154SAFETY
OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
Some of the most important safety features in your
vehicle are the restraint systems:
OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
F
EATURES
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 an authorized 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 the rear seat of a
vehicle with a rear seat.
2. A child who is not big enough to wear the vehicle seat belt properly must be secured in
the appropriate child restraint or belt-positioning booster seat in a rear seating
position Ú
page 168.
3. 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 as far
back as possible and use the proper child
restraint Ú page 168.
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.
8. Do not lean against the door or window. If your vehicle has side air bags, and deployment
occurs, the side air bags will inflate forcefully
into the space between occupants and the
door and occupants could be injured.
9. If the air bag system in this vehicle needs to be modified to accommodate a disabled person,
see Úpage 253 for customer service contact
information.
SEAT BELT SYSTEMS
Buckle up even though you are an excellent driver,
even on short trips. Someone on the road may be
a poor driver and could cause a collision that
includes you. This can happen far away from home
or on your own street.
Research has shown that seat belts save lives, and
they can reduce the seriousness of injuries in a
collision. Some of the worst injuries happen when
people are thrown from the vehicle. Seat belts
reduce the possibility of ejection and the risk of
injury caused by striking the inside of the vehicle.
Everyone in a motor vehicle should be belted at all
times.
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.
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.
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160SAFETY
Front Bench Seat: Switchable 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
automatically 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.
How To Engage The Automatic Locking Mode
1. Buckle the combination lap and shoulder belt.
2. Grab the shoulder portion and pull downward
until the entire 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.
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.
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!
The seat belt assembly must be replaced if the
switchable 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.
22_VF_OM_EN_USC_t.book Page 160
172SAFETY
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.
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. 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.
SAFETY TIPS
TRANSPORTING PASSENGERS
NEVER TRANSPORT PASSENGERS IN THE
CARGO AREA.
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 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_VF_OM_EN_USC_t.book Page 172
SAFETY173
(Continued)
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.
CONNECTED VEHICLES
Privacy of any wireless and wired communications
cannot be assured. Third parties may unlawfully
intercept information and private communications
without your consent. For further information, refer to
“Data Collection & Privacy” in your Uconnect Owner’s
Manual Supplement or “Onboard Diagnostic System
(OBD II) Cybersecurity”
Ú
page 119.
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 MAR (ACC/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 154.
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!
It is not possible to know or to predict all of the
possible outcomes if your vehicle’s systems are
breached. It may be possible that vehicle
systems, including safety related systems, could
be impaired or a loss of vehicle control could
occur that may result in an accident involving
serious injury or death.
WARNING!
An improperly attached, damaged, folded,
or stacked floor mat, or damaged floor mat
fasteners may cause your floor mat to interfere
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.
6
22_VF_OM_EN_USC_t.book Page 173
188IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
(Continued)
Using The Mode Select Knob And Hoses
Your Tire Service Kit is equipped with the following
symbols to indicate the air or sealant mode.
Selecting Air Mode Push in the Mode Select Knob (2) and
turn to this position for air pump oper -
ation only. Use the Black Air Pump
Hose (5) when selecting this mode.
Selecting Sealant Mode
Push in the Mode Select Knob (2) and
turn to this position to inject the Tire
Service Kit Sealant and to inflate the
tire. Use the Sealant Hose (3) when
selecting this mode.
Using The Power Button
Push and release the Power Button (1)
once to turn on the Tire Service Kit.
Push and release the Power Button (1)
again to turn Off the Tire Service Kit.
Using The Deflation Button Push the Deflation Button (9) to
reduce the air pressure in the tire if it
becomes overinflated.
TIRE SERVICE KIT USAGE PRECAUTIONS
Replace the Tire Service Kit Sealant Bottle (4)
and Sealant Hose (3) prior to the expiration date
(printed at the upper right hand corner on the
bottle label) to assure optimum operation of the
system Ú page 191.
Tire Service Kit Sealant Expiration Date Location
The Sealant Bottle (4) and Sealant Hose (3) are
a one tire application use and need to be
replaced after each use. Always replace these
components immediately at your original equip -
ment vehicle dealer.
When the Tire Service Kit sealant is in a liquid
form, clean water and a damp cloth will remove
the material from the vehicle or tire and wheel
components. Once the sealant dries, it can
easily be peeled off and properly discarded.
For optimum performance, make sure the valve
stem on the wheel is free of debris before
connecting the Tire Service Kit.
You can use the Tire Service Kit air pump to
inflate bicycle tires. The kit also comes with two
needles, located in the Accessory Storage
Compartment (on the bottom of the air pump)
for inflating sport balls, rafts, or similar inflat -
able items. However, use only the Air Pump
Hose (5) and make sure the Mode Select Knob
(2) is in the Air Mode when inflating such items
to avoid injecting sealant into them. The Tire
Service Kit Sealant is only intended to seal
punctures less than 1/4 inch (6 mm) diameter
in the tread of your tire.
Do not lift or carry the Tire Service Kit by the
hoses.
WARNING!
Do not attempt to seal a tire on the side of the
vehicle closest to traffic. Pull far enough off
the road to avoid the danger of being hit when
using the Tire Service Kit.
Do not use Tire Service Kit or drive the vehicle
under the following circumstances:
If the puncture in the tire tread is approxi -
mately 1/4 inch (6 mm) or larger.
If the tire has any sidewall damage.
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