2020 Ram 3500 child seat

194SAFETY
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?
3. Does the shoulder belt cross the child’s shoulder between the 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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SAFETY195
Recommendations For Attaching Child Restraints
Lower Anchors And Tethers For CHildren
(LATCH) Restraint System

LATCH Label
Your vehicle is equipped with the child restraint
anchorage system called LATCH, which stands
for Lower Anchors and Tethers for 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 seating 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
restraint. Please see the following table for
more information.
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
Restraint Up to 65 lbs (29.5 kg)
XX
Rear-Facing Child Restraint 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
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196SAFETY
LATCH Positions For Installing Child
Restraints In This Vehicle

Regular Cab LATCH Positions Crew Cab 60/40 Split Bench LATCH Positions
Mega Cab LATCH Positions Crew Cab Full Bench LATCH Positions

Top Tether Anchorage Symbol
Top Tether Anchorage Symbol
Lower Anchorage Symbol (2 Anchorages Per
Seating Position)
Top Tether Anchorage Symbol
Lower Anchorage Symbol (2 Anchorages Per
Seating Position) Top Tether Anchorage Symbol
Lower Anchorage Symbol (2 Anchorages Per
Seating Position)

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SAFETY197
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).
Can the LATCH anchorages and the seat belt be
used together to attach a rear-facing or
forward-facing child restraint? NoDo not use the seat belt when you use the
LATCH anchorage system to attach a rear-facing
or forward-facing child restraint.
Booster seats may be attached to the LATCH
anchorages if allowed by the booster seat
manufacturer. See your booster seat owner’s
manual for more information.
Can a child seat be installed in the center
position using the inner LATCH lower
anchorages from the outboard seating
positions? N/A – Regular Cab
No – Crew Cab Full Bench rear seat Regular Cab Front / Crew Cab with full bench
rear seat: Use the seat belt and tether anchor to
install a child seat in the center seating position.
Crew Cab with split bench rear seat / Mega Cab:
Child restraints can be installed using the
supplied lower anchorages for the center
seating position.
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198SAFETY
Can two child restraints be attached using a
common lower LATCH anchorage? NoNever “share” a LATCH anchorage with two or
more child restraints. If the center position does
not have dedicated LATCH lower anchorages,
use the seat belt to install a child seat in the
center position next to a child seat using the
LATCH anchorages in an outboard position.
Can the rear-facing child restraint touch the
back of the front passenger seat? YesThe child seat may touch the back of the front
passenger seat if the child restraint
manufacturer also allows contact. See your
child restraint owner’s manual for more
information.
Can the rear head restraints be removed? YesThe head restraints can be removed in every
rear seating position if they interfere with the
installation of the child restraint. Refer to “Head
Restraints” in “Getting To Know Your Vehicle” for
further information.
Frequently Asked Questions About Installing Child Restraints With LATCH

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SAFETY199
Locating The LATCH Anchorages
The lower anchorages are round bars
that are found at the rear of the seat
cushion where it meets the seatback.
They are just visible when you lean
into the rear seat to install the child restraint.
You will easily feel them if you run your finger
along the gap between the seatback and seat
cushion.

Mega Cab/Crew Cab Rear Outboard Seats Driver Side

Locating The Upper Tether Anchorages
Regular Cab models have tether strap
anchorages behind the front center
and right seats. Mega Cab and Crew
Cab models have tether strap
anchorages located behind each of the rear
seats.
Regular Cab Tether Anchorages (Behind Covers)
Crew Cab Outboard Tether Anchorage Crew Cab Center Tether Anchorage With Head
Restraint In Raised Position
Mega Cab Tether Anchorages (Behind Covers)

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
1 — Tether Strap Hook
2 — Tether Strap To Child Restraint
3 — Tether Anchor
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200SAFETY
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 Crew Cab Split Bench Rear Seat Or Mega Cab
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.
Always follow the directions of the child
restraint manufacturer when installing your
child restraint. Not all child restraint systems
will be installed as described here.
To Install A LATCH-Compatible Child
Restraint
If the selected seating position has a
Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)
seat belt, stow the seat belt, following the
instructions 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. If the
second row seat can be reclined, you may
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.
WARNING!

Do not install a child restraint in the center
position using the LATCH system. This posi -
tion is not approved for installing child seats
using the LATCH attachments. 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. Please
refer to “To Install A LATCH-Compatible Child
Restraint” for typical installation instruc -
tions.

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.

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SAFETY201
3. Attach the lower hooks or connectors of the
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 Restraints
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
manufacturer’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 occupants 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 interferes with the child
restraint installation, instead of buckling it
behind the child restraint, 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 restraint to
the LATCH anchorages 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 infant or child restraint.
Child restraint anchorages are designed to
withstand only those loads imposed by
correctly-fitted child restraints. Under no
circumstances are they to be used for adult
seat belts, harnesses, or for attaching other
items or equipment to the vehicle.
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