2009 KIA SOUL Owners Manual

Safety features of your vehicle
12
3
Adjusting the height up and down
To raise the headrest, pull it up to the
highest position (1). To lower the head-
rest, push and hold the release button (2)
on the headrest support and lower the
headrest to the lowest position (3). Removal
To remove the headrest, raise it as far as
it can go then press the release button
(1) while pulling upward (2).
To reinstall the headrest, put the head- rest poles (3) into the holes while press-
ing the release button (1). Then adjust it
to the appropriate height.
OUN026043
WARNING
For maximum effectiveness in case of an accident, the headrest
should be adjusted so the middleof the headrest is at the same
height of the center of gravity of
an occupant's head. Generally,
the center of gravity of most peo-ple's head is similar with the
height of the top of their eyes.
Also adjust the headrest as close
to your head as possible. The use
of a cushion that holds the body
away from the seatback is notrecommended.
Do not operate the vehicle with the headrests removed as severe
injury to an occupant may occur
in the event of an accident.
Headrests may provide protec-
tion against severe neck injuries
when properly adjusted.
OUN028044
WARNING
Make sure the headrest locks in
position after adjusting it to proper-
ly protects the occupants.

313
Safety features of your vehicle
C020100AUN Seat belt restraint systemSEAT BELTS
WARNING
For maximum restraint system protection, the seat belts must
always be used whenever the car
is moving.
Seat belts are most effective when seatbacks are in theupright position.
Children age 12 and under must always be properly restrained in
the rear seat. Never allow chil-
dren to ride in the front passen-
ger seat. If a child over 12 must
be seated in the front seat, he/she
must be properly belted and the
seat should be moved as far back
as possible.
Never wear the shoulder belt under your arm or behind your
back. An improperly positionedshoulder belt can cause serious
injuries in a crash. The shoulder
belt should be positioned midway
over your shoulder across your
collarbone.
(Continued)
WARNING
Seat belts are designed to bear
upon the bony structure of the
body, and should be worn low
across the front of the pelvis or the
pelvis, chest and shoulders, as
applicable; wearing the lap section
of the belt across the abdominal
area must be avoided. Seat belts should be adjusted as
firmly as possible, consistent with
comfort, to provide the protection
for which they have been designed.
A slack belt will greatly reduce the
protection afforded to the wearer.
Care should be taken to avoid con- tamination of the webbing with pol-
ishes, oils and chemicals, and par-
ticularly battery acid. Cleaning may
safely be carried out using mild
soap and water. The belt should bereplaced if webbing becomes
frayed, contaminated or damaged.
(Continued)(Continued)
Avoid wearing twisted seat belts.A twisted belt can't do its job as
well. In a collision, it could even
cut into you. Be sure the beltwebbing is straight and not twist-ed.
Be careful not to damage the belt webbing or hardware. If the belt
webbing or hardware is dam-
aged, replace it.

Safety features of your vehicle
14
3
C020101AAM
Seat belt warning
Type A
As a reminder to the driver, the seat belt
warning light will blink for approximately
6 seconds each time you turn the ignition
switch ON regardless of belt fastening.
If the driver’s seat belt is unfastened after
the ignition switch is ON, the seat belt
warning light blinks again for approxi-
mately 6 seconds.
If the driver's seat belt is not fastened
when the ignition switch is turned ON or
if it is unfastened after the ignition switch
is ON, the seat belt warning chime will
sound for approximately 6 seconds. At
this time, if the seat belt is fastened, the
chime will stop at once. (if equipped) Type B
Front
As a reminder to the driver and front pas-
senger, the driver’s and front passenger’s
seat belt warning lights will illuminate for
approximately 6 seconds each time you
turn the ignition switch ON regardless of
belt fastening.
If the driver’s or front passenger’s seat
belt is not fastened when the ignition
switch is turned ON or if it is disconnect-
ed after the ignition switch is turned ON,
the corresponding seat belt warning light
will illuminate until the belt is fastened.
If you continue not to fasten the seat belt
and you drive over 9km/h, the illuminated
warning light will start to blink until you
drive under 6km/h.
1GQA2083OAM039043L
Type A
Type B
WARNING
No modifications or additions
should be made by the user which
will either prevent the seat belt
adjusting devices from operating to
remove slack, or prevent the seat
belt assembly from being adjusted
to remove slack.
(Continued) It is essential to replace the entire
assembly after it has been worn in
a severe impact even if damage to
the assembly is not obvious. Belts
should not be worn with straps
twisted. Each belt assembly must
only be used by one occupant; it is
dangerous to put a belt around a
child being carried on the occu-pant's lap.

