Safety features of your vehicle
36
3
Seat belt precautionsInfant 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 coun-
try. For more information about the
use of these restraints, refer to “Child
restraint system” in this chapter.(Continued)
Do not strike the pre-tension-
er seat belt assemblies.
Do not attempt to service or repair the pre-tensioner seat
belt system in any manner.
Improper handling of the pre- tensioner seat belt assemblies,
and failure to heed the warnings
not to strike, modify, inspect,
replace, service or repair the
pre-tensioner seat belt assem-
blies may lead to improper
operation or inadvertent activa-
tion and serious injury.
Always wear the seat belts when driving or riding in a
motor vehicle.
If the vehicle or pre-tensioner seat belt must be discarded,
contact an authorized Kia
dealer.
WARNING
All occupants of the vehicle
must wear their seat belts at all
times. Seat belts and child
restraints reduce the risk of
serious or fatal injuries for all
occupants in the event of a col-
lision or sudden stop. Without a
seat belt, occupants could be
shifted too close to a deploying
air bag, strike the interior struc-
ture or be thrown from the vehi-
cle. Properly worn seat belts
greatly reduce these hazards.
Even with advanced air bags,
unbelted occupants can be
severely injured by a deploying
air bag.
Always follow the precautions
about seat belts, air bags and
occupant seating contained in
this manual.
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Safety features of your vehicle
✽
✽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 safety
standards of your country. Before
buying any child restraint system,
make sure that it has a label certify-
ing that it meets safety standards of
your country. 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 chapter.
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.WARNING
Every person in your vehicle
needs to be properly restrained
at all times, including infants
and children. Never hold a child
in your arms or lap when riding
in a vehicle. The violent forces
created during a crash will tear
the child from your arms and
throw the child against the inte-
rior. Always use a child restraint
appropriate for your child's
height and weight.
Safety features of your vehicle
38
3
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 - Pregnant
women
Pregnant women must never
place the lap portion of the
safety belt over the area of the
abdomen where the fetus is
located or above the abdomen
where the belt could crush the
fetus during an impact.
WARNING- Shoulder
belts on small children
Do not allow small children to ride in the vehicle without an
appropriate child restrain sys-
tem.
Never allow a shoulder belt to be in contact with a child’s
neck or face while the vehicle
is in motion.
If seat belts are not properly worn and adjusted on chil-
dren, there is a risk of death or
serious injury.
339
Safety features of your vehicle
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.WARNING
Riding with a reclined seatback
increases your chance of seri-
ous or fatal injuries in the event
of a collision or sudden stop.
The protection of your restraint
system (seat belts and air bags)
is greatly reduced by reclining
your seat. Seat belts must be
secured against your hips and
chest to work properly. The
more the seatback is reclined,
the greater the chance an occu-
pant's hips will slide under the
lap belt causing serious internal
injuries. Also, the shoulder belt
may strike the occupant's neck.
Drivers and passengers should
always sit well back in their
seats, properly belted, and with
the seatbacks upright.
Safety features of your vehicle
40
3
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
When you return the rear seat-
back to its upright position after
the rear seatback has been fold-
ed down, be careful not to dam-
age the seat belt webbing or
buckle. Be sure that the web-
bing or buckle does not get
caught or pinched in the rear
seat. A seat belt with damaged
webbing or buckle could possi-
bly fail during a collision or sud-
den stop, resulting in serious
injury. If the webbing or buckles
are damaged, get them replaced
immediately.
341
Safety features of your vehicle
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 statistics, 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
properly placed and installed in the
rear seat. You must use a commer-
cially 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 par-
ticular child restraint system, make
sure it fits your car seat and seat
belts, and fits your child. Follow all
the instructions provided by the man-
ufacturer 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- Restraint location
Never install a child or infant
seat on the front passenger's
seat.
A child riding in the front pas-
senger 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,
buckles and latches before
placing a child in the restraint
system.
Safety features of your vehicle
42
3
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. 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 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.
CRS09
OUN026150
Forward-facing child restraint system
Rearward-facing child restraint systemWARNING - Holding
children
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 - 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.
WARNING - Unattended Children
Never leave children unattended
in a vehicle. The vehicle can heat
up very quickly, resulting in
injuries to the child in the vehicle.
343
Safety features of your vehicle
✽
✽NOTICE
If the vehicle headrest prevents
proper installation of a child seat (as
described in the child seat system
manual), the headrest of the respec-
tive seating position shall be read-
justed or entirely removed.
Placing a passenger seat belt
into 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.
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.
E2MS103005