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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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3-25
WARNING - Safety Belt Care
Safety belts should be inspected periodically for
excessive wear or damage. Pull out each belt
fully and look for excessive fraying, cuts, burns
or other damage. Make sure that the lap/shoul-
der belts return smoothly and easily into the
retractor. Check the latches to make sure they
latch and release without interference or delay.
Any belt not in good condition or in good work-
ing order should be promptly replaced.
CAUTION - Damage to Safety
Belts
Never close the doors on any part of the lap or
shoulder belt. It can damage the safety belt or
buckle which could increase the risk of injury in
case of an accident.
Restraint of Pregnant WomenPregnant women should wear lap/shoulder belt assem-
blies whenever possible according to specific recom-
mendations by their doctors. The lap portion of the
belt should be worn AS SNUGLY AND AS LOW AS
POSSIBLE.
WARNING - Pregnant Women
Pregnant women must never place the lap por-
tion of the safety belt over the area of the
abdomen where the fetus is located or above
the abdomen.
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Knowing Your Vehicle3-26
Many companies manufacture child restraint systems
(often called child seats) for infants and small children.
An acceptable child restraint system must always satis-
fy Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Make sure that any child restraint system you use in
your vehicle is labeled as complying with those safety
standards.
The child restraint system should be chosen to fit both
the size of the child and the size of the vehicle seat. Be
sure to follow any instructions provided by the child
restraint system manufacturer when installing the child
restraint system.
CAUTION - Hot Metal Parts
Safety belts and seats can become hot in a vehicle
that has been closed during warm/hot weather;
they could burn a child. Check seat covers and
buckles before you place a child anywhere near
them.
Restraint of Infants and Small ChildrenSmall children and infants should be restrained by an
approved child restraint system to help protect them
while riding in a vehicle.
Never allow a child to stand or kneel on the seat of a
moving vehicle. Never allow a safety belt to be placed
around both a child and an adult or around two chil-
dren at the same time.
WARNING - Children on Laps
Never hold a child on your lap or in your arms
in a moving vehicle. Even a very strong person
cannot hold onto a child in the event of even a
minor collision.
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3-27 Restraint of Large Children
As children grow, they may need to use new child
restraint systems, including larger child seats or boost-
er seats, which are appropriate for their increased size.
A child who has outgrown available child restraint sys-
tems should use the belts provided in the vehicle.
When seated in the rear outboard seats, the child
should be restrained by the lap/shoulder belt.
If the shoulder belt portion touches the child’s neck or
face, you can use some after-market devices made by
independent manufacturers which help pull the shoul-
der belt down and away from the child’s face or neck.
WARNING - Shoulder Belts
on Small Children
Never allow a shoulder belt to be in contact
with a child’s neck or face while the vehicle
is in motion.
If safety belts are not properly worn and
adjusted, the risk of death or serious injury
to such a child is high.
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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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3-33
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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