2011 KIA Optima steering

Safety features of your vehicle
52
3
Driver's and passenger's front air
bag
Your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Supplemental Restraint (Air
Bag) System and lap/shoulder belts at
both the driver and passenger seating
position. The indications of the system's presence
are the letters "AIR BAG" embossed on
the air bag pad cover in the steering
wheel and the passenger's side front
panel pad above the glove box.
The SRS consists of air bags installed
under the pad covers in the center of the
steering wheel and the passenger's side
front panel above the glove box.
The purpose of the SRS is to provide the
vehicle's driver and/or the front passen-
ger with additional protection than that
offered by the seat belt system alone in
case of a frontal impact of sufficient
severity. The SRS uses sensors to gath-
er information about the driver's seat
position, the driver's and front passen-
ger's seat belt usage and impact severi-
ty.
WARNING
If the occupant detection system is
not working properly, the SRS air
bag warning light on the instru-
ment panel will illuminate because
the passenger's front air bag is
connected with the occupant
detection system. If there is a mal-
function of the occupant detection
system, the PASSENGER AIR BAG
“OFF” indicator will not illuminate
and the passenger's front air bag
will inflate in frontal impact crashes
even if there is no occupant in the
front passenger's seat. If the SRS
air bag warning light does not illu-
minate when the ignition switch is
turned to the ON position, remains
illuminated after approximately 6
seconds when the ignition switch is
turned to the ON position, or if it
illuminates while the vehicle is
being driven, have an authorized
KIA dealer inspect the occupant
detection system and the SRS air
bag system as soon as possible.
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Driver’s front air bag
Passenger’s front air bag

353
Safety features of your vehicle
The driver's seat track position sensor (if
equipped), which is installed on the seat
track, determine if the seat is fore or aft
of a reference position. The seat belt
buckle sensors determine if the driver
and front passenger's seat belts are fas-
tened.These sensors provide the ability to con-
trol the SRS deployment based on how
close the driver's seat is to the steering
wheel, whether or not the seat belts are
fastened, and how severe the impact is.
The advanced SRS offers the ability to
control the air bag inflation with two lev-
els. A first stage level is provided for mod-
erate-severity impacts. A second stage
level is provided for more severe impacts.
The passenger’s front air bag is designed
to help reduce the injury of children sit-
ting close to the instrument panel in low
speed collisions. However, children are
safer if they are restrainted in the rear
seat.
According to the impact severity, seating
position and seat belt usage, the SRSCM
(SRS Control Module) controls the air
bag inflation. Failure to properly wear
seat belts can increase the risk or sever-
ity of injury in an accident.
Additionally, your vehicle is equipped
with an occupant detection system in the
front passenger's seat. The occupant
detection system detects the presence of
a passenger in the front passenger's seat
and will turn off the front passenger's air
bag under certain conditions. For more
detail, see "Occupant detection system"
in this section.
WARNING
If a seat track position sensor (if
equipped) or an occupant detection
system is not working properly, the
SRS air bag warning light on the
instrument panel will illuminate
because the SRS air bag warning
light is connected with the seat
track position sensor and the occu-
pant detection system. If the SRS
air bag warning light does not illu-
minate when the ignition switch is
turned to the ON position, remains
illuminated after approximately 6
seconds when the ignition switch is
turned to the ON position, or if it
illuminates while the vehicle is
being driven, have an authorized
KIA dealer inspect the advanced
SRS air bag system as soon as
possible.
WARNING
Modification to the seat structure
can adversely affect the seat
track position sensor (if
equipped) and cause the air bag
to deploy at a different level than
should be provided.
Do not place any objects under- neath the front seats as they
could damage the seat track
position sensor or interfere with
the occupant detection system.
Do not place any objects that may cause magnetic fields near the
front seat. These may cause a
malfunction of the seat track
position sensor.

355
Safety features of your vehicle
(Continued)
No objects should be placed overor 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 deploy.
Never place covers, blankets or aftermarket seat warmers on the
passenger seat as these may
interfere with the occupant detec-
tion system.
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 deployment of the air bags
or by rendering the SRS inopera-
tive.
(Continued)(Continued)
If the SRS air bag warning lightremains illuminated while the
vehicle is being driven, have an
authorized KIA dealer inspect the
air bag system as soon as possi-
ble.
Air bags can only be used once – have an authorized KIA dealer
replace the air bag immediately
after deployment.
The SRS is designed to deploy the front air bags only when an
impact is sufficiently severe and
when the impact angle is less
than 30° from the forward longitu-
dinal axis of the vehicle.
Additionally, the air bags will only
deploy once. Seat belts must be
worn at all times.
Front air bags are not intended to deploy in side-impact, rear-
impact or rollover crashes. In
addition, front air bags will not
deploy in frontal crashes below
the deployment threshold.
(Continued)
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Side impact
Rear impact
Rollover

357
Safety features of your vehicle
The side impact air bags are designed to
deploy only during certain side-impact
collisions, depending on the crash sever-
ity, angle, speed and point of impact. The
side air bags are not designed to deploy
in all side impact situations.(Continued)
For best protection from the sideimpact air bag system and to
avoid being injured by the
deploying side impact air bag,
both front seat occupants should
sit in an upright position with the
seat belt properly fastened. The
driver's hands should be placed
on the steering wheel at 9:00 and
3:00 positions. The passenger's
arms and hands should be
placed on their laps.
Do not use any accessory seat covers.
Use of seat covers could reduce or prevent the effectiveness of
the system.
Do not install any accessories on the side or near the side impact
air bag.
Do not place any objects over the air bag or between the air bag
and yourself.
(Continued)(Continued)
Do not place any objects (anumbrella, bag, etc.) between the
front door and the front seat.
Such objects may become dan-
gerous projectiles and cause
injury if the supplemental side air
bag inflates.
To prevent unexpected deploy- ment of the side impact air bag
that may result in personal injury,
avoid impact to the side impact
sensor when the ignition switch
is on.
If the seat or seat cover is dam- aged, have the vehicle checked
and repaired by an authorized
KIA dealer. Inform the dealer that
your vehicle is equipped with
side impact air bags.
WARNING
Do not allow the passengers tolean their heads or bodies onto
doors, put their arms on the
doors, stretch their arms out of
the window, or place objects
between the doors and passen-
gers when they are seated on
seats equipped with side and/or
curtain air bags.
The side impact air bag is sup- plemental to the driver's and the
passenger's seat belt systems
and is not a substitute for them.
Therefore your seat belts must be
worn at all times while the vehicle
is in motion. The air bags deploy
only in certain side impact condi-
tions severe enough to cause
significant injury to the vehicle
occupants.
(Continued)

Safety features of your vehicle
64
3
SRS Care
The 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, or con-
tinuously remains on, have your vehicle
immediately inspected by an authorized
KIA dealer.
Any work on the SRS system, such as
removing, installing, repairing, or any
work on the steering wheel must be per-
formed by an authorized KIA dealer.
Improper handling of the SRS system
may result in serious personal injury.WARNING
Modification to SRS components
or 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.
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 mustbe replaced by an authorized KIA
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 KIA
dealer knows these precautions
and can give you the necessary
information. Failure to follow
these precautions and proce-
dures could increase the risk of
personal injury.
If your vehicle was flooded and has soaked carpeting or water on
the floor, you shouldn't try to
start the engine; have the vehicle
towed to an authorized KIA deal-
er.

4
Keys / 4-2
Smart key / 4-5
Remote keyless entry / 4-7
Theft-alarm system / 4-10
Door locks / 4-13
Trunk / 4-18
Windows / 4-21
Hood / 4-25
Fuel filler lid / 4-27
Panorama sunroof / 4-30
Driver position memory system / 4-34
Steering wheel / 4-36
Mirrors / 4-39
Instrument cluster / 4-48
Hazard warning flasher / 4-74
Rear parking assist system / 4-75
Rearview camera / 4-78
Welcome system / 4-79
Lighting / 4-80
Wipers and washers / 4-85
Interior light / 4-88
Defroster / 4-91
Manual climate control system / 4-92
Automatic climate control system / 4-101
Windshield defrosting and defogging / 4-109
Storage compartment / 4-113
Interior features / 4-116
Audio system / 4-120
Features of your vehicle

Features of your vehicle
36
4
Electric power steering
Power steering uses the motor to assist
you in steering the vehicle. If the engine
is off or if the power steering system
becomes inoperative, the vehicle may
still be steered, but it will require
increased steering effort.
The motor driven power steering is con-
trolled by the power steering control unit
which senses the steering wheel torque
and vehicle speed to command the
motor.
The steering wheel becomes heavier as
the vehicle’s speed increases and
becomes lighter as the vehicle’s speed
decreases for better control of the steer-
ing wheel.
Should you notice any change in the
effort required to steer during normal
vehicle operation, have the power steer-
ing checked by an authorized KIA dealer.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
The following symptoms may occur dur-
ing normal vehicle operation:
• The EPS warning light does not illumi-
nate.
• The steering effort is high immediately after turning the ignition switch on.
This happens as the system performs
the EPS system diagnostics. When the
diagnostics is completed, the steering
wheel will return to its normal condi-
tion.
• A click noise may be heard from the EPS relay after the ignition switch is
turned to the ON or LOCK position.
• Motor noise may be heard when the vehicle is at a stop or at a low driving
speed.
• If the Electric Power Steering System does not operate normally, the warn-
ing light will illuminate on the instru-
ment cluster. The steering wheel may
become difficult to control or operate
abnormally. Take your vehicle to an
authorized Kia dealer and have the
vehicle checked as soon as possible.
• The steering effort increases if the steering wheel is rotated continuously
when the vehicle is not in motion.
However, after a few minutes, it will
return to its normal conditions. • When you operate the steering wheel
in low temperature, abnormal noise
could occur. If temperature rises, the
noise will disappear. This is a normal
condition.
STEERING WHEEL

437
Features of your vehicle
Tilt steering
Tilt steering allows you to adjust the
steering wheel before you drive. You can
also raise it to give your legs more room
when you exit and enter the vehicle.
The steering wheel should be positioned
so that it is comfortable for you to drive,
while permitting you to see the instru-
ment panel warning lights and gauges.To change the steering wheel angle, pull
down the lock release lever (1), adjust
the steering wheel to the desired angle
(2) and height (if equipped) (3), then pull
up the lock-release lever to lock the
steering wheel in place. Be sure to adjust
the steering wheel to the desired position
before driving.
Horn
To sound the horn, press the horn sym-
bol on your steering wheel. Check the
horn regularly to be sure it operates
properly.
✽ ✽NOTICE
To sound the horn, press the area indi-
cated by the horn symbol on your steer-
ing wheel (see illustration). The horn
will operate only when this area is
pressed.
WARNING
Never adjust the angle and height
of the steering wheel while driv-
ing. You may lose steering control
and cause severe personal injury,
death or accidents.
After adjusting, push the steering wheel both up and down to be
certain it is locked in position.
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