2021 DODGE DURANGO Owners Manual

SAFETY231
Six And Seven Passenger Vehicles: 3rd Row Upper
Tether Anchorage Locations
There are tether strap anchorages behind each
rear seating position located on the back of the
seat. To access them, pull the carpeted floor panel
away from the seat back, this will expose the top
tether strap anchorages.

Pulling Down The Carpet Floor Panel To Access Top Tether Strap (3rd Row Bench) Tether Anchorages (3rd Row Bench)
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 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.
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232SAFETY
Center Seat LATCH — Five Or Seven
Passenger Vehicles Second Row Seating
Only Vehicle With A Center Arm Rest Tether —
Five Or Seven Passenger Seating Only
For rear-facing child restraints secured in the
center seat position with the vehicle seat belts, the
rear center seat position has an armrest tether
that secures the arm rest in the upward position.

1. To access the center seat arm rest tether,
first lower the arm rest. The tether is located
behind the armrest and hooked onto the
plastic seat backing.

Center Seat Position Arm Rest Release Strap
2. Pull down on the tether to unhook it from the
plastic seat backing.

Center Seat Position Arm Rest Tether

3. Raise the armrest and attach the tether hook to the strap located on the front of the arm
rest.
WARNING!
Do not install a child restraint in the center
position using the LATCH system. This position
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.
For typical installation instructions, see
Úpage 233.

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SAFETY233
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
Ú page 234 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. 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
Úpage 237 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.
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234SAFETY
Installing Child Restraints Using The
Vehicle 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. The seat belts in the 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 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 Ú
page 209.
Please see the table below and the following
sections for more information.
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 manufac -
turer’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.
WARNING!
Improper installation or failure to properly
secure a child restraint 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.

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SAFETY235
Lap/Shoulder Belt Systems For Installing
Child Restraints In This Vehicle

60/40 Second Row (5 Passenger) Automatic Locking
Retractor (ALR) Locations 60/40 Second Row (7 Passenger) Automatic Locking
Retractor (ALR) Locations Captain’s Chairs Second Row (6 Passenger) Automatic
Locking Retractor (ALR) Locations

ALR — Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor Top Tether Anchorage SymbolALR — Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor Top Tether Anchorage SymbolALR — Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor Top Tether Anchorage Symbol
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236SAFETY
Installing A Child Restraint With A
Switchable 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.
1. Place the child seat in the center of the
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.

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.
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 restraint, up to the
recommended weight limit of the child restraint.
Can the rear-facing child restraint touch the back of the
front passenger seat? YesContact between the front passenger seat and the
child restraint is allowed, if the child restraint
manufacturer also allows contact.
Can the rear head restraints be removed? No
Can the buckle stalk be twisted to tighten the seat belt
against the belt path of the child restraint? NoDo not twist the buckle stalk in a seating position with
an ALR retractor.
WARNING!
Improper installation or failure to properly
secure a child restraint 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.

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SAFETY237
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. For
directions to attach a tether anchor, see
Úpage 237.
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.
Installing Child Restraints Using The Top
Tether Anchorage

1. Look behind the seating position where you plan to install the child restraint to find the
tether anchorage. You may need to move the
seat forward to provide better access to the
tether anchorage. If there is no top tether
anchorage for that seating position, move the
child restraint to another position in the
vehicle if one is available.
2. To access the top tether strap anchorages
behind the rear seat, pull the carpeted floor
panel away from the seat back, this will expose
the top tether strap anchorages.

Pulling Down The Carpet Floor Panel To Access Top Tether Strap Anchorage (Five Passenger)
Pulling Down The Carpet Floor Panel To Access Top Tether Strap Anchorage (3rd Row Bench)

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 Ú page 226 for the
location of approved tether anchorages in your
vehicle.
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238SAFETY

Third Row Top Tether Strap Anchorage (Located On Seatback)

3. Route the tether strap to provide the most direct path for the strap between the anchor
and the child seat. If your vehicle is equipped
with adjustable rear head restraints, raise the
head restraint, and where possible, route the
tether strap under the head restraint and
between the two posts. If not possible, lower
the head restraint and pass the tether strap
around the outboard side of the head restraint.
4. For the center seating position, route the tether strap over the seatback and headrest
then attach the hook to the tether anchor
located on the back of the seat. 5. Attach the tether strap hook of the child
restraint to the top tether anchorage as shown
in the diagram.

Bench Seat Top Tether Strap Mounting (5 Passenger Seating)
Second Row Bench Seat Top Tether Strap Mounting (7 Passenger Seating) Third Row Seating Top Tether Strap Mounting
Captain’s Chair Top Tether Strap Mounting

6. Remove slack in the tether strap according to the child restraint manufacturer’s instructions.

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