
designed to activate only in certain side collisions.
The ORC determines if a side collision requires the side
air bags to inflate, based the severity and type of colli-
sion.
Based on the severity and type of collision, the side air
bag inflators on the crash side of the vehicle may be
triggered, releasing a quantity of non-toxic gas. The
inflating SABs exit through the seat seam into the space
between the occupant and the door. The SABs fully
inflate in about 10 milliseconds. The side air bag moves at
a very high speed and with such a high force that it could
injure you if you are not seated properly, or if items are
positioned in the area where the side air bag inflates. This
especially applies to children.
Supplemental Side Air Bag Inflatable Curtain
(SABIC) Inflator Units
During collisions where the impact is confined to a
particular area of the side of the vehicle, the ORC may
deploy the SABIC air bags, depending on the severity
and type of collision. In these events, the ORC will
deploy the SABIC only on the impact side of the vehicle.
A quantity of non-toxic gas is generated to inflate the side
curtain air bag. The inflating side curtain air bag pushes
the outside edge of the headliner out of the way and
covers the window. The air bag inflates in about 30 mil-
liseconds (about one-quarter of the time that it takes to
blink your eyes) with enough force to injure you if you
are not belted and seated properly, or if items are
positioned in the area where the side curtain air bag
inflates. This especially applies to children. The side
curtain air bag is only about 4 inches (10.16 cm) thick
when it is inflated.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 79

Children 12 years or younger should ride properly
buckled up in a rear seat, if available. According to crash
statistics, children are safer when properly restrained in
the rear seats rather than in the front.
There are different sizes and types of restraints for
children from newborn size to the child almost large
enough for an adult safety belt. Always check the child
seat Owner ’s Manual to make sure you have the correct
seat for your child. Carefully read and follow all the
instructions and warnings in the child restraint Owner ’s
Manual and on all the labels attached to the car seat.
Before buying any restraint system, make sure that it has
a label certifying that it meets all applicable Safety
Standards. You should also make sure that you can install
it in the vehicle where you will use it.NOTE:
•
For additional information, refer to www.seatcheck.org or
call 1–866–SEATCHECK. Canadian residents should refer
to Transport Canada’s website for additional information:
•
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/safedrivers-
childsafety-index-53.htm
WARNING!
In a collision, an unrestrained child can become a
projectile inside the vehicle. The force required to
hold even an infant on your lap could become so
great that you could not hold the child, no matter
how strong you are. The child and others could be
badly injured. Any child riding in your vehicle
should be in a proper restraint for the child’s size.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 85

Summary Of Recommendations For Restraining Children In Vehicles
Child Size, Height, Weight Or Age Recommended Type Of Child Restraint
Infants and Toddlers Children who are two years old or
younger and who have not reached the height or weight limits of their child restraint Either an Infant Carrier or a Convertible
Child Restraint, facing rearward in the rear seat of the vehicle
Small Children Children who are at least two years old or who have out-grown the height or weightlimit of their rear-facing child restraint Forward-Facing Child Restraint with a
five-point Harness, facing forward in the rear seat of the vehicle
Larger Children Children who have out-grown their forward-facing child restraint, but are too
small to properly fit the vehicle’s seat belt Belt Positioning Booster Seat and the ve-
hicle seat belt, seated in the rear seat of the vehicle
Children Too Large
for Child Restraints Children 12 years old or younger, who
have out-grown the height or weight limit of their booster seat Vehicle Seat Belt, seated in the rear seat of
the vehicle
86 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE