
Knowing your vehicle48
3What your air bag system doesDriver’s air bag and front passenger’s air
bag are designed to supplement the pro-
tection offered by the safety belt in cer-
tain frontal collisions. Likewise, side air
bag and curtain air bags are designed to
supplement the protection offered by the
safety belt in side collisions. Safety belts
are designed to reduce the injury of the
driver or passengers in case of light
impact or collision. No safety belt or air
bag system can completely eliminate
injuries that may cause in collisions or
impacts. To help reduce impact on driver
or passengers in any collision, safety
belts must be correctly worn.What your air bag system does
not doThe air bag system is designed to sup-
plement the protection offered by the
safety belt system. IT IS NOT A SUBSTI-
TUTE FOR THE SAFETY BELT.
The importance of using
safety beltsThere are four very important reasons to
use safety belts even with an air bag sup-
plemental restraint system. They:
help keep you in the proper position
(away from the air bag) when it inflates.
reduce the risk of harm in rollover, side impact (vehicles not equipped with
side and curtain air bags) or rear
impact collisions, because an air bag is
not designed to inflate in such situa-
tions and even a side curtain air bag is
designed to inflate only in certain side
impact collisions.
reduce the risk of harm in frontal or side collisions which are not severe
enough to actuate the air bag supple-
mental restraint system.
reduce the risk of being ejected from your vehicle. Your vehicle’s Supplemental Restraint
System Control Module is equipped
with a recording device that may
record the use or status of the safety
belt restraint system by the driver and
front passenger in certain collisions.
WARNING
- Air bags &
safety belts
Even in vehicles with air bags,
you and your passengers must
always wear the safety belts pro-
vided in order to minimize the risk
and severity of injury in the event
of a collision or rollover.
Always wear your safety belt. It can help keep you away from the
air bags during heavy braking
just before a collision. It may also
reduce the risk of occupant ejec-
tion.
If occupants are not wearing safe- ty belts or correctly seated, they
cannot be fully protected, and
thus face a greater risk of serious
injury or death.
(Continued)

349
Knowing your vehicle
Air bag system components The main components of your SRS are:
To indicate that your vehicle isequipped with air bags, the correspon-
ding air bag covers are marked with
“SRS AIR BAG”.
- Driver’s air bag
- Passenger’s air bag
- Side air bag (if equipped)
- Curtain air bag (if equipped)
A diagnostic system that continually monitors the system operation.
Air bag warning light to warn you of a possible problem with the system.
Emergency power backup in case your car’s electrical system is disconnected
in a crash.
Driver’s air bag Your vehicle is equipped with a
Supplemental Restraint (Air Bag) System
and lap/shoulder belts at both the driver
and passenger seating position.
The driver’s air bag is stored in the cen-
ter of the steering wheel.
(Continued)
Driver’s and front passenger’s airbag are designed to inflate only in
certain frontal collisions, and side
and curtain air bags are designed
to inflate in certain side impacts.
Frontal air bags are not designed
to provide protection in side
impacts, rear impacts, rollovers,
or less severe frontal collisions.
They will not provide protection
from later impacts in a multi-
impact collision.
If your vehicle has been subject- ed to flood conditions (e.g.
soaked carpeting/standing water
on the floor of the vehicle, etc.) or
if your vehicle has become flood
damaged in any way, do not
attempt to start the vehicle or put
the key in the ignition. Have the
vehicle towed to an authorized
Kia dealer for inspection and nec-
essary repairs.
Disregarding this precaution may
cause an unexpected air bag
deployment, which could result in
serious personal injury or death.
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Knowing your vehicle50
3
Front passenger’s air bag Front passenger’s air bag is stored in the
instrument panel on the glove box.
Never put any objects or ornaments on
the instrument panel.
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WARNING
- Steering
wheel
You must always sit as far back
from the steering wheel air bag as
possible (chest at least 250 mm
(10 inches ) away from the steer-
ing wheel), while still maintaining
a comfortable seating position for
good vehicle control, in order to
reduce the risk of injury or death
in a collision.
Never place objects over the air bag storage compartments or
between the air bags and your-
self. Due to the speed and force of
the air bag inflation, such objects
could hit your body at high speed
and cause severe bodily injury
and even death.
Do not put stickers or ornaments on the steering wheel cover.
These may interfere with the
deployment of the air bag.
WARNING
The front seat passenger’s air bagis much larger than the steering
wheel air bag and inflates with
considerably more force. It can
seriously hurt or kill a passenger
who is not in the proper position
and wearing the safety belt prop-
erly. The front passengers should
always move their seat as far
back as practical and sit back in
their seat.
It is essential that the front pas- sengers always wear their safety
belts when vehicle is in motion,
even when the vehicle is moving
in a parking lot or up a driveway
into garage.
If the driver brakes the vehicle heavily in urgent situations, occu-
pants will be thrown forward. If
front passengers are not wearing
the safety belts, they will be
directly in front of the air bags
when inflation occurs. In that sit-
uation, severe injury or death is
possible.
(Continued)

