2007 Dodge Charger Owner's Manual - Page 57

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 57 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 exactly when installing an infant or child restraint. Installing Child Restraints Using the Vehicle Seat belt The passenger seat belts are equipped with either cinching latch plates or automatic locking retractors, which are designed to keep the lap portion tight around the child restraint so that it is not necessary to use a locking clip. Pulling up on the shoulder portion of the lap/shoulder belt will tighten the belt. The cinching latch plate will keep the belt tight, however, any seat belt system will loosen with time, so check the belt occasionally, and pull it tight if necessary. Seat belts with an automatic locking retractor have a distinctive label on the seat belt webbing. The seat belt must be in the automatic locking mode in order to enable a child restraint to be tightly installed. Refer to "Automatic Locking Mode" in this section for details. A locking clip should not be necessary once the automatic locking feature is enabled. Position the shoulder and lap belt on the child restraint. The automatic locking retractor is activated by first attaching the child seat, then pulling all of the webbing out of the retractor, then allowing back in. Tighten webbing. To release, simply unbuckle the seat belt by depressing the button, allowing the webbing to retract into the retractor. In the rear seat, you may have trouble tightening the lap/shoulder belt on the child restraint because the buckle or latch plate is too close to the belt path opening on the restraint. Disconnect the latch plate from the buckle and twist the short buckle-end belt several times to shorten it. Insert the latch plate into the buckle with the release button facing out. If the belt still can't be tightened, or if by pulling and pushing on the restraint loosens the belt, you may need to do something more. Disconnect the latch plate from the buckle, turn the buckle around, and insert the latch plate into the buckle again. If you still can't make the child restraint secure, try a different seating position. 2