2016 Ram 1500 Tether

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.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 restraint, 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.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 101

Lap/Shoulder Belt Systems For Installing Child
Restraints In This Vehicle
Regular Cab
•ALR = Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor
•Cinch = Cinching Latch Plate
•
Top Tether Anchorage Symbol
Quad Cab/Mega Cab/Crew Cab
•ALR = Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor
•Cinch = Cinching Latch Plate
•
Top Tether Anchorage Symbol
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 103

Lap/Shoulder Belt Systems
Frequently Asked Questions About Installing Child Restraints With Seat Belts
What is the weight limit (child’s weight +
weight of the child restraint) for using the
Tether Anchor with the seat belt to attach a
forward facing child restraint?Weight limit of the
Child RestraintAlways use the tether anchor when using
the seat belt to install a forward 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 passenger seat?Yes Contact between the front passenger seat
and the child restraint is allowed, if the
child restraint manufacturer also allows
contact.
Can the head restraints be removed? No Head restraints may not be removed.
Can the buckle stalk be twisted to tighten
the seat belt against the belt path of the
child restraint?Ye s
In positions with cinching latch plates
(CINCH), the buckle stalk may be twisted
up to 3 full turns. Do not twist the buckle
stalk in a seating position with an ALR re-
tractor.
104 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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

9. 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.
Any seat belt system will loosen with time, so check the
belt occasionally, and pull it tight if necessary.
Installing A Child Restraint With A Cinching
Latch Plate (CINCH) — If Equipped:
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. Next, 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. 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.
5. 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.
106 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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.
Any seat belt system will loosen with time, so check the
belt occasionally, and pull it tight if necessary.
If the buckle or the cinching latch plate is too close to the
belt path opening of the child restraint, you may have
trouble tightening the seat belt. If this happens, discon-
nect the latch plate from the buckle and twist the short
buckle-end belt up to three full turns to shorten it. Insert
the latch plate into the buckle with the release button
facing out, away from the child restraint. Repeat steps 4
to 6, above, to complete the installation of the child
restraint.If the belt still cannot be tightened after you shorten the
buckle, disconnect the latch plate from the buckle, turn
the buckle around one half turn, and insert the latch plate
into the buckle again. If you still cannot make the child
restraint installation tight, try a different seating position.
Installing Child Restraints Using The Top Tether
Anchorage
WARNING!
Do not attach a tether strap for a rear-facing car seat
to any location in front of the car seat, including the
seat frame or a tether anchorage. Only attach the
tether strap of a rear-facing car seat to the tether
anchorage that is approved for that seating position,
located behind the top of the vehicle seat. See the
section “Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren
(Continued)
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 107

WARNING!(Continued)
(LATCH) Restraint System” for the location of ap-
proved tether anchorages in your vehicle.
Regular and Mega Cab Trucks:
In the regular cab truck, the top tether anchorages are
located behind the center and right passenger seats. In
the mega cab truck, the top tether anchorages are located
behind each rear seating position. There is a plastic cover
over each anchorage. To attach the tether strap of the
child restraint:1. Place the child restraint on the seat and adjust the
tether strap so that it will reach over the seat back,
under the head restraint and to the tether anchor
directly behind the seat.
1 — Tether Strap Hook
2 — Tether Strap to Child Restraint
3 — Tether Anchor
Regular Cab Tether Anchorages
108 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

2. Route the tether strap to provide the most direct path
between the anchorage and the child seat. The tether
strap should go between the head restraint posts
underneath the head restraint. You may need to adjust
the head restraint to the upward position to pass the
tether strap underneath the head restraint and be-
tween its posts.
3. Lift the cover (if so equipped), and attach the hook to
the square opening in the sheet metal. Tighten the
tether strap according to the child seat manufacturer ’s
instructions.
Mega Cab Tether Anchorages
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 109