351
Knowing your vehicle
Side air bag (if equipped)Side air bags are stored in the left side of
the driver’s seat and right side of the front
passenger’s seat.
If air bag inflation conditions are met
(side collision), they will inflate.
(Continued)
Never allow front passenger toput their hands, feet or face on or
close to the instrument panel. In
the event of air bag deployment,
such a mispositioned occupant
would be likely to suffer severe
injury or death.
Never allow children, pregnant women or weak persons to sit in
the front passenger seat. They
may be seriously injured by the
air bag inflation when air bag
deploys.
Do not use child restraint sys- tems on the front passenger's
seat, as inflation may cause death
or severe personal injury.
Do not put objects or stickers on the instrument panel. Do not
apply any accessory on the front
windshield glass or do not install
aftermarket mirrors or acces-
sories on the factory installed
rearview mirror. Any of these
could may interfere with the
deployment of air bag inflation or
could hit your body at high speed
and cause severe bodily injury
and even death.
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WARNING
- Seat covers,
damage and modifications
Do not use any accessory seat
covers for a vehicle equipped
with side air bags.
Use of seat covers could interfere
with side air bag deployment.
If seat or seat cover is damaged,
have the vehicle checked and
repaired by an authorized Kia
dealer. Inform them that your
vehicle is equipped with side air
bags and an occupant detection
system.
Do not make modifications or additions to the seats as they may
cause the air bag system to mal-
function resulting in severe per-
sonal injury or death.

Knowing your vehicle52
3Curtain air bag (if equipped)Curtain air bags are located along both
sides of the roof rails above the front and
rear doors.
They are designed to help protect the
heads of the front seat occupants and the
rear outboard seat occupants in certain
side impact collisions. The curtain air bag deployment occurs
only on the side of the vehicle affected
by the impact.
The side air bags (side and/or curtain air bags) are not designed to deploy in
collisions from the front or rear of the
vehicle or in most rollover situations.
The curtain air bags are designed to deploy only in certain side-impact colli-
sions, depending on the crash severity,
angle, speed and impact.
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WARNING
In order for side air bags (sideand curtain air bags) to provide
its best protection, both front seat
occupants and both outboard
rear occupants should sit in an
upright position with the seat
belts properly fastened.
Importantly, children should sit in
a proper child restraint system in
the rear seat.
(Continued)
(Continued)
When children are seated in therear outboard seats, they must be
seated in the proper child
restraint system. Make sure to put
the child restraint system as far
away from the door side as possi-
ble, and secure the child restraint
system in a locked position.
Do not allow the passengers to lean their heads or bodies onto
doors, put their arms on the
doors, stretch their arms out of
the window, or place objects
between the doors and passen-
gers when they are seated on
seats equipped with side air
bags.
Never try to open or repair any components of the side curtain
air bag system. This should only
be done by an authorized Kia
dealer.
Failure to follow the above men-
tioned instructions can result in
injury or death to the vehicle occu-
pants in an accident.

Knowing your vehicle54
3
Air bag inflation conditionFront air bag
Front air bags (driver’s and front passen-
ger’s air bags) are designed to inflate
when the impact is delivered to front col-
lision sensors depending on the intensity,
speed or angles of impact of the front
collision - generally from an area a little
to the left to a little to the right of straight
ahead.
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WARNING
- Protecting air
bag module and sensors
Do not hit or allow any heavy
objects to hit the locations where
air bags or sensors are installed.
This may cause damage and
unexpected air bag deployment,
which could result in severe per-
sonal injury or death.
If the installation location or angle of the sensors is altered in
any way, the air bags may deploy
when they should not or they may
not deploy when they should,
causing severe injury or death.
Therefore, do not try to perform
maintenance on or around the air
bag sensors. Have the vehicle
checked and repaired by an
authorized Kia dealer.
WARNING
- Body changes
Problems may arise if the sensorinstallation angles are changed
due to the deformation of front
bumper, body or B pillar where
side collision sensors are
installed. In the event of a colli-
sion, have the vehicle inspected
by an authorized Kia dealer.
Your vehicle has been designed to absorb impact and deploy the
air bag(s) in certain collisions.
Installing aftermarket bumper
guards or replacing a bumper
with non-genuine parts may
adversely affect your vehicles
collision and air bag deployment
performance.

Knowing your vehicle58
3Air bag system operation Air bags only operate 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 vehicle speed at which the air bags will inflate.
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 the inflation
speed also causes the air bags to
expand with a great deal of 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.
WARNING -
Seated
positioning
To avoid severe personal injury ordeath caused by deploying air
bags in a collision, the driver
should sit as far back from the
steering wheel air bag as possible
(at least 250 mm (10 inches) away).
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.

359
Knowing 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. After the air bag inflates,
you may feel substantial discomfort 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 windows as
soon as possible after impact in order
to reduce discomfort and prevent pro-
longed exposure to the smoke and
powder.
Though the smoke and powder are non-
toxic, it may cause irritation to the skin
(eyes, nose and throat etc.). Wash and
rinse with cold water immediately and
consult a doctor if symptoms persist.
Installing a child restraint on a
front passenger seat is extremely
dangerous and should never be
done.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 severe or fatal
injuries.
In addition, do not place front-facing child
restraint in the front passenger’s seat
either. If the front passenger air bag
inflates, it may cause severe or fatal
injuries to the child.
WARNING
- Hot air bag
parts
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 area’s internal
components immediately after an
air bag has inflated.
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