2021 HYUNDAI SONATA Protection

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WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury or
death from inflating front air bags, take
the following precautions:
• Seat belts must be worn at all times
to help keep occupants positioned
properly.
• Move your seat as far back as
possible from front air bags, while
still maintaining control of the
vehicle.
• Never lean against the door or center
console.
• Do not allow the front passenger
to place their feet or legs on the
dashboard.
• No objects (such as crash pad
cover, cellular phone holder, cup
holder, perfume or stickers) should
be placed over or near the air bag
modules on the steering wheel,
instrument panel, windshield glass,
and the front passenger’s panel
above the glove box. Such objects
could cause harm if the vehicle is in a
crash severe enough to cause the air
bags to deploy.
Side air bags
ODN8039040
ODN8039041
Your vehicle is equipped with a side air
bag in each front seat and outboard rear
seats. The purpose of the air bag is to
provide the vehicle’s driver and the front
passenger with additional protection
than that offered by the seat belt alone.
The side air bags are designed to deploy
only during certain side impact collisions,
depending on the crash severity. The
side and curtain air bags on both sides
of the vehicle may deploy if a rollover or
possible rollover is detected. For vehicles
equipped with a rollover sensor the side
air bags and pre-tensioners on both sides
of the vehicle may deploy if a rollover or
possible rollover is detected. However,
the side air bags are not designed to
deploy in all side impact or rollover
situations.
Seats & Safety System

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SRS warning light
The SRS (Supplement Restraint System)
air bag warning light on the instrument
panel displays the air bag symbol
depicted in the illustration. The system
checks the air bag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light indicates that
there is a potential malfunction with your
air bag system, which could include your
side and curtain air bags used for rollover
protection.
WARNING
If your SRS malfunctions, the air bag
may not inflate properly during an
accident increasing the risk of serious
injury or death.
If any of the following conditions occur,
your SRS is malfunctioning:
• The light does not turn on for
approximately six seconds when the
Engine Start/Stop button is in the ON
position.
• The light stays on after illuminating
for approximately six seconds.
• The light comes on while the vehicle
is in motion.
• The light blinks when the engine is
running.
Have an authorized HYUNDAI dealer
inspect the SRS as soon as possible if
any of these conditions occur. During a frontal collision, sensors will
detect the vehicle’s deceleration. If the
rate of deceleration 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 provide adequate restraint. When
needed, 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) when the Engine Start/
Stop button is in the ON position or
approximately within 3 minutes after
ignition off.
• Air bags inflate in the event of certain
frontal or side collisions to help
protect the occupants from serious
physical injury.
• Generally, air bags are designed to
inflate based upon the severity of
a collision, its direction, etc. These
two factors determine whether
the sensors produce an electronic
deployment/inflation signal.
• 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.

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• 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 protection
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, especially if the
occupant is positioned excessively
close to the air bag.
You can take steps to help reduce the
risk of being injured by an inflating air
bag. The greatest risk is sitting too close
to the air bag. An air bag needs about 10
inches (25 cm) of space to inflate. NHTSA
recommends that drivers allow at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the center of
the steering wheel and the chest. WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury or
death from an inflating air bag, take the
following precautions:
• NEVER place a child restraint in the
front passenger seat.
Always properly restrain children
under age 13 in the rear seats of the
vehicle.
• Adjust the front passenger’s and
driver’s seats as far to the rear as
possible while allowing you to
maintain full control of the vehicle.
• Hold the steering wheel with
hands at the 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock
positions.
• NEVER place anything or anyone
between the air bag and the seat
occupant.
• Do not allow the front passenger
to place their feet or legs on the
dashboard.
Seats & Safety System

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Occupant Classification System
(OCS)
ODN8A039038
Your vehicle is equipped with an
Occupant Classification System (OCS) in
the front passenger’s seat.
Main components of the Occupant
Classification System
• A detection device located within the
front passenger seat cushion.
• Electronic system to determine
whether the passenger air bag
systems should be activated or
deactivated.
• An indicator light located on the
instrument panel which illuminates
the words “PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF”
indicating the front passenger air bag
system is deactivated.
• The instrument panel air bag indicator
light is interconnected with the OCS.
The OCS is designed to help detect
the presence of a properly-seated
front passenger and determine if the
passenger’s front air bag should be
enabled (may inflate) or not.
The purpose is to help reduce the risk
of injury or death from an inflating air
bag to certain front passenger seat
occupants, such as children, by requiring
the air bag to be automatically turned
OFF. For example, if a child restraint of the
type specified in the regulations is on the
seat, the occupant classification sensor
can detect it and cause the air bag to
turn OFF.
Front passenger seat adult occupants
who are properly seated and wearing the
seat belt properly, should not cause the
passenger air bag to be automatically
turned OFF. For small adults it may be
turned OFF, however, if the occupant
does not sit in the seat properly (for
example, by not sitting upright, by sitting
on the edge of the seat, or by otherwise
being out of position), this could cause
the sensor to turn the air bag OFF.
You will find the “PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF” indicator on the center fascia
panel. This system detects the conditions
1-4 in the following table and activates or
deactivates the front passenger air bag
based on these conditions.
Always be sure that you and all vehicle
occupants are seated properly and
wearing the seat belt properly for the
most effective protection by the air bag
and the seat belt.
The OCS may not function properly if the
passenger takes actions which can affect
the classification system. These include:
•
Failing to sit in an upright position.
• Leaning against the door or center
console.
• Sitting towards the sides of the front
of the seat.
• Putting their legs on the dashboard or
resting them on other locations which
reduce the passenger weight on the
front seat.
• Wearing the seat belt improperly.
• Reclining the seatback.
• Wearing a thick cloth like ski wear or
hip protection wear.
• Putting an additional thick cushion on
the seat.
• Putting electrical devices (e.g.
notebook, satellite radio) on the seat
with inverter charging.

