Hyundai Sonata Plug-in Hybrid 2016 Manual PDF

2-54
Safety system of your vehicle
During a frontal collision, sensors will
detect the vehicle’s deceleration. If
the deceleration rate (measured in g-
force) is high enough, the control unit
will inflate the front air bags.
The front air bags help protect the
driver and front passenger by
responding to frontal impacts in
which seat belts alone cannot pro-
vide adequate restraint. When need-
ed, the side air bags help provide
protection in the event of a side
impact or rollover.
Air bags are activated (able to
inflate if necessary) only when the
ignition switch is in the ON position.
Air bags inflate in the event of cer-
tain frontal or side collisions to help
protect the occupants from serious
physical injury.
There is no single speed at which
the air bags will inflate. Generally,
air bags are designed to inflate
based upon the severity of a colli-
sion and its direction. These two
factors determine whether the sen-
sors produce an electronic deploy-
ment/inflation signal. Air bag deployment depends on a
number of factors including vehicle
speed, angles of impact and the
density and stiffness of the vehicles
or objects which your vehicle
impacts during a collision. The
determining factors are not limited
to those mentioned above.
The front air bags will completely
inflate and deflate in an instant. It is
virtually impossible for you to see
the air bags inflate during an acci-
dent. It is much more likely that you
will simply see the deflated air bags
hanging out of their storage com-
partments after the collision.
In addition to inflating in certain
side collisions, vehicles equipped
with a rollover sensor, side and
curtain air bags will inflate if the
sensing system detects a rollover.
When a rollover is detected, side
and curtain air bags will remain
inflated longer to help provide pro-
tection from ejection, especially
when used in conjunction with the
seat belts. To help provide protection, the air
bags must inflate rapidly. The speed
of air bag inflation is a consequence
of extremely short time in which to
inflate the air bag between the
occupant and the vehicle structures
before the occupant impacts those
structures. This speed of inflation
reduces the risk of serious or life-
threatening injuries and is thus a
necessary part of air bag design.
However, the rapid air bag inflation
can also cause injuries which can
include facial abrasions, bruises
and broken bones because the
inflation speed also causes the air
bags to expand with a great deal of
force.
There are even circumstances
under which contact with the air
bag can cause fatal injuries, espe-
cially if the occupant is positioned
excessively close to the air bag.

2-55
Safety system of your vehicle
2
You can take steps to reduce the risk
of being injured by an inflating air
bag. The greatest risk is sitting too
close to the air bag. An air bag needs
about 10 inches (25 cm) of space to
inflate. NHTSA recommends that
drivers allow at least 10 inches
(25 cm) between the center of the
steering wheel and the chest.
When the SRSCM detects a suffi-
ciently severe impact to the front of
the vehicle, it will automatically
deploy the front air bags.
OHM039102N
■Driver’s front air bag (1)
To reduce the risk of serious
injury or death from an inflating
air bag, take the following pre-
cautions:
NEVER place a child restraint
in the front passenger seat.
Always properly restrain chil-
dren under age 13 in the rear
seats of the vehicle.
Adjust the front passenger’s
and driver’s seats as far to the
rear as possible while allow-
ing you to maintain full con-
trol of the vehicle.
Hold the steering wheel with
hands at the 9 o’clock and 3
o’clock positions.
Never place anything or any-
one between the air bag and
the seat occupant.
Do not allow the front passen-
ger to place their feet or legs
on the dashboard.
WARNING

2-56
Safety system of your vehicle
Upon deployment, tear seams mold-
ed directly into the pad covers will
separate under pressure from the
expansion of the air bags. Further
opening of the covers allows full
inflation of the air bags.
A fully inflated air bag, in combina-
tion with a properly worn seat belt,
slows the driver or the front passen-
ger forward motion, reducing the risk
of head and chest injury.After complete inflation, the air bag
immediately starts deflating, enabling
the driver to maintain forward visibili-
ty and the ability to steer or operate
other controls.
OHM039103N
■Driver’s front air bag (2)
OHM039104N
■Driver’s front air bag (3)
OLMB033057
■Passenger’s front air bag
To prevent objects from becom-
ing dangerous projectiles when
the passenger’s air bag inflates:
Do not install or place any
objects (drink holder, CD
holder, stickers, etc.) on the
front passenger’s panel above
the glove box where the pas-
senger’s air bag is located.
Do not install a container of
liquid air freshener near the
instrument cluster or on the
instrument panel surface.
WARNING

2-57
Safety system of your vehicle
2
After an air bag inflates, take
the following precautions:
Open your windows and doors
as soon as possible after
impact to reduce prolonged
exposure to the smoke and
powder released by the inflat-
ing air bag.
Do not touch the air bag stor-
age area’s internal compo-
nents immediately after an air
bag has inflated. The parts
that come into contact with an
inflating air bag may be very
hot.
(Continued)
WARNING
(Continued)
Always wash exposed skin
areas thoroughly with luke-
warm water and mild soap.
Always have an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer replace the air
bag immediately after deploy-
ment. Air bags are designed to
be used only once.
What to Expect After an Air
Bag Inflates
After a frontal or side air bag inflates,
it will deflate very quickly. Air bag
inflation will not prevent the driver
from seeing out of the windshield or
being able to steer. Curtain air bags
may remain partially inflated for
some time after they deploy.
Noise and smoke from inflating
air bag
When the air bags inflate, they make
a loud noise and may produce
smoke and powder in the air inside of
the vehicle. This is normal and is a
result of the ignition of the air bag
inflator. After the air bag inflates, you
may feel substantial discomfort in
breathing because of the contact of
your chest with both the seat belt and
the air bag, as well as from breathing
the smoke and powder. The powder
may aggravate asthma for some
people. If you experience breathing
problems after an air bag deploy-
ment, seek medical attention imme-
diately.
Though the smoke and powder are
nontoxic, they may cause irritation to
the skin, eyes, nose, throat, etc. If
this is the case, wash and rinse with
cold water immediately and seek
medical attention if the symptoms
persist.

2-58
Safety system of your vehicle
Occupant Classification
System (OCS)
Your vehicle is equipped with an
Occupant Classification System
(OCS) in the front passenger’s seat.
Main components of the
Occupant Classification System
A detection device located within
the front passenger seat cushion.
Electronic system to determine
whether the passenger air bag
systems should be activated or
deactivated.
An indicator light located on the
instrument panel which illuminates
the words "PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF" indicating the front passen-
ger air bag system is deactivated.
The instrument panel air bag indi-
cator light is interconnected with
the OCS.
The OCS is designed to detect the
presence of a properly-seated front
passenger and determine if the pas-
senger's front air bag should be
enabled (may inflate) or not.
The purpose is to help reduce the
risk of injury or death from an inflat-
ing air bag to certain front passenger
seat occupants, such as children, by
requiring the air bag to be automati-
cally turned OFF.Front passenger seat adult occu-
pants who are properly seated and
wearing the seat belt properly,
should not cause the passenger air
bag to be automatically turned OFF.
For small adults it may be turned
OFF, however, if the occupant does
not sit in the seat properly (for exam-
ple, by not sitting upright, by sitting
on the edge of the seat, or by other-
wise being out of position), this could
cause the sensor to turn the air bag
OFF.
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.
OLF034067N

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Safety system of your vehicle
2
Always be sure that you and all vehi-
cle occupants are seated properly
and wearing the seat belt properly for
the most effective protection by the
air bag and the seat belt.
The OCS may not function properly if
the passenger takes actions which
can affect the classification system.
These include:
Failing to sit in an upright position.
Leaning against the door or center
console.
Sitting towards the sides of the
front of the seat.
Putting their legs on the dashboard
or resting them on other locations
which reduce the passenger
weight on the front seat.
Wearing the seat belt improperly.
Reclining the seatback.
Wearing a thick cloth like ski wear
or hip protection wear.
Putting an additional thick cushion
on the seat.
Putting electrical devices (e.g.
notebook, satellite radio) on the
seat with inverter charging.Condition and operation in the front passenger Occupant Classification System
Condition detected by the
occupant classification system
Indicator/Warning lightDevices
“PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF”
indicator lightSRS
warning lightFront passenger
air bag
1. Adult *1OffOffActivated
2. Infant *2or child restraint
system with 12 months old *3*4 OnOffDeactivated
3. Unoccupied OnOffDeactivated
4. Malfunction in the systemOffOnActivated
*1The 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.
*
2Do not allow children to ride in the front passenger seat. When a larger child who has out-
grown a child restraint system sits in the front passenger seat, the system may recognize
him/her as an adult depending upon his/her physique or sitting position.
*
3Never install a child restraint system on the front passenger seat.
*4The PASSENGER AIR BAG "OFF" indicator may turn on or off when a child above 12 months
to 12 years old (with or without child restraint system) sits in the front passenger seat. This is
a normal condition.

