2011 KIA Optima seats

Safety features of your vehicle
28
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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 a
label certifying that it meets the Safety
Standard of your country. The restraint
must be appropriate for your child's
height and weight. Check the label on
the child restraint for this information.
Refer to “Child restraint system” in this
section.
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 the 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 be seat-
ed in the front seat, the child should be
securely restrained by the available
lap/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 a
child age 12 and under in the front seat.
NEVER place a rear facing child seat in
the front seat of a vehicle.
WARNING
Every person in your vehicle needs
to be properly restrained at all
times, including infants and chil-
dren. Never hold a child in your
arms 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.

329
Safety features of your 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.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.
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.
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.
Do not lie down
To reduce the chance of injuries in the
event of an accident and to achieve maxi-
mum effectiveness of the restraint system,
all passengers should be sitting up and
the front seats should be in an upright
position when the vehicle is moving. A
seat belt cannot provide proper protection
if the person is lying down in the rear seat
or if the front seat is in a reclined position.
WARNING- Shoulder belts
on small children
Never allow a shoulder belt come
in contact with a child’s neck or
face while the vehicle is in
motion.
If seat belts are not properly worn and adjusted on children, there is
a risk of death or serious injury.
WARNING - Pregnantwomen
Pregnant women must never place
the lap portion of the safety belt
over the area of the abdomen
where the fetus is located or above
the abdomen where the belt could
crush the fetus during an impact.

Safety features of your vehicle
30
3
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.
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.
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.
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
to 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 fail during a colli-
sion or sudden stop, resulting 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 col-
lision or sudden stop. The protec-
tion of your restraint system (seat
belts and air bags) is greatly
reduced by reclining your seat.
Seat belts must be snugged against
your hips and chest to work proper-
ly. The more the seatback is
reclined, the greater the chance
that an occupant's hips will slide
under the lap belt causing serious
internal injuries. Also, the shoulder
belt may strike the occupant's
neck. Drivers and passengers
should always sit well back in their
seats, properly belted, and with the
seatbacks upright.

331
Safety features of your vehicle
CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEM
Children riding in the car should sit in the
rear seat and must always be properly
restrained to minimize the risk of injury in
an 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 meets the require-
ments of the safety standards of your
country.
Child restraint systems are designed to be
secured in vehicle seats by seat belt, or by
a tether anchor and/or LATCH anchors (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 vehicle
seat and seat belts, and fits your child.
Follow all the instructions provided by the
manufacturer when installing the 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 an
accident 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.
(Continued)
(Continued)
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.
When the child restraint system is 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 case of a sudden stop
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 in
the rear seat.

333
Safety features of your vehicle
Using a child restraint system
For small children and babies, the use of
a child seat or infant seat is required. This
child seat or infant seat should be of
appropriate size for the child and should
be installed in accordance with the man-
ufacturer's instructions.
For safety reasons, we recommend that
the child restraint system be used in the
rear seats.Since all passenger seat belts move
freely under normal conditions and only
lock under extreme or emergency condi-
tions (emergency lock mode), you must
manually change these seat belts to the
auto lock mode to secure a child
restraint.
WARNING- Child seat
installation
A child can be seriously injured
or killed in a collision if the child
restraint is not properly anchored
to the car and the child is not
properly restrained in the child
restraint. Before installing the
child restraint system, read the
instructions supplied by the child
restraint system manufacturer.
If the seat belt does not operate as described in this section, have
the system checked immediately
by your authorized KIA dealer.
Failure to observe this manual's instructions regarding child
restraint system and the instruc-
tions provided with the child
restraint system could increase
the chance and/or severity of
injury in an accident.
WARNING
Never place a rear-facing child
restraint in the front passenger
seat, because of the danger that an
inflating passenger-side air bag
could impact the rear-facing child
restraint and kill the child.
CRS09
OTQ037038
Rearward-facing child restraint system
Forward-facing child restraint system

Safety features of your vehicle
34
3
Placing a passenger seat belt into
the auto lock mode
The auto lock mode will help prevent the
normal movement of the child in the vehi-
cle from causing the seat belt to loosen
and compromise the child restraint sys-
tem. To secure a child restraint system,
use the following procedure. To install a child restraint system on the
outboard or center rear seats, do the fol-
lowing:
1. Place the child restraint system in the
seat and route the lap/shoulder belt
around or through the restraint, follow-
ing the restraint manufacturer’s
instructions. Be sure the seat belt web-
bing is not twisted.
2. Fasten the lap/shoulder belt latch into the buckle. Listen for the distinct “click”
sound.
Position the release button so that it iseasy to access in case of an emergency.
3. Pull the shoulder portion of the seat belt all the way out. When the shoulder
portion of the seat belt is fully extend-
ed, it will shift the retractor to the “Auto
Lock” (child restraint) mode.
E2MS103005OEN036101OEN036102

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Safety features of your vehicle
Securing a child restraint seat withchild seat lower anchor system
Some child seat manufacturers make
child restraint seats that are labeled as
LATCH or LATCH-compatible child
restraint seats. LATCH stands for "Lower
Anchors and Tethers for Children". These
seats include two rigid or webbing
mounted attachments that connect to
two LATCH anchors at specific seating
positions in your vehicle. This type of
child restraint seat eliminates the need to
use seat belts to attach the child seat in
the rear seats.
WARNING - Child restraint check
Check that the child restraint sys-
tem is secure by pushing and
pulling it in different directions.
Incorrectly fitted child restraints
may swing, twist, tip or separate
causing death or serious injury.
WARNING- Tether strap
A child can be seriously injured
or killed in a collision if the child
restraint is not properly
anchored. Always follow the child
seat manufacturer’s instructions
for installation and use.
Never mount more than one child restraint to a single tether anchor
or to a single lower anchorage
point. The increased load caused
by multiple seats may cause the
tethers or lower anchorage
points to break, causing serious
injury or death.
WARNING
- Child restraint anchorage
Child restraint anchorages aredesigned to withstand only those
loads imposed by correctly fitted
child restraints. Under no circum-
stances are they to be used for
adult seat belts or harnesses or
for attaching other items or
equipment to the vehicle.
The tether strap may not work properly if attached somewhere
other than the correct tether
anchor.
B230D01NF

Safety features of your vehicle
38
3
Child restraint symbols are located on
the left and right rear seat backs to indi-
cate the position of the lower anchors for
child restraints. LATCH anchors have been provided in
your vehicle. The LATCH anchors are
located in the left and right outboard rear
seating positions. Their locations are
shown in the illustration. There is no
LATCH anchor provided for the center
rear seating position.
The LATCH anchors are located between
the seatback and the seat cushion of the
rear seat left and right outboard seating
positions.
Follow the child seat manufacturer’s
instructions to properly install child
restraint seats with LATCH or LATCH-
compatible attachments.
Once you have installed the LATCH child
restraint, assure that the seat is properly
attached to the LATCH and tether
anchors.
OTF030031N
Lower Anchor
Position Indicator
Lower Anchor
WARNING
When using the vehicle's "LATCH" system to install a child
restraint system in the rear seat,
all unused vehicle rear seat belt
metal latch plates or tabs must be
latched securely in their seat belt
buckles and the seat belt web-
bing must be retracted behind
the child restraint to prevent the
child from reaching and taking
hold of unretracted seat belts.
Unlatched metal latch plates or
tabs may allow the child to reach
the unretracted seat belts which
may result in strangulation and a
serious injury or death to the
child in the child restraint.
Do not place anything around the lower anchors. Also make sure
that the seat belt is not caught in
the lower anchors.
OTD039037N