
WARNING!(Continued)
the vehicle seat position. When the vehicle seat has
been adjusted, reinstall the child restraint.
•When your child restraint is not in use, secure it
in the vehicle with the seat belt or LATCH anchor-
ages, or remove it from the vehicle. Do not leave
it loose in the vehicle. In a sudden stop or
accident, it could strike the occupants or seat-
backs and cause serious personal injury.
Children Too Large For Booster Seats
Children who are large enough to wear the shoulder
belt comfortably, and whose legs are long enough to
bend over the front of the seat when their back is
against the seatback, should use the seat belt in a rear
seat. Use this simple 5-step test to decide whether the
child can use the vehicle’s seat belt alone:
1. Can the child sit all the way back against the back of the vehicle seat?
2. Do the child’s knees bend comfortably over the front of the vehicle seat – while they are still sitting all the
way back? 3. Does the shoulder belt cross the child’s shoulder
between their neck and arm?
4. Is the lap part of the belt as low as possible, touching the child’s thighs and not their stomach?
5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?
If the answer to any of these questions was “no,” then
the child still needs to use a booster seat in this vehicle.
If the child is using the lap/shoulder belt, check seat
belt fit periodically and make sure the seat belt buckle is
latched. A child’s squirming or slouching can move the
belt out of position. If the shoulder belt contacts the face
or neck, move the child closer to the center of the
vehicle, or use a booster seat to position the seat belt on
the child correctly.
WARNING!
Never allow a child to put the shoulder belt under
an arm or behind their back. In a crash, the shoulder
belt will not protect a child properly, which may
result in serious injury or death. A child must
always wear both the lap and shoulder portions of
the seat belt correctly.
64 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

6. Test that the child restraint is installed tightly bypulling 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 Switchable-ALR (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.
WARNING!
•Improper installation of a child restraint to the
LATCH anchorages can lead to failure of the
restraint. 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.
70 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Installing Child Restraints Using The Vehicle
Seat Belt
Child restraint systems are designed to be secured in
vehicle seats by lap belts or the lap belt portion of a
lap/shoulder belt.
WARNING!
•Improper installation or failure to properly secure
a child restraint can lead to failure of the restraint.
The child could be badly injured or killed.
• Follow the child restraint manufacturer ’s direc-
tions exactly when installing an infant or child
restraint.
The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are
equipped with a Switchable Automatic Locking Retrac-
tor (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 web-
bing 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 in “Switchable Automatic Locking Retractors (ALR)” under “Occupant Restraint
Systems” for additional information on ALR.
Please see the table below and the following sections for
more information.
Lap/Shoulder Belt Systems For Installing Child
Restraints In This Vehicle
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) Locations
•
ALR = Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor
•
Top Tether Anchorage Symbol 2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 71

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 Restraint Always use the tether anchor when us-
ing the seat belt to install a forward fac- ing child restraint, up to the recom-mended 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? YesYes, all may be removed.
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 retractor.
Installing A Child Restraint With A Switchable
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)
Child restraint systems are designed to be secured in
vehicle seats by lap belts or the lap belt portion of a
lap/shoulder belt.
WARNING!
•Improper installation or failure to properly secure
a child restraint can lead to failure of the restraint.
The child could be badly injured or killed.
• Follow the child restraint manufacturer ’s direc-
tions exactly when installing an infant or child
restraint.
72 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

4. Remove slack in the tether strap according to thechild restraint manufacturer ’s instructions.
WARNING!
•An incorrectly anchored tether strap could lead to
increased head motion and possible injury to the
child. Use only the anchorage position directly
behind the child seat to secure a child restraint
top tether strap.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•If your vehicle is equipped with a split rear seat,
make sure the tether strap does not slip into the
opening between the seatbacks as you remove
slack in the strap.
Transporting Pets
Air Bags deploying in the front seat could harm your
pet. An unrestrained pet will be thrown about and
possibly injured, or injure a passenger during panic
braking or in a collision.
Pets should be restrained in the rear seat in pet har-
nesses or pet carriers that are secured by seat belts.
Rear Seat Tether Strap Mounting
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 75

