Dodge Avenger (2014 year). Instruction — part 5

Summary Of Recommendations For Restraining Children In Vehicles

Child Size, Height, Weight or Age

Recommended Type of Child

Restraint

Infants and Toddlers

Children who are two years old or

younger and who have not reached

the height or weight limits of their

child restraint

Either an Infant Carrier or a Convert-

ible Child Restraint, facing rearward in

the rear seat of the vehicle

Small Children

Children who are at least two years

old or who have out-grown the height

or weight limit of their rear-facing

child restraint

Forward-Facing Child Restraint with a

five-point Harness, facing forward in

the rear seat of the vehicle

Larger Children

Children who have out-grown their

forward-facing child restraint, but are

too small to properly fit the vehicle’s

seat belt

Belt Positioning Booster Seat and the

vehicle seat belt, seated in the rear seat

of the vehicle

Children Too Large for

Child Restraints

Children 12 years old or younger, who

have out-grown the height or weight

limit of their booster seat

Vehicle Seat Belt, seated in the rear

seat of the vehicle

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Infants And Child Restraints

Safety experts recommend that children ride rearward-
facing in the vehicle until they are two years old or until
they reach either the height or weight limit of their rear
facing child safety seat. Two types of child restraints can
be used rearward-facing: infant carriers and convertible
child seats.

The infant carrier is only used rearward-facing in the
vehicle. It is recommended for children from birth until
they reach the weight or height limit of the infant carrier.
Convertible child seats can be used either rearward-
facing or forward-facing in the vehicle. Convertible child
seats often have a higher weight limit in the rearward-
facing direction than infant carriers do, so they can be
used rearward-facing by children who have outgrown
their infant carrier but are still less than at least two years
old. Children should remain rearward-facing until they

reach the highest weight or height allowed by their
convertible child seat.

WARNING!

• Never place a rear facing infant seat in front of an

air bag. A deploying Passenger Advanced Front Air
Bag can cause death or serious injury to a child 12
years or younger, including a child in a rearward
facing infant seat.

• Only use a rearward-facing child restraint in a

vehicle with a rear seat.

Older Children And Child Restraints

Children who are two years old or who have outgrown
their rear-facing convertible child seat can ride forward-
facing in the vehicle. Forward-facing child seats and
convertible child seats used in the forward-facing direc-
tion are for children who are over two years old or who

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have outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit of
their rear-facing convertible child seat. Children should
remain in a forward-facing child seat with a harness for
as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height
allowed by the child seat.

All children whose weight or height is above the
forward-facing limit for the child seat should use a
belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle’s seat belts
fit properly. If the child cannot sit with knees bent over
the vehicle’s seat cushion while the child’s back is against
the seatback, they should use a belt-positioning booster
seat. The child and belt-positioning booster seat are held
in the vehicle by the seat belt.

WARNING!

• Improper installation can lead to failure of an

infant or child restraint. It could come loose in a
collision. The child could be badly injured or
killed. Follow the child restraint manufacturer’s
directions exactly when installing an infant or
child restraint.

• When your child restraint is not in use, secure it in

the vehicle with the seat belt or LATCH anchor-
ages, 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.

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

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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 they are still sitting all the
way back?

3. Does the shoulder belt cross the child’s shoulder

between their neck and arm?

4. Is the lap part of the belt as low as possible, touching

the child’s thighs and not their 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 belt fit peri-
odically 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. Never
allow a child to put the shoulder belt under an arm or
behind their back.

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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Recommendations For Attaching Child Restraints

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)

X

X

Rear-Facing

Child Restraint

More than

65 lbs (29.5 kg)

X

Forward-Facing

Child Restraint

Up to 65 lbs

(29.5 kg)

X

X

Forward-Facing

Child Restraint

More than

65 lbs (29.5 kg)

X

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Lower Anchors And Tethers For Children (LATCH)
Restraint System

Your vehicle is equipped with the child restraint anchor-
age 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.

