2018 Ram 3500 Chassis Cab Owner's Manual

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 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 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
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.
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.5
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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 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 (LATCH)
Restraint System” for the location of approved tether
anchorages in your vehicle.
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Regular Cab Trucks:
In the regular cab truck, the top tether anchorages are
located behind the center and right passenger seats. 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 tetherstrap so that it will reach over the seat back, under the
head restraint and to the tether anchor directly behind
the seat.
2. Route the tether strap to provide the most direct pathbetween 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 underneath the head restraint and between its
posts.
Regular Cab Tether Anchorages
1 — Tether Strap Hook
2 — Tether Strap To Child Restraint
3 — Tether Anchor
5
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3. Lift the cover (if so equipped), and attach the hook to thesquare opening in the sheet metal. Tighten the tether
strap according to the child seat manufacturer ’s instruc-
tions.
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.
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. Right Or Left Outboard Seats:
1. Raise the head restraint and reach between the rear seat
and rear glass to access the tether strap loop.
Head Restraint In Raised Position
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2. Place a child restraint on the seat and adjust the tetherstrap so that it will reach over the seat back, under the
head restraint, through the tether strap loop behind 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.
Tether Strap Loop With Center Head Restraint In Raised
Position
Tether Strap Through Outboard Tether Strap Loop
5
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4. Attach the hook to the center tether strap loop (seediagram). Tighten the tether strap according to the child
seat manufacturer ’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 between 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 restraint, through the tether strap loop behind the
seat and over to the tether strap loop behind either the
right or left outboard seat.
Tether Strap Through Outboard Tether Strap Loop And
Attached To Center Tether Strap LoopTether Strap Loop With Head Restraint In Raised Position
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3. Pass the tether strap hook under the head restraintbehind the child seat, though the tether strap loop
behind the seat and over to the right or left outboard
tether strap loop.
4. Attach the hook to the outboard tether strap 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 following 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.
Tether Strap Through Center Tether Strap Loop
Tether Strap Through Center Tether Strap Loop And
Attached To Outboard Tether Strap Loop
5
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4. Attach the hook to the outboard tether strap loop.
5. Tighten the tether straps according to the child seatmanufacturer ’s instructions, tightening the right and
left tether straps before the center tether strap.WARNING!
•An incorrectly anchored tether strap could lead to
increased head motion and possible injury to the
child. Use only the anchorage position directly be-
hind 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
collision.
Pets should be restrained in the rear seat in pet harnesses or
pet carriers that are secured by seat belts.
Outboard And Center Seating Positions Shown
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