2012 KIA Optima Owner's Manual

Safety features of your vehicle
60
3
Air bag inflation conditions
Front 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.
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WARNING
Do not hit or allow any objects to
impact the locations where air
bag 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 Kia dealer.
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Problems may arise if the sensorinstallation angles are changed
due to the deformation of the
front bumper, body or B pillar
where side collision sensors are
installed. Have the vehicle
checked and repaired by an
authorized Kia 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 vehicles collision and air
bag deployment performance.

361
Safety features of your vehicle
Side air bags
Side air bags (side impact and/or curtain
air bags) are designed to inflate when an
impact is detected by side collision sen-
sors 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 air bags (side
impact and/or 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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Safety features of your vehicle
62
3
Air bags are not designed to inflate in
rear 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, front air bag
deployment would not provide addi-
tional occupant protection.
However, if equipped with side impact
or curtain air bags, the air bag(s) may
inflate depending on the intensity, vehi-
cle speed and angles of impact. In a slant or 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.
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363
Safety features of your vehicle
Just before impact, drivers often brakeheavily. 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. Air bags may not inflate in rollover acci-
dents because air bag deployment
would not provide protection to the
occupants.
However, if equipped with side impact
or curtain air bags, the air bag(s) 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
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.
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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.

365
Safety features of your vehicle
Additional 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 repositioning 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 modify-
ing your air bag-equipped vehicle
If 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.

Safety features of your vehicle
66
3
Air bag warning label
Air bag warning labels, some required by
the Canada Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards (CMVSS), are attached to the
sunvisor to alert the driver and passen-
gers of potential risks of the air bag sys-
tem.
OTF030043-1
OTF030044-1

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