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Do Not Install a Child Restraint in the
Front Passenger’s Seat
OHI039193N
Even though your vehicle is equipped
with the OCS, never install a child
restraint in the front passenger’s seat.
An inflating air bag can forcefully strike a
child or child restraint resulting in serious
or fatal injury.
WARNING
• NEVER place a rear-facing or front-
facing child restraint in the front
passenger’s seat of the vehicle.
• An inflating frontal air bag could
forcefully strike a child resulting in
serious injury or death.
• Always properly restrain children in
an appropriate child restraint in the
rear seat of the vehicle.
Why Didn’t My Air Bag Go Off in
a Collision?
Air bags are not designed to inflate in
every collision. There are certain types
of accidents in which the air bag would
not be expected to provide additional
protection. These include rear impacts,
second or third collisions in multiple
impact accidents, as well as low speed
impacts. Damage to the vehicle indicates
a collision energy absorption, and is not
an indicator of whether or not an air bag
should have inflated.
WARNING
To reduce the risk of an air bag
deploying unexpectedly and causing
serious injury or death:
• Do not hit or allow any objects to
impact the locations where air bags
or sensors are installed.
• Do not perform maintenance on or
around the air bag sensors. If the
location or angle of the sensors is
altered, the air bags may deploy
when they should not or may not
deploy when they should.
• Do not install bumper guards or
replace the bumper with a non-
genuine HYUNDAI parts. This may
adversely affect the collision and air
bag deployment performance.
• Place the ignition switch in the
LOCK/OFF or ACC position when the
vehicle is being towed to prevent
inadvertent air bag deployment.
• Have all air bag repairs conducted by
an authorized HYUNDAI dealer.
Seats & Safety System

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Air bag inflation conditions
ODN8039048L
Front air bags
Front air bags are designed to inflate
in a frontal collision depending on the
severity of impact of the front collision.
ODN8A039049
ODN8039050
Side and curtain air bags
Side and curtain air bags are designed
to inflate when an impact is detected by
side collision sensors depending on the
severity of impact resulting from a side
impact collision.
Although the driver’s and front
passenger’s air bags are designed to
inflate only in frontal collisions, they also
may inflate in other types of collisions
if the front impact sensors detect a
sufficient impact. Side and curtain air
bags are designed to inflate only in side
impact collisions or rollover situations,
but they may inflate in other collisions
if the side impact sensors detect a
sufficient impact.
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.
Air bag non-inflation conditions
ODN8039051L
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 protection of the seat belts.
Seats & Safety System

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ODN8039052L
Front air bags are not designed to inflate
in rear collisions, because occupants
are moved backward by the force of the
impact. In this case, inflated air bags
would not provide any additional benefit.
ODN8A039053
Front air bags may not inflate in side
impact collisions, because occupants
move in the direction of the collision,
and thus in side impacts, front air bag
deployment would not provide additional
occupant protection.
However, side and curtain air bags may
inflate depending on the severity of
impact.
ODN8039059
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.
ODN8039054
Just before impact, drivers often brake
heavily. Such heavy braking lowers the
front portion of the vehicle causing it
to “ride” under a vehicle with a higher
ground clearance. Air bags may not
inflate in this “underride” situation
because deceleration forces that are
detected by sensors may be significantly
reduced by such “underride” collisions.

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ODN8A039088
Front air bags may not inflate in rollover
accidents because air bag deployment
may not provide protection to the
occupants.
However, side and curtain air bags may
inflate when the vehicle is rolled over by
a side impact collision.
ODN8A039055
Air bags may not inflate if the vehicle
collides with objects such as utility poles
or trees, where the point of impact is
concentrated and the collision energy is
absorbed by the vehicle structure.
SRS Care
The SRS is virtually maintenance-free
and there are no parts you can safely
service by yourself. If the SRS air bag
warning light does not illuminate when
the ignition switch is in the ON position,
or continuously remains on, have your
vehicle immediately inspected by an
authorized HYUNDAI dealer.
Any work on the SRS system, such as
removing, installing, repairing, or any
work on the steering wheel, the front
passenger’s panel, front seats and roof
rails must be performed by an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer. Improper handling of
the SRS system may result in serious
personal injury.
WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury or
death, take the following precautions:
• Do not attempt to modify or
disconnect the SRS components or
wiring, including the addition of any
kind of badges to the pad covers or
modifications to the body structure.
• Do not place objects over or near
the air bag modules on the steering
wheel, instrument panel, or the front
passenger’s panel above the glove box.
• Clean the air bag pad covers with
a soft cloth moistened with plain
water. Solvents or cleaners could
adversely affect the air bag covers
and proper deployment of the
system.
• Always have inflated air bags
replaced by an authorized HYUNDAI
dealer.
• If components of the air bag system
must be discarded, or if the vehicle
must be scrapped, certain safety
precautions must be observed.
Consult an authorized HYUNDAI
dealer for the necessary information.
Failure to follow these precautions
could increase the risk of personal
injury.
Seats & Safety System