2-60
Safety system of your vehicle
Riding in an improper position or placing weight on the front passenger’s seat when it is unoccupied by a
passenger adversely affects the OCS. To reduce the risk of serious injury or death:
WARNING
OVQ036013NB
OLMB033100
OLMB033101
OLMB033103
OLMB033102
OLMB033104
NEVER put a heavy load in
the front seat or seatback
pocket, or hang any items
on the front passenger
seat.
NEVER place your feet on
the front passenger seat-
back.
NEVER sit with your hips
shifted towards the front
of the seat.
NEVER ride with the seat-
back reclined when the
vehicle is moving.
NEVER place your feet or
legs on the dashboard.
NEVER lean on the door or
center console or sit on
one side of the front pas-
senger seat.
(continued)

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Safety system of your vehicle
2
Proper seated position for OCS
If the "PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF"
indicator is on when an adult is seat-
ed in the front passenger seat, place
the ignition switch in the LOCK/OFF
position and ask the passenger 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"
indicator is still on, ask the passen-
ger to move to the rear seat.
B990A01O
Never allow an adult passenger
to ride in the front passenger
seat when the "PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF" indicator is illuminat-
ed. During a collision, the air bag
will not inflate if the indicator is
illuminated. Have your passen-
ger reposition themselves in the
seat. If the "PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF" indicator remains illu-
minated after the passenger
repositions himself properly and
the vehicle is restarted, have the
passenger move to the rear seat
because the air bag will not
inflate.
WARNING (continued)
Do not put an electronic
device (ex. Laptop computer,
after market, navigation, satel-
lite audio, video game
machine, MP3, AC inverter,
etc.) in the front passenger
seatback pocket or on the
front passenger seat.
Do not place a sitting mat on
the front passenger seat.
Do not place any items under
the front passenger seat.
Do not place sharp objects on
the front passenger seat.
These may damage the occu-
pant classification system. If
they puncture the seat cush-
ion.
Avoid spilling liquids on the
front seat; this may cause the
OCS not to work properly.
Keep the front seat dry at all
times.

2-62
Safety system of your vehicle
The "PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF"
indicator illuminates for approxi-
mately 4 seconds after the ignition
switch is in the ON position or
after the engine is started. If the
front passenger seat is occupied,
the OCS will then classify the front
passenger after several more sec-
onds.
Do Not Install a Child Restraint
in the Front Passenger’s Seat
Even though your vehicle is equipped
with the OCS, never install a child
restraint in the front passenger’s seat.
An inflating air bag can forcefully
strike a child or child restraint result-
ing in serious or fatal injury.
NOTICE
NEVER place a rear-facing or
front-facing child restraint in
the front passenger’s seat of
the vehicle.
An inflating frontal air bag
could forcefully strike a child
resulting in serious injury or
death.
Always properly restrain chil-
dren in an appropriate child
restraint in the rear seat of the
vehicle.
WARNING
1JBH3051

2-63
Safety system of your vehicle
2
Why Didn’t My Air Bag Go Off
in a Collision?
Air bags are not designed to inflate in
every collision.There are certain
types of accidents in which the air bag
would not be expected to provide
additional protection. These include
rear impacts, second or third colli-
sions in multiple impact accidents, as
well as low speed impacts. Damage
to the vehicle indicates a collision
energy absorption, and is not an indi-
cator of whether or not an air bag
should have inflated.
Air bag collision sensors
To reduce the risk of an air bag
deploying unexpectedly and
causing serious injury or death:
Do not hit or allow any objects
to impact the locations where air
bags or sensors are installed.
Do not perform maintenance
on or around the air bag sen-
sors. If the location or angle of
the sensors is altered, the air
bags may deploy when they
should not or may not deploy
when they should.
Do not install bumper guards
or replace the bumper with a
non-genuine HYUNDAI parts.
This may adversely affect the
collision and air bag deploy-
ment performance.
(Continued)
(Continued)
Place the ignition switch in
the LOCK/OFF or ACC posi-
tion when the vehicle is being
towed to prevent inadvertent
air bag deployment.
Have all air bag repairs conduct-
ed by an authorized HYUNDAI
dealer.
WARNING