2016 JEEP CHEROKEE Owners Manual

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 child restraints will also be equipped with atether 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
This vehicle has 5 lower LATCH anchorages in the rear
seat. Anchorages A and B are used for the right outboard
position behind the front passenger (1). Anchorages D
and E are used for the left outboard position behind the
driver (3). Anchorages C and D are used for the center
seating position (2). Do not install a LATCH—compatible
child restraint using anchorages B and C. This is not a
LATCH—compatible position in your vehicle
You can install up to two child seats using the LATCH
system at the same time. If you can fit three child
restraints in your vehicle, you must use the seatbelt to
install the center child restraint and you must use the
LATCH anchors for position (3) behind the driver. You
Tether Anchorage Locations
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 103

can use either the LATCH anchors or the vehicle’s seat
belt for installing the third child seat in position (1)
behind the front passenger.
Options for installing two child seats using the LATCH
anchorages in this vehicle:
1. Right and left outboard seating positions (1 and 3):Install the child seats in the right and left outboard seating positions using lower anchorages A and B, and
D and E. Do not use the center seat anchorage, C. If the
child seats do not block the center seat belt webbing
and buckle, the center seat belt can be used to restraint
an occupant or child restraint in the center seating
position.
2. Right outboard and center seating positions (1 and 2): Install the first child seat in the right outboard seating
position using lower anchorages A and B. Install the
second child seat using the center anchorages, C and
D. Do not use the outer anchorage closest to the
opposite door, E. Do not use the remaining left out-
board seating position (3) for any occupant. The center
child restraint will block the seat belt buckle for this
position.
104 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
•Use anchorages C and D to install a LATCH-
compatible child restraint in the center seating
position (2). Do not install a LATCH-compatible
child restraint using anchorages B and C. This is
not a LATCH-compatible position in your vehicle.
• A child restraint installed in the center position (2)
will block the seat belt buckle for the empty left
outboard seat behind the driver (3). Do not use this
seat for another occupant.
• Never use the same lower anchorage to attach more
than one child restraint.
• If you are installing three child restraints next to
each other, you must use the seat belt and the center
tether anchor for the center position. You must use
the LATCH anchors to install the child seat in
position (3), behind the driver. You may use either
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
the LATCH anchors or the vehicle’s seat belt for
installing the child seat in position (1), behind the
front passenger. Please refer to “Installing the
LATCH-Compatible Child Restraint System” for
typical installation instructions.
Always follow the directions of the child restraint
manufacturer when installing your child restraint.
Not all child restraint systems will be installed as
described her
e.
To Install A LATCH-Compatible Child Restraint
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
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 105

1. Loosen the adjusters on the lower straps and on thetether strap of the child seat so that you can more
easily attach the hooks or connectors to the vehicle
anchorages.
2. 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. If the rear seat can be moved
forward and rearward in the vehicle, you may wish to
move it to its rear-most position to make room for the
child seat. You may also move the front seat forward
to allow more room for the child seat.
3. Attach the lower hooks or connectors of the child restraint to the lower anchorages in the selected seat-
ing position. 4. 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.
5. Tighten all of the straps as you push the child restraint rearward and downward into the seat. Remove slack
in the straps according to the child restraint manufac-
turer ’s instructions.
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.
106 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

How To Stow An Unused ALR Seat Belt:
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 seat belt 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 seat belt. 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 re-
straint. The child could be badly injured or killed.
Follow the child restraint manufacturer ’s directions
exactly when installing an infant or child restraint.
• Child restraint anchorages are designed to with-
stand only those loads imposed by correctly-fitted
child restraints. Under no circumstances are they to
be used for adult seat belts, harnesses, or for
attaching other items or equipment to the vehicle.2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 107

Installing Child Restraints Using The Vehicle Seat
Belt
The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are
equipped with a Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor
(ALR) that is 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. Refer to the “Automatic Locking
Mode” description under “Occupant Restraints” for ad-
ditional information on ALR.
Lap/Shoulder Belt Systems For Installing Child
Restraints In This Vehicle
•ALR = Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor
•
Top Tether Anchorage Symbol
108 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Frequently Asked Questions About Installing Child Restraints With Seat Belts
What is the weight limit (child’s weight + weight of the child re-
straint) for using the Tether Anchor with the seat belt to attach a for- ward facing child restraint? Weight limit of the Child Restraint Always use the tether anchor when
using the seat belt to install a for-ward 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 passen- ger seat? Yes Contact between the front passen-
ger seat and the child restraint isallowed, if the child restraint
manufacturer also allows contact.
Can the head restraints be re- moved? Yes The head restraints may be re-
moved in every rear seating posi-tion.
Can the buckle stalk be twisted to
tighten the seat belt against the belt path of the child restraint? No Do not twist the buckle stalk in a
seating position with an ALR re-tractor.
2
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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. If the rear seat can be moved forward and
rearward in the vehicle, you may wish to move it to its
rear-most position to make room for the child seat.
You may also move the front seat forward to allow
more room for the child seat.
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.
8. If the child restraint has a top tether strap and the seating position has a top tether anchorage, connect
the tether strap to the anchorage and tighten the tether
110 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE