SAFETY155
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.
When your child restraint is not in use, secure
it in the vehicle with the seat belt or LATCH
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.
WARNING!
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.
6
22_VM_OM_EN_USC_t.book Page 155
SAFETY157
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.
LATCH Positions For Installing Child
Restraints In This Vehicle — Vehicles
Equipped With Rear Seating
Lower Anchor / Top Tether Locations —
Vehicle With Rear Seat
Lower Anchorage Symbol (2 Anchorages Per
Seating Position)
Top Tether Anchorage Symbol
6
22_VM_OM_EN_USC_t.book Page 157
158SAFETY
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? No
Use the seat belt and tether anchor to install a
child seat in the center seating position.
22_VM_OM_EN_USC_t.book Page 158
160SAFETY
Locating The LATCH Anchorages —
Vehicles Equipped With Rear Seating
The lower anchorages are round bars
that are found at the rear of the seat
cushion where it meets the seatback,
below the anchorage symbols on 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.
LATCH Anchorages
Locating The Upper Tether Anchorages —
Vehicles Equipped With Rear Seating
There are tether strap anchorages
behind each rear seating position
located on the back of the seat.
Tether Anchorage Locations
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.
Center Seat LATCH
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.
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. See
Ú page 161 for typical installation instruc -
tions.
22_VM_OM_EN_USC_t.book Page 160
162SAFETY
Installing Child Restraints Using The
Vehicle Seat Belt In Vehicles With Rear
Seating
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 143.
Lap/Shoulder Belt Systems For Installing
Child Restraints In This Vehicle
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) Locations —
Vehicle With Rear Seating
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.
ALR — Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor
Top Tether Anchorage Symbol
22_VM_OM_EN_USC_t.book Page 162
164SAFETY
Installing A Child Restraint With A
Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor
(ALR) — Vehicles Equipped With Rear
Seating:
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.
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
Úpage 164 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.
Installing Child Restraints Using The Top
Tether Anchorage
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.
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 157 for the
location of approved tether anchorages in your
vehicle.
22_VM_OM_EN_USC_t.book Page 164
166SAFETY
Installing Child Restraints Using The
Vehicle Seat Belt In Vehicles Without Rear
Seating
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 belt in the passenger seating position is
equipped with a Switchable Automatic Locking
Retractor (ALR). This seat belt 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 143.
Lap/Shoulder Belt Systems For Installing
Child Restraints (Commercial Vehicle)
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) Locations For Front
Bucket Seats
Installing A Child Restraint With A
Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor
(ALR) — Vehicles Not Equipped With Rear
Seating:
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.
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.
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.
ALR — Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor
Top Tether Anchorage Symbol
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.
22_VM_OM_EN_USC_t.book Page 166
168SAFETY
SAFETY TIPS
TRANSPORTING PASSENGERS
NEVER TRANSPORT PASSENGERS IN THE CARGO
AREA.
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 (if
equipped) in pet harnesses or pet carriers that are
secured by seat belts.
SAFETY CHECKS YOU SHOULD MAKE
I
NSIDE 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.
If your vehicle is involved in a collision, or if you
have questions regarding the seat belt or retractor
conditions, take your vehicle to an authorized FCA
dealer or authorized FCA Certified Collision Care
Program facility for inspection.
Air Bag Warning Light
The Air Bag Warning Light will turn on for
four to eight seconds as a bulb check
when the ignition switch is first placed in
the on ON/RUN position. If the light is
either not on during starting, stays on, or turns on
while driving, have the system inspected at an
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 an authorized
dealer service the vehicle immediately
Ú
page 137.
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 an 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
accelerator, brake or clutch pedals or impair safe
operation of your vehicle in other ways.
WARNING!
Do not leave children or animals inside parked
vehicles in hot weather. Interior heat buildup
may cause serious injury or death.
It is extremely 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.
Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat
and using a seat belt properly.
22_VM_OM_EN_USC_t.book Page 168