2019 Ram 1500 Owner's Manual

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 (if adjustable) 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. 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 retract
back into the retractor. As the webbing 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 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 Restraints 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.
5
SAFETY 279

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.
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.
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. 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, through the
space between the head restraint and the seat back,
through the tether strap loop behind the seat and over to
the tether strap loop behind the center seat.
280 SAFETY

3. Pass the tether strap hook through the space betweenthe head restraint and the seat back behind the child
seat, through the tether strap loop behind the seat and
over to the center tether strap loop. 4. Attach the hook to the center tether strap loop (see
diagram). 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.
Tether Strap Through Outboard Tether Strap Loop
Tether Strap Through Outboard Tether Strap Loop And
Attached To Center Tether Strap Loop
5
SAFETY 281

Center Seat:
1. Reach between the rear seat and rear glass to access thetether strap loop.
2. Place a child restraint on the seat and adjust the tether strap so that it will reach over the seat back and
headrest, through the tether strap loop behind the seat
and over to the tether strap loop behind either the right
or left outboard seat. 3. Pass the tether strap hook over the headrest behind the
child seat, through the tether strap loop behind the seat
and over to the right or left outboard tether strap loop.
Center Tether Strap Loop LocationTether Strap Through Center Tether Strap Loop
282 SAFETY

4. Attach the hook to the outboard tether strap loop (seediagram). 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.
4. Attach the hook to the outboard tether strap loop.
Tether Strap Through Center Tether Strap Loop And Attached To Outboard Tether Strap Loop
Outboard And Center Seating Positions Shown
5
SAFETY 283

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.
SAFETY TIPS
Transporting Passengers
NEVER TRANSPORT PASSENGERS IN THE CARGO
AREA.
WARNING!
• Do not leave children or animals inside parked
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.
284 SAFETY

Exhaust Gas
WARNING!
Exhaust gases can injure or kill. They contain carbon
monoxide (CO), which is colorless and odorless.
Breathing it can make you unconscious and can even-
tually poison you. To avoid breathing (CO), follow
these safety tips:
•Do not run the engine in a closed garage or 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 recirculation mode.
• If it is necessary to sit in a parked vehicle with the
engine running, adjust your heating or cooling con-
trols 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 complete
exhaust system and adjacent body areas for broken, dam-
aged, deteriorated, or mispositioned parts. Open seams or
loose connections could permit exhaust fumes to seep into
the passenger compartment. In addition, inspect the ex-
haust 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
immediately. Do not disassemble or modify the system.
Front seat belt assemblies must be replaced after a collision.
Rear seat belt assemblies must be replaced after a collision
if they have been damaged (i.e., bent retractor, torn web-
bing, etc.). If there is any question regarding seat belt or
retractor condition, replace the seat belt.
Air Bag Warning Light
The Air Bag warning lightwill turn on for four to
eight seconds as a bulb check when the ignition switch
is first turned to ON/RUN. If the light is either not on
during starting, stays on, or turns on while driving, 5
SAFETY 285

have the system inspected at your authorized dealer as
soon as possible. After the bulb check, this light will
illuminate with a single chime when a fault with the Air
Bag System has been detected. It will stay on until the
fault is removed. If the light comes on intermittently or
remains on while driving, have your authorized dealer
service the vehicle immediately.
Refer to “Occupant Restraint Systems” in “Safety” 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 your vehicle. Only
use a floor mat that does not interfere with the operation of
the accelerator, brake or clutch pedals. Only use a floor mat
that is securely attached using the floor mat fasteners so it
cannot slip out of position and interfere with the accelera-
tor, brake or clutch 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 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 fasten-
ers 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, with the
(Continued)
286 SAFETY