2007 KIA Optima REAR SEAT

Knowing your vehicle26
3To unfold the rear seat:1. Lift and push the seatback backward
firmly until it clicks into place (1).
2. Return the rear safety belt to the prop- er position.
✽
✽NOTICEBe careful when loading cargo through
the rear passenger seats to prevent dam-
age to the vehicle interior.
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1
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(if equipped)
CAUTION
 When returning the rear seat-
backs to the upright position,remember to return the rear shoulder belts to their properposition.
 Do not remove the floor carpet in your vehicle. Emission controlsystem components cause highexhaust temperatures under thefloor.
WARNING
- Cargo danger
Cargo should always be secured to
prevent it from being thrown about
the vehicle in a collision and caus-
ing injury to the vehicle occupants.
CAUTION
- Loading proce- dure
Make sure the engine is off, the
transaxle is in P (Park) and the parking brake is applied wheneverloading or unloading cargo. Vehicle may move if shift lever is inadver-tently moved to another positionwith the engine on.

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Knowing your vehicle
Armrest (if equipped)The armrest is located in the center of
the rear seat. Pull the armrest down from
the seatback.
Headrest adjustmentAdjusting the height up and down
The headrest not only provides comfort
for the driver and passengers, but also
helps to protect the head and neck in the
event of a collision.
To raise the headrest, pull it up to the
desired position (1). To lower the head-
rest, push and hold the release button (2)
on the headrest support and lower the
headrest to the desired position (3). For
best protection, adjust the headrest so its
center is as high as your ears. Also
adjust the headrest so its distance from
the head is as wide as your fist.Removal
To remove the headrest, raise it as far as
it can go then press the release lever (1)
while pulling upward (2).
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WARNING
- Rear headrest
To reduce the risk of head and neck
injuries to rear passengers, do not
operate the vehicle with the rear
headrest removed or improperly
positioned.

Knowing your vehicle30
3Safety belt restraint system
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.
All seats have lap/shoulder belts. Inertial
locks in the safety belt retractors allow all
of the lap/shoulder safety belts to remain
unlocked during normal vehicle opera-
tion. This allows the occupants some
freedom of movement and increased
comfort while using the safety belts. If a
force is applied to the vehicle, such as a
sudden stop, a sharp turn, or a collision,
the safety belt retractors will automatical-
ly lock the safety belts.
Since the inertial locks do not require a
collision in order to lock up, you may
become aware of the safety belts locking
while braking or going around sharp cor-
ners.
Always use the rear seat position(s) to
install your child restraint(s). 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 nor-
mally lock only under extreme or emer-
gency conditions (emergency lock
mode). However they can be adjusted so
that they remain 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 pas-
sengers restrained by the safety belts.)
Page 3-43 gives instructions on placing
the safety belt in the auto lock mode.
The drivers safety belt can only operate
in the emergency lock mode.
WARNING
- Safety belts
To minimize the risk of serious or
fatal injury in an accident, the driv-
er and all passengers should use
the appropriate safety restraints for
their age and size. The presence of
air bags does not change the need
to be properly restrained by a safe-
ty belt or size-appropriate child
restraint. In fact, air bags are
designed to work the best 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 of your vehicle also.
WARNING
- Child restraint
in front seat
Never install a child restraint sys-
tem in the front passenger position,
as an inflating air bag could cause
serious or fatal injury to a child in
that position.

Knowing your vehicle36
3✽
✽
NOTICEWhen returning the rear seatbacks to
the upright position, remember to
return the rear shoulder belts to their
proper position. Routing the safety belt
webbing through the rear safety belt
guides will help keep the belts from
being trapped behind or under the seats.
3 Point rear center belt
(if equipped) To fasten the rear center belt1. Insert the tongue plate (A) into the
open end of the anchor connector (B)
until an audible “click" is heard, indi-
cating the latch is locked. Make sure
the belt is not twisted. 2. Pull the tongue plate (C) and insert the
tongue plate (C) into the open end of
the buckle (D) until an audible “click”is
heard, indicating the latch is locked.
Make sure the belt is not twisted.
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(if equipped)
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337
Knowing your vehicle
There will be an audible “click”when the
tab locks in the buckle. The seat belt
automatically adjusts to the proper length
only after the lap belt is adjusted manu-
ally so that it fits snugly around your hips.
If you lean forward in a slow, easy
motion, the belt will extend and let you
move around. If there is a sudden stop or
impact, the belt will lock into position. It
will also lock if you try to lean forward too
quickly.
When using the rear center seat belt, the
buckle with the “CENTER”mark must be
used.
WARNING
When using the rear seat center
belt, you must lock all tongue plates
and buckle/anchor connector. If any
tongue plate or buckle/anchor con-
nector is not locked, it will increase
the chance of injury or death in the
event of collision.
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WARNING
- Lock center rear seat
 When using the rear center belt,
you must lock all tongue plates
and buckles prior to use. If any
tongue plate or buckle is not
locked, it will increase the chance
of injury or death in the event of
collision.
 The rear center seatbelt tongue plate (A) and anchor connector
(B) should remain locked at all
times. They should only be
unlocked when folding the rear
seatback down or when carrying
an object in the rear seat that
could cause damage to the seat-
belt webbing or locking devices.
In either case, lock the tongue
plate (A) and anchor connector
(B) immediately after unfolding
the seatbacks or removing the
object being transported.

