2012 KIA Optima warning light

321
Safety features of your vehicle
✽
✽NOTICE
• You can find the front passenger's seat
belt warning light on the center fascia
panel.
• Although the front passenger seat is not occupied, the seat belt warning
light will blink for 6 seconds.
• The seat belt warning light can blink when a briefcase or purse is placed on
the front passenger seat.
Seat belt - Driver's 3-point system
with emergency locking retractor
To fasten your seat belt:
To fasten your seat belt, pull it out of the
retractor and insert the metal tab (1) into
the buckle (2). There will be an audible
"click" when the tab locks into the buckle.
The seat belt automatically adjusts to the
proper length only after the lap belt por-
tion is adjusted manually so that it fits
snugly around your hips. If you lean for-
ward in a slow, easy motion, the belt will
extend and let you move around. If there
is a sudden stop or impact, however, the
belt will lock into position. It will also lock
if you try to lean forward too quickly.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
If you are not able to pull out the seat
belt from the retractor, firmly pull the
belt out and release it. Then you will be
able to pull the belt out smoothly.
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1
2

325
Safety features of your vehicle
When the vehicle stops suddenly, or if
the occupant tries to lean forward too
quickly, the seat belt retractor will lock
into position. In certain frontal collisions,
the pre-tensioner will activate and pull
the seat belt into tighter contact against
the occupant's body.
If the system senses excessive seat belt
tension on the driver or passenger's seat
belt when the pre-tensioner activates, the
load limiter inside the pre-tensioner will
release some of the pressure on the
affected seat belt.The seat belt pre-tensioner system con-
sists mainly of the following components.
Their locations are shown in the illustra-
tion:
1. SRS air bag warning light
2. Retractor pre-tensioner assembly
3. Anchor pre-tensioner assembly
4. SRS control module
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WARNING
To obtain maximum benefit from a
pre-tensioner seat belt:
1. The seatbelt must be worn cor-rectly and adjusted to the proper
position. Please read and follow
all of the important information
and precautions about your vehi-
cle’s occupant safety features –
including seat belts and air bags
– that are provided in this manu-
al.
2. Be sure you and your passen- gers always wear seat belts prop-
erly.
WARNING
Do not put anything near thebuckle. Placing objects near the
buckle can adversely affect the
buckle pre-tensioner and may
increase the risk of personal
injury in the event of a collision.
For your safety, be sure that the belt webbing is not loose or twist-
ed and always sit properly on
your seat.

Safety features of your vehicle
26
3
✽
✽
NOTICE
• Both the driver's and front passen-
ger's pre-tensioner seat belts may be
activated in certain frontal collisions.
The pre-tensioners will not activate if
the seat belts are not worn at the time
of the collision.
• When the pre-tensioner seat belts are activated, a loud noise may be heard
and fine dust, which may appear to be
smoke, may be visible in the passenger
compartment. These are normal oper-
ating conditions and are not haz-
ardous.
• Although it is harmless, the fine dust may cause skin irritation and should
not be breathed for prolonged peri-
ods. Wash all exposed skin areas thor-
oughly after an accident in which the
pre-tensioner seat belts were activat-
ed.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
Because the sensor that activates the
SRS air bag is connected with the pre-
tensioner seat belt, the SRS air bag
warning light ( ) on the instrument
panel will illuminate for approximately
6 seconds after the ignition switch has
been turned to the ON position, and
then it should turn off.CAUTION
If the pre-tensioner seat belt does
not work properly, this warning lightwill illuminate even if the SRS air bag has not malfunctioned. If theSRS air bag warning light does notilluminate when the ignition switch is turned ON, or if it remains illumi-nated after illuminating for approxi- mately 6 seconds, or if it illuminateswhile the vehicle is being driven, please have an authorized Kia deal-er inspect the pre-tensioner seatbelt or SRS air bag system as soonas possible.

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
32
3
(Continued)
Never leave children unattended
in a vehicle – not even for a short
time. The car can heat up very
quickly, resulting in serious
injuries to children inside. Even
very young children may inadver-
tently cause the vehicle to move,
entangle themselves in the win-
dows, or lock themselves or oth-
ers inside the vehicle.
Never allow two children, or any two persons, to use the same
seat belt.
Children often squirm and repo- sition themselves improperly.
Never let a child ride with the
shoulder belt under their arm or
behind their back. Always prop-
erly position and secure children
in rear seat.
Never allow a child to stand-up or kneel on the seat or floorboard of
a moving vehicle. During a colli-
sion or sudden stop, the child
can be violently thrown against
the vehicles interior, resulting in
serious injury.
(Continued)(Continued)
Never use an infant carrier or achild safety seat that "hooks"
over a seatback, it may not pro-
vide adequate security in an acci-
dent.
Seat belts can become very hot, especially when the vehicle is
parked in direct sunlight. Always
check the seat belt buckles
before fastening them over a
child.
After an accident, have an author- ized Kia dealer check the child
restraint system, seat belt, tether
anchor and lower anchor.
If there is not enough space to place the child restraint system
because of the driver's seat,
install the child restraint system
in the rear right seat.WARNING
To reduce the chance or serious or
fatal injuries:
Children of all ages are saferwhen restrained in the rear seat.
A child riding in the front passen-
ger seat can be forcefully struck
by an inflating air bag resulting in
serious or fatal injuries.
Always follow the child restraint system manufacture’s instruc-
tions for installation and use of
the child restraint.
Always make sure the child seat is secured properly in the vehicle
and your child is securely
restrained in the child seat.
Never hold a child in your arms or lap when riding in a vehicle. The
violent forces created during a
crash will tear the child from your
arms and throw the child against
the vehicle’s interior.
Never put a seat belt over your- self and a child. During a crash,
the belt could press deep into the
child causing serious internal
injuries.
(Continued)

343
Safety features of your vehicle
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 whenyou turn the ignition ON.
The light stays on after illuminating for approximately 6 seconds.
The light comes on while the vehicle is in motion.
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. Air bag warning light
7. SRS control module (SRSCM)
8. Front impact sensors
9. Side impact sensors
10. PASSENGER AIR BAG “OFF” indi- cator (Front passenger’s seat only)
11. 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.
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Safety features of your vehicle
44
3
12. Driver’s and front passenger’s seat
belt buckle sensors
13. Anchor pre-tensioner assembly
*: 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.
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 illuminating for approximately 6 seconds.
The light comes on while the vehicle is in motion. 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.
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Driver’s front air bag (1)
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Driver’s front air bag (2)

Safety features of your vehicle
46
3
ODS (Occupant Detection System)
Your vehicle is equipped with an ODS in
the front passenger's seat.
(Continued)
The SRS can function only when
the 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)
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