2006 KIA Sorento Owner's Manual

Center Armrest
This armrest is located in the center
of the rear seatback. Pull the armrest
down using the strap provided on the
armrest.
KNOWING YOUR VEHICLE3-24
S2BLB301F
CAUTION
Do not remove the floor carpet
in your vehicle. Emission con-
trol system components cause
high exhaust temperatures
under the floor.
WARNING
- Cargo
Cargo should always be
secured to prevent it from shift-
ing and causing injury to the
vehicle occupants.
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SAFETY BELTSPre-tensioner Seat Belt
Your vehicle is equipped with driver’s
and front passenger’s pre-tensioner
safety belts. The purpose of the pre-
tensioner is to pull the safety belt
snugly against the occupant’s body in
certain frontal collisions.
The pre-tensioner safety belts will
activate, along with the airbags, when
a frontal collision is severe enough.When the vehicle stops suddenly, or
if the occupant tries to lean forward
too quickly, the seat belt retractor will
lock into position. However, in certain
frontal collisions, the pre-tensioner
will also activate and pull the seat belt
into tighter contact against the occu-
pant’s body.The safety belt pre-tensioner system
consists mainly of the following com-
ponents.
Their locations are shown in the illus-
tration.
1. SRS airbag warning light.
2. Seat belt pre-tensioner assembly.
3. SRS control module.
KNOWING YOUR VEHICLE
3-25
SBS403100
S2BLD312
2
3
1
Passenger’s
side airbag
Driver’s side airbag
WARNING
To obtain maximum benefit
from a pre-tensioner, safety belt
must be worn correctly.
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Safety Belt Restraint System
KNOWING YOUR VEHICLE3-26
CAUTION
 When the pre-tensioner safety
belts are activated, a loud
noise may be heard and fine
powder, which may appear to
be smoke, may be visible in the
passenger compartment. The
powder is not toxic.
 The powder may cause skin
irritation and should not be
breathed for prolonged peri-
ods. Wash your hands and face
thoroughly after an accident in
which such powder has been
released.
 If the pre-tensioner seat belt is
not working properly, the airbag
warning light will illuminate,
since both devices are on the
same electrical circuit. If the
SRS airbag warning light does
not blink when the ignition key
is turned to “ON” or “ACC”, or if
it remains illuminated for more
than 6 seconds, or if it illumi-
nates while the vehicle is being
driven, please have an author-
ized Kia dealer inspect the sys-
tem as soon as possible.
WARNING- Pretentioner Repair or
Replacement
 Pre-tensioners are designed
to operate once. After activa-
tion, pre-tensioner safety
belts must be replaced.
 Do not attempt to inspect,
repair or replace the pre-ten-
sioner safety belts yourself.
You can permanently damage
the system.
WARNING
- Safety Belts
To minimize the risk of serious
or fatal injury in an accident, the
driver and all passengers
should use the appropriate
safety restraints for their age
and size. The presence of
airbags does not change the
need to be properly restrained
by a safety belt or size-appro-
priate child restraint. In fact,
airbags can work properly when
passengers are correctly
restrained in the vehicle. Be
sure you are familiar with the
information in this section,
including the information on
infant and child restraints.
Read the safety warnings on the
sun visors.
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We strongly recommend that the
driver and all passengers be properly
restrained at all times by using the
safety belts provided with the vehicle.
Proper use of the safety belts
decreases the risk of severe injury or
death in accidents or sudden stops.
In most states, and in Canada, the
law requires their use.
Inertial locks in the safety belt retrac-
tors allow all of the lap/shoulder safe-
ty belts to remain unlocked during
normal vehicle operation.
This allows the occupants some free-
dom of movement and increased
comfort while using the safety belts. If
a force is applied to the vehicle, such
as a strong stop, a sharp turn, or a
collision, the safety belt retractors will
automatically lock the safety belts.Since the inertial locks do not require
a collision to lock up, you may
become aware of the safety belts
locking while braking or going around
sharp corners.
Whenever possible, use the center
rear seat position to install your child
restraint. The center rear seat is the
safest position for a child to sit in. If
the center seat is unavailable, a child
restraint system may be installed in
an outboard rear seat position. Never
install a rear-facing infant seat in the
front passenger position, as an inflat-
ing airbag could cause serious or
fatal injury to a child in that position.The rear safety belts use a special
auto-lock feature designed to allow a
child restraint to be used in these
positions without an added locking
clip. They normally lock only under
extreme or emergency conditions
(emergency lock mode). However
they can be adjusted so that they
remain in fixed and locked when a
child restraint system is placed in
these positions. (Use this auto-lock
mode only to secure a child restraint,
never for passengers restrained by
the safety belts.) Page 3-38 gives
instructions on placing the safety belt
in the auto lock mode.
