2015 KIA SOUL Owners Manual

Safety features of your vehicle
24
3
Pre-tensioner seat belt
Your vehicle is equipped with driver's
and front passenger's pre-tensioner
seat belts (retractor pretensioner and
EFD (Emergency Fastening Device)).
The pre-tensioner seat belts may be
activated, when a frontal collision is
severe enough, together with the air
bags.
When the vehicle stops suddenly, or
if the occupant tries to lean forward
too quickly, the seat belt retractor
may lock into position. In certain
frontal collisions, the pre-tensioner
will activate and pull the seat belt into
tighter contact against the occu-
pant's body. (1) Retractor Pretensioner
The purpose of the retractor pre-tensioner is to make sure that the
shoulder belts fit in tightly against
the occupant's upper body in cer-
tain frontal collisions.
(2) EFD (Emergency Fastening Device)
The purpose of the EFD is tomake sure that the pelvis belts fit
in tightly against the occupant's
lower body in certain frontal colli-
sions.
If the system senses excessive ten-
sion on the driver or passenger's
seat belt when the pre-tensioner sys-
tem activates, the load limiter inside
the retractor pre-tensioner will release
some of the pressure on the affected
seat belt. The seat belt pre-tensioner system
consists mainly of the following com-
ponents. Their locations are shown in
the illustration:
1. SRS air bag warning light
2. Retractor pre-tensioner assembly
3. SRS control module
4. Emergency fastening device (EFD)
OXMA033101
OPS033036N/Q

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Safety features of your vehicle
Both the driver's and front passen-ger's seat belt pre-tensioner sys-
tem may be activated not only in
certain frontal collision but also in
certain side collision or rollover, if
the vehicle is equipped with a side
or curtain air bag.
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 system
are not working properly, this warn-
ing light will illuminate even if there is
no malfunction of the SRS air bag. If
the SRS air bag warning 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 illu-
minates while the vehicle is being
driven, have an authorized Kia deal-
er inspect the pre-tensioner seat belt
and SRS air bag system as soon as
possible.
Pre-tensioners are designed to oper-
ate only one time. After activation,
pre-tensioner seat belts must be
replaced. If the pre-tensioner must
be replaced, contact an authorized
Kia dealer.
WARNING- Hot preten-
sioner
Do not touch the pre-tensioner
seat belt assemblies for several
minutes after they have been
activated. When the pre-ten-
sioner seat belt mechanism
fires during a collision the pre-
tensioner becomes hot and can
burn you.

Safety features of your vehicle
26
3
Seat belt precautions
Infant or small child
All 50 states have child restraint
laws. You should be aware of the
specific requirements in your state.
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 system” in this
section.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
Small children are best protected
from injury in an accident when
properly restrained in the rear seat
by a child restraint system that
meets the requirements of the
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards. Before buying any child
restraint system, make sure that it
has a label certifying that it meets
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 213. The restraint must be
appropriate for your child's height
and weight. Check the label on the
child restraint for this information.
Refer to “Child restraint system” in
this section.
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 period-
ically. 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 seated in the front seat,
the child should be securely
restrained by the available lap/shoul-
der 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.

327
Safety features of your vehicle
If the shoulder belt portion slightly
touches 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/shoulder belt assemblies when-
ever possible according to specific
recommendations by their doctors.
The lap portion of the belt should be
worn AS SECURELY AND LOW AS
POSSIBLE.
Injured person
A seat belt should be used when an
injured person is being transported.
When this is necessary, you should
consult a physician for recommenda-
tions.
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 acci-
dent.WARNING- Small children
Do not allow small children to
ride in the vehicle without an
appropriate child restraint sys-
tem. If the shoulder belt comes
in contact with your child's neck
or face your child is too small to
ride in the vehicle. In a crash the
seat belt will inflict injury to your
child's neck, throat and face.
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.

Safety features of your vehicle
28
3
Do not lie down
To reduce the chance of injuries in
the event of an accident and to
achieve maximum effectiveness of
the restraint system, all passengers
should be sitting up and the front and
rear 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 and rear
seats are in a reclined position.
Care of seat belts
Seat belt systems should never be
disassembled or modified. In addi-
tion, 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
periodically 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 solu-
tion 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 concerning seat belt oper-
ation should be directed to an
authorized Kia dealer.
WARNING- Pinched seat
belt
Make sure that the webbing
and/or buckle does not get
caught or pinched in the rear
seat when returning the rear
seatback to its upright position.
A caught or pinched
webbing/buckle may become
damaged and could fail during a
collision or sudden stop.

329
Safety features of your vehicle
CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEM
Children riding in the vehicle should
sit in the rear seat and must always
be properly restrained to minimize
the risk of injury in an accident, sud-
den stop or sudden maneuver.
According to accident statistics, chil-
dren are safer when properly
restrained in the rear seats than in
the front seat. Larger children 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
properly placed and installed in the
rear seat. You must use a commer-
cially available child restraint system
that meets the requirements of the
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards (FMVSS).
Child restraint systems are designed
to be secured in vehicle seats by the
lap belt portion of a lap/shoulder 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 par-
ticular 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 acci-
dent.
WARNING- Restraintlocation
Never install a child or infant
seat on the front passenger's
seat. A child riding in the front
passenger seat can be forceful-
ly 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,
buckles and latches before
placing a child in the restraint
system.

Safety features of your vehicle
30
3
After an accident, have an author-
ized Kia dealer check the child
restraint system, seat belt, tether
anchor and lower anchor.
Using a child restraint system
For small children and babies, the use
of a child seat or infant seat is required.
The child seat or infant seat should be
of appropriate size for the child and
should be installed in accordance with
the manufacturer's instructions.
WARNING- Holding chil-
dren
Never hold a child in your arms
or lap when riding in a vehicle.
The violent forces created dur-
ing a crash will tear the child
from your arms and throw the
child against the car’s interior.
Always use a child restraint
system which is appropriate for
your child's height and weight.
WARNING- Unattended Children
Never leave children unattended
in a vehicle. The car can heat up
very quickly, resulting in injuries
to the child in the vehicle.
WARNING- Seat belt use
Do not use one seat belt for two
occupants at the same time.
This will eliminate any safety
benefit provided by the seat belt
to the occupants.
CRS09
OUN026150
Forward-facing child restraint system
Rearward-facing child restraint system

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Safety features of your vehicle
For safety reasons, we recommend
that the child restraint system be
used in the rear seats.
Never place a rear-facing child
restraint in the front passenger seat,
because of the danger an inflating
passenger-side air bag could impact
the rear-facing child restraint and kill
the child.
Since all passenger seat belts move
freely under normal conditions and
only lock under extreme or emer-
gency conditions (emergency lock
mode), you must manually change
these seat belts to the auto lock
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 beltinto the auto lock mode
The auto lock 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 following
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.
If the vehicle headrest pre- vents proper installation of a
child seat (as described in the
child seat system manual), the
headrest of the respective
seating position shall be read-
justed or entirely removed.