2012 KIA Optima Owner's Manual

Safety features of your vehicle
36
3
Securing a child restraint seat with
“Tether Anchor” system
Child restraint hook holders are located
on the package tray. 1. Route the child restraint seat tether
strap over the seatback.
For vehicles with adjustable headrests,
route the tether strap under the head-
rest and between the headrest posts,
otherwise route the tether strap over
the top of the seatback.
2. Connect the tether strap hook to the appropriate child restraint hook holder
and tighten to secure the child restraint
seat.
OTF030029NOTF030030N
WARNING
When using the vehicle's "Tether
Anchor" 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 webbing 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.

337
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

339
Safety features of your vehicle
Also, test the child restraint seat before
you place the child in it. Tilt the seat from
side to side. Also try to tug the seat for-
ward. Check to see if the anchors hold
the seat in place.
WARNING
If the child restraint is not anchored
properly, the risk of a child being
seriously injured or killed in a colli-
sion greatly increases.
WARNING - LATCH lower
anchors
LATCH lower anchors are only to
be used with the left and right rear
outboard seating positions. Never
attempt to attach a LATCH
equipped seat in the center seating
position. You may damage the
anchors or the anchors may fail
and break in a collision.
CAUTION
Do not allow the rear seat belt web-
bing to get scratched or pinched bythe child-seat latch and LATCHanchor during installation.

Safety features of your vehicle
40
3
(1) Driver’s front air bag
(2) Passenger’s front air bag
(3) Side impact air bag
(4) Curtain air bag
AIR BAG - ADVANCED SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM
OMG039025
* The actual air bags in the vehicle may differ from the illustration.
WARNING
Even in vehicles with air bags, you
and your passengers must always
wear the safety belts provided in
order to minimize the risk and
severity of injury in the event of a
collision or rollover.

341
Safety features of your vehicle
How does the air bag system
operate
Air bags are activated (able to inflate ifnecessary) only when the ignition
switch is turned to the ON or START
position.
Air bags inflate instantly in the event of serious frontal or side collision (if
equipped with side impact air bag or
curtain air bag) in order to help protect
the occupants from serious physical
injury.
There is no single speed at which the air bags will inflate.
Generally, air bags are designed to
inflate based upon the severity of a col-
lision and its direction. These two fac-
tors determine whether the sensors
produce an electronic deployment/
inflation signal.
Air bag deployment depends on a number of complex factors including
vehicle speed, angles of impact and
the density and stiffness of the vehi-
cles or objects which your vehicle hits
in the collision. Though, factors are not
limited to those mentioned above.
The front air bags will completely inflate and deflate in an instant. It is virtually impossible for you to see
the air bags inflate during an accident.
It is much more likely that you will sim-
ply see the deflated air bags hanging
out of their storage compartments after
the collision.
In order to help provide protection in a severe collision, the air bags must
inflate rapidly. The speed of air bag
inflation is a consequence of extremely
short time in which a collision occurs
and the need to get the air bag
between the occupant and the vehicle
structures before the occupant impacts
those structures. This speed of inflation
reduces the risk of serious or life-
threatening injuries in a severe collision
and is thus a necessary part of air bag
design.
However, air bag inflation can also
cause injuries which can include facial
abrasions, bruises and broken bones
because the inflation speed also caus-
es the air bags to expand with a great
deal of force.
There are even circumstances under which contact with the steer-
ing wheel air bag can cause fatal
injuries, especially if the occupant
is positioned excessively close to
the steering wheel.
WARNING
To avoid severe personal injuryor death caused by deploying air
bags in a collision, the driver
should sit as far back from the
steering wheel air bag as possi-
ble (at least 250 mm (10 inches)
away). The front passenger
should always move their seat as
far back as possible and sit back
in their seat.
Air bags inflate instantly in an event of a collision, and passen-
gers may be injured by the air bag
expansion force if they are not in
a proper position.
Air bag inflation may cause injuries which normally include
facial or bodily abrasions,
injuries from broken glasses or
burns by the air bag inflation
gasses.

Safety features of your vehicle
42
3
Noise and smoke
When the air bags inflate, they make a
loud noise and they leave smoke and
powder in the air inside of the vehicle.
This is normal and is a result of the igni-
tion of the air bag inflator. After the air
bag inflates, you may feel substantial dis-
comfort in breathing due to the contact of
your chest to both the seat belt and the
air bag, as well as from breathing the
smoke and powder. Open your doors
and/or windows as soon as possible
after the impact in order to reduce dis-
comfort and prevent prolonged expo-
sure to smoke and powder.
Though smoke and powder are non-
toxic, it may cause irritation to the skin
(eyes, nose and throat etc). If this is the
case, wash and rinse with the cold water
immediately and consult the doctor if the
symptom persists.
Installing a child restraint on a front passenger’s seat is forbidden
Never place a rear-facing child restraint
in the front passenger’s seat. If the air
bag deploys, it would impact the rear-fac-
ing child restraint, causing serious or
fatal injury.
In addition, do not place front-facing child
restraint in the front passenger’s seat
either. If the front passenger air bag
inflates, it would cause serious or fatal
injuries to the child.
1JBH3051
WARNING
When the air bags deploy, the air
bag related parts in the steering
wheel and/or instrument panel
and/or in both sides of the roof rails
above the front and rear doors are
very hot. To prevent injury, do not
touch the air bag storage area’s
internal components immediately
after an air bag has inflated.

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.
W7-147OTF030049N