2009 KIA SOUL Owners Manual

Safety features of your vehicle
20
3
To release the seat belt:
When you want to release the seat belt,
press the button (1) in the locking buckle. The center seat belt can be stowed with
the plate and webbing rolled in the pock-
et between the rear seatback and cush-ion.C020200AUN-C1 Pre-tensioner seat belt (if equipped)
Your vehicle is equipped with driver's and front passenger's pre-tensioner seat
belts. The purpose of the pre-tensioner is
to make sure that the seat belts fit tightly
against the occupant's body in certain
frontal collisions. The pre-tensioner seat
belts may be activated in crashes where
the frontal collision is severe enough.
OMG035300OAM039024B210A02NF-1
WARNING
The center lap belt latching mecha-
nism is different from those for the
rear seat shoulder belts. When fas-tening the rear seat shoulder belts
or the center lap belt, make sure
they are inserted into the correct
buckles to obtain maximum protec-
tion from the seat belt system and
assure proper operation.

321
Safety features of your vehicle
When the vehicle stops suddenly, or if
the occupant tries to lean forward too
quickly, the seat belt retractor will lock
into position. In certain frontal collisions,
the pre-tensioner will activate and pullthe seat belt into tighter contact against
the occupant's body.
If the system senses excessive seat belt
tension on the driver or passenger's seat
belt when the pre-tensioner activates, theload limiter inside the pre-tensioner willrelease some of the pressure on the
affected seat belt. (if equipped)The seat belt pre-tensioner system con-
sists mainly of the following components.
Their locations are shown in the illustra-tion:
1. SRS air bag warning light
2. Retractor pre-tensioner assembly
3. SRS control module
8KMB3311
WARNING
To obtain maximum benefit from a pre-tensioner seat belt:
1. The seat belt must be worn cor- rectly and adjusted to the proper
position. Please read and follow
all of the important information
and precautions about your vehi-
cle’s occupant safety features –
including seat belts and air bags
– that are provided in this manu-al.
2. Be sure you and your passen- gers always wear seat belts prop-
erly.

Safety features of your vehicle
22
3
✽✽
NOTICE

323
Safety features of your vehicle
C020300AUN Seat belt precautions
C020306AUN
Infant or small child
You should be aware of the specific
requirements in your country. Child
and/or infant seats must be properly
placed and installed in the rear seat. For
more information about the use of these
restraints, refer to “Child restraint sys-
tem” in this section.
✽✽NOTICE
Small children are best protected from
injury in an accident when properly
restrained in the rear seat by a child
restraint system that meets the require-
ments of the Safety Standards of your
country. Before buying any child
restraint system, make sure that it has alabel certifying that it meets Safety
Standards of your country. The restraint
must be appropriate for your child'sheight and weight. Check the label on
the child restraint for this information.
Refer to “Child restraint system” in thissection.
WARNING
All occupants of the vehicle must wear their seat belts at all times.
Seat belts and child restraintsreduce the risk of serious or fatal
injuries for all occupants in the
event of a collision or sudden stop.
Without a seat belt, occupants
could be shifted too close to a
deploying air bag, strike the interior
structure or be thrown from the
vehicle. Properly worn seat belts
greatly reduce these hazards.
Always follow the precautions
about seat belts, air bags and occu-pant seating contained in this man-ual.
WARNING
Every person in your vehicle needs
to be properly restrained at all
times, including infants and chil-
dren. Never hold a child in yourarms or lap when riding in a vehi-
cle. The violent forces created dur-
ing a crash will tear the child from
your arms and throw the child
against the interior. Always use a
child restraint appropriate for your
child's height and weight.(Continued)
Always wear the seat belts when driving or riding in a motor vehi-
cle.
If the vehicle or pre-tensioner seat belt must be discarded, con-
tact an authorized KIA dealer.

Safety features of your vehicle
24
3
C020301AUN-U1
Larger children
Children who are too large for child
restraint systems should always occupy
the rear seat and use the available
lap/shoulder belts. The lap portion should
be fastened and snugged on the hips
and as low as possible. Check if belt fits
periodically. A child's squirming could put
the belt out of position. Children are
given the most safety in the event of an
accident when they are restrained by a
proper restraint system in the rear seat. If
a larger child (over age 12) must beseated in the front seat, the child should
be securely restrained by the availablelap/shoulder belt and the seat should be
placed in the rearmost position. Children
age 12 and under should be restrained
securely in the rear seat. NEVER place achild age 12 and under in the front seat.
NEVER place a rear facing child seat in
the front seat of a vehicle.
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. C020302AKM
Pregnant women
The use of a seat belt is recommended
for pregnant women to lessen the chance
of injury in an accident. When a seat belt
is used, the lap belt portion should be
placed as low and snugly as possible on
the hips, not across the abdomen. For
specific recommendations, consult a
physician.C020303AUN
Injured person
A seat belt should be used when an
injured person is being transported.
When this is necessary, you should con-
sult a physician for recommendations.
C020304AUN
One person per belt
Two people (including children) should
never attempt to use a single seat belt.
This could increase the severity of
injuries in case of an accident.
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 inmotion.
If seat belts are not properly worn and adjusted on children, there is
a risk of death or serious injury.
WARNING - Pregnant
women
Pregnant women must never place
the lap portion of the safety belt
over the area of the abdomen
where the fetus is located or abovethe abdomen where the belt could
crush the fetus during an impact.

