2011 KIA Forte Owner's Manual

337
Safety features of your vehicle
C040902APB
Noise and smoke
When 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 seat belt and the
air bag, as well as from breathing the
smoke and powder.Open your doors
and/or windows as soon as possible
after the impact in order to reduce dis-
comfort and prevent prolonged expo-
sure to smoke and powder.
Though smoke and powder are non-
toxic, it may cause irritation to the skin
(eyes, nose and throat etc). If this is the
case, wash and rinse with the cold water
immediately and consult the doctor if the
symptom persists.
C040903AUN
Installing a child restraint on a front passenger’s seat is forbidden
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 serious or
fatal injury.
In addition, do not place front-facing child
restraint in the front passenger’s seat
either. If the front passenger air bag
inflates, it would cause serious or fatal
injuries to the child.
1JBH3051
WARNING
When the air bags deploy, the air
bag related parts in the 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.

Safety features of your vehicle
38
3
C041000AEN
Air bag warning light
The purpose of the 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 illuminate 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 illuminating for approximately 6 seconds.
The light comes on while the vehicle is in motion.
C040100BTD-EU
SRS components and functions
The SRS consists of the following com-
ponents:
1. Driver's front air bag module
2. Passenger's front air bag module
3. Side impact air bag modules*
4. Curtain air bag modules*
5. Retractor pre-tensioner assemblies*
6. Anchor pre-tensioner assemblies*
7. Air bag warning light
8. SRS control module (SRSCM)
9. Front impact sensors
10. Side impact sensors*
11. PASSENGER AIR BAG “OFF” indi- cator (Front passenger’s seat only)
12. Occupant detection system (Front passenger’s seat only)
WARNING
Extreme Hazard! Do not use arearward facing child restraint on
a seat protected by an air bag in
front of it!
Never put a child restraint in the front passenger’s seat. If the front
passenger air bag inflates, it can
cause serious or fatal injuries.
When children are seated in the rear outboard seats of a vehicle
equipped with side and/or curtain
air bags, be sure to install the
child restraint system as far away
from the door side as possible,
and securely lock the child
restraint system in position.
Inflation of side and/or curtain air
bags could cause serious injury
or death to an infant or child.
W7-147OTD030040N

339
Safety features of your vehicle
13. Driver’s and front passenger’s seatbelt buckle sensors
*: if equipped
The SRSCM continually monitors all
SRS components while the ignition
switch is ON to determine if a crash
impact is severe enough to require air
bag deployment or pre-tensioner seat
belt deployment.
The SRS air bag warning light on the
instrument panel will illuminate for about
6 seconds after the ignition switch is
turned to the ON position, after which the
air bag warning light should go out. The air bag modules are located both in
the center of the steering wheel and in
the front passenger's panel above the
glove box. When the SRSCM detects a
sufficiently severe impact to the front of
the vehicle, it will automatically deploy
the front air bags.Upon deployment, tear seams molded
directly into the pad covers will separate
under pressure from the expansion of the
air bags. Further opening of the covers
then allows full inflation of the air bags.
B240B01L
Driver’s front air bag (1)
B240B02L
Driver’s front air bag (2)
WARNING
If any of the following conditions
occurs, this indicates a malfunction
of the SRS. Have an authorized KIA
dealer inspect the air bag system
as soon as possible.
The light does not turn on briefly
when you turn the ignition ON.
The light stays on after illuminat- ing for approximately 6 seconds.
The light comes on while the vehicle is in motion.

Safety features of your vehicle
40
3
B240B05L
Passenger’s front air bag
A fully inflated air bag, in combination
with a properly worn seat belt, slows the
driver's or the passenger's forward
motion, reducing the risk of head and
chest injury.
After complete inflation, the air bag
immediately starts deflating, enabling the
driver to maintain forward visibility and
the ability to steer or operate other con-
trols.
B240B03L
Driver’s front air bag (3)
WARNING
Do not install or place any acces-
sories (drink holder, cassette
holder, sticker, etc.) on the front
passenger's panel above the
glove box in a vehicle with a pas-
senger's air bag. Such objects
may become dangerous projec-
tiles and cause injury if the pas-
senger's air bag inflates.
(Continued)
(Continued)
When installing a container of liq-uid air freshener inside the vehi-
cle, do not place it near the
instrument cluster nor on the
instrument panel surface.
It may become dangerous projec-
tiles and cause injury if the pas-
senger's air bag inflates.

