2013 KIA Optima Hybrid Owner's Manual

319
Safety features of your vehicle
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 adjusting seat belt
should not be too close to your neck. The
shoulder portion 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.
You should place the lap belt portion as
low as possible and snugly across your
hips. If the lap belt is located too high on
your waist, it may increase the chance of
injury in the event of a collision.
The arm closest to the seat belt buckle
should be over the belt while the other
arm should be under the belt as shown in
the illustration.
WARNING - Shoulder belt
positioning
Never position the shoulder belt
across your neck or face.
WARNING - Seat belt
replacement
Replace your seat belts after being
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.
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Safety features of your vehicle
20
3
Seat belts - Front passenger and rear
seat 3-point system with combinationlocking retractor
To fasten your seat belt:
Combination retractor type seat belts are
installed in the rear seat positions to help
accommodate the installation of child
restraint systems. Although a combina-
tion retractor is also installed in the front
passenger seat position, it is strongly
recommended that children always be
seated in the rear seat. NEVER place
any infant restraint system in the front
seat of the vehicle.
This type of seat belt combines the fea-
tures of both an emergency locking
retractor seat belt and an automatic lock-
ing retractor seat belt. To fasten your seat
belt, pull it out of the retractor and insert
the metal tab into the buckle. There will
be an audible "click" when the tab locks
into the buckle. When not securing a
child restraint, the seat belt operates in
the same way as the driver's seat belt
(Emergency Locking Retractor Type).
It automatically adjusts to the proper
length only after the lap belt portion of
the seat belt is adjusted manually so that
it fits snugly around your hips. When the seat belt is fully extended from
the retractor to allow the installation of a
child restraint system, the seat belt oper-
ation changes to allow the belt to retract,
but not to extend (Automatic Locking
Retractor Type). Refer to “Using a child
restraint system” in this section.
To convert from the automatic locking
feature to the emergency locking opera-
tion mode, allow the unbuckled seat belt
to fully retract.
When using the rear center seat belt, the
buckle with the “CENTER” mark must be
used.
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Safety features of your vehicle
To release the seat belt:
The seat belt is released by pressing the
release button (1) of the locking buckle.
When it is released, the belt should auto-
matically draw back into the retractor.
If this does not happen, check the belt to
be sure it is not twisted, then try again.Pre-tensioner seat belt
Your vehicle is equipped with driver's and
front passenger's pre-tensioner seat
belts. The purpose of the pre-tensioner is
to make sure that the seat belts fit tightly
against the occupant's body in certain
frontal collisions (or side collisions). The
pre-tensioner seat belts may be activated
in crashes, where the frontal collision is
severe enough.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.
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Safety features of your vehicle
22
3
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. SRS control module
4. Anchor pre-tensioner assembly Both the driver's and front passenger's
pre-tensioner seat belts may be activated
in certain frontal collisions.
The pre-tensioners will not be activated if
the seat belts are not being worn at the
time of the collision.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
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 operat-
ing conditions and are not hazardous.
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.
If the pre-tensioner seat belt does not
work properly, this warning light will illu-
minate even if the SRS air bag has not
malfunctioned. If the SRS air bag warn-
ing light does not illuminate when the
ignition switch is turned ON, or if it
remains illuminated after illuminating for
approximately 6 seconds, or if it illumi-
nates while the vehicle is being driven,
please have an authorized Kia dealer
inspect the pre-tensioner seat belt or
SRS air bag system as soon as possible.
OTF030050N
WARNING - Skin irritation
Wash all exposed skin areas thor-
oughly after an accident in which
the pre-tensioner seat belts were
activated. The fine dust from the
pre-tensioner activation may cause
skin irritation and should not be
breathed for prolonged periods.

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Safety features of your vehicle
✽
✽NOTICE
Do not attempt to service or repair the
pre-tensioner seat belt system in any
manner. Do not attempt to inspect or
replace the pre-tensioner seat belts
yourself. This must be done by an
authorized Kia dealer.
Pre-tensioners are designed to operate
only one time. After activation, pre-ten-
sioner seat belts must be replaced. If the
pre-tensioner must be replaced, contact
an authorized Kia dealer.
Seat belt precautions
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.
WARNING - Hot
pretensioner
Do not touch the pre-tensioner seat
belt assemblies for several minutes
after they have been activated.
When the pre-tensioner seat belt
mechanism fires during a collision
the pre-tensioner becomes hot and
can burn you.

