2009 Dodge Journey Owner's Manual - Page 77

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 75 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 seat belts in the passenger seating positions are equipped with either an 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 will make a ratcheting noise if you extract the entire belt from the retractor and then allow the belt to retract into the retractor. For additional information on ALR, refer to "Automatic Locking Mode" in this section. To install a child restraint, first, pull enough of the seat belt webbing from the retractor to route it through the belt path of the child restraint and slide the latch plate into the buckle. Next, extract all the seat belt webbing out of the retractor and then allow the belt to retract into the retractor. Finally, pull on any excess webbing to tighten the lap portion around the child restraint. Any seat belt system will loosen with time, so check the belt occasionally, and pull it tight if necessary. To attach a child restraint tether strap: • Route the tether strap to provide the most direct path for the strap between the anchor and the child seat, preferably between the head restraint posts underneath the head restraint. 2