341
Safety features of your vehicle
C040300ATD
Occupant detection system
Your vehicle is equipped with an occu-
pant detection system in the front pas-
senger's seat.
The occupant detection system is
designed to detect the presence of a
properly-seated front passenger and
determine if the passenger's front air bag
should be enabled (may inflate) or not.
The driver's front air bag is not affected
or controlled by the occupant detection
system.
(Continued)
The SRS can function only whenthe ignition key is in the ON posi-
tion. If the SRS air bag warning
light does not illuminate, or con-
tinuously remains on after illumi-
nating for about 6 seconds when
the ignition switch is turned to
the ON position, or after the
engine is started, comes on while
driving, the SRS is not working
properly. If this occurs, have your
vehicle immediately inspected by
an authorized KIA dealer.
Before you replace a fuse or dis- connect a battery terminal, turn
the ignition switch to the LOCK
position and remove the ignition
key. Never remove or replace the
air bag related fuse(s) when the
ignition switch is in the ON posi-
tion. Failure to heed this warning
will cause the SRS air bag warn-
ing light to illuminate.WARNING
If an air bag deploys, there maybe a loud noise followed by a fine
dust released in the vehicle.
These conditions are normal and
are not hazardous - the air bags
are packed in this fine powder.
The dust generated during air
bag deployment may cause skin
or eye irritation as well as aggra-
vate asthma for some persons.
Always wash all exposed skin
areas thoroughly with lukewarm
water and a mild soap after an
accident in which the air bags
were deployed.
(Continued)
OTD031041N

Safety features of your vehicle
42
3
Main components of occupant detec-
tion system
A detection device located within the front passenger seat track.
Electronic system to determine whether passenger air bag systems
should be activated or deactivated.
A indicator light located on the instru- ment panel which illuminates the
words PASSENGER AIR BAG “OFF”
indicating the front passenger air bag
system is deactivated.
The instrument panel air bag warning light is interconnected with the occu-
pant detection system. If the front passenger seat is occupied by
a person that the system determines to
be of adult size, and he/she sits properly
(sitting upright with the seatback in an
upright position, centered on the seat
cushion with their seat belt on, legs com-
fortably extended and their feet on the
floor), the PASSENGER AIR BAG “OFF”
indicator will turn off and the front pas-
senger's air bag will be able to inflate, if
necessary, in frontal crashes.
You will find the PASSENGER AIR BAG
“OFF” indicator on the center facia panel.
This system detects the conditions 1~4
in the following table and activates or
deactivates the front passenger air bag
based on these conditions. Always be sure that you and all vehicle
occupants are seated and restrained
properly (sitting upright with the seat in
an upright position, centered on the seat
cushion, with the person’s legs comfort-
ably extended, feet on the floor, and
wearing the safety belt properly) for the
most effective protection by the air bag
and the safety belt.
The ODS (Occupant Detection System)
may not function properly if the passen-
ger takes actions which can defeat the
detection system. These include:
(1) Failing to sit in an upright position.
(2) Leaning against the door or center console.
(3) Sitting towards the sides or the front of the seat.
(4) Putting legs on the dashboard or rest- ing them on other locations which
reduce the passenger weight on the
front seat.
(5) Improperly wearing the safety belt.
(6) Reclining the seat back.

343
Safety features of your vehicle
WARNING
Riding in an improper position or
placing weight on the front passen-
ger's seat when it is unoccupied by
a passenger adversely affects the
occupant detection system (ODS).(Continued)
C040301ATD
Condition and operation in the front passenger occupant detection system
*1) The system judges a person of adult size as an adult. When a smaller adult sits inthe front passenger seat, the system may recognize him/her as a child depending
on his/her physique and posture.
*2) Do not allow children to ride in the front passenger seat. When a smaller child than the same age sits in the front passenger seat, the system may recognize him/her
as an infant depending on his/her physique or posture.
*3) Never install a child restraint system on the front passenger seat.
*4) The PASSENGER AIR BAG "OFF" indicator may turn on or off when a child above 12 months to 12 years old (with or without child restraint system) sits in the front
passenger seat. This is a normal condition.
Condition detected by the occupant
detection system
1. Adult *
1or child age 13 and up*2
2. Infant or child restraint system with 12 months old*3 *4
3. Unoccupied
4. Malfunction in the system
Off
On
On
Off Off
Off
Off
On Activated
Deactivated
Deactivated Activated
PASSENGER AIR
BAG “OFF” indica- tor lightSRS warninglightFront passenger air bag
Indicator/Warning light Devices

Safety features of your vehicle
44
3
1KMN3663
1KMN3664
1KMN3665
- Never sit with the hips shifted
towards the front of the seat.
- Never lean on the door or centerconsole.
- Never sit on one side of the front passenger seat.
- Never place the feet on the dash-
board.
B990A08O
1KMN3662
- Never put a heavy load in thefront passenger seat.
- Never excessively recline thefront passenger seatback.
OVQ036014N
- Never place the feet on the frontpassenger seatback.
(Continued)