2009 KIA Sorento Owner's Manual

Knowing your vehicle64
3How does the air bag system
operate Air bag only operates when the ignition
switch is turned to ON or START posi-
tion.
Air bags inflate instantly in the event of serious frontal or side collision in order
to help protect the occupants from seri-
ous 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. Though, 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 has been determined by the
Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards (CMVSS) to reduce the like-
lihood of serious or life-threatening
injuries and is thus a mandatory part of
the 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
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 possi-
ble (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 broken glass or burns by the
explosives.

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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 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 the smoke and powder are non-
toxic, they may cause irritation (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 danger-
ous 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
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.
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Knowing your vehicle66
3
Air bag warning lightThe purpose of 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.
Air bag (Supplemental Restraint
System) service Your 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.
WARNING
Never put child restraint in thefront passenger seat. If the front
passenger air bag inflates, it may
cause severe or fatal injuries.
When children are seated in the rear outboard seats in which cur-
tain air bags are equipped, be
sure to put the child restraint sys-
tem as far away from the door
side as possible, and secure the
child restraint system to be
locked in position.
Inflation of curtain air bag could
cause severe injury or death due
to the expansion impact.
AIR
BAG
CAUTION
Do not modify any part of the air bag system. Modification could make the air bag system ineffectiveor could cause unnecessary deployment.

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Knowing your vehicle
Repairing or scrapping the vehi-
cles Repairing steering wheel, instrumentpanel, center console or roofs, or
installing car audio around center con-
sole or painting front sheet metal 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 that the vehicle
is equipped with air bag system, and
leave the owner’s manual in the vehi-
cle.
Since air bag system contains explo- sive chemical substances, contact an
authorized Kia dealer when scrapping
the vehicle.
WARNING
Do not modify your steeringwheel, 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.

Knowing your vehicle68
3Air bag warning labelAir bag warning labels are attached to alert driver and passengers of potential risk of air bag system.
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Knowing your vehicle
Opening the hood:1. Pull the release lever on the lower leftside of the instrument panel to unlatch
the hood. The hood should pop open
slightly. 2. Go to the front of the vehicle, raise the
hood slightly, pull the secondary latch
inside of the hood center and lift the
hood. 3. Raise the hood. It will raise completely
by itself after it has been raised
halfway.HOOD
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Knowing your vehicle70
3Closing the hood1. Before closing the hood, check the fol-
lowing:
must be correctly installed.
bustible material must be removed
from the engine compartment.
2. Lower the hood halfway and push down to securely lock in place.
Make sure the hood is properly locked
before driving.
WARNING -
Hood
Before closing the hood, makesure that all engine parts and
tools have been removed from
the engine area and that no one’s
hands are near the hood opening.
Do not leave gloves, rags or any other combustible material in the
engine compartment. Doing so
may cause a heat-induced fire.

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Knowing your vehicle
1. Stop the engine.
2. To open the fuel filler lid, push therelease button located on the driver’s
lower door. (if equipped) 3. Pull the fuel filler lid out to open.
4. To remove the cap, turn the fuel tank
cap counterclockwise.
5. Refuel as needed.
6. To install the cap, turn it clockwise until it “clicks”. This indicates that the cap is
securely tightened.
7. Close the fuel filler lid and push it light- ly and make sure that it is securely
closed.FUEL FILLER LID
WARNING
- Refueling
If pressurized fuel sprays out, itcan cover your clothes or skin
and thus subject you to the risk of
fire and burns. Always remove
the fuel cap carefully and slowly.
If the cap is venting fuel or if you
hear a hissing sound, wait until
the condition stops before com-
pletely removing the cap.
Because your vehicle uses an ORVR (On-board Refuelling Vapor
Recovery) system, “Top OFF” the
vehicle very carefully to prevent
fuel splash-back.
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OPEN
CLOSE
WARNING
To avoid injury from sharp edges, it
is recommended that protective
gloves be worn if there is a need to
open the fuel filler door manually.
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