2020 Ram 1500 Owner's Manual

SAFETY 239
Lap/Shoulder Belt Operating Instructions
1. Enter the vehicle and close the door. Sit back and adjustthe seat.
2. The seat belt latch plate is above the back of the front seat, and next to your arm in the rear seat (for vehicles
equipped with a rear seat). Grasp the latch plate and pull
out the seat belt. Slide the latch plate up the webbing as
far as necessary to allow the seat belt to go around your
lap.
Pulling Out The Latch Plate
• A seat belt that is too loose will not protect you prop
-
erly. In a sudden stop, you could move too far forward,
increasing the possibility of injury. Wear your seat belt
snugly.
• A seat belt that is worn under your arm is dangerous. Your body could strike the inside surfaces of the
vehicle in a collision, increasing head and neck injury.
A seat belt worn under the arm can cause internal inju -
ries. Ribs aren’t as strong as shoulder bones. Wear the
seat belt over your shoulder so that your strongest
bones will take the force in a collision.
• A shoulder belt placed behind you will not protect you from injury during a collision. You are more likely to
hit your head in a collision if you do not wear your
shoulder belt. The lap and shoulder belt are meant to be
used together.
• A frayed or torn seat belt could rip apart in a collision and leave you with no protection. Inspect the seat belt
system periodically, checking for cuts, frays, or loose
parts. Damaged parts must be replaced immediately.
Do not disassemble or modify the seat belt system. Seat
belt assemblies must be replaced after a collision.WARNING! (Continued)
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240 SAFETY
3. When the seat belt is long enough to fit, insert the latchplate into the buckle until you hear a “click.”
Inserting Latch Plate Into Buckle
4. Position the lap belt so that it is snug and lies low across your hips, below your abdomen. To remove slack in the
lap belt portion, pull up on the shoulder belt. To loosen
the lap belt if it is too tight, tilt the latch plate and pull on
the lap belt. A snug seat belt reduces the risk of sliding
under the seat belt in a collision. Positioning The Lap Belt
5. Position the shoulder belt across the shoulder and chest with minimal, if any slack so that it is comfortable and not
resting on your neck. The retractor will withdraw any
slack in the shoulder belt.
6. To release the seat belt, push the red button on the buckle. The seat belt will automatically retract to its stowed posi -
tion. If necessary, slide the latch plate down the webbing
to allow the seat belt to retract fully.
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SAFETY 241
Lap/Shoulder Belt Untwisting Procedure
Use the following procedure to untwist a twisted lap/
shoulder belt.
1. Position the latch plate as close as possible to the anchorpoint.
2. At about 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) above the latch plate, grasp and twist the seat belt webbing 180 degrees to
create a fold that begins immediately above the latch
plate.
3. Slide the latch plate upward over the folded webbing. The folded webbing must enter the slot at the top of the
latch plate.
4. Continue to slide the latch plate up until it clears the folded webbing and the seat belt is no longer twisted.
Adjustable Upper Shoulder Belt Anchorage
In the driver and outboard front passenger seats, the top of
the shoulder belt can be adjusted upward or downward to
position the seat belt away from your neck. Push or squeeze
the anchorage button to release the anchorage, and move it
up or down to the position that serves you best. Adjustable Anchorage
As a guide, if you are shorter than average, you will prefer
the shoulder belt anchorage in a lower position, and if you
are taller than average, you will prefer the shoulder belt
anchorage in a higher position. After you release the
anchorage button, try to move it up or down to make sure
that it is locked in position.
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242 SAFETY
NOTE:
The adjustable upper shoulder belt anchorage is equipped
with an Easy Up feature. This feature allows the shoulder
belt anchorage to be adjusted in the upward position without
pushing or squeezing the release button. To verify the
shoulder belt anchorage is latched, pull downward on the
shoulder belt anchorage until it is locked into position.Seat Belt Extender
If a seat belt is not long enough to fit properly, even when the
webbing is fully extended and the adjustable upper shoulder
belt anchorage (if equipped) is in its lowest position, an
authorized dealer can provide you with a Seat Belt Extender.
The Seat Belt Extender should be used only if the existing
seat belt is not long enough. When the Seat Belt Extender is
not required for a different occupant, it must be removed.
WARNING!
• Wearing your seat belt incorrectly could make your injuries in a collision much worse. You might suffer
internal injuries, or you could even slide out of the seat
belt. Follow these instructions to wear your seat belt
safely and to keep your passengers safe, too.
• Position the shoulder belt across the shoulder and chest with minimal, if any slack so that it is comfortable and
not resting on your neck. The retractor will withdraw
any slack in the shoulder belt.
• Misadjustment of the seat belt could reduce the effec -
tiveness of the safety belt in a crash.
• Always make all seat belt height adjustments when the vehicle is stationary.