Safety features of your vehicle
24
3
Larger children
Children who are too large for child
restraint systems should always occupy
the rear seat and use the available
lap/shoulder belts. The lap portion should
be fastened and snugged on the hips
and as low as possible. Check if the belt
fits periodically. A child's squirming could
put the belt out of position. Children are
given the most safety in the event of an
accident when they are restrained by a
proper restraint system in the rear seat. If
a larger child (over age 12) must be seat-
ed in the front seat, the child should be
securely restrained by the available
lap/shoulder belt and the seat should be
placed in the rearmost position. Children
age 12 and under should be restrained
securely in the rear seat. NEVER place a
child age 12 and under in the front seat.
NEVER place a rear facing child seat in
the front seat of a 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.
Restraint of pregnant women
Pregnant women should wear lap/shoul-
der belt assemblies whenever possible
according to specific recommendations
by their doctors. The lap portion of the
belt should be worn AS SNUGLY AND
LOW AS POSSIBLE.
WARNING - Small children
Do not allow small children to ride
in the vehicle without an appropri-
ate child restraint system.WARNING - Pregnant
women
Pregnant women must never place
the lap portion of the seat belt
above or on the abdomen where
the fetus is located. The force of the
seat belt during a collision will
crush the fetus.

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Safety features of your vehicle
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 max-
imum effectiveness of the restraint sys-
tem, all passengers should be sitting up
and the front seats should be in an
upright position when the vehicle is mov-
ing. 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.
Care of seat belts
Seat belt systems should never be disas-
sembled or modified. In addition, care
should be taken to assure that seat belts
and belt hardware are not damaged by
seat hinges, doors or other abuse.
Periodic inspection
All seat belts should be inspected peri-
odically for wear or damage of any kind.
Any damaged parts should be replaced
as soon as possible.
Keep belts clean and dry
Seat belts should be kept clean and dry.
If belts become dirty, they can be
cleaned by using a mild soap solution
and warm water. Bleach, dye, strong
detergents or abrasives should not be
used because they may damage and
weaken the fabric.
When to replace seat belts
The entire in-use seat belt assembly or
assemblies should be replaced if the
vehicle has been involved in an accident.
This should be done even if no damage
is visible. Additional questions concern-
ing seat belt operation should be directed
to an authorized Kia dealer.

Safety features of your vehicle
26
3
CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEM
Children riding in the car should sit in the
rear seat and must always be properly
restrained to minimize the risk of injury in
an accident, sudden stop or sudden
maneuver. According to accident statis-
tics, children are safer when properly
restrained in the rear seats than in the
front seat. Larger children who are not in
a child restraint should use one of the
seat belts provided.
You should be aware of the specific
requirements in your country. Child
and/or infant safety seats must be prop-
erly placed and installed in the rear seat.
You must use a commercially available
child restraint system that meets the
requirements of the safety standards of
your country.
Child restraint systems are designed to
be secured in vehicle seats by seat belt,
or by a tether anchor and/or LATCH
anchors (if equipped).
Children could be injured or killed in a
crash if their restraints are not properly
secured. For small children and babies, a
child seat or infant seat must be used. Before buying a particular child restraint
system, make sure it fits your vehicle
seat and seat belts, and fits your child.
Follow all the instructions provided by the
manufacturer when installing the child
restraint system.
When the child restraint system is not in
use, store it in the luggage area or fasten
it with a seat belt so that it will not be
thrown forward in case of a sudden stop
or an accident.
WARNING - Restraint
location
Never install a child or infant seat
on the front passenger's seat.
A child riding in the front passen-
ger seat can be forcefully struck by
an inflating airbag.
WARNING - Hot child
restraint
A child restraint system can
become very hot if it is left in a
closed vehicle on a sunny day. Be
sure to check the seat cover, buck-
les and latches before placing a
child in the restraint system.