Dodge 5500 Chassis Cab (2008 year). Instruction

Maintaining Your Airbag Systems

WARNING!

• Modifications to any part of the airbag system

could cause it to fail when you need it. You could be
injured because the airbags are not there to protect
you. Do not modify the components or wiring,
including adding any kind of badges or stickers to
the steering wheel hub trim cover or the upper right
side of the instrument panel. Do not modify the
front bumper, vehicle body structure, or frame.

• You need proper knee impact protection in a colli-

sion. Do not mount or locate any aftermarket equip-
ment on or behind the knee bolster.

• It is dangerous to try to repair any part of the airbag

system yourself. Be sure to tell anyone who works
on your vehicle that it has airbags.

NOTE:

Perchlorate Material – special handling may

apply, See www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate

Airbag Light

You will want to have the airbags ready to
inflate for your protection in an impact. While
the airbag system is designed to be mainte-
nance free, if any of the following occurs, have

an authorized dealer service the system promptly:

• The airbag light does not come on or flickers during

the 6 to 8 seconds when the ignition switch is first
turned on.

• The light remains on or flickers after the 6 to 8 second

interval.

• The light flickers or comes on and remains on while

driving.

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

NOTE:

If the speedometer, tachometer or any engine

related gauges are not working, the airbag control mod-
ule may also be disabled. The airbags may not be ready
to inflate for your protection. Promptly check fuse block
for blown fuses. Refer to the label located on the inside of
the fuse block cover for the proper airbag fuses. See your
dealer if the fuse is good.

Event Data Recorder (EDR)

In the event of an accident, your vehicle is designed to
record up to 5-seconds of specific vehicle data parameters
(see the following list) in an event data recorder prior to
the moment of airbag deployment, or near deployment,
and up to a quarter second of high-speed deceleration
data during and/or after airbag deployment. EDR data
are ONLY recorded if an airbag deploys, or nearly
deploys, and are otherwise unavailable.

NOTE:
1. A near-deployment event occurs when the airbag
sensor detects severe vehicle deceleration usually indica-
tive of a crash, but not severe enough to warrant airbag
deployment.

2. Under certain circumstances, EDR data may not be
recorded (e.g., loss of battery power).

In conjunction with other data gathered during a com-
plete accident investigation, the electronic data may be
used by DaimlerChrysler Corporation and others to learn
more about the possible causes of crashes and associated
injuries in order to assess and improve vehicle perfor-
mance. In addition to crash investigations initiated by
DaimlerChrysler Corporation, such investigations may
be requested by customers, insurance carriers, govern-
ment officials, and professional crash researchers, such as
those associated with universities, and with hospital and
insurance organizations.

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

In the event that an investigation is undertaken by
DaimlerChrysler Corporation (regardless of initiative),
the company or its designated representative will first
obtain permission of the appropriate custodial entity for
the vehicle (usually the vehicle owner or lessee) before
accessing the electronic data stored, unless ordered to
download data by a court with legal jurisdiction (i.e.,
pursuant to a warrant). A copy of the data will be
provided to the custodial entity upon request. General
data that does not identify particular vehicles or crashes
may be released for incorporation in aggregate crash
databases, such as those maintained by the US govern-
ment and various states. Data of a potentially sensitive
nature, such as would identify a particular driver, ve-
hicle, or crash, will be treated confidentially. Confidential
data will not be disclosed by DaimlerChrysler Corpora-
tion to any third party except when:

1. Used for research purposes, such as to match data
with a particular crash record in an aggregate database,
provided confidentiality of personal data is thereafter
preserved

2. Used

defense

litigation

involving

DaimlerChrysler Corporation product

3. Requested by police under a legal warrant

4. Otherwise required by law

Data Parameters that May Be Recorded:

• Diagnostic trouble code(s) and warning lamp status

for electronically-controlled safety systems, including
the airbag system

• Airbag disable lamp status (if equipped)
• 9Time9 of airbag deployment (in terms of ignition

cycles and vehicle mileage)

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

• Airbag deployment level (if applicable)
• Impact acceleration and angle
• Seatbelt status
• Brake status (service and parking brakes)
• Accelerator status (including vehicle speed)
• Engine control status (including engine speed)
• Transmission gear selection
• Cruise control status
• Traction/stability control status
• Tire pressure monitoring system status (if equipped)

Child Restraint

Everyone in your vehicle needs to be buckled up all the
time — babies and children, too. Every state in the United
States and all Canadian provinces require that small
children ride in proper restraint systems. This is the law,
and you can be prosecuted for ignoring it.

Children 12 years and under should ride properly buck-
led up in a rear seat, if available. According to crash
statistics, children are safer when properly restrained in
the rear seats rather than in the front.

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!

In a collision, an unrestrained child, even a tiny baby,
can become a missile inside the vehicle. The force
required to hold even an infant on your lap can
become so great that you could not hold the child, no
matter how strong you are. The child and others could
be badly injured. Any child riding in your vehicle
should be in a proper restraint for the child’s size.

Infants and Small Children
There are different sizes and types of restraints for
children from newborn size to the child almost large
enough for an adult safety belt. Use the restraint that is
correct for your child:

• Safety experts recommend that children ride

rearward-facing in the vehicle until they are at least
one year old and weigh at least 20 lbs (9 kg). Two types

of child restraints can be used rearward-facing: infant
carriers and

9convertible9 child seats. Both types of

child restraints are held in the vehicle by the lap/
shoulder belt.

• The infant carrier is only used rearward-facing in the

vehicle. It is recommended for children who weigh up
to about 20 lbs (9 kg).

9Convertible9 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 weigh more than 20 lbs (9 kg) but are
less than one year old.

• Rearward-facing child seats must NEVER be used in

the front seat of a vehicle with a front passenger airbag
(if equipped) unless the airbag is turned off. An airbag
deployment could cause severe injury or death to
infants in this position.

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

• Children who weigh more than 20 lbs (9 kg) and who

are older than one year can ride forward-facing in the
vehicle. Forward-facing child seats and convertible
child seats used in the forward-facing direction are for
children who weigh 20 to 40 lbs (9 to 18 kg) and who
are older than one year. These child seats are also held
in the vehicle by the lap/shoulder belt.

• The belt-positioning booster seat is for children weigh-

ing more than 40 lbs (18 kg), but who are still too small
to fit the vehicle’s seat belts properly. If the child
cannot sit with knees bent over the vehicle’s seat
cushion while the child’s back is against the seat back,
they should use a belt-positioning-booster seat. The
child and booster seat are held in the vehicle by the
lap/shoulder belt. (Some booster seats are equipped
with a front shield and are held in the vehicle by the
lap portion.) For further information refer to
www.seatcheck.org.

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 manufacturer’s directions ex-
actly when installing an infant or child restraint.

• A rearward facing child restraint should only be

used in a rear seat, or in the front seat if the
passenger’s front airbag is Off. If the airbag is left
On, a rearward facing child restraint in the front
seat may be struck by a deploying passenger
airbag (if equipped) which may cause severe or
fatal injury to the infant.

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Here are some tips for getting the most out of your child
restraint:

• Before buying any restraint system, make sure that it

has a label certifying that it meets all applicable Safety
Standards. We also recommend that you make sure
that you can install the child restraint in the vehicle
where you will use it before you buy it.

• The restraint must be appropriate for your child’s

weight and height. Check the label on the restraint for
weight and height limits.

• Carefully follow the instructions that come with the

restraint. If you install the restraint improperly, it may
not work when you need it.

• The passenger seat belts are equipped with Automatic

Locking Retractors (ALR), which are designed to keep
the lap portion tight around the child restraint so that
it is not necessary to use a locking clip.

Pull the belt from the retractor until there is enough to
allow you to pass through the child restraint and slide
the latch plate into the buckle. Then pull on the belt
until it is all removed from the retractor. Allow the belt
to return to the retractor, pulling on the excess web-
bing to tighten the lap portion about the child re-
straint. Refer to the

9Automatic Locking Retractors

(ALR) Mode

9 earlier in this section.

• 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 pulling and

pushing on the restraint loosens the belt, disconnect
the latch plate from the buckle, turn the latch plate

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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.

• Buckle the child into the seat according to the child

restraint manufacturer’s directions.

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

vehicle with the seat belt or remove it from the vehicle.
Do not leave it loose in the vehicle. In a sudden stop or
collision, it could strike the occupants or seat backs
and cause serious personal injury.

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 manufacturer’s directions exactly when installing
an infant or child restraint.

Lower Anchors and Tether for CHildren (LATCH)
Each vehicle is equipped with the child restraint anchor-
age system called LATCH, which stands for Lower
Anchors and Tether for CHildren. LATCH child restraint
anchorage systems are installed in the Standard Cab
passenger seat position and the Quad Cab rear seat
outboard positions. LATCH equipped seating positions
feature both lower anchor bars, located at the back of the
seat cushion, and tether strap anchorages, located behind
the seatback (refer to Child Restraint Tether Anchor later
in this section).

Identification dots are located above the standard cab
front seat lower anchorages as a guide for locating lower
anchors.

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

NOTE:

For children riding in the front seat of a Stan-

dard Cab model refer to the “Passenger Airbag On/Off
Switch” (If Equipped) located in this section.

Standard Cab Passenger Seat

Quad Cab Rear Outboard Seats

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Child restraint systems having attachments designed to
connect to the lower anchorages are now available. Child
restraints having tether straps and hooks for connection
to the seatback tether anchorage have been available for
some time. In fact, many child restraint manufacturers
will provide add-on tether strap kits for some of their
older products.

Because the lower anchorages are to be introduced to
passenger carrying vehicles over a period of years, child
restraint systems having attachments for those anchor-
ages will continue to have features for installation in
vehicles using the lap or lap/shoulder belt. They will also
have tether straps, and you are urged to take advantage
of all of the available attachments provided with your
child restraint in any vehicle.

