2014 Ram 2500 Owner's Manual

3. When the belt is long enough to fit, insert the latchplate into the buckle until you hear a “click.”
Pulling Out Latch Plate And WebbingLatch Plate To Buckle
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 55

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.
•
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 internal 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 collision.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•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.
56 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.
Removing Slack From Belt
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 57

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.
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.
58 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

2. To reattach the seat belt to the front center seat, pullthe 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 TongueInserting Latch Plate
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 59

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.
In Use Position
60 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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.
Adjustable Upper Shoulder Belt Anchorage
In the front row outboard seats, the shoulder belt can be
adjusted upward or downward to help position the belt
away from your neck. Press the button located on the
upper belt guide, and then move it up or down to the
position that fits you best. As a guide, if you are shorter than average you will
prefer a lower position, and if you are taller than average
you will prefer a higher position. When you release the
anchorage, try to move it up or down to make sure that
it is locked in position.
Adjusting Upper Shoulder Belt
2
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Center Lap Belts
The center seating position for the Quad Cab®, Mega
Cab® and Crew Cab front seat has a lap belt only. To
fasten the lap belt, slide the latch plate into the buckle
until you hear a “click”. To lengthen the lap belt, tilt the
latch plate and pull. To remove slack, pull the loose end
of the webbing. Wear the lap belt snug against the hips.
Sit back and erect in the seat, then adjust the belt as
tightly as is comfortable.
WARNING!
•A lap belt worn too loose or too high is dangerous.
• A belt worn too loose can allow you to slip down
and under the belt in a collision.
• A belt that is too loose or too high will apply crash
forces to the abdomen, not to the stronger hip
bones. In either case, the risk of internal injuries is
greater. Wear a lap belt low and snug.
Seat Belts In Passenger Seating Positions
The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are
equipped with either a switchable Automatic Locking
Retractors (ALR) or with a Cinching Latchplate which is
used to secure a child restraint system. For additional
information, refer to “Installing Child Restraints Using
The Vehicle Seat Belt” under the “Child Restraints”
section. The chart below defines the type of feature for
each seating position.
For Quad Cab®, Mega Cab® and Crew Cab Only
Driver Center Passenger
First Row N/A Cinch ALR
Second Row ALR Cinch ALR
• N/A — Not Applicable
• ALR — Automatic Locking Retractor
62 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE