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
.
Summary Of Recommendations For Restraining Children In Vehicles
Child Size, Height, Weight Or Age
Recommended Type Of Child Restraint
Infants and Toddlers Children who are two years old or younger and
who have not reached the height or weight lim- its 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 out-grown 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 out-grown their forward-
facing child restraint, but are too small to prop- erly 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
out-grown 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 restraint.
Two types of child restraints can be used rear-
facing: infant carriers and convertible 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 children 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.
SAFETY
62
WARNING!
• Never place a rear-facing child restraintin 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.
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 failure
of 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
WARNING!
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.
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
the child is still sitting all the way back?
63
3. Does the shoulder belt cross the child’sshoulder 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.
Recommendations For Attaching Child Re-
straints
The following instructions for installing child
restraints are for vehicles with rear seating.
For instructions on how to install child re-
straints in vehicles without rear seating, refer
to “Installing Child Restraints in Commercial
Vehicles” in this section.”
Restraint Type Combined Weight of the
Child + Child Restraint Use Any Attachment Method Shown With An “X” Below
LATCH – Lower Anchors Only Seat Belt Only LATCH – Lower Anchors
+ Top Tether Anchor Seat Belt + Top Tether
Anchor
Rear-Facing Child Re- straint Up to 65 lbs (29.5 kg)
XX
Rear-Facing Child Re- straint More than 65 lbs
(29.5 kg) X
Forward-Facing Child Restraint Up to 65 lbs (29.5 kg)
XX
Forward-Facing Child Restraint More than 65 lbs
(29.5 kg) X
SAFETY
64
Lower Anchors And Tethers For CHildren
(LATCH) Restraint System
Your vehicle is equipped with the child re-
straint anchorage system called LATCH,
which stands for Lower Anchors and Tethersfor CHildren. The LATCH system has three
vehicle anchor points for installing LATCH-
equipped child seats. There are two lower
anchorages located at the back of the seat
cushion where it meets the seatback and one
top tether anchorage located behind the seat-
ing position. These anchorages are used to
install LATCH-equipped child seats without
using the vehicle’s seat belts. Some seating
positions may have a top tether anchorage
but no lower anchorages. In these seating
positions, the seat belt must be used with the
top tether anchorage to install the child re-
straint. Please see the following table for
more information.
LATCH Positions For Installing Child Re-
straints In This Vehicle
Frequently Asked Questions About Installing Child Restraints With LATCH
What is the weight limit (child’s weight +
weight of the child restraint) for using the
LATCH anchorage system to attach the child restraint? 65 lbs (29.5 kg)Use the LATCH anchorage system until the
combined weight of the child and the child
restraint is 65 lbs (29.5 kg). Use the seat belt
and tether anchor instead of the LATCH system once the combined weight is more than 65 lbs (29.5 kg).
LATCH Label
Lower Anchor / Top Tether Locations —Vehicle With Rear Seat
Lower Anchorage Symbol (2 An-
chorages Per Seating Position)
Top Tether Anchorage Symbol
65
WARNING!
for attaching other items or equipment
to the vehicle.
Installing Child Restraints Using The Ve-
hicle Seat Belt In Vehicles With Rear Seat-
ing
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.
WARNING!
• Follow the child restraint manufacturer’sdirections exactly when installing an in-
fant or child restraint.
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.
Lap/Shoulder Belt Systems For Installing
Child Restraints In This Vehicle
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 re-
straint, up to the recommended weight limit of the child restraint.
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)
Locations — Vehicle With Rear Seating
ALR = Switchable Automatic Locking
Retractor
Top Tether Anchorage Symbol
69
WARNING!
• An incorrectly anchored tether strapcould 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.
•
If your vehicle is equipped with a split rear
seat, make sure the tether strap does not
WARNING!
slip into the opening between the seat-
backs as you remove slack in the strap.
Installing Child Restraints In Commercial
Vehicles
This commercial vehicle is not designed for use
as a family vehicle and is not intended for
carrying children in the front passenger seat(s).
Never install rear-facing child restraints in this
vehicle. If you must carry a child in a forward-
facing child restraint, the passenger seat should
be moved to the full rearward position and the
child must be in a proper restraint system based
on its age, size and weight. Follow the instruc-
tions below to secure the child restraint using
the seat belt and tether anchorage.
WARNING!
Rear-facing infant restraints must never
be secured in the passenger seat of a
vehicle with a passenger air bag. In a
collision, a passenger air bag may deploy
causing severe injury or death to infants
riding in rear-facing infant restraints.
Installing Child Restraints Using The Ve-
hicle Seat Belt In Vehicles Without Rear
Seating
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.
The seat belts in the passenger seating posi-
tion are equipped with a Switchable Auto-
matic Locking Retractor (ALR). This seat belt
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 webbing
retract back into the retractor. If it is locked,
Tether Strap Attachment
SAFETY
72
STARTING AND OPERATING
ENGINE BREAK-IN
RECOMMENDATIONS — GASOLINE
ENGINE.....................80
SPEED CONTROL ...............80
To Activate...................81
To Set A Desired Speed ...........81
To Vary The Speed Setting ..........81
To Accelerate For Passing ..........82To Resume Speed
...............82
To Deactivate .................82
PARKSENSE REAR PARK ASSIST .....82
PARKVIEW REAR BACK UP CAMERA . . .82
REFUELING THE VEHICLE ..........84
Materials Added To Fuel ..........85
TRAILER TOWING..............85
Trailer Towing Weights (Maximum Trailer
Weight Ratings)................85
RECREATIONAL TOWING
(BEHIND MOTORHOME, ETC.) .......85
Towing This Vehicle Behind Another
Vehicle.....................85
Recreational Towing — Automatic
Transmission ..................86
STARTING AND OPERATING
79
Materials Added To Fuel
Designated TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline
contains a higher level
of detergents to further
aide in minimizing en-
gine and fuel system
deposits. When avail-
able, the usage of Top
Tier Detergent gasoline is recommended.
Visit www.toptiergas.com for a list of TOP
TIER Detergent Gasoline Retailers. Indiscriminate use of fuel system cleaning
agents should be avoided. Many of these
materials intended for gum and varnish re-
moval may contain active solvents or similar
ingredients. These can harm fuel system gas-
ket and diaphragm materials.
TRAILER TOWING
Trailer Towing Weights (Maximum
Trailer Weight Ratings)
NOTE:
For trailer towing information (maximum
trailer weight ratings) refer to the following
website addresses:
•
ramtrucks.com/en/towing_guide/
• ramtruck.ca (Canada)
• rambodybuilder.com
RECREATIONAL TOWING (BEHIND MOTORHOME, ETC.)
Towing This Vehicle Behind Another Vehicle
Towing Condition Wheels OFF The Ground Automatic Transmission
Flat Tow NONENOT ALLOWED
Dolly Tow Front
OK
Rear NOT ALLOWED
On Trailer ALLOK
85