2016 KIA Forte Air sensors

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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 occu-
pant and the vehicle structures
before the occupant impacts those
structures. 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 10" (25cm)
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
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3
SRS components and func-
tions
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.
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The indications of the system's pres-
ence are the letters "AIR BAG"
embossed on the air bag pad cover
in the steering wheel and the pas-
senger's side front panel pad above
the glove box.
The SRS consists of air bags
installed under the pad covers in the
center of the steering wheel and the
passenger's side front panel above
the glove box.
The purpose of the SRS is to provide
the vehicle's driver and/or the front
passenger with additional protection
than that offered by the seat belt sys-
tem alone in case of a frontal impact
of sufficient severity. The SRS uses
sensors to gather information about
the driver's seat position, the driver's
and front passenger's seat belt
usage and impact severity. The advanced SRS offers the ability
to control the air bag inflation with
two levels. A first stage level is pro-
vided for moderate-severity impacts.
A second stage level is provided for
more severe impacts.
The passenger’s front air bag is
designed to help reduce the injury of
children sitting close to the instru-
ment panel in low speed collisions.
However, children are safer if they
are restraint in the rear seat.
According to the impact severity,
seating position and seat belt usage,
the SRSCM (SRS Control Module)
controls the air bag inflation. Failure
to properly wear seat belts can
increase the risk or severity of injury
in an accident.
Additionally, your vehicle is equipped
with an occupant detection system in
the front passenger's seat. The occu-
pant detection system detects the
presence of a passenger in the front
passenger's seat and will turn off the
front passenger's air bag under cer-
tain conditions. For more detail, see
"Occupant detection system" in this
section.
Do not place any objects that may
cause magnetic fields near the front
seat. These may cause a malfunction
of the seat track position sensor.

Safety features of your vehicle
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Why didn’t my air bag go off in
a collision? (Inflation and non-
inflation conditions of the air
bag)
There are many types of accidents
in which the air bag would not be
expected to provide additional
protection.
These include rear impacts, sec-
ond or third collisions in multiple
impact accidents, as well as low
speed impacts.
Air bag collision sensors
(1) SRS control module
(2) Front impact sensor (3) Side impact sensor
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Safety features of your vehicle
Problems may arise if the sensor
installation angles are changed due
to the deformation of the front
bumper, body or B pillar where side
collision sensors are installed. Have
the vehicle checked and repaired by
an authorized Kia dealer.
Installing aftermarket bumper guards
or replacing a bumper with non-gen-
uine parts may adversely affect your
vehicle’s collision and air bag deploy-
ment performance.Air bag inflation conditions
Front air bags
Front air bags are designed to inflate
in a frontal collision depending on
the intensity, speed or angles of
impact of the front collision.
WARNING - Air bag sensors
Do not hit or allow any objects to impact the locations where
air bag or sensors are
installed.
This may cause unexpected
air bag deployment, which
could result in serious per-
sonal injury or death.
If the installation location or angle of the sensors is altered
in any way, the air bags may
deploy when they should not
or they may not deploy when
they should.
Therefore, do not try to per-
form maintenance on or
around the air bag sensors.
Have the vehicle checked and
repaired by an authorized Kia
dealer.
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❈ The actual air bags in the vehicle may differ
from the illustration.
Side air bags
Side air bags (side and/or curtain air
bags) are designed to inflate when an
impact is detected by side collision
sensors depending on the strength,
speed or angles of impact resulting
from a side impact collision. Although the front air bags (driver’s
and front passenger’s air bags) are
designed to inflate in frontal colli-
sions, they also may inflate in other
types of collisions if the front impact
sensors detect a sufficient frontal
force in another type of impact. Side
and curtain air bags are designed to
inflate in certain side impact colli-
sions. They may inflate in other type
of collisions where a side force is
detected by the sensors.
If the vehicle chassis is impacted by
bumps or objects on unimproved
roads or sidewalks, air bags may
deploy. Drive carefully on unim-
proved roads or on surfaces not
designed for vehicle traffic to prevent
unintended air bag deployment.
Air bag non-inflation conditions
In certain low-speed collisions the
air bags may not deploy. The air
bags are designed not to deploy in
such cases because they may not
provide benefits beyond the pro-
tection of the seat belts in such col-
lisions.
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Air bags are not designed to inflatein rear collisions, because occu-
pants are moved backward by the
force of the impact. In this case,
inflated air bags would not be able
to provide any additional benefit. Front air bags may not inflate in
side impact collisions, because
occupants move to the direction of
the collision, and thus in side
impacts, front air bag deployment
would not provide additional occu-
pant protection. In a slant or angled collision, the
force of impact may direct the
occupants in a direction where the
air bags would not be able to pro-
vide any additional benefit, and
thus the sensors may not deploy
any air bags.
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Safety features of your vehicle
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Just before impact, drivers often
brake heavily. Such heavy braking
lowers the front portion of the vehi-
cle causing it to “ride” under a vehi-
cle with a higher ground clearance.
Air bags may not inflate in this
"under-ride" situation because
deceleration forces that are detect-
ed by sensors may be significantly
replaced by such “under-ride” colli-
sions. Air bags does not inflate in most
rollover accidents (even if the vehi-
cle is equipped with side impact air
bags and curtain air bags). Airbags
may not inflate in rollover accidents
where the air bag system indicates
air bag deployment would not pro-
vide protection to the occupants. Air bags may not inflate if the vehi-
cle collides with objects such as
utility poles or trees, where the
point of impact is concentrated to
one area and the full force of the
impact is not delivered to the sen-
sors.
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