WARNING!
• ONLY use a Seat Belt Extender if it is physically required in order to properly fit the original seat belt
system. DO NOT USE the Seat Belt Extender if, when
worn, the distance between the front edge of the Seat
Belt Extender buckle and the center of the occupant’s
body is LESS than 6 inches.
• Using a Seat Belt Extender when not needed can increase the risk of serious injury or death in a colli -
sion. Only use the Seat Belt Extender when the lap belt
is not long enough and only use in the recommended
seating positions. Remove and store the Seat Belt
Extender when not needed.
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SAFETY 243
Seat Belts And Pregnant Women 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 outboard seat belt system is equipped with preten
-
sioning 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 place -
ment by the occupant. The seat belt still must be worn snugly
and positioned properly.
The pretensioners are triggered by the Occupant 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 outboard 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.
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244 SAFETY
(Continued)
Switchable Automatic Locking Retractors (ALR)
The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are
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.Automatic Locking Retractor — (ALR) Locations If the passenger seating position is equipped with an ALR
and is being used for normal usage, only pull the seat belt
webbing out far enough to comfortably wrap around the
occupant’s mid-section so as to not activate the ALR. If the
ALR is activated, you will hear a clicking sound as the seat
belt retracts. Allow the webbing to retract completely in this
case and then carefully pull out only the amount of webbing
necessary to comfortably wrap around the occupant’s
mid-section. Slide the latch plate into the buckle until you
hear a "click."
In Automatic Locking Mode, the shoulder belt is automati
-
cally pre-locked. The seat belt will still retract to remove any
slack in the shoulder belt. Use the Automatic Locking Mode
anytime a child restraint is installed in a seating position that
has a seat belt with this feature. Children 12 years old and
under should always be properly restrained in the rear seat
of a vehicle with a rear seat.
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.
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SAFETY 245
How To Engage The Automatic Locking Mode
1. Buckle the combination lap and shoulder belt.
2. Grasp the shoulder portion and pull downward until theentire seat belt is extracted.
3. Allow the seat belt to retract. As the seat belt retracts, you will hear a clicking sound. This indicates the seat belt is
now in the Automatic Locking Mode.
How To Disengage The Automatic Locking Mode
Unbuckle the combination lap/shoulder belt and allow it to
retract completely to disengage the Automatic Locking
Mode and activate the vehicle sensitive (emergency) locking
mode.
Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS)
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 an authorized
dealer.
• Never install a rear-facing child restraint in the front
seat of a vehicle. Only use a rear-facing child restraint
in the rear seat. If the vehicle does not have a rear seat,
do not transport a rear-facing child restraint in that
vehicle.
WARNING! (Continued)WARNING!
• The seat belt assembly must be replaced if the switch -
able Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) feature or any
other seat belt function is not working properly when
checked according to the procedures in the Service
Manual.
• Failure to replace the seat belt assembly could increase the risk of injury in collisions.
• Do not use the Automatic Locking Mode to restrain occupants who are wearing the seat belt or children
who are using booster seats. The locked mode is only
used to install rear-facing or forward-facing child
restraints that have a harness for restraining the child.
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246 SAFETY
The air bag system must be ready to protect you in a colli-
sion. The Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC) monitors the
internal circuits and interconnecting wiring associated with
the electrical Air Bag System Components. Your vehicle may
be equipped with the following Air Bag System Compo -
nents:
Air Bag System Components
• Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC)
• Air Bag Warning Light
• Steering Wheel and Column
• Instrument Panel
• Knee Impact Bolsters
• Driver and Front Passenger Air Bags
• Seat Belt Buckle Switch
• Supplemental Side Air Bags
• Front and Side Impact Sensors
• Seat Belt Pretensioners
• Seat Track Position Sensors
• Occupant Classification System Air Bag Warning Light
The ORC monitors the readiness of the electronic
parts of the air bag system whenever the ignition
switch is in the START or ON/RUN position. If the
ignition switch is in the OFF position or in the ACC position,
the air bag system is not on and the air bags will not inflate.
The ORC contains a backup power supply system that may
deploy the air bag system even if the battery loses power or
it becomes disconnected prior to deployment.
The ORC turns on the Air Bag Warning Light in the instru-
ment panel for approximately four to eight seconds for a
self-check when the ignition switch is first in the ON/RUN
position. After the self-check, the Air Bag Warning Light will
turn off. If the ORC detects a malfunction in any part of the
system, it turns on the Air Bag Warning Light, either
momentarily or continuously. A single chime will sound to
alert you if the light comes on again after initial startup.
The ORC also includes diagnostics that will illuminate the
instrument panel Air Bag Warning Light if a malfunction is
detected that could affect the air bag system. The diagnostics
also record the nature of the malfunction. While the air bag
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