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LATCH Positions For Installing Child Restraints In
This Vehicle

•

Lower Anchorage Symbol 2 anchorages per seat-

ing position

•

Top Tether Anchorage Symbol

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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 an-

chorage 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?

No

Do not use the seat belt when you use the

LATCH anchorage system to attach a rear-

facing or forward-facing child restraint.

Can a child seat be installed in the center

position using the inner LATCH lower an-

chorages?

Yes

You can install child restraints with flexible

lower anchors in the center position. The

inner anchorages are 15.4 inches (392 mm)

apart. Do not install child restraints with

rigid lower anchors in the center position.

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Can two child restraints be attached using a

common lower LATCH anchorage?

No

Never “share” a LATCH anchorage with two

or more child restraints. If the center posi-

tion 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 out-

board position.

Can the rear-facing child restraint touch the

back of the front passenger seat?

Yes

The 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 instruction for more in-

formation.

Can the head restraints be removed?

No

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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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, below the anchorage sym-
bols 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.

Rear Seat LATCH Anchorages

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Locating The LATCH Anchorages

In addition, there are tether strap anchorages
behind each rear seating position located in the
panel between the rear seatback and the rear
window. They are found under a plastic cover

with the tether anchorage symbol on it.

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 infant restraints will also be equipped with a

Tether Strap Anchorages

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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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

Do not install child restraints with rigid lower attach-
ments in the center seating position. Only install this type
of child restraint in the outboard seating positions. Child
restraints with flexible, webbing mounted lower attach-
ments can be installed in any rear seating position.

WARNING!

Never use the same lower anchorage to attach more
than one child restraint. If you are installing LATCH-
compatible child restraints next to each other, you
must use the seat belt for the center position. You can
then use either the LATCH anchors or the vehicle’s

(Continued)

WARNING! (Continued)

seat belt for installing child seats in the outboard
positions. Please refer to “Installing The LATCH-
Compatible Child Restraint System” for typical in-
stallation instructions.

Always follow the directions of the child restraint manu-
facturer when installing your child restraint. Not all child
restraint systems will be installed as described here.

To Install A LATCH-compatible Child Restraint

1. If the selected seating position has a Switchable Auto-

matic 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.

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2. 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.

3. Place the child seat between the lower anchorages for

that seating position. For some second row seats, you
may need to recline the seat and/or raise the head
restraint 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 car seat.

4. Attach the lower hooks or connectors of the child

restraint to the lower anchorages in the selected seat-
ing position.

5. 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 direc-
tions to attach a tether anchor.

6. 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 manufac-
turer’s instructions.

7. 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 ALR Seatbelt

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

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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

with it and accidentally lock the seatbelt 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 seatbelt. 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 an infant
or child restraint. The child could be badly injured
or killed. Follow the manufacturer’s directions ex-
actly when installing an infant or child restraint.

• Child restraint anchorages are designed to with-

stand 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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Installing Child Restraints Using The Vehicle Seat
Belt

The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are
equipped with either a Switchable Automatic Locking
Retractor (ALR) or a cinching latch plate or both. Both types
of seat belts are 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 web-
bing 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. For additional information on ALR, refer to the
“Automatic Locking Mode” description under “Occupant
Restraints”. The cinching latch plate is designed to hold the
lap portion of the seatbelt tight when webbing is pulled
tight and straight through a child restraint’s belt path.
Please see the following table(s) and the following sections
for more information about both types of seat belts.

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

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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

Restraint

Always 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?

Yes

Contact between the front passenger seat

and the child restraint is allowed, if the child

restraint manufacturer also allows contact.

Can the head restraints be removed?

No

Can the buckle stalk be twisted to tighten

the seat belt against the belt path of the child

restraint?

Yes

In positions with cinching latch plates

(CINCH), the buckle stalk may be twisted
up to 3 full turns. Do not twist the buckle

stalk in a seating position with an ALR re-

tractor.

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