warning KIA Forte 2010 1.G Owner's Guide

335
Safety features of your vehicle
C040900ATDHow does the air bag system
operate Air bags are activated (able to inflate ifnecessary) only when the ignition
switch is turned to the ON or START
position.
Air bags inflate instantly in the event of serious frontal or side collision (if
equipped with side air bag or curtain
air bag) in order 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 col-
lision and its direction. These two fac-
tors determine whether the sensors
produce an electronic deployment/
inflation signal.
Air bag deployment depends on a number of complex factors including
vehicle speed, angles of impact and
the density and stiffness of the vehi-
cles or objects which your vehicle hits
in the collision. The determining, fac-
tors 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 accident.
It is much more likely that you will sim-
ply see the deflated air bags hanging
out of their storage compartments after
the collision.
In order to help provide protection in a severe collision, the air bags must
inflate rapidly. The speed of air bag
inflation is a consequence of extremely
short time in which a collision occurs
and the need to get 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 in a severe collision
and is thus a necessary part of air bag
design.
However, air bag inflation can also
cause injuries which can include facial
abrasions, bruises and broken bones
because the inflation speed also caus-
es the air bags to expand with a great
deal of force.
There are even circumstances under which contact with the steer-
ing wheel air bag can cause fatal
injuries, especially if the occupant
is positioned excessively close to
the steering wheel.
WARNING
To avoid severe personal injuryor death caused by deploying air
bags in a collision, the driver
should sit as far back from the
steering wheel air bag as possi-
ble (at least 250 mm (10 inches)
away). The front passenger
should always move their seat as
far back as possible and sit back
in their seat.
Air bags inflate instantly in an event of a collision, passengers
may be injured by the air bag
expansion force if they are not in
a proper position.
Air bag inflation may cause injuries including facial or bodily
abrasions, injuries from broken
glasses or burns.

Safety features of your vehicle36
3C040902APBNoise and smokeWhen the air bags inflate, they make a
loud noise and they leave smoke and
powder in the air inside of the vehicle.
This is normal and is a result of the igni-
tion of the air bag inflator. After the air
bag inflates, you may feel substantial dis-
comfort in breathing due to the contact of
your chest to both the seat belt and the
air bag, as well as from breathing the
smoke and powder. Open your doors
and/or windows as soon as possible
after the impact in order to reduce dis-
comfort and prevent prolonged expo-
sure to smoke and powder.
Though smoke and powder are non-
toxic, it may cause irritation to the skin
(eyes, nose and throat etc). If this is the
case, wash and rinse with the cold water
immediately and consult the doctor if the
symptom persists.
C040903AUNInstalling a child restraint on a front passenger’s seat is forbiddenNever place a rear-facing child restraint
in the front passenger’s seat. If the air
bag deploys, it would impact the rear-fac-
ing child restraint, causing serious or
fatal injury.
In addition, do not place front-facing child
restraint in the front passenger’s seat
either. If the front passenger air bag
inflates, it would cause serious or fatal
injuries to the child.
1JBH3051
WARNING
When the air bags deploy, the air
bag related parts in the steering
wheel and/or instrument panel
and/or in both sides of the roof rails
above the front and rear doors are
very hot. To prevent injury, do not
touch the air bag storage area’s
internal components immediately
after an air bag has inflated.

337
Safety features of your vehicle
C041000AENAir bag warning lightThe purpose of the air bag warning light
in your instrument panel is to alert you of
a potential problem with your air bag -
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS).
When the ignition switch is turned ON,
the indicator light should illuminate for
approximately 6 seconds, then go off.
Have the system checked if:
The light does not turn on briefly whenyou turn the ignition ON.
The light stays on after illuminating for approximately 6 seconds.
The light comes on while the vehicle is in motion.
C040100ATDSRS components and functionsThe SRS consists of the following com-
ponents:
1. Driver's front air bag module
2. Passenger's front air bag module*
3. Side impact air bag modules*
4. Curtain air bag modules*
5. Retractor pre-tensioner assemblies*
6. Air bag warning light
7. SRS control module (SRSCM)
8. Front impact sensors
9. Side impact sensors*
*: if equipped
WARNING
Extreme Hazard! Do not use arearward facing child restraint on
a seat protected by an air bag in
front of it!
Never put a child restraint in the front passenger’s seat. If the front
passenger air bag inflates, it can
cause serious or fatal injuries.
When children are seated in the rear outboard seats of a vehicle
equipped with side and/or curtain
air bags, be sure to install the
child restraint system as far away
from the door side as possible,
and securely lock the child
restraint system in position.
Inflation of side and/or curtain air
bags could cause serious injury
or death to an infant or child.
W7-147

Safety features of your vehicle38
3The SRSCM continually monitors all
SRS components while the ignition
switch is ON to determine if a crash
impact is severe enough to require air
bag deployment or pre-tensioner seat
belt deployment.
The SRS air bag warning light on the
instrument panel will illuminate for about
6 seconds after the ignition switch is
turned to the ON position, after which the
air bag warning light should go out.
The air bag modules are located both in
the center of the steering wheel and in
the front passenger's panel above the
glove box. When the SRSCM detects a
sufficiently severe impact to the front of
the vehicle, it will automatically deploy
the front air bags.Upon deployment, tear seams molded
directly into the pad covers will separate
under pressure from the expansion of the
air bags. Further opening of the covers
then allows full inflation of the air bags.
B240B01L
Driver’s front air bag (1)
B240B02L
Driver’s front air bag (2)
WARNING
If any of the following conditions
occurs, this indicates a malfunction
of the SRS. Have an authorized KIA
dealer inspect the air bag system
as soon as possible.
The light does not turn on briefly
when you turn the ignition ON.
The light stays on after illuminat- ing for approximately 6 seconds.
The light comes on while the vehicle is in motion.

