2022 KIA SPORTAGE Owners Manual

Safety features of your vehicle
32
3
Restraint of pregnant women
Pregnant women should wear
lap/shoulder belt assemblies when-
ever possible according to specific
recommendations by their doctors.
The lap portion of the belt should be
worn AS SECURELY AND LOW AS
POSSIBLE.
Injured person
A seat belt should be used when an
injured person is being transported.
When this is necessary, you should
consult a physician for recommenda-
tions.
One person per belt
Two people (including children)
should never attempt to use a single
seat belt. This could increase the
severity of injuries in case of an acci-
dent.
Do not lie down
To reduce the chance of injuries in
the event of an accident and to
achieve maximum effectiveness of
the restraint system, all passengers
should be sitting up and the front and
rear seats should be in an upright
position when the vehicle is moving.
A seat belt cannot provide proper
protection if the person is lying down
in the rear seat or if the front and rear
seats are in a reclined position.
WARNING - Pregnant
women
Pregnant women must never
place the lap portion of the seat
belt above or on the abdomen
where the fetus is located. The
force of the seat belt during a
collision will crush the fetus.

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Safety features of your vehicle
Care of seat belts
Seat belt systems should never be
disassembled or modified. In addi-
tion, care should be taken to assure
that seat belts and belt hardware are
not damaged by seat hinges, doors
or other abuse.
Periodic inspection
All seat belts should be inspected
periodically for wear or damage of
any kind. Any damaged parts should
be replaced as soon as possible.
Keep belts clean and dry
Seat belts should be kept clean and
dry. If belts become dirty, they can be
cleaned by using a mild soap solu-
tion and warm water. Bleach, dye,
strong detergents or abrasives
should not be used because they
may damage and weaken the fabric.
When to replace seat belts
The entire in-use seat belt assembly
or assemblies should be replaced if
the vehicle has been involved in an
accident. This should be done even if
no damage is visible. Additional
questions concerning seat belt oper-
ation should be directed to an
authorized Kia dealer.
WARNING- Pinched seatbelt
Make sure that the webbing
and/or buckle does not get
caught or pinched in the rear
seat when returning the rear
seatback to its upright position.
A caught or pinched webbing/
buckle may become damaged
and could fail during a collision
or sudden stop.
WARNING
Seatbelts can become hot in a
vehicle that has been closed up
in sunny weather. They could
burn infants and children.

Safety features of your vehicle
34
3
CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEM (CRS)
Children Always in the RearChildren under age 13 must always
ride in the rear seats and must always
be properly restrained to minimize the
risk of injury in an accident, sudden
stop or sudden maneuver. According
to accident statistics, children are
safer when properly restrained in the
rear seats than in the front seat. Even
with air bags, children can be serious-
ly injured or killed. Children too large
for a child restraint must use the seat
belts provided.
All 50 states have child restraint laws
which require children to travel in
approved child restraint devices. The
laws governing the age or
height/weight restrictions at which
seat belts can be used instead of
child restraints differs among states,
so you should be aware of the spe-
cific requirements in your state, and
where you are travelling. Child restraint systems must be
properly placed and installed in the
rear seat. You must use a commer-
cially available child restraint system
that meets the requirements of the
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards (FMVSS).
Child restraint systems are generally
designed to be secured in a vehicle
seat by lap belt portion of a
lap/shoulder belt, or by a LATCH sys-
tem in the rear seats of the vehicle.
WARNING - Restraint
Location
Never install a child or infant
seat on the front passenger's
seat. A child riding in the front
passenger seat can be forceful-
ly struck by an inflating airbag
and seriously injured.
WARNING - Hot Child
Restraint
A child restraint system can
become very hot if it is left in a
closed vehicle on a sunny day.
Be sure to check the seat cover,
buckles and latches before
placing a child in the restraint
system.

335
Safety features of your vehicle
Child restraint system (CRS)
Infants and younger children must be
restrained in an appropriate rear-fac-
ing or forward-facing CRS that has
first been properly secured to the
rear seat of the vehicle. Read and
comply with the instructions for
installation and use provided by the
manufacturer of the child restraint.
Selecting a Child Restraint
System (CRS)
When selecting a CRS for your child,
always:
Make sure the CRS has a labelcertifying that it meets applicable
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards (FMVSS 213).
Select a child restraint based on your child’s height and weight. The
required label or the instructions
for use typically provide this infor-
mation.
Select a child restraint that fits the vehicle seating position where it
will be used.
Read and comply with the warn- ings and instructions for installation
and use provided with the child
restraint system.
WARNING
-
Child Restraint Installation
An improperly secured child
restraint can increase the risk
of serious injury or death in an
accident. Always take the fol-
lowing precautions when using
a child restraint system:
Always follow the child restraint system manufactur-
er’s instructions for installa-
tion and use.
(Continued)
(Continued)
Always properly restrain yourchild in the child restraint.
If the vehicle head restraint prevents proper installation of
a child seat (as described in
the child restraint system
manual), the head restraint of
the respective seating posi-
tion shall be readjusted or
entirely removed.
Do not use an infant carrier or a child safety seat that
"hooks" over a seatback, it
may not provide adequate
protection in an accident.
After an accident, have a Kia dealer check the child restraint
system, seat belts, tether
anchors and lower anchors.

