2007 KIA Optima warning

329
Knowing your vehicle
CAUTION -
Air bag/Pre-
tensioner dust
When the air bags and pre-tension-
ers are activated, a loud noise maybe heard and fine dust, which mayappear to be smoke, may be visible in the passenger compartment. Thisdust is not toxic. The dust maycause skin irritation and should not be breathed for prolonged periods.Ventilate the vehicle after impactand wash your hands and face thor- oughly after an accident.
WARNING
- Air bag/pre-
tensioner warning light
If the SRS air bag warning light
does not illuminate when the igni-
tion key is turned to “ON”, or if it
remains illuminated after approxi-
mately 6 seconds, or if it illuminates
while the vehicle is being driven,
please have an authorized Kia deal-
er inspect the pre-tensioner and air
bag system as soon as possible.
WARNING
- Safety belt adjustment
To obtain maximum benefit from a
pre-tensioner seat belt:
 The safety belt must be worn cor-
rectly.
 The safety belt must be adjusted to the correct position.
WARNING
- Replacing
used pre-tensioners
 Pre-tensioners are designed to
operate once. After activation,
pre-tensioner seat belts must be
replaced. All seat belts, of any
type, should always be replaced
after they have been worn during
a collision.
 Do not attempt to replace the pre- tensioners yourself. This must be
done by an authorized Kia dealer.
CAUTION -
Hot parts
The pre-tensioner assembies mech-anism becomes hot during activa- tion. Do not touch the pre-tensionerseat belt assembly for several min-utes after they have been activated.
WARNING
- Damaging the
pre-tensioners
 Do not hit or strike the pre-ten-
sioner assemblies, especially
with a tool or heavy object.
 Do not attempt to service or repair the pre-tensioners.

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.

331
Knowing your vehicle
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.
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.
WARNING -
Cargo area
(if equipped)
Passengers should never be
allowed to ride in the cargo area of
a vehicle. No safety belts are pro-
vided for the cargo area. Persons
riding in the vehicle without a fas-
tened 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, have an authorized Kia dealer
service it immediately. Never drive
or ride with a twisted or jammed
safety belt.
WARNING
- Belt use
Safety belts must be used correctly
to work properly in an accident.
Each seating position in your vehi-
cle has a specific safety belt assem-
bly that includes a buckle and
tongue designed to be used togeth-
er. (Continued)
(Continued)
Failure to heed these warnings and
follow these instructions will
increase the risk and severity of
injuries and the likelihood of death
in an accident.
 Use the shoulder portion of thesafety belt on the outside shoul-
der only.
 Never wear the shoulder portion of the safety belt under the out-
side arm or behind the back.
 Never swing the safety belt around your neck to fit over the
inside shoulder.
 Never wear the shoulder portion of the safety belt across the neck
or face.
 Wear the lap portion as low as possible. Be sure that the lap belt
fits snugly around the hips.
Never wear a 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 front seatbacks should always remain in a comfortable,
upright position when the vehicle
is moving.

Knowing your vehicle32
3
Safety belt warning light and
chimeAs a reminder to the driver and passen-
ger, safety belt warning light will blink for
approximately 6 seconds each time you
turn the ignition switch ON.
If the driver's lap/shoulder belt is not fas-
tened when the key is turned ON or if it is
disconnected after the key is turn ON,
the safety belt warning light will blink for
approximately 6 seconds. If the driver's lap/shoulder belt is not fas-
tened when the key is turned ON or if it is
disconnected after the key is turned ON,
the safety belt warning chime will sound
for approximately 6 seconds. (if equipped)
If the driver’
s lap/shoulder belt is not fas-
tened when you drive over 10 km/h, the
safety belt warning light and chime will
activate for six seconds. This cycle will
repeat 11 times with an interval of 24
seconds between cycles.
WARNING
- Safety belt care
 A damaged belt may not give you
the protection you need in an
accident.
 Inspect your safety belts periodi- cally for excessive wear or dam-
age. 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/shoulder belts return smooth-
ly 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 partof the lap or shoulder belt. It candamage the safety belt or buckle which could increase the risk ofinjury in case of an accident.
1GQA2083

Knowing your vehicle34
35. Adjust the shoulder anchor position to
your size. To raise the anchor position,
push the anchor up (1). To lower the
anchor position, press (2) the button
(A) and slide the anchor down (3).
After adjustment, make sure the
anchor is locked in position.
If the height of the adjusting seat belt is
too near your neck, you will not be getting
the most effective protection. The shoul-
der portion should be adjusted so that it
lies across your chest and midway over
your shoulder nearest the door and not
your neck.
To unfasten the front lap/shoulder belt:Press the release button on the buckle
and allow the belt to slowly retract.
OMG035304
WARNING
 The height adjuster must be in the locked position when the
vehicle is moving.
 The misadjustment of height of the shoulder belt could reduce
the effectiveness of the seat belt
in a crash.
OMG035038

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.
OMG035039
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.

339
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.