warning Hyundai Elantra 2008 Owner's Guide

Safety features of your vehicle32 3
Occupant classification systemYour vehicle is equipped with an occu-
pant classification system in the front
passenger's seat.
The occupant classification system is
designed to 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 driver's front air bag is not affected
or controlled by the occupant classifica-
tion system.
WARNING
If an air bag deploys, there may
be a loud noise followed by a fine
dust released in the vehicle.
These conditions are normal and
are not hazardous - the air bags
are packed in this fine powder.
The dust generated during air
bag deployment may cause skin
or eye irritation as well as aggra-
vate asthma for some persons.
Always wash all exposed skin
areas thoroughly with lukewarm
water and a mild soap after an
accident in which the air bags
were deployed.
(Continued)
(Continued)
The SRS can function only when
the ignition key is in the "ON"
position. If the SRS "AIR BAG"
warning light does not illuminate,
or continuously remains on after
illuminating for about 6 seconds
when the ignition key is turned to
the ON position, or after the
engine is started, comes on while
driving, the SRS is not working
properly. If this occurs, have your
vehicle immediately inspected by
an authorized Hyundai dealer.
Before you replace a fuse or dis-
connect a battery terminal, turn
the ignition key to the LOCK
position and remove the ignition
key. Never remove or replace the
air bag related fuse(s) when the
ignition key is in the ON position.
Failure to heed this warning will
cause the SRS AIR BAG warning
light to illuminate.
OHD036012N

333
Safety features of your vehicle
If the front passenger seat is occupied by
a person that the system determines to
be of adult size, 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 com-
fortably extended and their feet on the
floor), the "PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF"
indicator will be turned off and the front
passenger's air bag will be able to inflate,
if necessary, in frontal crashes.
You will find the "PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF" indicator on the center facia 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.
Condition and operation in the front passenger occupant classification system
Condition
detected by the
occupant classi-
fication system
1. Adult *
1
2. Child*
2or
child restraint
system*3
3. Unoccupied
4. There is a
malfunction
in the system
Off
On
On
OffOff
Off
Off
OnActivated
Deactivated
Deactivated
Activated
"PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF"
indicator light
SRS warning
light
Front passen-
ger air bag
Activated
Activated
Deactivated
ActivatedSide air bag
Activated
Activated
Activated
ActivatedCurtain air bag
Indicator/Warning light Devices
*1) The system judges a person of adult size as an adult. When a smaller adult sits in
the front passenger seat, the system may recognize him/her as a child depending
on his/her physique and posture.
*2) Do not allow children to ride in the front passenger seat. When a larger child who
has outgrown a child restraint system sits in the front passenger seat, the system
may recognize him/her as an adult depending on his/her physique or posture.
*3) Never install a child restraint system on the front passenger seat.
WARNING
Riding in an improper position or placing weight on the front passenger's
seat when it is unoccupied by a passenger adversely affects the occupant
classification system (OCS).
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335
Safety features of your vehicle
When an adult is seated in the front pas-
senger seat, if the "PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF" indicator is on, turn the igni-
tion key to "LOCK" and ask the passen-
ger to sit properly (sitting upright with the
seat back in an upright position, centered
on the seat cushion with their seat belt
on, legs comfortably extended and their
feet on the floor). Restart the engine and
have the person remain in that position.
This will allow the system to detect the
person and to enable the passenger air
bag.If the "PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF" indi-
cator is still on, ask the passenger to
move to the rear seat.
✽ ✽
NOTICEThe "PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF"
indicator illuminates for about 4 sec-
onds after the ignition key is turned to
the "ON" position or after the engine is
started. If the front passenger seat is
occupied, the occupant classification
sensor will then classify the front pas-
senger after several more seconds.
B990A01O
Proper position
WARNING
Do not allow an adult passenger to
ride in the front seat when the
“PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF” indi-
cator is illuminated, because the air
bag will not deploy in the event of a
crash. If the "PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF" indicator remains illumi-
nated after the passenger reposi-
tions themselves properly and the
car is restarted, we recommend
that passenger move to the rear
seat because the passenger's front
air bag will not deploy.
Front seat passengers must stay
properly seated to avoid serious
injury from a deploying air bag.
WARNING
Do not put a heavy load in the front
passenger seatback pocket or on
the front passenger seat. Do not
hang onto the front passenger seat.
Do not hang any items such as
seatback table on the front passen-
ger seatback. Do not place feet on
the front passenger seatback. Do
not place any items under the front
passenger seat. Any of these could
interfere with proper sensor opera-
tion.

