Page 105 of 344

Features of your vehicle96
3Air bag system operation Air bag only operates when the ignition
switch is turned to the ON or START
positions.
Air bags inflate instantly in the event of serious frontal or side collision (if
equipped with side air bag or curtain
air bag) in order to help protect the
occupants from serious physical injury.
There is no single speed at which the air bags will inflate.
Generally, air bags are designed to
inflate by the severity of a collision and
its direction. These two factors deter-
mine whether the sensors send out an
electronic deployment/inflation signal. Air bag deployment depends on a
number of factors including vehicle
speed, angles of impact and the densi-
ty and stiffness of the vehicles or
objects which your vehicle hits in the
collision. However, factors are not limit-
ed to those mentioned above.
The front air bags will completely inflate and deflate in an instant.
It is virtually impossible for you to see
the air bags inflate during an accident.
It is much more likely that you will sim-
ply see the deflated air bags hanging
out of their storage compartments after
the collision. In order to help provide protection in a
severe collision, the air bags must
inflate rapidly. The speed of air bag
inflation is a consequence of the
extremely short time in which a collision
occurs and the need to get the air bag
between the occupant and the vehicle
structures before the occupant impacts
those structures. This speed of inflation
reduces the risk of serious or life-
threatening injuries in a severe collision
and is thus a necessary part of air bag
design.
However, air bag inflation can also
cause injuries which normally can
include facial abrasions, bruises and
broken bones, and sometimes more
serious injuries because that inflation
speed also causes the air bags to
expand with a great deal force.
There are even circumstances under which contact with the steer-
ing wheel air bag can cause fatal
injuries, especially if the occupant
is positioned excessively close to
the steering wheel.
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397
Features of your vehicle
Noise and smokeWhen the air bags inflate, they make a
loud noise and they leave smoke and
powder in the air inside of the vehicle.
This is normal and is a result of the igni-
tion of the air bag inflator. After the air
bag inflates, you may feel substantial dis-
comfort in breathing due to the contact of
your chest to both the safety belt and the
air bag, as well as from breathing the
smoke and powder.We strongly urge
you to open your doors and/or win-
dows as soon as possible after impact
in order to reduce discomfort and pre-
vent prolonged exposure to the
smoke and powder.
Though smoke and powder are non-
toxic, it may cause irritation to the skin
(eyes, nose and throat etc). If this is the
case, wash and rinse with the cold water
immediately and consult the doctor if the
symptom persists.
WARNING -
Seated
positioning
Driver should sit as far back (at least 250 mm (10 inches) away)
from the steering wheel air bag as
possible to reduce the risk of
injury or death in a collision. The
front passenger should always
move their seat as far back as
possible and sit back in their
seat.
Air bag inflates instantly in an event of collision, passengers
may be injured by the air bag
expansion force if they are not in
proper position.
Air bag inflation may cause injuries which normally include
facial or bodily abrasions, injuries
by the broken glasses or burns by
the explosives.
WARNING
When the air bags deploy, the air
bag related parts in steering wheel
and/or instrument panel and/or in
both sides of the roof rails above
the front and rear doors are very
hot. To prevent injury, do not touch
the air bag storage areas internal
components immediately after an
air bag has inflated.
Page 107 of 344

Features of your vehicle98
3Installing a child restraint on a
front passenger’s seat is forbid-
den.Never place a rear-facing child restraint
in the front passenger’s seat. If the air
bag deploys, it would impact the rear-fac-
ing child restraint, causing serious or
fatal injury.
In addition, do not place front-facing child
restraint in the front passenger’s seat
either. If the front passenger air bag
inflates, it would cause serious or fatal
injuries to the child.
Air bag warning lightThe purpose of the air bag warning light
in your instrument panel is to alert you of
a potential problem with your air bag -
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS).
When the ignition switch is turned ON,
the indicator light should blink or illumi-
nate for approximately 6 seconds, then
go off.
Have the system checked if:
The light does not turn on briefly when
you turn the ignition ON.
The light stays on after the engine starts.
The light comes on while the vehicle is in motion.
1JBH3051
WARNING
Never put child restraint in thefront passenger’s seat. If the front
passenger air bag inflates, it
would cause serious or fatal
injuries.
When children are seated in the rear outboard seats in which side
air bags are equipped, be sure to
put the child restraint system as
far away from the door side as
possible, and secure the child
restraint system to be locked in
position.
Inflation of side or curtain air bag
could cause serious injury or
death due to the expansion
impact.
AIR
BAG
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399
Features of your vehicle
SRS careYour Supplemental Restraint System is
virtually maintenance-free. There are no
parts which you can service.
You must have the system serviced
under the following circumstances:
If an air bag ever inflates, the air bagmust be replaced. Do not try to remove
or discard the air bag by yourself. This
must be done by an authorized Kia
dealer.
If the air bag warning indicator light alerts you to a problem, have the air
bag system checked as soon as possi-
ble. Otherwise, your air bag system
may be ineffective.
When repairing or scrapping thevehicles Repairing steering wheel, instrument panel, center console or roofs, or
installing car audio around center con-
sole or painting front metal sheet could
disable the air bag system. Have them
checked by an authorized Kia dealer.
When leaving the vehicle at an autho- rized Kia dealer, inform the facility that
the vehicle is equipped with air bag
system, and leave the owner’s manual
in the vehicle.
Since air bag system contains explo- sive chemical substances, contact an
authorized Kia dealer when scrapping
the vehicle.
WARNING
- No mainte-
nance or repair
Do not modify your steering
wheel, seat or any other part of
the Supplemental Restraint
System. Modification could make
the system inoperable.
Do not work on the system’s com- ponents or wiring. This could
cause the air bags to inflate inad-
vertently, possibly seriously injur-
ing someone. Working on the sys-
tem could also disable the sys-
tem so that the air bags would not
deploy in a collision.
Any work on the SRS system, such as removing, installing,
repairing, or any work on the
steering wheel must be per-
formed by a qualified Kia techni-
cian. Improper handling of the air
bag system may result in serious
personal injury or death.
WARNING
- No modifica-tion
Do not modify any part of the air
bag system. Modification could
make the air bag system ineffective
or could cause unnecessary
deployment.
Page 109 of 344
Features of your vehicle100
3Air bag warning labelAir bag warning labels which are now required by the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) are attached to alert dri-
ver and passengers of potential risk of air bag system.
Note that these government warnings focus on the risk to children, Kia also wants you to be aware of the risks which adults are
exposed to. Those have been described in previous pages.
OVQ036401N/OVQ036020N/1VQA2096/1VQA2097/OVQ036302N
(if equipped)
(if equipped)
(if equipped)
Page 110 of 344

3 101
Features of your vehicle
Power steeringPower steering uses energy from the
engine to assist you in steering the vehi-
cle. If the engine is off or if the power
steering system becomes inoperative,
the vehicle may still be steered, but it will
require increased steering effort.
Should you notice any change in the
effort required to steer during normal
vehicle operation, have the power steer-
ing checked by an Authorized Kia Dealer.
✽ ✽NOTICEIf the vehicle is parked for extended
periods outside in cold weather (below -
10 °C/14 °F), the power steering may
require increased effort when the engine
is first started. This is caused by
increased fluid viscosity due to the cold
weather and does not indicate a mal-
function.
When this happens, increase the engine
RPM by depressing accelerator until the
RPM reaches 1,500 rpm then release or
let the engine idle for two or three min-
utes to warm up the fluid.
STEERING WHEEL
CAUTION
Never hold the steering wheel
against a stop (extreme right orleft turn) for more than 5 secondswith the engine running. Holding the steering wheel for more than5 seconds in either position maycause damage to the power steer-ing pump.
If the power steering drive belt breaks or if the power steeringpump malfunctions, the steeringeffort will greatly increase.
Page 111 of 344
Features of your vehicle102
3Tilt steering A tilt steering wheel allows you to adjust
the steering wheel before you drive. You
can also raise it to the highest level to
give your legs more room when you exit
and enter the vehicle.
The steering wheel should be positioned
so that it is comfortable for you to drive,
while permitting you to see the instru-
ment panel warning lights and gauges.
To change the steering wheel angle, pull
up the lock release lever (1), adjust the
steering wheel to the desired angle (2),
then release the lock-release lever to
lock the steering wheel in place. Be sure
to adjust the steering wheel to the
desired position before driving.
WARNING
Never adjust the angle of steeringwheel while driving. You may lose
your steering control and cause
severe personal injury or acci-
dents.
After adjusting, push the steering wheel both up and down to be
certain it is locked in position.
OVQ036021N
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3 103
Features of your vehicle
Outside rearview mirror Be sure to adjust mirror angles before
driving.
Your vehicle is equipped with both left-
hand and right-hand outside rearview
mirrors. The mirrors can be adjusted
remotely with the remote switch. The mir-
ror heads can be folded back to prevent
damage during an automatic car wash or
when passing in a narrow street.
Folding the outside rearview mirrorTo fold outside rearview mirror, grasp the
housing of mirror and then fold it toward
the rear of the vehicle.
MIRRORS
WARNING -
Rearview mir-
rors
The right outside rearview mirror is convex. Objects seen in the
mirror are closer than they
appear.
Use your interior rearview mirror or direct observation to deter-
mine the actual distance of fol-
lowing vehicles when changing
lanes.
CAUTION
Do not scrape ice off the mirrorface; this may damage the surface of the glass. If ice should restrictmovement of the mirror, do notforce the mirror for adjustment. To remove ice, use a deicer spray, or asponge or soft cloth with very warmwater.
OVQ036022N