2021 KIA SPORTAGE Owners Manual

3 15
Safety features of your vehicle
Seatback pocket
The seatback pocket is provided on
the back of the front passenger’s and
driver’s seatbacks.
Rear seat adjustment
Headrest
The rear seat is equipped with head-
rests in all the seating positions for
the occupant's safety and comfort.
The headrest not only provides com-
fort for passengers, but also helps
protect the head and neck in the
event of a collision.For maximum effectiveness in case
of an accident, the headrest should
be adjusted so the middle of the
headrest is at the same height of the
center of gravity of an occupant's
head. Generally, the center of gravity
of most people's heads is similar with
the height as the top of their eyes.
Also, adjust the headrest as close to
your head as possible. For this rea-
son, the use of a cushion that holds
the body away from the seatback is
not recommended.
OQL035016
WARNING- Seatback
pockets
Do not put heavy or sharp
objects in the seatback pockets.
In an accident they could come
loose from the pocket and
injure vehicle occupants.
WARNING- Headrest Removal
NEVER allow anyone to ride in a
seat with the headrest removed.
Headrests can provide critical
neck and head support in a
crash.OQLC035087

Safety features of your vehicle
163
Adjusting the height up and down
To raise the headrest, pull it up to the
desired position (1). To lower the
headrest, push and hold the release
button (2) on the headrest support
and lower the headrest to the desired
position (3).Removal and reinstallation
To remove the headrest, raise it as
far as it can go then press the
release button (1) while pulling the
headrest upward (2).
To reinstall the headrest, put the
headrest poles (3) into the holes
while pressing the release button (1).
Then adjust it to the appropriate
height and ensure that it locks in
position.
WARNING- Headrest
Reinstallation
To reduce the risk of injury to
the head or neck, always make
sure the headrest is locked into
position and adjusted properly
after reinstalling.
OQLA035018OQLA035096

3 17
Safety features of your vehicle
Armrest
To use the armrest, pull it forward
from the seatback.
Folding the rear seat
The rear seatbacks may be folded to
facilitate carrying long items or to
increase the luggage capacity of the
vehicle.To fold down the rear seatback:
1. Set the front seatback to theupright position and if necessary,
slide the front seat forward.
2. Lower the rear head restraints to the lowest position.
WARNING
Never allow passengers to sit
on top of the folded down seat-
back while the vehicle is mov-
ing. This is not a proper seating
position and no seat belts are
available for use. Ignoring this
warning could result in serious
injury or death in case of an
accident or sudden stop.
WARNING - Objects
Objects carried on the folded
down seatback should not
extend higher than the top of
the front seatbacks. This could
allow cargo to slide forward and
cause injury or damage during
sudden stops.
OQL035014
OQL035020

Safety features of your vehicle
183
3. Insert the rear seat belt buckle inthe pocket between the rear seat-
back and cushion, and insert the
rear seat belt webbing in the guide
to prevent the seat belt from being
damaged. 4. Lift up the front portion of the seat-
back folding lever, then fold the
seat toward the front of the vehicle.
When you return the seatback to
its upright position, always be sure
it has locked into position by push-
ing on the top of the seatback. 5. To use the rear seat, lift and push
the seatback rearward by lifting up
the front portion of the folding lever.
Push the seatback firmly until it
clicks into place. Make sure the
seatback is locked in place.
OQL035030
OQLA035022
OQL035023OQL035024

3 19
Safety features of your vehicle
When returning the rear seatbacks to
the upright position, remember to
return the rear shoulder belts to their
proper position.
CAUTION - Damaging
rear seat belt buckles
When you fold the rear seat- back, insert the buckle betweenthe rear seatback and cushion.Doing so can prevent the bucklefrom being damaged by the rearseatback.
WARNING - Cargo loading
Make sure the engine is off, the
automatic transaxle is in P (Park)
and the parking brake is secure-
ly applied whenever loading or
unloading cargo. Failure to take
these steps may allow the vehi-
cle to move if the shift lever is
inadvertently moved to another
position.
WARNING- Cargo
Do not place objects in the rear
seats, since they cannot be
properly secured and may hit
vehicle occupants in a collision.
WARNING
Unless the driver's position is
properly set according to the
driver's physical figure, do not
fold the rear seat. It may
increase bodily injuries in a
sudden stop or collision.
WARNING- Objects
Objects carried on the folded
down seatback should not
extend higher than the top of
the front seatbacks. This could
allow cargo to slide forward and
cause injury or damage during
sudden stops.WARNING - Rear
Seatback
When returning the rear seat to
the upright position:
• Be careful not to damage the seat belt webbing or buckle.
• Ensure the seatback is com- pletely locked into its upright
position by pushing on the
top of the seatback.
Failure to adhere to any of
these instructions could
result in serious injury or
death in the event of a crash.