Knowing your vehicle38
3To unfasten the rear center belt 1. Press the release button on the buckle
(D) and remove the tongue plate (C)
from the buckle (D). 2. To retract the rear center seatbelt,
insert the key or similar small rigid
device into the web release button (B)
on the anchor connector. Pull up on
the seat belt web (A) and allow the
webbing to retract automatically. (if
equipped)
Proper use and care of the safety
belt system To ensure that the safety belts provide
the maximum protection, please follow
these instructions:
Use the belts at all times - even on
short trips.
 If the safety belt is twisted, straighten it
prior to use.
 Keep sharp edges and damaging
objects away from the belts.
 Periodically inspect belt webbing,
anchors, buckles and all other parts for
signs of wear and damage. Replace
damaged, excessively worn or ques-
tionable parts immediately.
 To clean the belt webbing, use a mild
soap solution recommended for clean-
ing upholstery or carpets. Follow the
instructions provided with the soap.
 Do not make modifications or additions
to the safety belt.
 After wearing a safety belt, make sure
it fully retracts to the stowed position.
Do not allow the belt to get caught in
the door when you close it.
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Knowing your vehicle
Restraint of pregnant women Pregnant women should wear lap/shoul-
der belt assemblies whenever possible
according to specific recommendations
by their doctors. The lap portion of the
belt should be worn AS SNUGLY AND
LOW AS POSSIBLE.
Restraint of infants and small
children To increase their safety, infants and
young children should always be
restrained by a restraint system
approved for their age and size.
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 children
at the same time.
It is best for children to be seated in the
rear seats.
Many companies manufacture child
restraint systems (often called child
seats) for infants and small children. An
acceptable child restraint system must
always satisfy Canadian Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards and your applicable
state laws. Make sure that any child-
restraint system you use in your vehicle
is labelled as complying with Federal
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 fol-
low any instructions provided by the
child-restraint system manufacturer
when installing the child-restraint system.
WARNING
- Pregnantwomen
Pregnant women must never place
the lap portion of the safety belt
over the area of the abdomen where
the fetus is located or above the
abdomen where the belt could
crush the fetus during an impact.
WARNING
- Belt cleaning
Do not bleach or dye the webbing
because this may weaken the web-
bing fibers and allow them to fail
when loaded in a collision.

Knowing your vehicle40
3
Restraint of larger children As children grow, they may need to use
new child-restraint systems, including
larger child seats or booster seats, which
are appropriate for their increased size.
A child who has outgrown available child-
restraint systems 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 slightly touch-
es the child’ s neck or face, try placing the
child closer to the center of the vehicle. If
the shoulder belt still touches their face
or neck they need to be returned to a
child restraint system. In addition, after-
market devices are available from inde-
pendent manufacturers which help pull
the shoulder belt down and away from
the child’ s face or neck.
WARNING
- Infants and
young children
 Infants and young children are at
much greater risk of serious
injury or death in an accident or
sudden stop if they are unre-
strained or restrained improperly.
Follow all instructions in this sec-
tion and the instructions that
came with an approved child
safety system. The child restraint
must be correctly installed in the
vehicle, and the child must be
correctly placed in the child
restraint.
 All children under 12 are safest in the back seat.
 Never install a rear facing infant seat in the front passenger posi-
tion. The baby will be injured or
killed by the air bag if it deploys.
 Never allow a child to stand or kneel on the seat of a moving
vehicle.
WARNING
- Children onlaps
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.
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. Checkseats, seatbelt webbing and buck-les before you place a child any- where near them.
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, there is a risk
of death or serious injury to such
a child.