325
Safety features of your vehicle
C020305AUN-C1
Do not lie down
To reduce the chance of injuries in the
event of an accident and to achieve max-
imum effectiveness of the restraint sys-tem, all passengers should be sitting upand the front and rear seats should be in
an upright position when the car is mov-
ing. A seat belt cannot provide proper
protection if the person is lying down inthe rear seat or if the front and rear seatsare in a reclined position.C020400AUN-EN Care of seat belts
Seat belt systems should never be disas-
sembled or modified. In addition, care
should be taken to assure that seat belts
and belt hardware are not damaged by
seat hinges, doors or other abuse.
C020401AEN
Periodic inspection
All seat belts should be inspected peri-
odically for wear or damage of any kind.
Any damaged parts should be replaced
as soon as possible.
C020402AUN
Keep belts clean and dry
Seat belts should be kept clean and dry.
If belts become dirty, they can be
cleaned by using a mild soap solution
and warm water. Bleach, dye, strong
detergents or abrasives should not be
used because they may damage and
weaken the fabric. C020403ASA
When to replace seat belts
The entire in-use seat belt assembly or
assemblies should be replaced if the
vehicle has been involved in an accident.
This should be done even if no damage
is visible. Additional questions concern-
ing seat belt operation should be directed
by an authorized KIA dealer.
WARNING
When you return the rear seatback to its upright position after the rear
seatback has been folded down, be
careful not to damage the seat belt
webbing or buckle. Be sure that the
webbing or buckle does not get
caught or pinched in the rear seat.
A seat belt with damaged webbing
or buckle could possibly fail during
a collision or sudden stop, result-
ing in serious injury. If the webbing
or buckles are damaged, get them
replaced immediately.
WARNING
Riding with a reclined seatback
increases your chance of serious or
fatal injuries in the event of a colli-
sion or sudden stop. The protection
of your restraint system (seat belts
and air bags) is greatly reduced by
reclining your seat. Seat belts must
be snug against your hips and
chest to work properly. The more
the seatback is reclined, the greater
the chance that an occupant's hipswill slide under the lap belt causingserious internal injuries or the
occupant's neck could strike the
shoulder belt. Drivers and passen-
gers should always sit well back in
their seats, properly belted, andwith the seat backs upright.

Safety features of your vehicle
26
3
C030000CUN
Children riding in the car should sit in the
rear seat and must always be properly
restrained to minimize the risk of injury inan accident, sudden stop or sudden
maneuver. According to accident statis-
tics, children are safer when properly
restrained in the rear seats than in the
front seat. Larger children not in a child
restraint should use one of the seat belts
provided.
You should be aware of the specific
requirements in your country. Child and/or
infant safety seats must be properly
placed and installed in the rear seat. You
must use a commercially available child
restraint system that me ets the require-
ments of the Safety Standards of your
country.
Child restraint systems are designed to
be secured in vehicle seats by lap belts
or the lap belt portion of a lap/shoulder
belt, or by a tether anchor and/or ISOFIXanchors (if equipped). Children could be injured or killed in a
crash if their restraints are not properly
secured. For small children and babies, a
child seat or infant seat must be used. Before buying a particular child restraint
system, make sure it fits your car seat
and seat belts, and fits your child. Follow
all the instructions provided by the man-
ufacturer when installing the child
restraint system.
CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEM
WARNING
A child restraint system must be placed in the rear seat. Never
install a child or infant seat on the
front passenger's seat. Should anaccident occur and cause the
passenger-side air bag to deploy,
it could severely injure or kill an
infant or child seated in an infant
or child seat. Thus only use a
child restraint in the rear seat of
your vehicle.
A seat belt or child restraint sys- tem can become very hot if it is
left in a closed vehicle on a sunny
day, even if the outside tempera-
ture does not feel hot. Be sure to
check the seat cover and buckles
before placing a child there.
(Continued)
(Continued)
When the child restraint systemis not in use, store it in the lug-
gage area or fasten it with a seat
belt so that it will not be thrown
forward in the case of a suddenstop or an accident.
Children may be seriously injured or killed by an inflating air bag.
All children, even those too large
for child restraints, must ride inthe rear seat.

327
Safety features of your vehicle
WARNING
To reduce the chance of serious or fatal injuries:
Children of all ages are safer when restrained in the rear seat.
A child riding in the front passen-
ger seat can be forcefully struck
by an inflating air bag resulting inserious or fatal injuries.
Always follow the instructions for installation and use of the child
restraint maker.
Always make sure the child seat is secured properly in the car and
your child is securely restrained
in the child seat.
Never hold a child in your arms or lap when riding in a vehicle. The
violent forces created during a
crash will tear the child from your
arms and throw the child against
the car’s interior.
Never put a seat belt over your- self and a child. During a crash,the belt could press deep into the
child causing serious internalinjuries.
(Continued)(Continued)
Never leave children unattendedin a vehicle – not even for a short
time. The car can heat up very
quickly, resulting in serious
injuries to children inside. Even
very young children may inadver-
tently cause the vehicle to move,entangle themselves in the win-
dows, or lock themselves or oth-
ers inside the vehicle.
Never allow two children, or any two persons, to use the sameseat belt.
Children often squirm and repo- sition themselves improperly.
Never let a child ride with theshoulder belt under their arm or
behind their back. Always proper-
ly position and secure children inrear seat.
Never allow a child to stand-up or kneel on the seat or floorboard of
a moving vehicle. During a colli-
sion or sudden stop, the child
can be violently thrown against
the vehicles interior, resulting in
serious injury.
(Continued)(Continued)
Never use an infant carrier or achild safety seat that "hooks"
over a seatback, it may not pro-vide adequate security in an acci-dent.
Seat belts can become very hot, especially when the car is parked
in direct sunlight. Always check
seat belt buckles before fasten-
ing them over a child.