339
Safety features of your vehicle
B240B05L
Passenger’s front air bag
A fully inflated air bag, in combination
with a properly worn seat belt, slows the
driver's or the passenger's 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 visibility and
the ability to steer or operate other con-
trols.
B240B03L
Driver’s front air bag (3)
WARNING
Do not install or place any acces-sories (drink holder, cassette
holder, sticker, etc.) on the front
passenger's panel above the
glove box in a vehicle with a pas-
senger's air bag. Such objects
may become dangerous projec-
tiles and cause injury if the pas-
senger's air bag inflates.
(Continued)
(Continued)
When installing a container of liq-uid air freshener inside the vehi-
cle, do not place it near the
instrument cluster nor on the
instrument panel surface.
It may become dangerous projec-
tiles and cause injury if the pas-
senger's air bag inflates.

Safety features of your vehicle40
3
C040400ATDDriver's and passenger's front air
bagYour vehicle is equipped with a
Supplemental Restraint (Air bag) System.
(Continued)
The SRS can function only when
the ignition key is in the ON posi-
tion. If the SRS air bag warning
light does not illuminate, or con-
tinuously remains on after illumi-
nating for about 6 seconds when
the ignition switch 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 KIA dealer.
Before you replace a fuse or dis- connect a battery terminal, turn
the ignition switch to the LOCK
position and remove the ignition
key. Never remove or replace the
air bag related fuse(s) when the
ignition switch is in the ON posi-
tion. Failure to heed this warning
will cause the SRS air bag warn-
ing light to illuminate.
WARNING
If an air bag deploys, there maybe 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)
OTD039020OTD039021
Driver’s front air bagPassenger’s front air bag

341
Safety features of your vehicle
The indications of the system's presence
are the letters "AIR BAG" engraved on
the air bag pad cover in the steering
wheel and the passenger's side front
panel pad above the glove box.
The SRS consists of air bags installed
under the pad covers in the center of the
steering wheel and the passenger's side
front panel above the glove box.
The 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.
(Continued)
Move your seat as far back aspractical 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.
(Continued)
WARNING
Always use seat belts and child
restraints – every trip, every time,
everyone! Air bags inflate with con-
siderable force and in the blink of
an eye. Seat belts help keep occu-
pants in proper position to obtain
maximum benefit from the air bag.
Even with air bags, improperly and
unbelted occupants can be severe-
ly injured when the air bag inflates.
Always follow the precautions
about seat belts, air bags and occu-
pant safety contained in this manu-
al.
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 orbooster 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)

Safety features of your vehicle42
3
(Continued)
Air bags can only be used once –
have an authorized KIA dealer
replace the air bag immediately
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)
(Continued)
No objects should be placed overor 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.
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 KIA dealer inspect the
air bag system as soon as possi-
ble.
(Continued)
(Continued)
A child restraint system mustnever be placed in the front seat.
The infant or child could be
severely injured or killed by an air
bag deployment in case of an
accident.
Children age 12 and under must always be properly restrained in
the rear seat. Never allow chil-
dren to ride in the front passen-
ger seat. If a child over 12 must
be seated in the front seat, he or
she must be properly belted and
the seat should be moved as far
back as possible.
For maximum safety protection in all types of crashes, all occu-
pants including the driver should
always wear their seat belts
whether or not an air bag is also
provided at their seating position
to minimize the risk of severe
injury or death in the event of a
crash. Do not sit or lean unneces-
sarily close to the air bag while
the vehicle is in motion.
(Continued)

Safety features of your vehicle44
3
(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 impact
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 impact air bag
that may result in personal injury,
avoid impact to the side impact
sensor when the ignition switch
is on.
(Continued)
(Continued)
If the seat or seat cover is dam-aged, have the vehicle checked
and repaired by an authorized
KIA dealer. Inform that your vehi-
cle is equipped with side impact
air bags.
WARNING
The side impact air bag is sup-plemental to the driver's and the
passenger'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 condi-
tions severe enough to cause
significant injury to the vehicle
occupants.
For best protection from the side impact air bag system and to
avoid being injured by the
deploying side impact air bag,
both front seat occupants should
sit in an upright position with the
seat belt properly fastened. The
driver's hands should be placed
on the steering wheel at 9:00 and
3:00 positions. The passenger's
arms and hands should be
placed on their laps.
(Continued)

345
Safety features of your vehicle
C040700AUNCurtain 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 its 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)
(Continued)
Do not allow the passengers tolean 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 impact
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 KIA
dealer.
Failure to follow the above men-
tioned instructions can result in
injury or death to the vehicle occu-
pants in an accident.
OMG037051OUN026090