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Safety features of your vehicle
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3
Any child age 13 and under should
ride in the rear seat. Children too
large for child restraints should use
the available lap/shoulder belts. No
matter what type of crash, children of
all ages are safer when restrained in
the rear seat.
If the occupant detection system is
not working properly, the SRS air
bag warning light on the instrument
panel will illuminate because the
passenger's front air bag is connect-
ed with the occupant detection sys-
tem. If there is a malfunction of the
occupant detection system, the PAS-
SENGER AIR BAG “OFF” indicator
will not illuminate and the passen-
ger's front air bag will inflate in frontal
impact crashes even if there is no
occupant in the front passenger's
seatDriver's and passenger's front
air bag
Your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Supplemental Restraint
(Air Bag) System and lap/shoulder
belts at both the driver and passen-
ger seating position. The indication of the system's pres-
ence are the letters "AIR BAG"
embossed on the air bag pad cover
on 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 and front passenger's
seat belt usage and impact severity.
The seat belt buckle sensors deter-
mine if the driver and front passen-
ger's seat belts are fastened.
OPS033021
OPS033022
Driver’s front air bag
Passenger’s front air bag 
         
        
        
     
        
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347
Safety features of your vehicle
These sensors provide the ability to
control the SRS deployment based on
whether or not the seat belts are fas-
tened, and how severe the impact is.
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 restrained in the rear seat.
According to the impact severity 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.
WARNING- Modification
Modification to the seat struc-
ture can cause the air bag to
deploy at a different level than
should be provided.
WARNING- Replacement/ modifications
The front passenger seat, dash-
board or door should not be
replaced except by an authorized
Kia dealer using original Kia parts
designed for this vehicle and
model. Any other such replace-
ment or modification could
adversely affect the operation of
the occupant detection system
and your advanced air bags.
CAUTION- Seat Track Sensor
Do not place any objects under-neath the front seats as theycould damage the seat trackposition sensor or interfere withthe occupant detection system. 
         
        
        
     
        
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Safety features of your vehicle
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3
 The side air bag is supplemental to
the driver's and the passenger's
seat belt systems and is not a sub-
stitute for them. Therefore your
seat belts must be worn at all times
while the vehicle is in operation.
 For best protection from the side air bag system and to avoid being
injured by the deploying side air
bag, both front seat occupants
should sit in an upright position
with the seat belt properly fas-
tened. The driver's hands should
be placed on the steering wheel at
the 9:00 and 3:00 positions. The
passenger's arms and hands
should be placed on their laps.  If seat or seat cover is damaged,
have the vehicle checked and
repaired by an authorized Kia deal-
er. Inform the dealer that your vehi-
cle is equipped with side air bags
and an occupant detection system.
WARNING- Unexpected
deployment
Avoid impact to the side impact
airbag sensor when the POWER
button is ON to prevent unex-
pected deployment of the side
impact air bag.WARNING- Deployment
Do not install any accessories
including seat covers, on the
side or near the side impact air
bag as this may affect the
deployment of the side air bags.
WARNING- Flying objects
Do not place any objects (an
umbrella, bag, etc.) between the
front door and the front seat.
Such objects may become dan-
gerous projectiles if the side
airbag inflates.
WARNING - No attaching
objects
 Do not place any objects over the air bag or between the air
bag and yourself. Also, do not
attach any objects around the
area the air bag inflates such
as the door, side door glass,
front and rear pillar.
 Do not place any objects between the door and the
seat. They may become dan-
gerous projectiles if the side
air bag inflates.
 Do not install any accessories on the side or near the side air
bags. 
         
        
        
     
        
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Safety features of your vehicle
52
3
Why didn’t my air bag go off in a
collision? (Inflation and non-infla-
tion 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.
OPSE034025/OPSE034026/OPSE034027/OPS033028/OPS033029
Air bag collision sensors
(1) SRS control module/Rollover sensor
(2) Front impact sensor (3) Side impact sensor
(4) Side pressure sensor 
         
        
        
     
        
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353
Safety features of your vehicle
 Problems may arise if the sensorinstallation angles are changed
due to the deformation of the front
bumper, front end module, body or
front doors and/or B pillar where
side collision sensors are installed.
Have the vehicle checked and
repaired by an authorized Kia deal-
er.
 Installing bumper guards (or side step or running board) or replacing
a bumper (or front door module)
with non-genuine parts may
adversely affect your vehicle’s col-
lision and air bag deployment per-
formance.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.
1VQA2084
WARNING- Air bag 
sensors
 Do not hit or allow any objects to impact the locations where
air bags 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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Safety features of your vehicle
54
3
Side and/or curtain 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.
Also, the side and curtain air bags are
designed to inflate when a rollover is
detected by a rollover sensor.
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 types
of collisions where a side force is
detected by the sensors. Side air bag
and/or curtain air bags may also
inflate where rollover sensors indi-
cate the possibility of a rollover
occurring (even if none actually
occurs) or in other situations, incluid-
ing when the vehicle is tilted while
being towed. Even where side and/or curtain air
bags would not provide impact pro-
tection in a rollover, however,  they
will deploy to prevent ejection of
occupants, especially those who are
restrained with seat belts.
If the vehicle chassis is impacted by
bumps or objects on unimproved
roads, the air bags may deploy. Drive
carefully on unimproved roads or on
surfaces not designed for vehicle
traffic to prevent unintended air bag
deployment.
OVQ036018N
OPS033039
❈
The actual air bags in the vehicle may dif-
fer from the illustration. 
         
        
        
     
        
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Safety features of your vehicle
56
3
 In an angled collision, the force of
impact may direct the occupants in
a direction where the air bags
would not be able to provide any
additional benefit, and thus the
sensors may not deploy any air
bags.  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
reduced by such “under-ride” colli-
sions.  Front air bags may not inflate in
rollover accidents because front
airbag deployment would not pro-
vide additional occupant protection.
1VQA20901VQA20911VQA2089 
         
        
        
     
        
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Adding equipment to or modi-
fying your air bag-equipped
vehicle
If you modify your vehicle by changing
your vehicle's frame, bumper system,
front end or side sheet metal or ride
height, this may affect the operation of
your vehicle's air bag system.
Air bag warning label
Air bag warning labels, some required
by the U.S. National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA), are
attached to the sunvisor to alert the
driver and passengers of potential
risks of the air bag system.
WARNING- Tamperingwith SRS
Do not tamper with or discon-
nect SRS wiring, or other com-
ponents of the SRS system.
Doing so could result in the
accidental inflation of the air
bags or by rendering the SRS
inoperative.
WARNING- Towing Vehicle
Always have the ignition off
when your vehicle is being
towed. The side air bags may
inflate if the vehicle is tilted
such as when being towed
because of the rollover sensors
in the vehicle.
OPS033030
OAM039041
358
Safety features of your vehicle