2016 Ram 1500 Sound

Wind Buffeting
Wind buffeting can be described as the perception of
pressure on the ears or a helicopter-type sound in the
ears. Your vehicle may exhibit wind buffeting with the
windows down, or the sunroof (if equipped) in certainopen or partially open positions. This is a normal occur-
rence and can be minimized. If the buffeting occurs with
the rear windows open, then open the front and rear
windows together to minimize the buffeting. If the
buffeting occurs with the sunroof open, adjust the sun-
roof opening to minimize the buffeting.
OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
Some of the most important safety features in your
vehicle are the restraint systems:
•Seat Belt Systems
•Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS) Air Bags
•Child Restraints
Window Lockout Switch
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 51

their seat belts. The Belt Alert feature is active when-
ever the ignition switch is in the START or ON/RUN
position.
Initial Indication
If the driver is unbuckled when the ignition switch is first
turned to the START or ON/RUN position, an intermit-
tent chime will signal for a few seconds. If the driver or
outboard front seat passenger (if equipped with outboard
front passenger seat BeltAlert) is unbuckled when the
ignition switch is first turned to the START or ON/RUN
position the Seat Belt Reminder Light will turn on and
remain on until both outboard front seat belts are buck-
led. The outboard front passenger seat BeltAlert is not
active when an outboard front passenger seat is unoccu-
pied.BeltAlert Warning Sequence
The BeltAlert warning sequence is activated when the
vehicle is moving above a specified vehicle speed range
and the driver or outboard front seat passenger is un-
buckled (if equipped with outboard front passenger seat
BeltAlert). The BeltAlert warning sequence starts by
blinking the Seat Belt Reminder Light and sounding an
intermittent chime. Once the BeltAlert warning sequence
has completed, the Seat Belt Reminder Light will remain
on until the seat belts are buckled. The BeltAlert warning
sequence may repeat based on vehicle speed until the
driver and occupied outboard front seat passenger seat
belts are buckled. The driver should instruct all occu-
pants to buckle their seat belts.
54 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

sound as the seat belt retracts. Allow the webbing to
retract completely in this case and then carefully pull out
only the amount of webbing necessary to comfortably
wrap around the occupant’s mid-section. Slide the latch
plate into the buckle until you hear aclick.
In Automatic Locking Mode, the shoulder belt is auto-
matically pre-locked. The seat belt will still retract to
remove any slack in the shoulder belt. Use the Automatic
Locking Mode anytime a child restraint is installed in a
seating position that has a seat belt with this feature.
Children 12 years old and under should always be
properly restrained in a vehicle with a rear seat.
WARNING!
•Never place a rear-facing child restraint in front of
an air bag. A deploying Passenger Advanced Front
Air Bag can cause death or serious injury to a child
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WARNING!(Continued)
12 years or younger, including a child in a rear-
facing child restraint.
•Only use a rear-facing child restraint 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 until
the entire seat belt is extracted.
3. Allow the seat belt to retract. As the seat belt retracts,
you will hear a clicking sound. This indicates the seat
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
68 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

the OFF position or in the ACC position, the air bag
system is not on and the air bags will not inflate.
The ORC contains a backup power supply system that
may deploy the air bags even if the battery loses power or
it becomes disconnected prior to deployment.
The ORC turns on the Air Bag Warning Light in the
instrument panel for approximately four to eight seconds
for a self-check when the ignition switch is first turned to
the ON/RUN position. After the self-check, the Air Bag
Warning Light will turn off. If the ORC detects a mal-
function in any part of the system, it turns on the Air Bag
Warning Light, either momentarily or continuously. A
single chime will sound to alert you if the light comes on
again after initial startup.
The ORC also includes diagnostics that will illuminate
the instrument panel Air Bag Warning Light if a malfunc-
tion is detected that could affect the air bag system. The
diagnostics also record the nature of the malfunction.While the air bag system is designed to be maintenance
free, if any of the following occurs, have an authorized
dealer service the air bag system immediately.
•The Air Bag Warning Light does not come on during
the four to eight seconds when the ignition switch is
first turned to the ON/RUN position.
•The Air Bag Warning Light remains on after the four to
eight-second interval.
•The Air Bag Warning Light comes on intermittently or
remains on while driving.
NOTE:If the speedometer, tachometer, or any engine
related gauges are not working, the Occupant Restraint
Controller (ORC) may also be disabled. In this condition
the air bags may not be ready to inflate for your protec-
tion. Have an authorized dealer service the air bag
system immediately.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 81

