2016 Ram 1500 Latch

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
2
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)
2
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

Periodic Safety Checks You Should Make Outside
The Vehicle
Tires
Examine tires for excessive tread wear and uneven wear
patterns. Check for stones, nails, glass, or other objects
lodged in the tread or sidewall. Inspect the tread for cuts
and cracks. Inspect sidewalls for cuts, cracks, and bulges.
Check the wheel bolts for tightness. Check the tires
(including spare) for proper cold inflation pressure.
Lights
Have someone observe the operation of brake lights and
exterior lights while you work the controls. Check turn
signal and high beam indicator lights on the instrument
panel.
Door Latches
Check for proper closing, latching, and locking.
Fluid Leaks
Check area under vehicle after overnight parking for fuel,
engine coolant, oil, or other fluid leaks. Also, if gasoline
fumes are detected or if fuel, power steering fluid (if
equipped), or brake fluid leaks are suspected. The cause
should be located and corrected immediately.
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 121

If your vehicle is equipped with a touchscreen, this
feature can be programmed through the Uconnect sys-
tem. Refer to “Uconnect Settings” in “Understanding
Your Instrument Panel” for further information.
If your vehicle is not equipped with a touchscreen, this
feature can be programmed through the Electronic Ve-
hicle Information Center (EVIC) or Driver Information
Display (DID). Refer to “Electronic Vehicle Information
Center (EVIC)” or “Driver Information Display (DID)” in
“Understanding Your Instrument Panel” for further in-
formation.
Manual Seat Adjuster — If Equipped
Both front seats are adjustable forward or rearward. The
manual seat adjustment handle is located under the seat
cushion at the front edge of each seat.While sitting in the seat, pull up on the handle and slide
the seat forward or backward. Release the bar once you
have reached the desired position. Then, using body
pressure, move forward and rearward on the seat to be
sure that the seat adjusters have latched.
Manual Seat Adjuster
3
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 155