2014 Ram 1500 Owner's Manual

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 using
a seat belt properly.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•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 take the forces of a collision the best.
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 passengers
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.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 55

Lap/Shoulder Belt Operating Instructions
1. Enter the vehicle and close the door. Sit back andadjust the seat.
2. The seat belt latch plate is above the back of the front seat, next to your arm in the rear seat. Grasp the latch
plate and pull out the belt. Slide the latch plate up the
webbing as far as necessary to allow the belt to go
around your lap.
Pulling Out Latch Plate And Webbing
56 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

3. When the belt is long enough to fit, insert the latchplate into the buckle until you hear a “click.”WARNING!
•A belt buckled into the wrong buckle will not
protect you properly. The lap portion could ride too
high on your body, possibly causing internal inju-
ries. Always buckle your belt into the buckle
nearest you.
• A belt that is too loose will not protect you prop-
erly. In a sudden stop you could move too far
forward, increasing the possibility of injury. Wear
your seat belt snugly.
(Continued)
Latch Plate To Buckle
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 57

WARNING!(Continued)
•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 inter-
nal 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 colli-
sion.
• 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.
Removing Slack From Belt
58 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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 a 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 retrac-
tor 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 posi-
tion. 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 (bent retractor, torn webbing,
etc.) or if the air bag deployed.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 59

Regular Cab Front Center Three Point Belt
1. The front center seat belt on the Regular Cab may bedisconnected to open up utilization of the storage
areas behind the front seats. The black latch plate can
be detached from the black keyed seat belt buckle
located on the inboard side of the passenger seat.
Insert the seat belt tongue into the center red slot on
the black buckle. The black buckle latch plate can be
removed when the seat belt tongue is pressed into the
buckle. Allow the retractor to take up the extra web-
bing, and the buckles will hang vertically from the cab
back exit bezel, thus freeing up all the area behind the
front seats. 2. To reattach the seat belt to the front center seat, pull
the black buckle latch plate forward from the cab back
panel and insert it into the black keyed buckle until
there is an audible “click”. For proper seat belt usage,
refer “Lap/Shoulder Belt Operating Instructions”.
Detaching Buckle With Seat Belt Tongue
60 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Inserting Latch PlateIn Use Position
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WARNING!
•If the black latch and black buckle are not properly
connected when the seat belt is used by an occu-
pant, the seat belt will not be able to provide
proper restraint and will increase the risk of injury
in a collision.
• When reattaching the black latch and black buckle,
ensure the seat belt webbing is not twisted. If the
webbing is twisted, follow the preceding proce-
dure to detach the black latch and black buckle,
untwist the webbing, and reattach the black latch
and black buckle.
Lap/Shoulder Belt Untwisting Procedure
Use the following procedure to untwist a twisted lap/
shoulder belt.
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 degrees 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.
62 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE