2023 HYUNDAI SONATA child restraint

3
3. Seats & Safety System
Important Safety Precautions ....................................................................... 3-2
Always Wear Your Seat Belt ..................................................................................... 3-2
Restrain All Children ................................................................................................. 3-2
Air Bag Hazards ........................................................................................................ 3-2
Driver Distraction ..................................................................................................... 3-2
Control Your Speed .................................................................................................. 3-2
Keep Your Vehicle in Safe Condition ....................................................................... 3-2
Seats ............................................................................................................... 3-3
Safety Precautions ................................................................................................... 3-4
Front Seats ................................................................................................................ 3-5
Rear Seats ................................................................................................................ 3-10
Head Restraints ........................................................................................................ 3-11
Seat Warmers and Air Ventilation Seats ................................................................3-15
Seat Belts ....................................................................................................... 3-19
Seat Belt Safety Precautions .................................................................................. 3-19
Seat Belt Warning Light ......................................................................................... 3-20
Seat Belt Restraint System ..................................................................................... 3-21
Additional Seat Belt Safety Precautions ...............................................................3-26
Care of Seat Belts ................................................................................................... 3-28
Child Restraint System (CRS) ...................................................................... 3-29
Children Always in the Rear ................................................................................... 3-29
Selecting a Child Restraint System (CRS) .............................................................3-30
Installing a Child Restraint System (CRS) ..............................................................3-31
Air Bag - Advanced Supplemental Restraint System ................................3-37
Where Are the Air Bags? ........................................................................................ 3-39
How Does the Air Bag System Operate? ...............................................................3-42
What to Expect After an Air Bag Inflates ..............................................................3-46
Occupant Classification System (OCS) ................................................................. 3-47
Why Didn’t My Air Bag Go Off in a Collision? .......................................................3-52
SRS Care ................................................................................................................. 3-56
Additional Safety Precautions ............................................................................... 3-57
Air Bag Warning Labels .......................................................................................... 3-57
This chapter provides you with important information about how to protect yourself and your
passengers. It explains how to properly use your seats and seat belts, and how your air bags work.
Additionally, this chapter explains how to properly restrain infants and children in your vehicle.

Seats & Safety System
3-2
You will find many safety precautions
and recommendations throughout this
section, and throughout this manual.
The safety precautions in this section are
among the most important.
Always Wear Your Seat Belt
A seat belt is your best protection in all
types of accidents. Air bags are designed
to supplement seat belts, not replace
them. So even though your vehicle is
equipped with air bags, ALWAYS make
sure you and your passengers wear your
seat belts, and wear them properly.
Restrain All Children
All children under age 13 should ride
in your vehicle properly restrained in a
rear seat, not the front seat. Infants and
small children should be restrained in
an appropriate child restraint. Larger
children should use a booster seat with
the lap/shoulder belt until they can use
the seat belt properly without a booster
seat.
Air Bag Hazards
While air bags can save lives, they can
also cause serious or fatal injuries to
occupants who sit too close to them, or
who are not properly restrained. Infants,
young children, and shorter adults are at
the greatest risk of being injured by an
inflating air bag. Follow all instructions
and warnings in this manual.
Driver Distraction
Driver distraction presents a serious and
potentially deadly danger, especially for
inexperienced drivers. Safety should be
the first concern when behind the wheel,
and drivers need to be aware of the wide
array of potential distractions, such as
drowsiness, reaching for objects, eating,
personal grooming, other passengers, and using cellular phones.
Drivers can become distracted when
they take their eyes and attention off
the road or their hands off the wheel to
focus on activities other than driving. To
reduce your risk of distraction or getting
into an accident: •
ALWAYS set up your mobile devices
(i.e., MP3 players, phones, navigation
units, etc.) when your vehicle is
parked or safely stopped.
• ONLY use your mobile device when
allowed by laws and when conditions
permit safe use. NEVER text or email
while driving. Most countries have
laws prohibiting drivers from texting.
Some countries and cities also
prohibit drivers from using handheld phones.
• NEVER let the use of a mobile device
distract you from driving. You have a
responsibility to your passengers and
others on the road to always drive
safely, with your hands on the wheel
as well as your eyes and attention on
the road.
Control Your Speed
Excessive speed is a major factor in crash
injuries and deaths. Generally, the higher
the speed, the greater the risk, but
serious injuries can also occur at lower
speeds. Never drive faster than is safe
for current conditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
Keep Your Vehicle in Safe Condition
Having a tire blowout or a mechanical
failure can be extremely hazardous. To
reduce the possibility of such problems,
check your tire pressures and condition
frequently, and perform all regularly
scheduled maintenance.
Important Safety precautIonS

Seats & Safety System
3-4
Safety Precautions
Adjusting the seats so that you are sitting
in a safe, comfortable position plays an
important role in driver and passenger
safety together with the seat belts and
air bags in an accident.
WARNING
Do not use a cushion that reduces
friction between the seat and the
passenger. The passenger’s hips may
slide under the lap portion of the seat
belt during an accident or a sudden
stop. Serious or fatal internal injuries
could result because the seat belt
cannot operate properly. Air bags
You can take steps to reduce the risk
of being injured by an inflating air bag.
Sitting too close to an air bag greatly
increases the risk of injury in the event
the air bag inflates.
Move your seat as far back as
possible from front air bags, while still
maintaining control of the vehicle.
WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury or
death from an inflating air bag, take the
following precautions: • Adjust the driver’s seat as far to the
rear as possible while maintaining
the ability to maintain full control of
the vehicle.
• Adjust the front passenger seat as far
to the rear as possible.
• Hold the steering wheel by the rim
with hands at the 9 o’clock and 3
o’clock positions to minimize the risk
of injuries to your hands and arms. •
NEVER place anything or anyone
between the steering wheel and the air bag.
• Do not allow the front passenger to
place feet or legs on the dashboard
to minimize the risk of leg injuries.
Seat belts
Always fasten your seat belt before
starting any trip.
At all times, passengers should sit
upright and be properly restrained.
Infants and small children must be
restrained in appropriate child restraint
systems. Adults and children who
have outgrown a booster seat must be
restrained using the seat belts.
WARNING
Take the following precautions when
adjusting your seat belt: • NEVER use one seat belt for more
than one occupant.
• Always position the seatback upright
with the lap portion of the seat belt
snug and low across the hips.
• NEVER allow children or small infants
to ride on a passenger’s lap.
• Do not route the seat belt across your
neck, across sharp edges, or reroute
the shoulder strap away from your
body.
• Do not allow the seat belt to become
caught or jammed.

Seats & Safety System
3-22
NOTICE
If you are not able to smoothly pull
enough of the seat belt out from the
retractor, firmly pull the seat belt out
and release it. After release, you will be
able to pull the belt out smoothly.
Height adjustment
You can adjust the height of the shoulder
belt anchor to one of the three different
positions for maximum comfort and
safety. The shoulder portion should be
adjusted so it lies across your chest and
midway over your shoulder nearest the
door, not over your neck. To adjust the
height of the seat belt anchor, lower
or raise the height adjuster into an
appropriate position.
„„Front seat
ODN8039072L
To raise the height adjuster, pull it up
(1). To lower it, push it down (3) while
pressing the height adjuster button (2).
Release the button to lock the anchor
into position. Try sliding the height
adjuster to make sure that it has locked
into position.
OHI038142
To release your seat belt:
Press the release button (1) in the locking buckle.
When it is released, the belt should
automatically draw back into the
retractor. If this does not happen, check
the belt to be sure it is not twisted, then try again.
Rear Seat Belt – Passenger’s 3-point
system with convertible locking
retractor
This type of seat belt combines the
features of both an emergency locking
retractor seat belt and an automatic
locking retractor seat belt. Convertible
retractor type seat belts are installed
in the rear seat positions to help
accommodate the installation of child
restraint systems. Although a convertible
retractor is also installed in the front
passenger seat position, NEVER place
any infant/child restraint system in the
front seat of the vehicle.

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3-23
To fasten your seat belt:
Pull the seat belt out of the retractor
and insert the metal tab into the buckle.
There will be an audible “click” when
the tab locks into the buckle. When
not securing a child restraint, the seat
belt operates in the same way as the
driver’s seat belt (Emergency Locking
Retractor Type). It automatically adjusts
to the proper length only after the lap
belt portion of the seat belt is adjusted
manually so that it fits snugly across your hips.
When the seat belt is fully extended from
the retractor to allow the installation of
a child restraint system, the seat belt
operation changes to allow the belt to
retract, but not to extend (Automatic
Locking Retractor Type). Refer to the
“Using a Child Restraint System” section
in this chapter.
NOTICE
Although the seat belt retractor
provides the same level of protection
for seated passengers in either
emergency or automatic locking
modes, the emergency locking mode
allows seated passengers to move
freely in their seat while keeping
some tension on the belt. During a
collision or sudden stop, the retractor
automatically locks the belt to help
restrain your body.
To deactivate the automatic locking
mode, unbuckle the seat belt and allow
the belt to fully retract.Rear center seat belt
ODN8039074L
When using the rear center seat belt, the
buckle with the “CENTER” mark must be used.
WARNING
Make sure that the seatback is locked in
place when using the rear center seat belt.
If not, the seatback may move when
there is a sudden stop or collision,
which could result in serious injury.

Seats & Safety System
3-26
Additional Seat Belt Safety
Precautions
Seat belt use during pregnancy
The seat belt should always be used
during pregnancy. The best way to
protect your unborn child is to protect
yourself by always wearing the seat belt.
Pregnant women should always wear
a lap-shoulder seat belt. Place the
shoulder belt across your chest, routed
between your breasts and away from
your neck. Place the lap belt line so
that it fits snugly and as low as possible
across the hips, not across the abdomen.
WARNING
• A pregnant woman or a patient is
more vulnerable to any imapcts on
the abdomen during an abrupt stop
or accident. If you are in an accident
while pregnant, we recommend you
consult your doctor.
• To reduce the risk of serious injury or
death to an unborn child during an
accident, pregnant women should
NEVER place the lap portion of the
seat belt above or over the area of
the abdomen where the unborn child
is located.
Seat belt use and children
Infant and small children
Most countries have child restraint
laws which require children to travel
in approved child restraint devices,
including booster seats. The age at
which seat belts can be used instead of
child restraints differs among countries,
so you should be aware of the specific
requirements in your country, and where
you are travelling.
Infant and child restraints must be
properly placed and installed in a rear
seat. For more information refer to the
“Child Restraint Systems” section in this
chapter.
WARNING
ALWAYS properly restrain infants
and small children in a child restraint
appropriate for the child’s height and
weight.
To reduce the risk of serious injury or
death to a child and other passengers,
NEVER hold a child in your lap or arms
when the vehicle is moving. The violent
forces created during an accident will
tear the child from your arms and throw
the child against the interior of the
vehicle.
Small children are best protected
from injury in an accident when
properly restrained in the rear seat by
a child restraint system that meets the
requirements of the Safety Standards of
your country. Before buying any child
restraint system, make sure that it has
a label certifying that it meets Safety
Standards of your country. The restraint
must be appropriate for your child’s
height and weight. Check the label on
the child restraint for this information.
Refer to the “Child Restraint Systems”
section in this chapter.

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3-27
Larger children
Children under age 13 and who are too
large for a booster seat must always
occupy the rear seat and use the
available lap/shoulder belts. A seat belt
should lie across the upper thighs and
be snug across the shoulder and chest
to restrain the child safely. Check belt fit
periodically. Children are afforded the
most safety in the event of an accident
when they are restrained by a proper
restraint system and/or seat belts in the
rear seat. Always have the LATCH system
inspected by your authorized HYUNDAI
dealer after an accident. An accident can
damage the LATCH system and may not
properly secure the child restraint.
If a larger child over age 13 must be
seated in the front seat, the child must
be securely restrained by the available
lap/shoulder belt and the seat should be
placed in the rearmost position.
If the shoulder belt portion slightly
touches the child’s neck or face, try
placing the child closer to the center
of the vehicle. If the shoulder belt still
touches their face or neck, they need to
be returned to an appropriate booster
seat in the rear seat.
WARNING
• Always make sure children are
wearing their seat belts and that they
are properly adjusted before driving.
• NEVER allow the shoulder belt to
contact the child’s neck or face.
• Do not allow more than one child to
use a single seat belt. Transporting an injured person
A seat belt should be used when an
injured person is being transported.
Consult a physician for specific
recommendations. 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 accident.
Do not lie down
Sitting in a reclined position when the
vehicle is in motion can be dangerous.
Even when buckled up, the protections
of your restraint system (seat belts and
air bags) is greatly reduced by reclining
your seatback.
To reduce the chance of injuries in the
event of an accident and to achieve the
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 car is
moving.
A seat belt cannot provide proper
protection if the person is lying down in
the rear seat or if the front or rear seats
are in a reclined position.
WARNING
• NEVER ride with a reclined seatback
when the vehicle is moving.
• Riding with a reclined seatback
increases your chance of serious
or fatal injuries in the event of a
collision or sudden stop.
• Drivers and passengers should
always sit well back in their seats,
properly belted, and with the
seatbacks upright.

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3-29
Children Always in the Rear
WARNING
Always properly restrain children in the
rear seats of the vehicle.
Children of all ages are safer when
restrained in the rear seat. A child riding
in the front passenger seat can be
forcefully struck by an inflating air bag
resulting in SERIOUS INJURY or DEATH.
Children 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 seriously
injured or killed. Children too large for
a child restraint must use the seat belts
provided.
Most countries 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 countries, so you should
be aware of the specific requirements
in your country, and where you are
travelling.
Child restraint systems must be properly
placed and installed in the rear seat.
You must use a commercially available
child restraint system that meets the
requirements of the Safety Standards of
your country.
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 system in the rear seats of
the vehicle. Child restraint system (CRS)
Infants and younger children must be
restrained in an appropriate rear-facing
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.
WARNING
An improperly secured child restraint
can increase the risk of SERIOUS
INJURY or DEATH in an accident. Always
take the following precautions when
using a child restraint system: • NEVER install a child or infant
restraint in the front passenger’s
seat.
• Always properly secure the child
restraint to a rear seat of the vehicle.
• Always follow the child restraint
system manufacturer’s instructions
for installation and use.
• Always properly restrain your child 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 position 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 HYUNDAI
dealer check the child restraint
system, seat belts, tether anchors
and lower anchors.
Child RestRaint system (CRs)