Dodge Ram 2500 (2016 year). Manual

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)

Rear-Facing

Child Restraint

More than

65 lbs (29.5 kg)

Forward-Facing

Child Restraint

Up to 65 lbs

(29.5 kg)

Forward-Facing

Child Restraint

More than

65 lbs (29.5 kg)

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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.

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

LATCH Positions For Installing Child Restraints In
This Vehicle

Regular Cab

•

Lower Anchorage Symbol – 2 anchorages per

seating position

•

Top Tether Anchorage Symbol

Quad Cab/Crew Cab/Mega Cab 60/40 Split Bench

•

Lower Anchorage Symbol - 2 anchorages per

seating position

•

Top Tether Anchorage Symbol

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Quad Cab/Crew Cab Full Bench

•

Lower Anchorage Symbol 2 anchorages per

seating position

•

Top Tether Anchorage Symbol

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Frequently Asked Questions About Installing Child Restraints With LATCH

What is the weight limit (child’s

weight + weight of the child re-

straint) for using the LATCH an-

chorage 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?

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 anchorages?

Full bench rear seat only: Use the

seat belt and tether anchor to in-

stall a child seat in the center seat-

ing position.

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Frequently Asked Questions About Installing Child Restraints With LATCH

Can two child restraints be at-
tached using a common lower

LATCH anchorage?

Never “share” a LATCH anchorage

with two or more child restraints.

If the center position does not have

dedicated LATCH lower anchor-

ages, use the seat belt to install a

child seat in the center position

next to a child seat using the

LATCH anchorages in an outboard

position.

Can the rear-facing child restraint

touch the back of the front passen-

ger 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 re-

straint owner’s manual for more

information.

Can the head restraints be re-

moved?

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Locating LATCH Anchorages

The lower anchorages are round bars that are
found at the rear of the seat cushion where it
meets 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.

Locating Tether Anchorages

Regular Cab models have tether strap anchor-
ages behind the front center and right seats.

Quad Cab/Mega Cab/Crew Cab Rear Outboard Seats

Driver Side

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Quad Cab, Mega Cab and Crew Cab models have tether
strap anchorages located behind each of the rear seats.

1 — Tether Strap Hook
2 — Tether Strap To Child Restraint
3 — Tether Anchor

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

Regular Cab Tether Anchorages

Mega Cab Tether Anchorages (Behind Covers)

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 — Regular Cab/Quad
Cab/Crew Cab Full Bench

WARNING!

• Do not install a child restraint in the center posi-

tion 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. Please refer to

ⴖInstalling

Child Restraints Using the LATCH Lower Anchor-
ages

ⴖ in the section ⴖInstalling Child Restraintsⴖ for

typical installation instructions.

Center Seat LATCH — Quad Cab/Mega Cab/Crew
Cab Split Bench

If a child restraint installed in the center position blocks
the seat belt webbing or buckle for the outboard position,
do not use that outboard position. If a child seat in the
center position blocks the outboard LATCH anchors or
seat belt, do not install a child seat in that outboard
position.

WARNING!

Never use the same lower anchorage to attach more
than one child restraint. Please refer to

ⴖInstalling

Child Restraints Using the LATCH Lower Anchor-
ages

ⴖ in the section ⴖInstalling Child Restraintsⴖ for

typical installation instructions.

100

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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

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.

1. 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.

2. 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 child seat.

3. Attach the lower hooks or connectors of the child

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

4. 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.

5. 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.

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

101

6. 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 Seat Belt:

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
with it and accidentally lock the seat belt 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 seat belt. 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 the re-
straint. The child could be badly injured or killed.
Follow the child restraint manufacturer’s directions
exactly 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.

102

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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

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. Refer to the “Automatic Locking
Mode” description under “Occupant Restraints” for ad-
ditional information on ALR. The cinching latch plate is
designed to hold the lap portion of the seat belt tight
when webbing is pulled tight and straight through a
child restraint’s belt path.

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

103

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

Regular Cab

• ALR = Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor
• Cinch = Cinching Latch Plate
•

Top Tether Anchorage Symbol

Quad Cab/Mega Cab/Crew Cab

• ALR = Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor
• Cinch = Cinching Latch Plate
•

Top Tether Anchorage Symbol

104

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Lap/Shoulder Belt Systems

Frequently Asked Questions About Installing Child Restraints With Seat Belts

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?

Head restraints may not be removed.

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

retractor.

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

105

Installing A Child Restraint With A Switchable
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)

1. Place the child seat in the center of the 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 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 web-
bing. 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

106

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

strap. See the section “Installing Child Restraints
Using the Top Tether Anchorage” 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 A Child Restraint With A Cinching
Latch Plate (CINCH) — If Equipped:

1. Place the child seat in the center of the seating

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. Next, 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. 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.

5. 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

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

107

Dodge Ram 2500 (2016 year). Manual - part 6