Installing A Child Restraint With A Switchable
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)
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. 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
strap. See the section “Installing Child Restraints
Using the Top Tether Anchorage” for directions to
attach a tether anchor.2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 105

Exhaust Gas
WARNING!
Exhaust gases can injure or kill. They contain carbon
monoxide (CO), which is colorless and odorless.
Breathing it can make you unconscious and can
eventually poison you. To avoid breathing (CO),
follow these safety tips:
•Do not run the engine in a closed garage or in
confined areas any longer than needed to move
your vehicle in or out of the area.
•If you are required to drive with the trunk/liftgate/
rear doors open, make sure that all windows are
closed and the climate control BLOWER switch is
set at high speed. DO NOT use the recirculation
mode.
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WARNING!(Continued)
•If it is necessary to sit in a parked vehicle with the
engine running, adjust your heating or cooling
controls to force outside air into the vehicle. Set the
blower at high speed.
The best protection against carbon monoxide entry into
the vehicle body is a properly maintained engine exhaust
system.
Whenever a change is noticed in the sound of the exhaust
system, when exhaust fumes can be detected inside the
vehicle, or when the underside or rear of the vehicle is
damaged, have a competent mechanic inspect the com-
plete exhaust system and adjacent body areas for broken,
damaged, deteriorated, or mispositioned parts. Open
seams or loose connections could permit exhaust fumes
to seep into the passenger compartment. In addition,
inspect the exhaust system each time the vehicle is raised
for lubrication or oil change. Replace as required.
118 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

NOTE:
•Your vehicle may be transmitting data as authorized
by the subscriber.
•Once a connection is made between the vehicle’s
9-1-1 Call system and the 9-1-1 operator, the 9-1-1
operator may be able to open a voice connection with
the vehicle to determine if additional help is needed.
Once the 9-1-1 operator opens a voice connection
with the vehicle’s 9-1-1 Call system, the operator
should be able to speak with you or other vehicle
occupants and hear sounds occurring in the vehicle.
The vehicle’s 9-1-1 Call system will attempt to re-
main connected with the 9-1-1 operator until the
9-1-1 operator terminates the connection.
5. The 9-1-1 operator may attempt to contact appropriate
emergency responders and provide them with impor-
tant vehicle information and GPS coordinates.WARNING!
•If anyone in the vehicle could be in danger (e.g.,
fire or smoke is visible, dangerous road conditions
or location), do not wait for voice contact from a
9-1-1 operator. All occupants should exit the vehicle
immediately and move to a safe location.
•Never place anything on or near the vehicle’s
operable 1X (voice/data) or 3G(data) network and
GPS antennas. You could prevent operable 1X
(voice/data) or 3G(data) network and GPS signal
reception, which can prevent your vehicle from
placing an emergency call. An operable 1X (voice/
data) or 3G(data) network and GPS signal recep-
tion is required for the 9-1-1 Call system to function
properly.
•The 9-1-1 Call system is embedded into the vehi-
cle’s electrical system. Do not add aftermarket
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134 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Fog Lights — If Equipped
The fog lights are turned on by rotating the headlight
switch to the parking light or headlight position and
pushing in the headlight rotary control.The fog lights will operate only when the parking lights
are on or when the vehicle headlights are on low beam.
An indicator light located in the instrument cluster will
illuminate when the fog lights are on. The fog lights will
turn off when the switch is pushed a second time, when
the headlight switch is rotated to the off position, or the
high beam is selected.
Lights-On Reminder
If the headlights, parking lights, or cargo lights are left on
after the ignition is turned OFF, a chime will sound when
the driver ’s door is opened.
Battery Saver
To protect the life of your vehicle’s battery, load shedding
is provided for both the interior and exterior lights.
Fog Light Switch
178 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE