2018 Ram 4500 Chassis Cab warning

NOTE:
EDR data are recorded by your vehicle only if
a non-trivial crash situation occurs; no data
are recorded by the EDR under normal driving
conditions and no personal data (e.g., name,
gender, age, and crash location) are re-
corded. However, other parties, such as law
enforcement, could combine the EDR data
with the type of personally identifying data
routinely acquired during a crash investiga-
tion.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special
equipment is required, and access to the
vehicle or the EDR is needed. In addition to
the vehicle manufacturer, other parties, such
as law enforcement, that have the special
equipment, can read the information if they
have access to the vehicle or the EDR.
Child Restraints
Everyone in your vehicle needs to be buckled
up at all times, including babies and chil-
dren. Every state in the United States, and
every Canadian province, requires that small
children ride in proper restraint systems. This
is the law, and you can be prosecuted for
ignoring it.Children 12 years or younger should ride
properly buckled up in a rear seat, if avail-
able. According to crash statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the rear
seats rather than in the front.
WARNING!
In a collision, an unrestrained child can
become a projectile inside the vehicle.
The force required to hold even an infant
on your lap could become so great that you
could not hold the child, no matter how
strong you are. The child and others could
be badly injured or killed. Any child riding
in your vehicle should be in a proper re-
straint for the child’s size.
There are different sizes and types of re-
straints for children from newborn size to the
child almost large enough for an adult safety
belt. Always check the child seat Owner’s
Manual to make sure you have the correct
seat for your child. Carefully read and follow
all the instructions and warnings in the child
restraint Owner’s Manual and on all the la-
bels attached to the child restraint. Before buying any restraint system, make
sure that it has a label certifying that it meets
all applicable Safety Standards. You should
also make sure that you can install it in the
vehicle where you will use it.
NOTE:
• For additional information, refer to
www.safercar.gov/parents/index.htm or
call: 1–888–327–4236
• Canadian residents should refer to Transport Canada’s website for additional
information: http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/
motorvehiclesafety/
safedrivers-childsafety-index-53.htm
SAFETY
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Summary Of Recommendations For Restraining Children In Vehicles
Child Size, Height, Weight Or AgeRecommended Type Of Child Restraint
Infants and Toddlers Children who are two years old or younger and
who have not reached the height or weight limits of their child restraint Either an Infant Carrier or a Convertible Child
Restraint, facing rearward in the rear seat of the vehicle
Small Children Children who are at least two years old or who
have outgrown the height or weight limit of their rear-facing child restraint Forward-Facing Child Restraint with a five-
point Harness, facing forward in the rear seat of the vehicle
Larger Children Children who have outgrown their forward-
facing child restraint, but are too small to properly fit the vehicle’s seat belt Belt Positioning Booster Seat and the vehicle
seat belt, seated in the rear seat of the vehicle
Children Too Large for Child Restraints Children 12 years old or younger, who have
outgrown the height or weight limit of their booster seat Vehicle Seat Belt, seated in the rear seat of the
vehicle
Infant And Child Restraints
Safety experts recommend that children ride
rear-facing in the vehicle until they are two
years old or until they reach either the height
or weight limit of their rear-facing child re-
straint. Two types of child restraints can be
used rear-facing: infant carriers and convert-
ible child seats.
The infant carrier is only used rear-facing in
the vehicle. It is recommended for children
from birth until they reach the weight or height limit of the infant carrier. Convertible
child seats can be used either rear-facing or
forward-facing in the vehicle. Convertible
child seats often have a higher weight limit in
the rear-facing direction than infant carriers
do, so they can be used rear-facing by chil-
dren who have outgrown their infant carrier
but are still less than at least two years old.
Children should remain rear-facing until they
reach the highest weight or height allowed by
their convertible child seat.WARNING!
• Never place a rear-facing child restraint
in front of an air bag. A deploying pas-
senger 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.
• Only use a rear-facing child restraint in a
vehicle with a rear seat.
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WARNING!
Do not install a rear-facing car seat using a
rear support leg in this vehicle. The floor of
this vehicle is not designed to manage the
crash forces of this type of car seat. In a
crash, the support leg may not function as
it was designed by the car seat manufac-
turer, and your child may be more severely
injured as a result.
Older Children And Child Restraints
Children who are two years old or who have
outgrown their rear-facing convertible child
seat can ride forward-facing in the vehicle.
Forward-facing child seats and convertible
child seats used in the forward-facing direc-
tion are for children who are over two years
old or who have outgrown the rear-facing
weight or height limit of their rear-facing
convertible child seat. Children should re-
main in a forward-facing child seat with a
harness for as long as possible, up to the
highest weight or height allowed by the child
seat.
All children whose weight or height is above
the forward-facing limit for the child seat
should use a belt-positioning booster seat
until the vehicle’s seat belts fit properly. If
the child cannot sit with knees bent over the
vehicle’s seat cushion while the child’s back
is against the seatback, they should use a
belt-positioning booster seat. The child and
belt-positioning booster seat are held in the
vehicle by the seat belt.WARNING!
• Improper installation can lead to failureof an infant or child restraint. It could
come loose in a collision. The child
could be badly injured or killed. Follow
the child restraint manufacturer’s direc-
tions exactly when installing an infant or
child restraint.
• After a child restraint is installed in the
vehicle, do not move the vehicle seat
forward or rearward because it can
loosen the child restraint attachments.
Remove the child restraint before ad-
justing the vehicle seat position. When
the vehicle seat has been adjusted, re-
install the child restraint.
• When your child restraint is not in use,
secure it in the vehicle with the seat belt
or LATCH anchorages, 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 seatbacks
and cause serious personal injury.
SAFETY
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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 againstthe back of the vehicle seat?
2. Do the child’s knees bend comfortably over the front of the vehicle seat – while
the child is 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 the 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.
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LATCH-compatible child restraint systems
will be equipped with a rigid bar or a flexible
strap on each side. Each will have a hook or
connector to attach to the lower anchorage
and a way to tighten the connection to the
anchorage. Forward-facing child restraints
and some rear-facing child restraints will also
be equipped with a tether strap. The tether
strap will have a hook at the end to attach to
the top tether anchorage and a way to tighten
the strap after it is attached to the anchorage.
Center Seat LATCH
Regular Cab Or Crew Cab Full Bench Rear Seat:
No Lower Center LATCH Anchorages Available
WARNING!
• Do not install a child restraint in thecenter position using the LATCH system.
This position is not approved for install-
ing child seats using the LATCH attach-
ments. You must use the seat belt and
tether anchor to install a child seat in the
center seating position.
• Never use the same lower anchorage to
attach more than one child restraint.
WARNING!
Please refer to “To Install A LATCH-
Compatible Child Restraint” for typical
installation instructions.
Crew Cab Split Bench Rear Seat: Center LATCH
Anchorages Available
If a child restraint installed in the center
position blocks the seat belt webbing or
buckle for the outboard position, do not use
that outboard position. If a child seat in the
center position blocks the outboard LATCH
anchors or seat belt, do not install a child
seat in that outboard position.
WARNING!
Never use the same lower anchorage to
attach more than one child restraint.
Please refer to “To Install A LATCH-
Compatible Child Restraint” for typical
installation instructions.
Always follow the directions of the child re-
straint manufacturer when installing your
child restraint. Not all child restraint systems
will be installed as described here.
To Install A LATCH-Compatible Child Re-
straint
If the selected seating position has a Switch-
able Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) seat
belt, stow the seat belt, following the instruc-
tions below. See the section “Installing Child
Restraints Using the Vehicle Seat Belt” to
check what type of seat belt each seating
position has.
1. Loosen the adjusters on the lower straps and on the tether strap of the child seat so
that you can more easily attach the hooks
or connectors to the vehicle anchorages.
2. Place the child seat between the lower anchorages for that 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.
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3. Attach the lower hooks or connectors ofthe child restraint to the lower anchorages
in the selected seating position.
4. If the child restraint has a tether strap, connect it to the top tether anchorage.
See the section “Installing Child Re-
straints Using the Top Tether Anchorage”
for directions 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 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 occu-
pants 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 inter-
feres with the child restraint installation,
instead of buckling it behind the child re-
straint, 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 restraintto the LATCH anchorages can lead to
failure of the restraint. The child could
be badly injured or killed. Follow the
WARNING!
child restraint manufacturer’s directions
exactly when installing an infant or child
restraint.
• Child restraint anchorages are designed
to withstand only those loads imposed
by correctly-fitted child restraints. Un-
der no circumstances are they to be
used for adult seat belts, harnesses, or
for attaching other items or equipment
to the vehicle.
Installing Child Restraints Using The Ve-
hicle 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 prop-erly secure a child restraint can lead to
failure of the restraint. The child could
be badly injured or killed.
SAFETY
106

WARNING!
• Follow the child restraint manufactur-er’s directions exactly when installing an
infant or child restraint.
Regular Cab Only
The seat belts in the passenger seating posi-
tions are equipped with a Switchable Auto-
matic Locking Retractor (ALR) that is de-
signed 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 webbing 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. Crew Cab: Split Bench And Full Bench
The seat belts in the passenger seating posi-
tions are equipped with either a Switchable
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) or a
cinching latch plate or both. Both types of
seat belts are designed to keep the lap por-
tion 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 webbing 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 “Auto-
matic Locking Mode” description in “Switch-
able Automatic Locking Retractors (ALR)”
under “Occupant Restraint Systems” for ad-
ditional information on ALR. The cinching
latch plate is designed to hold the lap portion
of the seat belt tight when webbing is pulled
tight and straight through a child restraint’s
belt path.
Please see the table below and the following
sections for more information.
Lap/Shoulder Belt Systems For Installing
Child Restraints In This Vehicle
Regular Cab Automatic Locking Retractor
(ALR) Locations
ALR = Switchable Automatic Locking
Retractor
Top Tether Anchorage Symbol
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Frequently Asked Questions About Installing Child Restraints With Seat Belts
Can the head restraints be removed? NoHead 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 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.
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
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