intermittently or remains on while driving, have an
authorized dealer service the vehicle immediately.
Refer to “Occupant Restraints” for further
information.
Defroster
Check operation by selecting the defrost mode and
place the blower control on high speed. You should be
able to feel the air directed against the windshield. See
your authorized dealer for service if your defroster is
inoperable.
Floor Mat Safety Information
Always use floor mats designed to fit the footwell of
your vehicle. Use only floor mats that leave the pedal
area unobstructed and that are firmly secured so that
they cannot slip out of position and interfere with the
pedals or impair safe operation of your vehicle in other
ways.
WARNING!
An improperly attached, damaged, folded, or
stacked floor mat, or damaged floor mat fasteners
(Continued)
WARNING!(Continued)
may cause your floor mat to interfere with the
accelerator, brake, or clutch pedals and cause a loss
of vehicle control. To prevent SERIOUS INJURY or
DEATH:
•ALWAYS securely attach
your floor mat using
the floor mat fasteners. DO NOT install your
floor mat upside down or turn your floor mat
over. Lightly pull to confirm mat is secured
using the floor mat fasteners on a regular basis.
• ALWAYS REMOVE THE EXISTING FLOOR
MAT FROM THE VEHICLE
before installing
any other floor mat. NEVER install or stack an
additional floor mat on top of an existing floor
mat.
• ONLY install floor mats designed to fit your
vehicle. NEVER install a floor mat that cannot be
properly attached and secured to your vehicle. If a
floor mat needs to be replaced, only use a FCA
approved floor mat for the specific make, model,
and year of your vehicle.
• ONLY use the driver ’s side floor mat on the
driver ’s side floor area. To check for interference,
(Continued)
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 77

WARNING!(Continued)
with the vehicle properly parked with the engine
off, fully depress the accelerator, the brake, and
the clutch pedal (if present) to check for interfer-
ence. If your floor mat interferes with the opera-
tion of any pedal, or is not secure to the floor,
remove the floor mat from the vehicle and place
the floor mat in your trunk.
• ONLY use the passenger ’s side floor mat on the
passenger ’s side floor area.
• ALWAYS make sure objects cannot fall or slide
into the driver ’s side floor area when the vehicle
is moving. Objects can become trapped under
accelerator, brake, or clutch pedals and could
cause a loss of vehicle control.
• NEVER place any objects under the floor mat
(e.g., towels, keys, etc.). These objects could
change the position of the floor mat and may
cause interference with the accelerator, brake, or
clutch pedals.
• If the vehicle carpet has been removed and re-
installed, always properly attach carpet to the
floor and check the floor mat fasteners are secure
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
to the vehicle carpet. Fully depress each pedal to
check for interference with the accelerator, brake,
or clutch pedals then re-install the floor mats.
• It is recommended to only use mild soap and
water to clean your floor mats. After cleaning,
always check your floor mat has been properly
installed and is secured to your vehicle using the
floor mat fasteners by lightly pulling mat.
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 pres-
sure.
78 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

The Reactive Head Restraints will automatically return
to their normal position following a rear impact. If the
Reactive Head Restraints do not return to their normal
position, see your authorized dealer immediately.
NOTE:The head restraints should only be removed by
qualified technicians, for service purposes only. If either
of the head restraints require removal, see your autho-
rized dealer.
WARNING!
• A loose head restraint thrown forward in a colli-
sion or hard stop could cause serious injury or
death to occupants of the vehicle. Always securely
stow removed head restraints in a location out-
side the occupant compartment.
• ALL the head restraints MUST be reinstalled in
the vehicle to properly protect the occupants.
Follow the re-installation instructions above prior
to operating the vehicle or occupying a seat.
• Do not place items over the top of the Reactive
Head Restraint, such as coats, seat covers or
portable DVD players. These items may interfere
with the operation of the Reactive Head Restraint
in the event of a collision and could result in
serious injury or death.
Rear Head Restraints
To raise the head restraint, pull upward on the head
restraint. To lower the head restraint, push the adjust-
ment button, located at the base of the head restraint,
and push downward on the head restraint. Refer to
“Occupant Restraints” in “Things To Know Before
Starting Your Vehicle” for information on tether routing.
Head Restraint
1 — Release Button
2 — Adjustment Button
3
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 91