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Knowing Your Vehicle3-24
WARNING -Safety Belt Usage
Each seating position in your vehicle has a spe-
cific safety belt assembly which includes a
buckle and tongue that are designed to be used
together. 1) Use the shoulder belt on the out-
side shoulder only. Never wear the shoulder
belt under the arm. 2) Never swing the safety
belt around your neck to fit over the inside
shoulder. 3) Never use a single belt for more
than one person.
WARNING - After a Collision
Lap/shoulder belt assemblies may be
stretched or damaged when subjected to the
stress and forces of a collision.
The entire restraint system should be
inspected following any collision. All belts,
retractors, anchors and hardware damaged
by a collision should be replaced before the
vehicle is operated again.
The rear outboard safety belts have been designed to
allow a child restraint to be used in these positions
without an added locking clip. These safety belts nor-
mally lock only under extreme or emergency condi-
tions (this is the emergency lock mode which uses the
locking retractor). However, they can be adjusted so
that they remain fixed and locked when a child
restraint is placed in those positions (this auto lock
mode should only be used to secure a child restraint).
The driver’s safety belt can only operate in the emer-
gency lock mode.
WARNING -Twisted Safety Belts
Never drive or ride with a twisted or jammed
safety belt. If you cannot untwist or unjam the
safety belt, see your Kia dealer immediately.
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Knowing Your Vehicle3-28Placement of a Child Restraint System
We recommend that, whenever possible, you put the
child restraint system in the center position of the rear
seat and secure it to the vehicle with the lap belt.
If the center rear seat is not available, or you are using
more than one child restraint system in the vehicle at
the same time, the rear outboard safety belts have been
designed to allow a child restraint system to be used in
these positions. Since those seats normally lock only
under extreme or emergency conditions (emergency
lock mode) you must manually adjust those belts to the
auto lock mode.Installing a Child Restraint System in the Rear
Outboard Seats
2MS103005
WARNING - Child Restraints
Children will be endangered in a crash if
their child restraint systems are not proper-
ly secured by the safety belts in the vehicle.
According to accident statistics, children are
safer when properly restrained in the rear
seating positions rather than the front seat-
ing positions.
When a child restraint system is not secured
by a safety belt, store it in the trunk so that
it will not be thrown forward in the event of
a sudden stop or accident.
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3-29
For safety reasons, we recommend that the child
restraint system be used in the center rear seat. If the
center rear seat is unavailable, a child restraint may be
installed in the rear outboard seats.
WARNING - Restraint Instructions
Failure to observe this manual’s instructions
regarding child restraint systems and the
instructions provided with the child restraint
system could increase the chance and/or severi-
ty of injury in an accident.
Since all three of these safety belts move freely under
normal conditions and only lock under extreme or
emergency conditions (emergency lock mode) you
must manually adjust these belts to the auto lock mode
(if equipped) to secure a child restraint.
The driver’s safety belt incorporates the emergency
lock mode only.
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Knowing Your Vehicle3-30
Placing a Passenger Safety Belt into the
“Auto Lock” Mode (If Equipped)
The use of the auto lock mode will ensure that the nor-
mal movement of the child in the vehicle does not
cause the safety belt to be pulled out and loosen the
firmness of its hold on the child restraint.
To secure a child restraint in the front passenger seat or
rear outboard seats, follow the procedure below.
1. Place the child restraint system in the seat and route
the lap/shoulder belt around or through the
restraint, following the restraint manufacturer’s
instructions. Be sure the belt webbing is not twist-
ed.
WARNING - Child Restraint
Placement
NEVER use a child restraint in the front pas-
senger seat. A child in a child restraint installed
in the front passenger seat can be severely or
fatally injured by an air bag which could
impact the child restraint with great force when
the air bag inflates.
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3-31
3. Grasp the shoulder portion of the belt and pull
downward until the entire belt is extracted. When
the belt is fully extracted, the retractor changes to
the automatic locking mode (child restraint mode).
2. Insert the lap/shoulder belt latch into the buckle.
Listen for the distinct “click” sound.
Position the release button so that it is easy to access
in case of an emergency.
AS2B03017
AN7B03026
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Knowing Your Vehicle3-32
5. Before placing the child in the child restraint,
forcibly try to push the seat from side to side and
forward to make sure that the seat is securely held
in place.
6. Double check that the retractor is in the automatic
locking mode by trying to pull the shoulder portion
of the safety belt out of the retractor. If you cannot
pull the belt out of the retractor, it is in the auto-
matic locking mode. If you can, repeat step 4.
To remove the child restraint, press the release button
on the buckle and then pull the lap/shoulder belt out of
the restraint and allow the safety belt to retract fully.
AN7B03028
4. Slowly allow the belt to retract. Pull up on the
shoulder webbing. A “clicking” or “ratcheting”
sound will be heard as the belt retracts. This indi-
cates the retractor is now in the automatic locking
mode. Push down on the child restraint while you
pull up on the belt in order to remove any slack in
the belt.
AN7B03027
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3-33
Installing a Child Restraint in the Rear Center Seat
(If Equipped)
To install a child restraint in the rear center seat, do the
following:
1. Place the child restraint in the desired position.
Route the lap belt through the restraint according to
the seat manufacturer’s instructions.
2. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle until an audi-
ble “click” is heard, indicating the belt is locked in
the buckle.
3. Adjust the lap safety belt for a snug hold on the child
restraint by pulling on the loose end of the belt.
To return the safety belt retractor to the emergency
lock mode, allow the seat belt to retract fully to its
stowed position. The retractor will then automatically
switch back to the emergency lock mode for normal
adult usage.
WARNING - Auto Lock Mode
The lap/shoulder belt automatically returns to
the “emergency lock mode” whenever the belt
is allowed to retract fully. Therefore, the pre-
ceding six steps must be followed each time a
child restraint is installed.
If the safety belt is not placed in the “auto
lock” mode, severe injury or death could occur
to the child and/or other occupants in the vehi-
cle in a collision, since the child seat will not be
effectively held in place.
2MS103006
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Knowing Your Vehicle3-383. Insert the tongue plate into the open end of the
buckle until an audible “click” is heard, indicating
the belt is locked in the buckle.
2BLA372A
4. Position the lap portion of the belt across your lap
as LOW ON THE HIPS as possible to reduce the
risk of sliding under it during an accident. Adjust
the belt to a SNUG FIT by pulling up on the shoul-
der portion of the safety belt. The belt retractor
applies tension to the belt in order to take up excess
webbing automatically and to maintain tension on
the belt. For maximum safety, do not put any
excess slack into the safety belt.
1GQA2086A
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