315
Safety features of your vehicle
If you continue not to fasten the seat belt
and you drive over 20km/h the seat belt
warning chime will sound for approxi-mately 100 seconds and the correspon-
ding warning light will blink.
✽✽NOTICE

Safety features of your vehicle
16
3
C020102BUN-C1
Lap/shoulder belt
To fasten your seat belt:
To fasten your seat belt, pull it out of the
retractor and insert the metal tab (1) into
the buckle (2). There will be an audible
"click" when the tab locks into the buckle. The seat belt automatically adjusts to the proper length only after the lap belt por-
tion is adjusted manually so that it fits
snugly around your hips. If you lean for-
ward in a slow, easy motion, the belt will
extend and let you move around. If there
is a sudden stop or impact, however, the
belt will lock into position. It will also lock
if you try to lean forward too quickly.
✽✽
NOTICE
If you are not able to pull out the safety
belt from the retractor, firmly pull the
belt out and release it. Then you will be
able to pull the belt out smoothly.
You can adjust the height of the shoulder
belt anchor to one of 4 positions for max-
imum comfort and safety. 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 adjust the height of the seat belt
anchor, lower or raise the height adjuster
into an appropriate position.
B180A01NF-1OUN026100
Front seat

317
Safety features of your vehicle
To raise the height adjuster, pull it up (1).
To lower it, push it down (3) while press-
ing the height adjuster button (2).
Release the button to lock the anchor
into position. Try sliding the height
adjuster to make sure that it has lockedinto position.When using the rear center seat belt, the
buckle with the “CENTER” mark must be
used. (if equipped)
WARNING
Verify the shoulder belt anchor is locked into position at the appro-
priate height. Never position the
shoulder belt across your neck or
face. Improperly positioned seatbelts can cause serious injuriesin an accident.
Failure to replace seat belts after an accident could leave you with
damaged seat belts that will not
provide protection in the event ofanother collision leading to per-
sonal injury or death. Replace
your seat belts after being in an
accident as soon as possible.
B200A02NFOAM039046
WARNING
You should place the lap belt por-
tion as low as possible and snugly
across your hips, not on your waist.If the lap belt is located too high on
your waist, it may increase the
chance of injury in the event of a
collision. Both arms should not be
under or over the belt. Rather, one
should be over and the other under,
as shown in the illustration.
Never wear the seat belt under the
arm nearest the door.

Safety features of your vehicle
18
3
To release the seat belt:
The seat belt is released by pressing the
release button (1) in the locking buckle.When it is released, the belt should auto-
matically draw back into the retractor.
If this does not happen, check the belt to
be sure it is not twisted, then try again. C020105AUN
Stowing the rear seat belt
The rear seat belt buckles can be stowed
in the pocket between the rear seatback
and cushion when not in use.
Routing the seat belt webbing through
the rear seat belt guides will help keep
the belts from being trapped behind or
under the seats.
After inserting the seat belt, tighten the
belt webbing by pulling it up.
B210A01NF-1OAM039047OAM039025
CAUTION
When using the seat belt, use it
after taking it out of the guides. If
you pull the seat belt when it isstored in the guides, it may damage the guides and/or belt webbing.

319
Safety features of your vehicle
C020103AUN
Lap belt (if equipped)
To fasten your seat belt:
To fasten a 2-point static type belt, insert
the metal tab into the locking buckle.
There will be an audible "click" when the
tab locks into the buckle. Check to make
sure the belt is properly locked and thatthe belt is not twisted.With a 2-point static type seat belt, the
length must be adjusted manually so it
fits snugly around your body. Fasten thebelt and pull on the loose end to tighten.
The belt should be placed as low as pos-
sible on your hips, not on your waist. Ifthe belt is too high, it could increase the
possibility of your being injured in anaccident.
When using the rear center seat belt, the
buckle with the “CENTER” mark must beused.
OAM039023B220A04NFB220B01NF
Too high
ShortenCorrect