Safety features of your vehicle36 3
WARNING
If the occupant classification sys-
tem is not working properly, the
SRS air bag warning light on
the instrument panel will illuminate
because the passenger's front air
bag is connected with the occupant
classification system. If there is a
malfunction of the occupant classi-
fication system, the "PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF" indicator will not
illuminate and the passenger's
front air bag will inflate in frontal
impact crashes even if there is no
occupant in the front passenger's
seat. If the SRS air bag warning
light does not illuminate when the
ignition key is turned to the "ON"
position, remains illuminated after
approximately 6 seconds when the
ignition key is turned to the "ON"
position, or if it illuminates while
the vehicle is being driven, have an
authorized Hyundai dealer inspect
the occupant classification system
and the SRS air bag system as
soon as possible.
(Continued)
Do not modify or replace the front
passenger seat. Don't place any-
thing on or attach anything such
as a blanket or after market seat
heater to the front passenger
seat. This can adversely affect the
occupant classification system.
Do not sit on sharp objects such
as tools when occupying the
front passenger seat. This can
adversely affect the occupant
classification system.
Do not use accessory seat cov-
ers on the front seats.
(Continued)
WARNING
Even though your vehicle is
equipped with the occupant clas-
sification system, never install a
child restraint system in the front
passenger's seat. A deploying air
bag can forcefully strike a child
resulting in serious injuries or
death. Any child age 12 and
under should ride in the rear seat.
Children too large for child
restraints should use the avail-
able lap/shoulder belts. No mat-
ter 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 occupied 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.
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Safety features of your vehicle38 3The purpose of the SRS is to provide the
vehicle's driver and/or the front passen-
ger with additional protection than that
offered by the seat belt system alone in
case of a frontal impact of sufficient
severity. The SRS uses sensors to gath-
er information about the driver's seat
position, the driver's and front passen-
ger's seat belt usage and impact severi-
ty.The driver's seat track position sensors,
which are installed on the seat track,
determine if the seat is fore or aft of a ref-
erence position. The seat belt buckle
sensors determine if the driver and front
passenger's seat belts are fastened.
These sensors provide the ability to con-
trol the SRS deployment based on how
close the driver's seat is to the steering
wheel, whether or not the seat belts are
fastened, and how severe the impact is.
The advanced SRS offers the ability to
control the air bag inflation with two lev-
els. A first stage level is provided for mod-
erate-severity impacts. A second stage
level is provided for more severe impacts.
According to the impact severity, seating
position 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.Additionally, your vehicle is equipped
with an occupant classification system in
the front passenger's seat. The occupant
classification system detects the pres-
ence of a passenger in the front passen-
ger's seat and will turn off the front pas-
senger's air bag under certain condi-
tions. For more detail, see "Occupant
Classification System" in this section.
OHD036024
Passenger’s front air bag
WARNING
If a seat track position sensor or an
occupant classification system is
not working properly, the SRS air
bag warning light on the instru-
ment panel will illuminate because
the SRS air bag warning light is
connected with the seat track posi-
tion sensor and the occupant clas-
sification system. If the SRS air bag
warning light does not illuminate
when the ignition key is turned to
the "ON" position, remains illumi-
nated after approximately 6 sec-
onds when the ignition key is
turned to the "ON" position, or if it
illuminates while the vehicle is
being driven, have an authorized
Hyundai dealer inspect the
advanced SRS air bag system as
soon as possible.
AIR
BAG

339
Safety features of your vehicle
✽ ✽
NOTICE• Be sure to read information about the
SRS on the labels provided on the sun
visor and in the glove box.
• 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
provided by the pre-tensioner seat
belt.
• If you are considering modification of
your vehicle due to a disability, please
contact the Hyundai Customer
Assistance Center at 1-800-633-5151.
WARNING
Always use seat belts and child
restraints – every trip, every time,
everyone! Air bags inflate with
considerable force and in the blink
of an eye. Seat belts help keep
occupants in proper position to
obtain maximum benefit from the
air bag. Even with advanced air
bags, improperly and unbelted
occupants can be severely injured
when the air bag inflates. Always
follow the precautions about seat
belts, air bags and occupant safety
contained in this manual.
To reduce the chance of serious or
fatal injuries and receive the maxi-
mum safety benefit from your
restraint system:
Never place a child in any child or
booster seat in the front seat.
ABC – Always Buckle Children in
the back seat. It is the safest
place for children of any age to
ride.
Front and side air bags can injure
occupants improperly positioned
in the front seats.
(Continued)
WARNING
Modification to the seat structure
can adversely affect the seat
track position sensor and cause
the air bag to deploy at a different
level than should be provided.
Do not place any objects under-
neath the front seats as they
could damage the seat track
position sensor or interfere with
the occupant classification sys-
tem.
Do not place any objects that may
cause magnetic fields near the
front seat. These may cause a
malfunction of the seat track
position sensor.

Safety features of your vehicle40 3(Continued)
Move your seat as far back as
practical from the front air bags,
while still maintaining control of
the vehicle.
You and your passengers should
never sit or lean unnecessarily
close to the air bags. Improperly
positioned drivers and passen-
gers can be severely injured by
inflating air bags.
Never lean against the door or
center console – always sit in an
upright position.
Do not allow a passenger to ride
in the front seat when the “PAS-
SENGER AIR BAG OFF” indicator
is illuminated, because the air
bag will not deploy in the event of
a moderate or severe frontal
crash.
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(Continued)
No objects should be placed over
or near the air bag modules on
the steering wheel, instrument
panel, and the front passenger's
panel above the glove box,
because any such object could
cause harm if the vehicle is in a
crash severe enough to cause
the air bags to deploy.
Never place covers, blankets or
aftermarket seat warmers on the
passenger seat as these may
interfere with the occupant clas-
sification system.
Do not tamper with or disconnect
SRS wiring or other components
of the SRS system. Doing so
could result in injury, due to acci-
dental deployment of the air bags
or by rendering the SRS inopera-
tive.
If the SRS air bag warning light
remains illuminated while the
vehicle is being driven, have an
authorized Hyundai dealer
inspect the air bag system as
soon as possible.
(Continued)
(Continued)
Air bags can only be used once –
have an authorized Hyundai deal-
er replace the air bag immediate-
ly after deployment.
The SRS is designed to deploy
the front air bags only when an
impact is sufficiently severe and
when the impact angle is less
than 30° from the forward longitu-
dinal axis of the vehicle.
Additionally, the air bags will only
deploy once. Seat belts must be
worn at all times.
Front air bags are not intended to
deploy in side-impact, rear-
impact or rollover crashes. In
addition, front air bags will not
deploy in frontal crashes below
the deployment threshold.
(Continued)

Safety features of your vehicle42 3Side air bag (if equipped)Your vehicle is equipped with a side air
bag in each front seat. The purpose of
the air bag is to provide the vehicle's driv-
er and/or the front passenger with addi-
tional 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, angle,
speed and point of impact. The side air
bags are not designed to deploy in all
side impact situations.
OUN026109/OUN026110
B990B02LZ
WARNING
The side air bag is supplemental
to the driver's and the passen-
ger's seat belt systems and is not
a substitute for them. Therefore
your seat belts must be worn at
all times while the vehicle is in
motion. The air bags deploy only
in certain side impact conditions
severe enough to cause signifi-
cant injury to the vehicle occu-
pants.
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.
(Continued)
(Continued)
Do not use any accessory seat
covers.
Use of seat covers could reduce
or prevent the effectiveness of
the system.
Do not install any accessories on
the side or near the side air bag.
Do not place any objects over the
air bag or between the air bag
and yourself.
Do not place any objects (an
umbrella, bag, etc.) between the
front door and the front seat.
Such objects may become dan-
gerous projectiles and cause
injury if the supplemental side air
bag inflates.
To prevent unexpected deploy-
ment of the side air bag that may
result in personal injury, avoid
impact to the side impact sensor
when the ignition key is on.
If seat or seat cover is damaged,
have the vehicle checked and
repaired by an authorized
Hyundai dealer. Inform them that
your vehicle is equipped with
side air bags and an occupant
classification system.

343
Safety features of your vehicle
Curtain air bag (if equipped)Curtain air bags are located along both
sides of the roof rails above the front and
rear doors.
They are designed to help protect the
heads of the front seat occupants and
the rear outboard seat occupants in cer-
tain side impact collisions.The curtain air bags are designed to
deploy only during certain side impact
collisions, depending on the crash sever-
ity, angle, speed and impact. The curtain
air bags are not designed to deploy in all
side impact situations, collisions from the
front or rear of the vehicle or in most
rollover situations.
WARNING
In order for side and curtain air
bags to provide the best protec-
tion, both front seat occupants
and both outboard rear occu-
pants should sit in an upright
position with the seat belts prop-
erly fastened. Importantly, chil-
dren should sit in a proper child
restraint system in the rear seat.
When children are seated in the
rear outboard seats, they must be
seated in the proper child
restraint system. Make sure to
put the child restraint system as
far away from the door side as
possible, and secure the child
restraint system in a locked posi-
tion.
(Continued)
OHD036125OUN026090
(Continued)
Do not allow the passengers to
lean their heads or bodies onto
doors, put their arms on the
doors, stretch their arms out of
the window, or place objects
between the doors and passen-
gers when they are seated on
seats equipped with side and/or
curtain air bags.
Never try to open or repair any
components of the side curtain
air bag system. This should only
be done by an authorized
Hyundai dealer.
Failure to follow the above men-
tioned instructions can result in
injury or death to the vehicle occu-
pants in an accident.

345
Safety features of your vehicle
Air bag inflation conditionsFront air bag
Front air bags are designed to inflate in a
frontal collision depending on the intensi-
ty, speed or angles of impact of the front
collision - generally from an area a little
to the left to a little to the right of straight
ahead.
1JBA3513
WARNING
Do not hit or allow any objects to
impact the locations where air
bags or sensors are installed.
This may cause unexpected air
bag deployment, which could
result in serious personal injury
or death.
If the installation location or
angle of the sensors is altered in
any way, the air bags may deploy
when they should not or they may
not deploy when they should,
causing severe injury or death.
Therefore, do not try to perform
maintenance on or around the air
bag sensors. Have the vehicle
checked and repaired by an
authorized Hyundai dealer.
(Continued)
(Continued)
Problems may arise if the sensor
installation angles are changed
due to the deformation of the
front bumper, body or B pillar
where side collision sensors are
installed. Have the vehicle
checked and repaired by an
authorized Hyundai dealer.
Your vehicle has been designed
to absorb impact and deploy the
air bag(s) in certain collisions.
Installing aftermarket bumper
guards or replacing a bumper
with non-genuine parts may
adversely affect your vehicle’s
collision and air bag deployment
performance.