2011 Hyundai Sonata Owner's Manual

Safety features of your vehicle56
3Why didn’t my air bag go off in a
collision? (Inflation and non-infla-
tion conditions of the air bag)There are many types of accidents in
which the air bag would not be expect-
ed to provide additional protection.
These include rear impacts, second or
third collisions in multiple impact
accidents, as well as low speed
impacts. In other words, just because
your vehicle is damaged and even if it
is totally unusable, don’t be surprised
that the air bags did not inflate.
Air bag collision sensors(1) SRS control module
(2) Front impact sensor (3) Side impact sensor
(4) Side pressure sensor

OYF039040N/OYF039041/OYF039042N/OHD036030/OYF039062N
1

2

3

4

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Safety features of your vehicle
Air bag inflation conditionsFront air bags
Front air bags are designed to inflate in a
frontal collision depending on the intensi-
ty, speed or angles of impact of the front
collision.
WARNING
• Do not hit or allow any objects toimpact the locations where air
bags or sensors are installed.
This may cause unexpected air
bag deployment, which could
result in serious personal 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 HYUNDAI dealer.
(Continued)
(Continued)
• Problems may arise if the sensorinstallation angles are changed
due to the deformation of the
front bumper, body or B pillars or
front door where side collision
sensors are installed. Have the
vehicle checked and repaired by
an authorized HYUNDAI dealer.
• Your vehicle has been designed to absorb impact and deploy the
air bag(s) in certain collisions.
Installing bumper guards or
replacing a bumper with non-gen-
uine parts may adversely affect
your vehicle’s collision and air
bag deployment performance.

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Safety features of your vehicle58
3Side impact and curtain air bags
Side impact and curtain air bags are
designed to inflate when an impact is
detected by side collision sensors
depending on the strength, speed or
angles of impact resulting from a side
impact collision. Although the front air bags (driver’s and
front passenger’s air bags) are designed
to inflate only in frontal collisions, they
also may inflate in other types of colli-
sions if the front impact sensors detect a
sufficient impact. Side impact and curtain
air bags are designed to inflate only in
side impact collisions, but they may
inflate in other collisions if the side
impact sensors detect a sufficient
impact.
If the vehicle chassis is impacted by
bumps or objects on unimproved roads,
the air bags may deploy. Drive carefully
on unimproved roads or on surfaces not
designed for vehicle traffic to prevent
unintended air bag deployment.
Air bag non-inflation conditions• In certain low-speed collisions the air
bags may not deploy. The air bags are
designed not to deploy in such cases
because they may not provide benefits
beyond the protection of the seat belts
in such collisions.

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1LDA2057

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Safety features of your vehicle
• Air bags are not designed to inflate inrear collisions, because occupants are
moved backward by the force of the
impact. In this case, inflated air bags
would not be able to provide any addi-
tional benefit. • Front air bags may not inflate in side
impact collisions, because occupants
move to the direction of the collision,
and thus in side impacts, frontal air bag
deployment would not provide addi-
tional occupant protection.
However, side impact and curtain air
bags may inflate depending on the
intensity, vehicle speed and angles of
impact. • In an angled collision, the force of
impact may direct the occupants in a
direction where the air bags would not
be able to provide any additional bene-
fit, and thus the sensors may not
deploy any air bags.

OBH038060

OBH038058

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Safety features of your vehicle60
3• Just before impact, drivers often brake
heavily. Such heavy braking lowers the
front portion of the vehicle causing it to
“ride” under a vehicle with a higher
ground clearance. Air bags may not
inflate in this "under-ride" situation
because deceleration forces that are
detected by sensors may be signifi-
cantly reduced by such “under-ride”
collisions. • Front air bags may not inflate in
rollover accidents because air bag
deployment would not provide protec-
tion to the occupants.
Side impact and curtain air bags may
inflate when the vehicle is rolled over
by a side impact collision. • Air bags may not inflate if the vehicle
collides with objects such as utility
poles or trees, where the point of
impact is concentrated to one area and
the full force of the impact is not deliv-
ered to the sensors.

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Safety features of your vehicle
SRS CareThe SRS is virtually maintenance-free
and so there are no parts you can safely
service by yourself. If the SRS air bag
warning light " " does not illuminate,
when you turn the ignition on, or continu-
ously remains on, have your vehicle
immediately inspected by an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer.
Any work on the SRS system, such as
removing, installing, repairing, or any
work on the steering wheel, the front
passenger's panel, front seats and roof
rails must be performed by an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer. Improper handling of
the SRS system may result in serious
personal injury.