The drivers safety belt can only oper-
ate in the emergency lock mode.
KNOWING YOUR VEHICLE
3-27
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Safety belts provide the best restraint
when:
The seatback is upright
The occupant is sitting upright (not
slouched)
The lap belt is snug across the hips
The shoulder belt is snug across
the chest
The knees are straight forward
To help you remember to fasten your
safety belt, a warning light will come
on and a chime will sound. See
Safety Belt Warning Light and Chime
on page 3-29.KNOWING YOUR VEHICLE3-28
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, retrac-
tors, anchors and hardware
damaged by a collision
should be replaced before the
vehicle is operated again.
WARNING
- Cargo Area
Passengers should never be
allowed to ride in the cargo area
of a vehicle. No safety belts are
provided for the cargo area.
Persons riding in the vehicle
without a fastened safety belt
are much more likely to suffer
serious bodily injury or death
during an accident.
WARNING
- Twisted Belts
A twisted or jammed safety belt
cannot restrain you properly. If
you cannot untwist or unjam
the safety belt, see your Kia
dealer immediately. Never drive
or ride with a twisted or jammed
safety belt.
WARNING
- Belt Use
Safety belts must be used cor-
rectly to work properly in an
accident. Each seating position
in your vehicle has a specific
safety belt assembly that
includes a buckle and tongue
designed to be used together.
For greatest effectiveness, fol-
low these guidelines in using
safety belts:
 Use the shoulder portion of
the safety belt on the outside
shoulder only. Never wear the
shoulder portion under the
arm.
 Never swing the safety belt
around your neck to fit over
the inside shoulder.
 Never wear the shoulder por-
tion of the safety belt across
the neck or face.
(Continued)
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Safety Belt Warning Light and
Chime
Type A
As a reminder to the driver and pas-
senger, safety belt warning light will
illuminate for approximately 6 sec-
onds each time you turn the ignition
switch ON regardless of belt fasten-
ing.
If the driver's safety belt is not fas-
tened when the ignition key is turned
ON, the safety belt warning chime will
sound for approximately 6 seconds.
KNOWING YOUR VEHICLE
3-29
(Continued)
 Wear the lap portion as low as
possible. Be sure that the lap
belt fits snugly around the
hips. never wear a lap belt or
lap portion of a lap/shoulder
belt over your waist; it should
always go over the stronger
area of your hips.
 Never use a single safety belt
for more than one person.
 The seatbacks should always
remain in a comfortable,
upright position when the
vehicle is moving.
(Continued)
 Inspect the safety belts peri-
odically for excessive wear or
damage. Pull out each belt
fully and look for fraying, cuts,
burns or other damage. Pull
the safety belt out and let it
retract a number of times.
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.
 Never close the doors on any
part of the lap or shoulder
belt.
 Any belt not in good condition
or in good working order
should be promptly replaced.
CAUTION
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.
WARNING- Safety Belt Care
 A damaged belt may not give
you the protection you need in
an accident.
(Continued)
W-29
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Type B
As a reminder to the driver and pas-
senger, safety belt warning light will
blink for approximately 6 seconds
each time you turn the ignition switch
ON regardless of belt fastening.
If the driver's safety belt is unfastened
after the ignition switch is ON, the
safety belt warning light will blink for
approximately 6 seconds.
If the driver's safety belt is not fas-
tened when the ignition key is turned
ON, the safety belt warning chime will
sound for approximately 6 seconds.Front and Rear Outboard
Lap/Shoulder Belt
To fasten the lap/shoulder belt:
1. Grasp the buckle and tongue plate.
2. Slowly pull the lap/shoulder belt
out from the retractor.3. 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.KNOWING YOUR VEHICLE3-30
S2BLA371
S2BLA372
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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 acci-
dent. Adjust the belt to a SNUG
FIT by pulling up on the shoulder
portion of the safety belt. The belt
retractor is designed 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.5. Adjust the shoulder anchor posi-
tion to your size. To raise the
anchor position, push the anchor
up. To lower the anchor position,
press the button and slide the
anchor down. After adjustment,
make sure the anchor is locked in
position.To unfasten the lap/shoulder belt:
Press the release button on the buck-
le and allow the belt to slowly retract.
KNOWING YOUR VEHICLE
3-31
S2BLA373
S2BLD320 Take up slack
Keep as low on hip
bone as possible
Too high
S2BLA374
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