2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-in Hybrid ESP

2-2
You will find many safety precautions
and recommendations throughout
this section, and throughout this man-
ual. The safety precautions in this sec-
tion are among the most important.
Always Wear Your Seat Belt
A seat belt is your best protection in
all types of accidents. Air bags are
designed to supplement seat belts,
not replace them. So even though
your vehicle is equipped with air bags,
ALWAYS make sure you and your
passengers wear your seat belts, and
wear them properly.
Restrain All Children
All children under age 13 should ride
in your vehicle properly restrained in
a rear seat, not the front seat. Infants
and small children should be
restrained in an appropriate child
restraint. Larger children should use
a booster seat with the lap/shoulder
belt until they can use the seat belt
properly without a booster seat.
Air Bag Hazards
While air bags can save lives, they
can also cause serious or fatal
injuries to occupants who sit too
close to them, or who are not prop-
erly restrained. Infants, young chil-
dren, and shorter adults are at the
greatest risk of being injured by an
inflating air bag. Follow all instruc-
tions and warnings in this manual.
Driver Distraction
Driver distraction presents a serious
and potentially deadly danger, espe-
cially for inexperienced drivers. Safety
should be the first concern when
behind the wheel and drivers need to
be aware of the wide array of potential
distractions, such as drowsiness,
reaching for objects, eating, personal
grooming, other passengers, and
using cellular phones.
Drivers can become distracted when
they take their eyes and attention off
the road or their hands off the wheel
to focus on activities other than driv-
ing. To reduce your risk of distraction
or getting into an accident:
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Safety system of your vehicle

2-3
Safety system of your vehicle
• ALWAYS set up your mobile devices
(i.e., MP3 players, phones, naviga-
tion units, etc.) when your vehicle is
parked or safely stopped.
ONLY use your mobile device when
allowed by laws and when conditions
permit safe use. NEVER text or
email while driving. Most states have
laws prohibiting drivers from texting.
Some states and cities also prohibit
drivers from using handheld phones.
NEVER let the use of a mobile
device distract you from driving. You
have a responsibility to your passen-
gers and others on the road to
always drive safely, with your hands
on the wheel as well as your eyes
and attention on the road.Control Your Speed
Excessive speed is a major factor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed, the greater the
risk, but serious injuries can also
occur at lower speeds. Never drive
faster than is safe for current condi-
tions, regardless of the maximum
speed posted.
Keep Your Vehicle in Safe
Condition
Having a tire blowout or a mechanical
failure can be extremely hazardous. To
reduce the possibility of such prob-
lems, check your tire pressures and
condition frequently, and perform all
regularly scheduled maintenance.
2

2-6
Safety system of your vehicle
Front Seats
Take the following precautions
when adjusting your seat belt:
NEVER use one seat belt for
more than one occupant.
Always position the seatback
upright with the lap portion of
the seat belt snug and low
across the hips.
NEVER allow children or small
infants to ride in a passenger’s
lap.
Do not route the seat belt
across your neck, across sharp
edges, or reroute the shoulder
strap away from your body.
Do not allow the seat belt to
become caught or jammed.
WARNING
Take the following precautions
when adjusting your seat:
NEVER attempt to adjust the
seat while the vehicle is mov-
ing. The seat could respond
with unexpected movement
and may cause loss of vehicle
control resulting in an acci-
dent.
Do not place anything under
the front seats. Loose objects
in the driver’s foot area could
interfere with the operation of
the foot pedals, causing an
accident.
Do not allow anything to inter-
fere with the normal position
and proper locking of the seat-
back.
Do not place a cigarette lighter
on the floor or seat. When you
operate the seat, gas may exit
out of the lighter causing a fire.
(Continued)
WARNING
To prevent injury:
Do not adjust your seat while
wearing your seat belt.
Moving the seat cushion for-
ward may cause strong pres-
sure on your abdomen.
Do not allow your hands or
fingers to get caught in the
seat mechanisms while the
seat is moving.
CAUTION
(Continued)
Use extreme caution when
picking up small objects
trapped under the seats or
between the seat and the cen-
ter console. Your hands might
be cut or injured by the edges
of the seat mechanism.

2-16
Safety system of your vehicle
Head Restraints
The vehicle’s front and rear seats
have adjustable head restraints. The
head restraints provide comfort for
passengers, but more importantly
they are designed to help protect
passengers from whiplash and other
neck and spinal injuries during an
accident, especially in a rear impact
collision.To prevent damage, NEVER hit or
pull on the head restraints.
NOTICE
To reduce the risk of serious
injury or death in an accident,
take the following precautions
when adjusting your head
restraints:
Always properly adjust the
head restraints for all passen-
gers BEFORE starting the
vehicle.
NEVER let anyone ride in a
seat with the head restraints
removed.
(Continued)
(Continued)

