OCCUPANT RESTRAINT
SYSTEMS
Some of the most important safety features in
your vehicle are the restraint systems:
Occupant Restraint Systems
• Seat Belt Systems
• Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS) Air
Bags
• Child Restraints
Some of the safety features described in this
section may be standard equipment on some
models, or may be optional equipment on
others. If you are not sure, ask your autho-
rized dealer.
Important Safety Precautions
Please pay close attention to the information
in this section. It tells you how to use your
restraint system properly, to keep you and
your passengers as safe as possible.Here are some simple steps you can take to
minimize the risk of harm from a deploying
air bag:
1. Children 12 years old and under should
always ride buckled up in a vehicle with a
rear seat.
2. If a child from 2 to 12 years old (not in a
rear-facing child restraint) must ride in
the front passenger seat, move the seat asfar back as possible and use the proper
child restraint (refer to “Child Restraints”
in this section for further information).
3. Children that are not big enough to wear
the vehicle seat belt properly (refer to
“Child Restraints” in this section for fur-
ther information) should be secured in a
vehicle with a rear seat in child restraints
or belt-positioning booster seats. Older
children who do not use child restraints or
belt-positioning booster seats should ride
properly buckled up in a vehicle with a
rear seat.
4. Never allow children to slide the shoulder
belt behind them or under their arm.
5. You should read the instructions provided
with your child restraint to make sure that
you are using it properly.
6. All occupants should always wear their lap
and shoulder belts properly.
7. The driver and front passenger seats
should be moved back as far as practical
to allow the front air bags room to inflate.
Warning Label On Front Passenger
Sun Visor
SAFETY
84
Belt Reminder Light will remain on until the
seat belts are buckled. The BeltAlert warning
sequence may repeat based on vehicle speed
until the driver and occupied outboard front
seat passenger seat belts are buckled. The
driver should instruct all occupants to buckle
their seat belts.
Change of Status
If the driver or outboard front seat passenger
(if equipped with outboard front passenger
seat BeltAlert) unbuckles their seat belt
while the vehicle is traveling, the BeltAlert
warning sequence will begin until the seat
belts are buckled again.
The outboard front passenger seat BeltAlert
is not active when the outboard front passen-
ger seat is unoccupied. BeltAlert may be
triggered when an animal or other items are
placed on the outboard front passenger seat
or when the seat is folded flat (if equipped). It
is recommended that pets be restrained in
the rear seat (if equipped) in pet harnesses or
pet carriers that are secured by seat belts,
and cargo is properly stowed.BeltAlert can be activated or deactivated by
your authorized dealer. FCA US LLC does not
recommend deactivating BeltAlert.
NOTE:
If BeltAlert has been deactivated and the
driver or outboard front seat passenger (if
equipped with outboard front passenger seat
BeltAlert) is unbuckled the Seat Belt Re-
minder Light will turn on and remain on until
the driver and outboard front seat passenger
seat belts are buckled.
Lap/Shoulder Belts
All seating positions in your vehicle are
equipped with lap/shoulder belts.
The seat belt webbing retractor will lock only
during very sudden stops or collisions. This
feature allows the shoulder part of the seat
belt to move freely with you under normal
conditions. However, in a collision the seat
belt will lock and reduce your risk of striking
the inside of the vehicle or being thrown out
of the vehicle.
WARNING!
• Relying on the air bags alone could lead
to more severe injuries in a collision. The
air bags work with your seat belt to
restrain you properly. In some collisions,
the air bags won’t deploy at all. Always
wear your seat belt even though you have
air bags.
• In a collision, you and your passengers
can suffer much greater injuries if you
are not properly buckled up. You can
strike the interior of your vehicle or other
passengers, or you can be thrown out of
the vehicle. Always be sure you and
others in your vehicle are buckled up
properly.
• It is dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of a vehicle. In a colli-
sion, 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.
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86
WARNING!
resting on your neck. The retractor will
withdraw any slack in the shoulder belt.
• Misadjustment of the seat belt could
reduce the effectiveness of the safety
belt in a crash.
