2011 KIA Soul height

Safety features of your vehicle
23
C010000AAM-EC
Front seat
(1) Forward and backward
(2) Seatback angle
(3) Seat cushion height (Driver’s seat)*
(4) Seat warmer*
(5) Headrest
(6) Armrest (Driver’s seat)*
Rear seats
(7) Folding the seatback
(8) Headrest
*: if equipped
SEATS
OAM039001

35
Safety features of your vehicle
C010102AHM
Seatback angle
To recline the seatback:
1. Lean forward slightly and lift up theseatback recline lever.
2. Carefully lean back on the seat and adjust the seatback of the seat to the
position you desire.
3. Release the lever and make sure the seatback is locked in place. (The lever
MUST return to its original position for
the seatback to lock.)
C010103APB
Seat height (for driver’s seat)
To change the height of the seat, push
the lever upwards or downwards.
To lower the seat cushion, push downthe lever several times.
To raise the seat cushion, pull up the lever several times.
C010104AHM
Headrest
The driver's and front passenger's seats
are equipped with a headrest for the
occupant's safety and comfort.
The headrest not only provides comfort
for the driver and front passenger, but
also helps protect the head and neck in
the event of a collision.
OAM039004OPA039052OAM039003

Safety features of your vehicle
63
Forward and rearward adjustment
The headrest may be adjusted forward to
3 different positions by pulling the head-
rest forward to the desired detent. To
adjust the headrest to it’s furthest rear-
ward position, pull it fully forward to the
farthest position and release it. Adjust the
headrest so that it properly supports the
head and neck.Adjusting the height up and down
To raise the headrest, pull it up to the
desired position (1). To lower the head-
rest, push and hold the release button (2)
on the headrest support and lower the
headrest to the desired position (3).
WARNING
For maximum effectiveness in
case of an accident, the headrest
should be adjusted so the middle
of the headrest is at the same
height of the center of gravity of
an occupant's head. Generally,
the center of gravity of most peo-
ple's head is similar with the
height of the top of their eyes.
Also, adjust the headrest as close
to your head as possible. For this
reason, the use of a cushion that
holds the body away from the
seatback is not recommended.
Do not operate the vehicle with the headrests removed. Severe
injury to the occupants may
occur in the event of an accident.
Headrests may provide protec-
tion against neck injuries when
properly adjusted.
Do not adjust the headrest posi- tion of the driver’s seat while the
vehicle is in motion.
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37
Safety features of your vehicle
Removal and installation
To remove the headrest, raise it as far as
it can go then press the release button
(1) while pulling the headrest up (2).
To reinstall the headrest, put the head-
rest poles (3) into the holes while press-
ing the release button (1). Then adjust it
to the appropriate height.Active headrest (if equipped)
The active headrest is designed to move
forward and upward during a rear impact.
This helps to prevent the driver's and
front passenger’s heads from moving
backward and thus helps minimize neck
injuries.C010109AVQ-C1
Armrest (for driver’s seat, if equipped)
To use the armrest, swing down the arm-
rest to the lowest position.
WARNING
Make sure the headrest locks in
position after adjusting it to proper-
ly protect the occupants.
HNF2041-1OAM039007OSA038123
WARNING
A gap between the seat and the
headrest release button may
appear when seating on the seat or
when you push or pull the seat. Be
careful not to get your finger, etc.
caught in the gap.

311
Safety features of your vehicle
C010303AHM
Headrest
The rear seat(s) is equipped with head-
rests in all the seating positions for the
occupant's safety and comfort.
The headrest not only provides comfort
for passengers, but also helps protect the
head and neck in the event of a collision.
WARNING - Cargo loading
Make sure the engine is off, the
automatic transaxle is in P (Park)
or the manual transaxle is in
Reverse or 1st, and the parking
brake is securely applied whenever
loading or unloading cargo. Failure
to take these steps may allow the
vehicle to move if the shift lever is
inadvertently moved to another
position.
WARNING- Cargo
Cargo should always be secured to
prevent it from being thrown about
the vehicle in a collision and caus-
ing injury to the vehicle occupants.
Do not place objects in the rear
seats, since they cannot be proper-
ly secured and may hit the front
seat occupants in a collision.
OPA039053
WARNING
For maximum effectiveness incase of an accident, the headrest
should be adjusted so the middle
of the headrest is at the same
height of the center of gravity of
an occupant's head. Generally,
the center of gravity of most peo-
ple's head is similar with the
height as the top of their eyes.
Also adjust the headrest as close
to your head as possible. For this
reason, the use of a cushion that
holds the body away from the
seatback is not recommended.
Do not operate the vehicle with the headrests removed. Severe
injury to an occupant may occur
in the event of an accident.
Headrests may provide protec-
tion against severe neck injuries
when properly adjusted.

Safety features of your vehicle
12
3
SEAT BELTS
Adjusting the height up and down
To raise the headrest, pull it up to the
desired position (1). To lower the head-
rest, push and hold the release button (2)
on the headrest support and lower the
headrest to the desired position (3). Removal and installation
To remove the headrest, raise it as far as
it can go then press the release button
(1) while pulling the headrest up (2).
To reinstall the headrest, put the head-
rest poles (3) into the holes while pessing
the release button (1). Then adjust it to
the appropriate height.
C020100AHM
Seat belt restraint system
OUN026043OUN028044
WARNING
Make sure the headrest locks in
position after adjusting it to proper-
ly protect the occupants.
WARNING
For maximum restraint system
protection, the seat belts must
always be used whenever the
vehicle is moving.
Seat belts are most effective when seatbacks are in the
upright position.
Children age 12 and under must always be properly restrained in
the rear seat. Never allow chil-
dren to ride in the front passen-
ger seat. If a child over 12 must
be seated in the front seat, he/she
must be properly belted and the
seat should be moved as far back
as possible.
Never wear the shoulder belt under your arm or behind your
back. An improperly positioned
shoulder belt can cause serious
injuries in a crash. The shoulder
belt should be positioned midway
over your shoulder across your
collarbone.
(Continued)

315
Safety features of your vehicle
✽
✽NOTICE
If you are not able to smoothly pull
enough of the seat belt from the retrac-
tor, firmly pull the belt out and release
it. Then you will be able to pull the belt
out smoothly.
Height adjustment
You can adjust the height of the shoulder
belt anchor to one of the 4 positions for
maximum comfort and safety.
The height of the seat belt should not be
too close to your neck. The shoulder por-
tion should be adjusted so that it lies
across your chest and midway over your
shoulder near the door and not your
neck. To adjust the height of the seat belt
anchor, lower or raise the height adjuster
into an appropriate position.
To raise the height adjuster, pull it up (1).
To lower it, push it down (3) while press-
ing the height adjuster button (2).
Release the button to lock the anchor
into position. Try sliding the height
adjuster to make sure that it has locked
into position.
WARNING
Verify that the shoulder belt
anchor is locked into position at
the appropriate height. Never
position the shoulder belt across
your neck or face. Improperly
positioned seat belts can cause
serious injuries in an accident.
Failure to replace seat belts after an accident could leave you with
damaged seat belts that will not
provide protection in the event of
another collision leading to per-
sonal injury or death. Replace
your seat belts after being in an
accident as soon as possible.OUN026100
Front seat

321
Safety features of your vehicle
C020300AUN-EU
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.
(Continued)
Improper handling of the pre-ten-sioner seat belt assemblies, and
failure to heed the warnings not
to strike, modify, inspect, replace,
service or repair the pre-tension-
er seat belt assemblies may lead
to improper operation or inadver-
tent activation and serious injury.
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.
WARNING
All occupants of the vehicle must
wear their seat belts at all times.
Seat belts and child restraints
reduce 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.
Even with advanced air bags,
unbelted occupants can be severe-
ly injured by a deploying air bag.
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 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.