Adjust the head restraints so
the middle of the head restraint
is at the same height as the
height of the top of the eyes.
NEVER adjust the head
restraint position of the dri-
ver’s seat when the vehicle is
in motion.
Adjust the head restraint as
close to the passenger’s head
as possible. Do not use a seat
cushion that holds the body
away from the seatback.
Make sure the head restraint
locks into position after adjust-
ing it.
WARNING
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2-20
Safety system of your vehicle
Seat Warmers and
Air Ventilation Seats
Front seat warmers (if equipped)
Seat warmers are provided to warm
the seats during cold weather.To prevent damage to the seat
warmers and seats:
Never use a solvent such as
paint thinner, benzene, alcohol
or gasoline to clean the seats.
Do not place heavy or sharp
objects on seats equipped with
seat warmers.
Do not change the seat cover. It
may damage the seat warmer.
NOTICE
The seat warmers can cause a
serious burn, even at low tem-
peratures and especially if used
for long periods of time.
Passengers must be able to feel
if the seat is becoming too warm
so they can turn it off, if needed.
People who cannot detect tem-
perature change or pain to the
skin should use extreme cau-
tion, especially the following
types of passengers:
Infants, children, elderly or
disabled persons, or hospital
outpatients.
People with sensitive skin or
who burn easily.
(Continued)
WARNING
(Continued)
Fatigued individuals.
Intoxicated individuals.
People taking medication that
can cause drowsiness or
sleepiness.
NEVER place anything on the
seat that insulates against heat
when the seat warmer is in oper-
ation, such as a blanket or seat
cushion. This may cause the
seat warmer to overheat, caus-
ing a burn or damage to the seat.
WARNING

2-37
Safety system of your vehicle
2
Child restraint system (CRS)
Infants and younger children must be
restrained in an appropriate rear-fac-
ing or forward-facing CRS that has
first been properly secured to the
rear seat of the vehicle. Read and
comply with the instructions for
installation and use provided by the
manufacturer of the child restraint.
Selecting a Child Restraint
System (CRS)
When selecting a CRS for your child,
always:
Make sure the CRS has a label
certifying that it meets applicable
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards (FMVSS 213).
Select a child restraint based on
your child’s height and weight. The
required label or the instructions
for use typically provide this infor-
mation.
Select a child restraint that fits the
vehicle seating position where it
will be used.
Read and comply with the warn-
ings and instructions for installation
and use provided with the child
restraint system. (Continued)Always follow the child
restraint system manufactur-
er’s instructions for installa-
tion and use.
Always properly restrain your
child in the child restraint.
If the vehicle head restraint
prevents proper installation of
a child seat (as described in
the child restraint system
manual), the head restraint of
the respective seating posi-
tion shall be readjusted or
entirely removed.
Do not use an infant carrier or
a child safety seat that
"hooks" over a seatback, it
may not provide adequate
protection in an accident.
After an accident, have a
HYUNDAI dealer check the
child restraint system, seat
belts, tether anchors and
lower anchors.
An improperly secured child
restraint can increase the risk
of SERIOUS INJURY or DEATH
in an accident. Always take the
following precautions when
using a child restraint system:
NEVER install a child or infant
restraint in the front passen-
ger’s seat.
Always properly secure the
child restraint to a rear seat of
the vehicle.
(Continued)
WARNING

2-39
Safety system of your vehicle
2
Forward-facing child restraints
A forward-facing child seat provides
restraint for the child’s body with a
harness. Keep children in a forward-
facing child seat with a harness until
they reach the top height or weight
limit allowed by your child restraint’s
manufacturer.
Once your child outgrows the forward-
facing child restraint, your child is
ready for a booster seat.
Booster seats
A booster seat is a restraint designed
to improve the fit of the vehicle’s seat
belt system. A booster seat positions
the seat belt so that it fits properly
over the lap of your child.
Keep your child in a booster seat until
they are big enough to sit in the seat
without a booster and still have the
seat belt fit properly. For a seat belt to
fit properly, the lap belt must lie snug-
ly across the upper thighs, not the
stomach. The shoulder belt should lie
snug across the shoulder and chest
and not across the neck or face.
Children under age 13 must always
ride in the rear seats and must always
be properly restrained to minimize the
risk of injury.
Installing a Child Restraint
System (CRS)
Before installing your child
restraint system always:
Read and follow the instruc-
tions provided by the manu-
facturer of the child restraint.
Read and follow the instruc-
tions regarding child restraint
systems in this manual.
Failure to follow all warnings
and instructions could increase
the risk of the SERIOUS INJURY
or DEATH if an accident occurs.
WARNING
If the vehicle headrest prevents
proper installation of a child
seat (as described in the child
seat system manual, the head-
rest of the respective seating
position shall be readjusted or
entirely removed.
WARNING
OLF034033

2-54
Safety system of your vehicle
During a frontal collision, sensors will
detect the vehicle’s deceleration. If
the deceleration rate (measured in g-
force) is high enough, the control unit
will inflate the front air bags.
The front air bags help protect the
driver and front passenger by
responding to frontal impacts in
which seat belts alone cannot pro-
vide adequate restraint. When need-
ed, the side air bags help provide
protection in the event of a side
impact or rollover.
Air bags are activated (able to
inflate if necessary) only when the
ignition switch is in the ON position.
Air bags inflate in the event of cer-
tain frontal or side collisions 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 colli-
sion and its direction. These two
factors determine whether the sen-
sors produce 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 vehicles
or objects which your vehicle
impacts during a collision. The
determining 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 acci-
dent. It is much more likely that you
will simply see the deflated air bags
hanging out of their storage com-
partments after the collision.
In addition to inflating in certain
side collisions, vehicles equipped
with a rollover sensor, side and
curtain air bags will inflate if the
sensing system detects a rollover.
When a rollover is detected, side
and curtain air bags will remain
inflated longer to help provide pro-
tection from ejection, especially
when used in conjunction with the
seat belts. To help provide protection, the air
bags must inflate rapidly. The speed
of air bag inflation is a consequence
of extremely short time in which to
inflate 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 and is thus a
necessary part of air bag design.
However, the rapid air bag inflation
can also cause injuries which can
include facial abrasions, bruises
and broken 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 air
bag can cause fatal injuries, espe-
cially if the occupant is positioned
excessively close to the air bag.