2018 Ram 1500 User Guide

Frequently Asked Questions About Installing Child Restraints With Seat Belts
Can the rear-facing child restraint touch the back of the front passenger seat? Ye sContact between the front passenger seat and
the child restraint is allowed, if the child re- straint 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 re- straint? Yes – Cinching Latch Plate
No–ALR 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 retractor.
Installing A Child Restraint With A Switch-
able 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 prop-
erly 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
directions exactly when installing an in-
fant or child restraint. 1.
For Crew, Mega, And Quad Cab Models
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 posi-
tion to make room for the child seat. You
may also move the front seat forward to
allow more room for the child seat.
For Regular Cab Models
Place the child seat in the center of the
seating position. Move the vehicle seat as
far rearward as possible to keep the child
as far from the advanced passenger air
bag as possible. 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 re-
tract back into the retractor. As the web-
bing retracts, you will hear a clicking
sound. This means the seat belt is now in
the Automatic Locking mode.
127

6. Try to pull the webbing out of the retractor.If it is locked, you should not be able to
pull out any webbing. 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 Re-
straints Using the Top Tether Anchorage”
for directions to attach a tether anchor.
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:
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 prop- erly secure a child restraint can lead to
failure of the restraint. The child could
be badly injured or killed.
• Follow the child restraint manufactur-
er’s directions exactly when installing an
infant or child restraint.
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 posi-
tion 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 Re-
straints Using the Top Tether Anchorage”
for directions to attach a tether anchor.
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.
SAFETY
128

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, disconnect 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 differ-
ent 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 An-
chors and Tethers for CHildren (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 an-
chorages 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 andadjust the tether strap so that it will reach
over the seat back, under the head re-
straint and to the tether anchor directly
behind the seat.
129

2. Route the tether strap to provide the mostdirect path between the anchorage and
the child seat. The tether strap should go
between the head restraint posts under-
neath the head restraint. You may need to adjust the head restraint to the upward
position to pass the tether strap under-
neath the head restraint and between 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 ac-
cording to the child seat manufacturer’s
instructions.
WARNING!
Never place a rear-facing child restraint in
front of an air bag. A deploying Passenger
Front Air Bag can cause death or serious
injury to a child 12 years or younger,
including a child in a rear-facing child
restraint.
Quad Cab Or Crew Cab Trucks:
The top tether anchorages in this vehicle are
tether strap loops located between the rear
glass and the back of the rear seat. There is a
tether strap loop located behind each seating
position. Follow the steps below to attach the
tether strap of the child restraint.
Regular Cab Tether Anchorages
1 — Tether Strap Hook
2 — Tether Strap To Child Restraint
3 — Tether Anchor
Mega Cab Tether Anchorages
SAFETY
130

Right Or Left Outboard Seats:
1. Raise the head restraint and reach be-tween the rear seat and rear glass to
access the tether strap loop.
2. Place a child restraint on the seat andadjust the tether strap so that it will reach
over the seat back, under the head re-
straint, through the tether strap loop be-
hind the seat and over to the tether strap
loop behind the center seat. 3. Pass the tether strap hook under the head
restraint behind the child seat, though the
tether strap loop behind the seat and over
to the center tether strap loop.
Head Restraint In Raised Position
Tether Strap Loop With Center Head Restraint In Raised Position
Tether Strap Through Outboard Tether Strap Loop
131

4. Attach the hook to the center tether straploop (see diagram). Tighten the tether
strap according to the child seat manufac-
turer’s instructions.
NOTE:
If there are child seats in both of the outboard
(left and right) seating positions, the tether
strap hooks of both child seats should be
connected to the center tether strap loop.
This is the correct way to tether two outboard
child seats. Center Seat:
1. Raise the head restraint and reach be-
tween the rear seat and rear glass to
access the tether strap loop.
2. Place a child restraint on the seat and adjust the tether strap so that it will reach
over the seat back, under the head re-
straint, through the tether strap loop be-
hind the seat and over to the tether strap
loop behind either the right or left out-
board seat. 3. Pass the tether strap hook under the head
restraint behind the child seat, though the
tether strap loop behind the seat and over
to the right or left outboard tether strap
loop.
Tether Strap Through Outboard Tether
Strap Loop And Attached To Center Tether Strap LoopTether Strap Loop With Head Restraint InRaised PositionTether Strap Through Center Tether Strap Loop
SAFETY
132

4. Attach the hook to the outboard tetherstrap loop (see diagram). Tighten the
tether strap according to the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions.
Installing Three Child Restraints:
1. Place a child restraint on each outboard rear seat. Route the tether straps follow-
ing the directions for right and left seating
positions, above.
2. Attach both hooks to the center tether strap loop, but do not tighten the straps
yet. 3. Place a child restraint on the center rear
seat. Route the tether strap following the
directions for the center seating position,
above.
4. Attach the hook to the outboard tether strap loop.
5. Tighten the tether straps according to the child seat manufacturer’s instructions,
tightening the right and left tether straps
before the center tether strap.
WARNING!
• An incorrectly anchored tether strapcould lead to increased head motion and
WARNING!
possible injury to the child. Use only the
anchorage position directly behind the
child seat to secure a child restraint top
tether strap.
• 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 colli-
sion.
Pets should be restrained in the rear seat in
pet harnesses or pet carriers that are secured
by seat belts.
Tether Strap Through Center Tether StrapLoop And Attached To Outboard Tether Strap Loop
Outboard And Center Seating Positions Shown
133

SAFETY TIPS
Transporting Passengers
NEVER TRANSPORT PASSENGERS IN THE
CARGO AREA.
WARNING!
• Do not leave children or animals insideparked vehicles in hot weather. Interior
heat build-up may cause serious injury
or death.
• It is extremely dangerous to ride in a
cargo area, inside or outside of a vehicle.
In a collision, people riding in these
areas are more likely to be seriously
injured or killed.
• Do not allow people to ride in any area of
your vehicle that is not equipped with
seats and seat belts.
• Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a
seat and using a seat belt properly.
Exhaust Gas
WARNING!
Exhaust gases can injure or kill. They con-
tain carbon monoxide (CO), which is col-
orless and odorless. Breathing it can make
you unconscious and can eventually poi-
son you. To avoid breathing (CO), follow
these safety tips:
• Do not run the engine in a closed garageor 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 recircula-
tion mode.
• 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 ar-
eas 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.
Safety Checks You Should Make
Inside The Vehicle
Seat Belts
Inspect the seat belt system periodically,
checking for cuts, frays, and loose parts.
Damaged parts must be replaced immedi-
ately. Do not disassemble or modify the sys-
tem.
SAFETY
134