Seat Belts And Pregnant Women
Seat belts must be worn by all occupants
including pregnant women: the risk of injury
in the event of an accident is reduced for the
mother and the unborn child if they are
wearing a seat belt.Position the lap belt snug and low below the
abdomen and across the strong bones of the
hips. Place the shoulder belt across the chest
and away from the neck. Never place the
shoulder belt behind the back or under the
arm.
Seat Belt Pretensioner
The front seat belt system is equipped with
pretensioning devices that are designed to
remove slack from the seat belt in the event
of a collision. These devices may improve the
performance of the seat belt by removing
slack from the seat belt early in a collision.
Pretensioners work for all size occupants,
including those in child restraints.
NOTE:
These devices are not a substitute for proper
seat belt placement by the occupant. The
seat belt still must be worn snugly and posi-
tioned properly.
The pretensioners are triggered by the Occu-
pant Restraint Controller (ORC). Like the air
bags, the pretensioners are single use items.
A deployed pretensioner or a deployed air bag
must be replaced immediately.
Energy Management Feature
The front seat belt system is equipped with
an Energy Management feature that may help
further reduce the risk of injury in the event
of a collision. The seat belt system has a
retractor assembly that is designed to release
webbing in a controlled manner.
Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor
(ALR) — If Equipped
The seat belts in the passenger seating posi-
tions may be equipped with a Switchable
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) which is
used to secure a child restraint system. For
additional information, refer to “Installing
Child Restraints Using The Vehicle Seat
Belt” under the “Child Restraints” section of
this manual. The figure below illustrates the
locking feature for each seating position.
Pregnant Women And Seat Belts
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90
Group 2
Children who weigh between 15 kg and 25 kg
and who are too big for the Group 1 child
restraint may use a Group 2 child restraint
system.
As shown in fig. C, the Group 2 child restraint
system positions the child correctly with re-
spect to the seat belt so that the shoulder belt
crosses the child’s chest and not the neck,
and the lap belt is snug on the pelvis and not
the abdomen.
Group 3
Children who weigh between 22 kg and 36 kg
and who are tall enough to use the adult
shoulder belt may use a Group 3 child re-
straint. Group 3 child restraints position the
lap belt on the child’s pelvis. The child must
be tall enough that the shoulder belt crosses
the child’s chest and not their neck.
Fig. D shows an example of a Group 3 child
restraint system correctly positioning the
child on the rear seat.
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
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 ISOFIX 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.
Fig. CFig. D
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4. Remove slack in the tether strap accord-
ing to the child restraint manufacturer’s
instructions.
WARNING!
• An incorrectly anchored tether strap
could 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 slip into the opening between
the seatbacks as you remove slack in the
strap.
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.
WARNING!
• Follow the child restraint manufactur-
er’s directions exactly when installing an
infant or child restraint.
The seat belts in the rear passenger seating
positions are equipped with a Switchable
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) that is
designed to keep the lap portion of the seat
belt tight around the child restraint. 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.
How To Stow An Unused Switchable-ALR
(ALR) Seat Belt:
When using the ISOFIX 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.
Tether Strap Mounting (Two-Door Models)
Tether Strap Mounting (Four-Door Models)
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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 ISOFIX 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, in-
stead 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.
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.
WARNING!
• Follow the child restraint manufacturer’s
directions exactly when installing an in-
fant 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. 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
tighten the lap portion around the child
restraint while you push the child restraint
rearward and downward into the vehicle
seat.
8. 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 25 mm in any direction.
Any seat belt system will loosen with time, so
check the belt occasionally, and pull it tight if
necessary.
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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 passen-
ger 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
WARNING!
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 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
WARNING!
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
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112
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. Dam-
aged 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, have the system in-spected at an authorized dealer as soon as
possible. This light will illuminate with a single
chime when a fault with the Air Bag Warning
Light has been detected, it will stay on until the
fault is removed. If the light comes on intermit-
tently or remains on while driving, have an
authorized dealer service the vehicle immedi-
ately. 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 pedal as-
semblies. 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 pedal assemblies 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 in-
terfere 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 fasteners 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.
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