WARNING
• Modification to SRS componentsor wiring, including the addition
of any kind of badges to the pad
covers or modifications to the
body structure, can adversely
affect SRS performance and lead
to possible injury.
• Not only the modification of the parts where the SRS sensors are
but also the modification of other
parts of the vehicle may affect the
SRS performance and lead to
possible injury.
• For cleaning the air bag pad cov- ers, use only a soft, dry cloth or
one which has been moistened
with plain water. Solvents or
cleaners could adversely affect
the air bag covers and proper
deployment of the system.
•No objects should be placed over
or near the air bag modules on the
steering wheel, instrument panel,
and the front passenger's panel
above the glove box, because any
such object could cause harm if the
vehicle is in a crash severe enough
to cause the air bags to inflate.
(Continued)
(Continued)
• If the air bags inflate, they must be replaced by an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer.
• Do not tamper with or disconnect SRS wiring, or other components
of the SRS system. Doing so
could result in injury, due to acci-
dental inflation of the air bags or
by rendering the SRS inopera-
tive.
• If components of the air bag sys- tem must be discarded, or if the
vehicle must be scrapped, certain
safety precautions must be
observed. An authorized
HYUNDAI dealer knows these
precautions and can give you the
necessary information. Failure to
follow these precautions and pro-
cedures could increase the risk
of personal injury.
• If your car was flooded and has soaked carpeting or water on the
flooring, you shouldn't try to start
the engine; have the car towed to
an authorized HYUNDAI dealer.

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Safety features of your vehicle62
3Additional safety precautions• Never let passengers ride in the
cargo area or on top of a folded-
down back seat. All occupants should
sit upright, fully back in their seats with
their seat belts on and their feet on the
floor.
• Passengers should not move out of
or change seats while the vehicle is
moving. A passenger who is not wear-
ing a seat belt during a crash or emer-
gency stop can be thrown against the
inside of the vehicle, against other
occupants, or out of the vehicle.
• Each seat belt is designed to
restrain one occupant. If more than
one person uses the same seat belt,
they could be seriously injured or killed
in a collision.
• Do not use any accessories on seat
belts. Devices claiming to improve
occupant comfort or reposition the seat
belt can reduce the protection provided
by the seat belt and increase the
chance of serious injury in a crash.
• Passengers should not place hard
or sharp objects between them-
selves and the air bags. Carrying
hard or sharp objects on your lap or in
your mouth can result in injuries if an
air bag inflates. •
Keep occupants away from the air
bag covers. All occupants should sit
upright, fully back in their seats with
their seat belts on and their feet on the
floor. If occupants are too close to the
air bag covers, they could be injured if
the air bags inflate.
• Do not attach or place objects on or
near the air bag covers. Any object
attached to or placed on the front or
side air bag covers could interfere with
the proper operation of the air bags.
• Do not modify the front seats.
Modification of the front seats could
interfere with the operation of the sup-
plemental restraint system sensing
components or side air bags.
• Do not place items under the front
seats. Placing items under the front
seats could interfere with the operation
of the supplemental restraint system
sensing components and wiring har-
nesses.
• Never hold an infant or child on your
lap. The infant or child could be seri-
ously injured or killed in the event of a
crash. All infants and children should
be properly restrained in appropriate
child safety seats or seat belts in the
rear seat.
Adding equipment to or modifying
your air bag-equipped vehicleIf you modify your vehicle by changing
your vehicle's frame, bumper system,
front end or side sheet metal or ride
height, this may affect the operation of
your vehicle's air bag system.
WARNING
• Sitting improperly or out of posi- tion can cause occupants to be
shifted too close to a deploying
air bag, strike the interior struc-
ture or be thrown from the vehicle
resulting in serious injury or
death.
• Always sit upright with the seat- back in an upright position, cen-
tered on the seat cushion with
your seat belt on, legs comfort-
ably extended and your feet on
the floor.
• Be careful not to cause impact to the doors when the ignition is
ON. The air bags may inflate.

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Safety features of your vehicle
Air bag warning label (if equipped)Air bag warning labels, some required by
the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA), are attached to
alert the driver and passengers of poten-
tial risks of the air bag system.
OYF039045
OYF039046

*
*

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