2021 KIA NIRO PHEV Owners Manual

Safety features of your vehicle
62 3
Even though your vehicle is
equipped with the occupant detec-
tion system, never install a child
restraint system in the front pas-
senger's seat. A deploying air bag
can forcefully strike a child result-
ing in serious injuries or death. 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 PASSENGER AIR BAG
“OFF” indicator is illuminated when
the front passenger's seat is occu-
pied by an adult and he/she sits
properly (sitting upright with the
seatback in an upright position,
centered on the seat cushion with
their seat belt on, legs comfortably
extended and their feet on the
floor), have that person sit in the
rear seat.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
seat.Driver's and passenger's front
air bag
ODE036063
■Driver’s front air bag
■Driver’s knee air bagODE036037

363
Safety features of your vehicle
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" locat-
ed on the air bag pad cover on the
steering wheel and the passenger'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 sensor deter-
mines if the front passenger's seat
belt is fastened.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.
ODE036038
■Passenger’s front air bag

Safety features of your vehicle
64 3
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
chapter.
Modification to the seat structure can
cause the air bag to deploy at a dif-
ferent level than should be provided.
Manufacturers are required by gov-
ernment regulations to provide a
contact point concerning modifica-
tions to the vehicle for persons with
disabilities, which modifications may
affect the vehicle’s advanced air bag
system. That contact is Kia’s toll-free
Customer Assistance center at 1-
800-333-4Kia. However, Kia does
not endorse nor will it support any
changes to any part or structure of
the vehicle that could affect the
advanced air bag system, including
the occupant detection system.Advanced air bags are combined with
pre-tensioner seat belts to help pro-
vide enhanced occupant protection in
frontal crashes. Front air bags are not
intended to deploy in collisions in
which sufficient protection can be pro-
vided by the pre-tensioner seat belt.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
Air bags can only be used once –
have an authorized Kia dealer
replace the air bag immediately
after deployment.
Front air bags are not intended to
deploy in side-impact, rear-impact or
rollover crashes. However, when
frontal deployment threshold is satis-
fied at side-impact, front air bags
may deploy. In addition, front air bags
will not deploy in frontal crashes
below the deployment threshold.
WARNING- Replacement /
modifications
The front passenger seat, dash-
board or door should not be
replaced except by an author-
ized Kia dealer using original
Kia parts designed for this vehi-
cle and model. Any other such
replacement or modification
could adversely affect the oper-
ation of the occupant detection
system and your advanced air
bags.

365
Safety features of your vehicle
Side air bag
❈The actual air bags in the vehicle may differ
from the illustration.
Your vehicle is equipped with a side
air bag in each front seat.
WARNING- SRS Wiring
Do not tamper with or discon-
nect SRS wiring or other com-
ponents of the SRS system.
Doing so could result in injury,
due to accidental deployment of
the air bags or by rendering the
SRS inoperative.WARNING - No attaching
objects
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.
Do not place any objects over
the air bag or between the air
bag and yourself.
ODE036041
ODEP039040

Safety features of your vehicle
66 3
The purpose of the air bag is to pro-
vide the vehicle's driver and/or the
front passenger with additional pro-
tection than that offered by the seat
belt alone.
The side air bags are designed to
deploy during certain side-impact
collisions, depending on the crash
severity, angle, speed and point of
impact. However, when side deploy-
ment threshold is satisfied at front-
impact, side air bags may deploy.
The side air bags may deploy on the
side of the impact or on both sides.
The side and/or curtain air bags on
both sides of the vehicle will deploy
if a rollover or possible rollover is
detected.
The side air bags are not designed
to deploy in all side impact or
rollover situations. 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.
WARNING- Unexpected
deployment
Avoid impact to the side impact
airbag sensor when Engine
Start/Stop button is ON to pre-
vent unexpected deployment of
the side air bag.
WARNING- Deployment
Do not install any accessories
including seat covers, on the
side or near the side air bag as
this may affect the deployment
of the side air bags.

367
Safety features of your vehicle
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.Curtain air bag
❈The actual air bags in the vehicle may differ
from the illustration.
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 put any objects
between the side airbag label
and seat cushion. It could
cause harm if the vehicle is in
a crash severe enough to
cause the air bags to deploy.
Never place or insert any
object into any small opening
near side airbag labels
attached to the vehicle seats.
When the air bag deploys, the
object may affect the deploy-
ment and result in unexpected
accident or bodily harm.
Do not install any accessories
on the side or near 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.
ODE036042
ODE036043

Safety features of your vehicle
68 3
Curtain air bags are located along
both sides of the roof rails above the
front and rear doors.
They are designed to help protect
occupants in certain side impacts
and to help prevent them from eject-
ing out of the vehicle as a result of a
rollover, especially when the seat-
belts are also in use.
The curtain air bags are designed to
deploy during certain side impact
collisions, depending on the crash
severity, angle, speed and point of
impact. However, when side deploy-
ment threshold is satisfied at front-
impact, side air bags may deploy.
The curtain air bags may deploy on
the side of the impact or on both
sides.
Also, the curtain air bags on both
sides of the vehicle will deploy in
certain rollover situations.
The curtain air bags are not
designed to deploy in all side
impact or rollover situations.Do not allow the passengers to lean
their heads or bodies against the
doors, put their arms on the doors,
stretch their arms out of the window
or place objects between the doors
and passengers when they are seat-
ed on seats equipped with side
impact and/or curtain air bags.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
Never try to open or repair any com-
ponents of the side and curtain air
bag system. This should only be
done by an authorized Kia dealer.
WARNING - No attaching
objects
Do not place any objects over
the air bag. Also, do not attach
any objects around the area
the air bag inflates such as the
door, side door glass, front
and rear pillar, roof side rail.
breakable,
or heavy objects on the coat
hooks for safety reasons.

369
Safety features of your vehicle
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 pro-
tection.
These include rear impacts, second
or third collisions in multiple impact
accidents, as well as low speed
impacts.Air bag collision sensors
(1) SRS control module/
Rollover sensor
(2) Front impact sensor(3) Side pressure sensor
(4) Side impact sensor
ODEP039044/ODE036045/ODEP039046/ODE036047/ODE036048
❈The actual shape and position of sensors may differ from the illustration.