Safety features of your vehicle
203
SEAT BELTS
Seat belt restraint system
Seat belts are designed to bear upon
the bony structure of the body, and
should be worn low across the front
of the pelvis, chest and shoulders, as
applicable; wearing the lap section of
the belt across the abdominal area
must be avoided.
Seat belts should be adjusted as
firmly as possible, consistent with
comfort, to provide the protection for
which they have been designed.
A slack belt will greatly reduce the
protection afforded to the wearer.Care should be taken to avoid con-
tamination of the webbing with pol-
ishes, oils and chemicals, and partic-
ularly battery acid. Cleaning may
safely be carried out using mild soap
and water. The belt should be
replaced if webbing becomes frayed,
contaminated or damaged.
• For maximum restraint system pro-
tection, the seat belts must always
be used whenever the vehicle is
moving. A properly positioned
shoulder belt should be positioned
midway over your shoulder across
your collarbone.
• Never allow children to ride in the front passenger seat. See child
restraint system section for further
discussion.
WARNING- Damaged
seat belt
Replace the entire seat belt
assembly if any part of the web-
bing or hardware is damaged as
you can no longer be sure that a
damaged seat belt will provide
protection in a crash.
WARNING- Twisted seat belt
Make sure your seat belt is not
twisted when worn. A twisted
seat belt may not properly pro-
tect you in an accident and
could even cut into your body.
WARNING- Shoulder Belt
• Never wear the shoulder belt under your arm or behind
your back. An improperly
positioned shoulder belt can-
not protect the occupant in a
crash.
• Always wear both the shoul- der portion and lap portion of
the lap/shoulder belt.

3 21
Safety features of your vehicle
• No modifications or additionsshould be made by the user which
would either prevent the seat belt
adjusting devices from operating to
remove slack, or prevent the seat
belt assembly from being adjusted
to remove slack.
• When you fasten the seat belt, be careful not to latch the seat belt in
buckles of other seat. It's very dan-
gerous and you may not be pro-
tected by the seat belt properly.
• Do not unfasten the seat belt and do not fasten and unfasten the seat
belt repeatedly while driving. This
could result in loss of control, and
an accident causing death, serious
injury, or property damage.
• When fastening the seat belt, make sure that the seat belt does
not pass over objects that are hard
or can break easily.Seat belt warning
The driver's seat and passenger’s
seat belt warning light and warning
chime will activate pursuant to the
following table when the ignition
switch is in “ON” position.
WARNING- Seat belt
buckle
Do not allow foreign material
(gum, crumbs, coins, etc.) to
obstruct the seat belt buckle.
This may prevent the seat belt
from fastening securely.
1GQA2083

Safety features of your vehicle
223
*1Warning pattern repeats 11 timeswith an interval of 24 seconds. If
the driver's seat belt is buckled, the
light will stop within 6 seconds and
chime will stop immediately.
*
2The light will stop within 6 seconds and chime will stop immediately.
Seat belt - Driver's 3-point system
with emergency locking retractor
To fasten your seat belt:
To fasten your seat belt, pull it out of
the retractor and insert the metal tab
(1) into the buckle (2). There will be
an audible "click" when the tab locks
into the buckle.
ConditionsWarning Pattern
Seat BeltVehicle
SpeedLight-BlinkChime-Sound
Unbuckled6 seconds
Buckled6 secondsNone
Buckled →
Unbuckled
Below 3mph (5km/h)6 secondsNone
3mph (5km/h) ~6mph (10km/h)6 seconds
Above 6mph (10km/h)6 sec. on / 24 sec. off (11 times)
Unbuckled
Above
6mph(10km/h) →
Below
3mph(5km/h)6 seconds *1
↓
Stop *
2
B180A01NF-1
WARNING
You should place the lap belt
portion as low as possible and
snugly across your hips, not on
your waist. If the lap belt is locat-
ed too high on your waist, it may
increase the chance of injury in
the event of a collision. Both
arms should not be under or
over the belt. Rather, one should
be over and the other under, as
shown in the illustration.
Never wear the seat belt under
the arm near the door.