2013 KIA Soul Owner's Manual

Safety features of your vehicle
26
3
For safety reasons, we recommend
that the child restraint system be
used in the rear seats.
Since all passenger seat belts move
freely under normal conditions and
only lock under extreme or emer-
gency conditions (emergency locking
mode), you must manually change
these seat belts to the automatic
locking mode to secure a child
restraint. If the seat belt does not operate as
described in this section, have the
system checked immediately by your
authorized Kia dealer.
Placing a passenger seat belt
into the automatic locking mode
The automatic locking mode will help
prevent the normal movement of the
child in the vehicle from causing the
seat belt to loosen and compromise
the child restraint system. To secure
a child restraint system, use the fol-
lowing procedure.
E2MS103005
WARNING - Child seat installation
Always follow the instructions
provided by the child restraint
system manufacturer. Child
restraint system manufactur-
ers know their products best.
Failure to observe this manu- al's instructions regarding
child restraint system and the
instructions provided with the
child restraint system could
result in the improper installa-
tion of the child restraint sys-
tem which may reduce the
protection to your child in a
crash or a sudden stop.

327
Safety features of your vehicle
To install a child restraint system on
the outboard or center rear seats, do
the following:
1. Place the child restraint system onthe seat and route the lap/shoul-
der belt around or through the
restraint, following the restraint
manufacturer’s instructions. Be
sure the seat belt webbing is not
twisted.
2. Fasten the lap/shoulder belt latch into the buckle. Listen for the dis-
tinct “click” sound.
Position the release button so that itis easy to access in case of an emer-gency.
3. Pull the shoulder portion of the seat belt all the way out. When the
shoulder portion of the seat belt is
fully extended, it will shift the
retractor to the “Automatic
Locking” (child restraint) mode. 4. Slowly allow the shoulder portion
of the seat belt to retract and listen
for an audible “clicking” or “ratchet-
ing” sound. This indicates that the
retractor is in the “Automatic
Locking” mode. If no distinct sound
is heard, repeat steps 3 and 4.
OEN036101OEN036102OEN036103

Safety features of your vehicle
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3
5. Remove as much slack from the
belt as possible by pushing down
on the child restraint system while
feeding the shoulder belt back into
the retractor.
6. Push and pull on the child restraint system to confirm that the seat
belt is holding it firmly in place. If it
is not, release the seat belt and
repeat steps 2 through 6.
7. Double check that the retractor is in the “Automatic Locking” mode
by attempting to pull more of the
seat belt out of the retractor. If you
cannot, the retractor is in the
“Automatic Locking” mode. The lap/shoulder belt automatically
returns to the “emergency lock
mode” whenever the belt is allowed
to retract fully.
Therefore, the preceding seven
steps must be followed each time a
child restraint is installed.
To remove the child restraint, press
the release button on the buckle and
then pull the lap/shoulder belt out of
the restraint and allow the seat belt
to retract fully.Securing a child restraint seat
with tether anchor system
Child restraint hook holders are
located on the back of the rear seat-
backs.
OEN036104OAM039048
WARNING - Auto lock mode
Set the retractor to Automatic
Lock mode when installing any
child restraint system. If the
retractor is not in the Automatic
Locking mode, the child
restraint can move when your
vehicle turns or stops suddenly.

329
Safety features of your vehicle
1.Route the child restraint seat teth-er strap over the seatback.
For vehicles with adjustable head-
rests, route the tether strap under
the headrest 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. Check that the child restraint system
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.Securing a child restraint seat
with child seat lower anchor sys-tem
Some child seat manufacturers
make child restraint seats that are
labeled as LATCH or LATCH-com-
patible child restraint seats. LATCH
stands for "Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children". These seats
include two rigid or webbing mount-
ed 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.
2GHA3300L1SAE3090A
WARNING - Tether strap
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.

Safety features of your vehicle
30
3
Child restraint symbols are located
on the left and right rear seat backs
to indicate 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 out-
board rear seating positions. Their
locations are shown in the illustra-
tion. There is no LATCH anchor pro-
vided 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. When
you install your child's restraint sys-
tem using the LATCH anchors buck-
le the shoulder lap belt, then lock the
retractor and pull the belt to remove
the slack in the belt so it lies flat
against the vehicle seat.
OUN038139L
Lower Anchor
Lower Anchor
Position Indicator
OUN036140L
WARNING - Unused rear seatbelts
Always fasten the seatbelts
behind the child restraint seat
when they are not used to
secure the child seat. Failure to
do so may result in child stran-
gulation.

331
Safety features of your vehicle
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.
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 forward. Check to see if
the anchors hold the seat in place.WARNING
- LATCH lower anchors
Never attempt to attach a
LATCH equipped seat in the
center seating position. LATCH
lower anchors are only to be
used with the left and right rear
outboard seating positions. You
may damage the anchors or the
anchors may fail and break in a
collision.

Safety features of your vehicle
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3
(1) Driver’s front air bag
(2) Passenger’s front air bag
(3) Side impact air bag
(4) Curtain air bag
Even in vehicles with air bags, you
and your passengers must always
wear the safety belts provided in
order to minimize the risk and sever-
ity of injury in the event of a collision
or rollover.
AIR BAG - ADVANCED SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM
OAM032026
* The actual air bags in the vehicle may differ from the illustration.

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Safety features of your vehicle
How does the air bag system
operate
Air bag are activated (able toinflate if necessary) only when the
ignition switch is turned to the ON
or START the appropriate position.
Air bags inflate in the event of a serious frontal collision or side col-
lision (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 by the severity of a collision
and its direction. These two factors
determine whether the sensors
send out an electronic deploy-
ment/inflation signal.
Air bag deployment depends on a number of 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 simply 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 the extremely short time in
which a collision occurs and the
need to get the air bag between
the occupant and the vehicle struc-
tures 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 nec-
essary part of air bag design.
However, air bag inflation can also
cause injuries which normally can
include facial abrasions, bruises
and broken bones, and sometimes
more severe injuries because the
inflation speed also causes the air
bags to expand with a great deal of
force. There are even circumstances
under which contact with the air
bag can cause fatal injuries, espe-
cially if the occupant is positioned
excessively close to the air bag.
WARNING - Airbag inflation
Sit as far back as possible from
the steering wheel while still
maintaining comfortable con-
trol of your vehicle. A distance
of at least 10" from your chest
to the steering wheel is recom-
mended. Failure to do so can
result in airbag inflation injuries
to the driver.