NOTE:

When using the LATCH attaching system to

install a child restraint, please ensure that all seat belts
not being used for occupant restraints are stowed and out
of reach of children. It is recommended that before
installing the child restraint, buckle the seat belt so the
seat belt is tucked behind the child restraint and out of
reach. If the buckled seat belt interferes with the child
restraint installation, instead of tucking the seat belt
behind the child restraint, route the seat belt through the
child restraint belt path and then buckle it. This should
stow the seat belt out of the reach of an inquisitive child.
Remind all children in the vehicle that the seat belts are
not toys and should not be played with, and never leave
your child unattended in the vehicle.

NOTE:

If your child restraint seat is not LATCH com-

patible, install the restraint using the vehicle seat belting.

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Installing the Child Restraint System

WARNING!

Do not install child restraint systems equipped with
LATCH attachments in the center position of a Quad
Cab model rear seat. The LATCH anchorages in this
seat are designed for the two outboard seating posi-
tions only. A child may be placed in the rear center
seating position of a Quad Cab model using the seat
belt and child tether anchorage. Failure to follow this
may result in serious or fatal injury.

We urge that you carefully follow the directions of the
manufacturer when installing your child restraint. Many,
but not all, restraint systems will be equipped with
separate straps on each side, with each having a hook or
connector and a means for adjusting the tension in the
strap. Forward-facing toddler restraints and some
rearward-facing infant restraints will also be equipped

with a tether strap, a hook and means for adjusting the
tension in the strap.

In general, you will first loosen the adjusters on the lower
straps and tether straps so that you can more easily attach
the hook or connector to the lower anchorages and tether
anchorages. Then tighten all three straps as you push the
child restraint rearward and downward into the seat.

Not all child restraint systems will be installed as we
have described here. Again, carefully follow the instruc-
tions that come with the child restraint system.

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.

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Child Restraint Tether Anchor
Child restraints having tether straps and hooks for con-
nection to tether anchors have been available for some
time. In fact, many child restraint manufacturers will
provide add-on tether strap kits for their older products.
Regular Cab models of Ram Pickups have two tether
anchorages, one each behind the front center and right
seats. Quad Cab and Mega Cab models have three
anchorages, one behind each of the rear seats.

WARNING!

An incorrectly anchored tether strap could lead to
seat failure and injury to the child. In a collision, the
seat could come loose and allow the child to crash
into the inside of the vehicle or other passengers, or
even be thrown from the vehicle. Use only the anchor
positions directly behind the child seat to secure a
child restraint top tether strap. Follow the instruc-
tions below. See your dealer for help if necessary.

Tether Anchorage Points at the Right and Center
Front Seat (Regular Cab - All Seats)

1. Place the child restraint on the seat and adjust the tether
strap so that it will reach over the seat back under the head
restraint to the tether anchor directly behind the seat.

2. Lift the cover (if so equipped), and attach the hook to
the square opening in the sheet metal.

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

3. Install the child restraint and remove the slack in the
tether strap according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Multiple Child Restraint Installation Sequence -
(Quad Cab Rear Seats)

1. Obtain tether straps by raising the head restraints and
reaching between the rear glass and rear seat. The tether

strap may be retained with an elastic band. Accessibility to
the tether strap is greatly improved by raising the seat
cushion to the “up” position. Remove the elastic before use.
2. Place a child restraint on each outboard rear seat and
adjust the tether strap so that it will reach under the head
restraint to the tether anchor directly behind the seat and
then to the anchor directly behind the center rear seat.
3. Pass each tether strap hook under the head restraint
and through the loop of webbing behind the child seat.
4. Route each tether strap to the anchor behind the center
seat, and attach the hooks to the metal ring.
5. Place a child restraint on the center rear seat and
adjust the tether strap so that it will reach under the head
restraint to the tether anchor directly behind the seat and
to the anchor directly behind the right seat.
6. Install each child restraint and remove the slack in the
tether strap according to the child restraint manufactur-
er’s instructions.

Regular Cab Tether Strap Mounting

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Tether Anchorage Points at All Three Seating
Positions (Mega Cab)

1. Place the child restraint on the seat and adjust the
tether strap so that it will reach over the seat back under
the head restraint to the tether anchor directly behind the
seat.

2. Lift the cover, and attach the hook to the square
opening in the sheet metal.

3. Install the child restraint and remove the slack in the
tether strap according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Mega Cab Tether Strap Mounting

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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
seat back should use the lap/shoulder belt in a rear seat.

• Make sure that the child is upright in the seat.
• The lap portion should be low on the hips and as snug

as possible.

• Check belt fit periodically. 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.

NEW ENGINE BREAK-IN

5.7L Gas Engine

A long break-in period is not required for the engine in
your new vehicle. Drive moderately during the first 300
miles (500 km). After the initial 60 miles (100 km), speeds
up to 50 or 55 mph (80 or 90 km/h) are desirable. While
cruising, brief full-throttle acceleration, within the limits
of local traffic laws, contributes to a good break-in.

Avoid wide open throttle acceleration in low gear.

The engine oil installed in the engine at the factory is a
high quality, energy conserving type lubricant. Oil
changes should be consistent with the anticipated cli-
matic conditions under which vehicle operation will
occur. The recommended viscosity and quality grades are
discussed in Section 7 under Maintenance Procedures,
Engine Oil.

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Dodge 5500 Chassis Cab (2008 year). Instruction - part 4