2015 KIA Optima Owner's Manual

Safety features of your vehicle
34
3
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 system
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. Child restraint symbols are located
on the left and right rear seat backs
to indicate the position of the lower
anchors for child restraints.
WARNING- Tether strap
Never mount more than one
child restraint to a single tether
or to a single lower anchorage
point. The increased load
caused by multiple seats may
cause the tethers or anchorage
points to break.
B230D01NF
OTF030031N
Lower Anchor
Position Indicator
Lower Anchor
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.

335
Safety features of your vehicle
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 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.
When you install your child's restraint
system using the LATCH anchors
buckle 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.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.
OTD039037N
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.
WARNING - Weight for
LATCH sys-
tem
The recommended weight for
the LATCH system is under
29.48 kg (65 lb).
How to calculate the child
restraint weight :
Child restraint weight =
29.48 kg (65 lb) - Child weight.

Safety features of your vehicle
36
3
(1) Driver’s front air bag
(2) Passenger’s front air bag
(3) Side 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
OYF039050
❈ The actual air bags in the vehicle may differ from the illustration.

337
Safety features of your vehicle
How does the air bag system
operate
Air bags are activated (able toinflate if necessary) only when the
ignition switch is turned to the ON
or START the appropriate position.
Air bags inflate instantly in the event of serious frontal or side col-
lision (if equipped with side 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
collision and its direction. These
two factors determine whether the
sensors produce an electronic
deployment/ inflation signal.
Air bag deployment depends on a number of complex factors includ-
ing vehicle speed, angles of impact
and the density and stiffness of the
vehicles 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 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 struc-
tures. This speed of inflation
reduces the risk of serious or life-
threatening injuries in a severe col-
lision 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 bro-
ken bones 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
steering wheel air bag can cause
fatal injuries, especially if the
occupant is positioned exces-
sively close to the steering
wheel.
WARNING - Airbag
Inflation
Sit as far back as possible from
the steering wheel while still
maintaining comfortable con-
trol of the your vehicle. A dis-
tance of at least 25cm (10")
from your chest to the steering
wheel is recommended. Failure
to do so can result in airbag
inflation injuries to the driver.

Safety features of your vehicle
38
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 ignition of the air bag inflator.
After the air bag inflates, you may
feel substantial discomfort in breath-
ing 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 possi-
ble after the impact in order to
reduce discomfort and prevent
prolonged exposure to smoke and
powder.
Though smoke and powder are non-
toxic,They may cause irritation to the
skin (eyes, nose, and throat, etc). If
this is the case, wash and rinse with
cold water immediately and consult a
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-facing child restraint,
causing serious or fatal injury.
In addition, do not place front-facing
child restraint in the front passen-
ger’s seat either. If the front passen-
ger air bag inflates, it would cause
serious or fatal injuries to the child.
1JBH3051
WARNING - Hot compo- nents
Do not touch the air bag storage
area's internal components
immediately after airbag infla-
tion. The air bag related parts in
the steering wheel, instrument
panel and the roof rails above
the front and rear doors are
very hot. Hot components can
result in burn injuries.

339
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 illumi-
nate for approximately 6 seconds,
then go off.
Have the system checked by an
authorized Kia dealer if:
The light does not turn on brieflywhen you turn the ignition ON. The light stays on after illuminating
for approximately 6 seconds.
The light comes on while the vehi- cle is in motion.
W7-147
WARNING - Air bag
deployment
When children are seated in the
rear outboard seats of a vehicle
equipped with side and/or cur-
tain air bags, install the child
restraint system as far away
from the door side as possible.
Inflation of the side and/or cur-
tain air bags could impact the
child.

Safety features of your vehicle
40
3
SRS components and functions
The SRS consists of the following
components:
1. Driver's front air bag module
2. Passenger's front air bag module
3. Side air bag modules
4. Curtain air bag modules
5. Retractor pre-tensioner assem-
blies*
6. Air bag warning light
7. SRS control module (SRSCM)
8. Front impact sensors
9. Side impact sensors 10. PASSENGER AIR BAG “OFF”
indicator (Front passenger’s seat
only)
11. Occupant detection system (Front passenger’s seat only)
12. Driver’s and front passenger’s seat belt buckle sensors
13. Emergency fastening device (EFD)
*: 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 vehi- cle is in motion.
OTF032049N/Q

341
Safety features of your vehicle
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 mold-
ed 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.
A fully inflated air bag, in combina-
tion with a properly worn seat belt,
slows the driver's or the passenger's
forward motion, reducing the risk of
head and chest injury.
After complete inflation, the air bag
immediately starts deflating,
enabling the driver to maintain for-
ward visibility and the ability to steer
or operate other controls.
B240B01L
Driver’s front air bag (1)
B240B02L
Driver’s front air bag (2)
B240B03L
Driver’s front air bag (3)