Safety features of your vehicle
36
3
Child restraint system types
There are three main types of child
restraint systems: rear-facing seats,
forward-facing seats, and booster
seats. They are classified according
to the child’s age, height and weight.WARNING - Holding
Children
Never hold a child in your arms
or lap when riding in a vehicle.
The violent forces created dur-
ing a crash will tear the child
from your arms and throw the
child against the car’s interior.
Always use a child restraint
system which is appropriate for
your child's height and weight.WARNING - Unattended
Children
Never leave children unattended
in a vehicle. The car can heat up
very quickly, resulting in injuries
to the child in the vehicle.
WARNING - Seat Belt Use
Do not use one seat belt for two
occupants at the same time.
This will eliminate any safety
benefit provided by the seat belt
to the occupants.

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Safety features of your vehicle
Rear-facing child seats
A rear-facing child seat provides
restraint with the seating surface
against the back of the child. The
harness system holds the child in
place, and in an accident, acts to
keep the child positioned in the seat
and reduces the stress to the neck
and spinal cord.
All children under age one must
always ride in a rear-facing infant
child restraint.Convertible and 3-in-1 child seats
typically have higher height and
weight limits for the rear-facing posi-
tion, allowing you to keep your child
rear-facing for a longer period of time.
Continue to use a rear-facing child
seat for as long as your child will fit
within the height and weight limits
allowed by the child seat manufactur-
er. It’s the best way to keep them
safe. Once your child has outgrown
the rear-facing child restraint, your
child is ready for a forward-facing
child restraint with a harness.
Forward-facing child restraints
A forward-facing child seat provides
restraint for the child’s body with a
harness. Keep children in a forward-
facing child seat with a harness until
they reach the top height or weight
limit allowed by your child restraint’s
manufacturer.
Once your child outgrows the for-
ward-facing child restraint, your child
is ready for a booster seat.
CRS09OQLA035032

Safety features of your vehicle
38
3
Booster seats
A booster seat is a restraint designed
to improve the fit of the vehicle’s seat
belt system. A booster seat positions
the seat belt so that it fits properly
over the lap of your child.
Keep your child in a booster seat
until they are big enough to sit in the
seat without a booster and still have
the seat belt fit properly. For a seat
belt to fit properly, the lap belt must
lie snugly across the upper thighs,
not the stomach. The shoulder belt
should lie snug across the shoulder
and chest and not across the neck or
face. Children under age 13 must
always ride in the rear seats and
must always be properly restrained
to minimize the risk of injury.Installing a Child Restraint
System (CRS)
After selecting a proper child seat for
your child, check to make sure it fits
properly in your vehicle. Follow the
instructions provided by the manu-
facturer when installing the child
seat. Note these general steps when
installing the seat to your vehicle:
Properly secure the child
restraint to the vehicle. All child
restraints must be secured to the
vehicle with the lap part of a
lap/shoulder belt or with the
LATCH system.
Make sure the child restraint is
firmly secured. After installing a
child restraint to the vehicle, push
and pull the seat forward and from
side-to-side to verify that it is
securely attached to the seat. A
child restraint secured with a seat
belt should be installed as firmly as
possible. However, some side-to-
side movement can be expected.
Secure the child in the child
restraint. Make sure the child is
properly strapped in the child
restraint according to the manufac-
turer instructions.

339
Safety features of your vehicle
Lower Anchors and Tether forChildren (LATCH) System
The LATCH system holds a child
restraint during driving and in an
accident. This system is designed to
make installation of the child restraint
easier and reduce the possibility of
improperly installing your child
restraint. The LATCH system uses
anchors in the vehicle and attach-
ments on the child restraint. The
LATCH system eliminates the need
to use seat belts to secure the child
restraint to the rear seats.
Lower anchors are metal bars built
into the vehicle. There are two lower
anchors for each LATCH seating
position that will accommodate a
child restraint with lower attach-
ments.
To use the LATCH system in your
vehicle, you must have a child
restraint with LATCH attachments.
The child seat manufacturer will pro-
vide you with instructions on how to
use the child seat with its attach-
ments for the LATCH lower anchors. LATCH anchors have been provided
in the left and right outboard rear
seating positions. Their locations are
shown in the illustration. There are
no LATCH anchors provided for the
center rear seating position.
OQL035035
WARNING - LATCH Lower
Anchors
Never attempt to attach a LATCH
equipped seat in the center
seating position. LATCH lower
anchors are only to be used in
the left and right rear outboard
seating positions. You may dam-
age the anchors or the anchors
may fail and break in a collision.