KIA NIRO HYBRID EV 2021 Owners Manual

Safety features of your vehicle
54 3
The SRS can function only when
engine start/stop button is ON
position. If the SRS air bag warning
light does not illuminate, or contin-
uously remains on after illuminat-
ing for about 6 seconds when
engine start/stop button is 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.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
Before you replace a fuse or discon-
nect a battery terminal, change
Engine Start/Stop button to the OFF
position. Never remove or replace
the air bag related fuse(s) when
engine start/stop button is ON posi-
tion. Failure to heed this warning
will cause the SRS air bag warning
light to illuminate.
Occupant Detection System
(ODS)
Your vehicle is equipped with an
occupant detection system in the
front passenger's seat.
The occupant detection 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. Only the front passenger front
air bag is controlled by the Occupant
Detection System.Do not put anything in front of the
passenger air bag indicator.
ODEP039039C

355
Safety features of your vehicle
Main components of the occu-
pant detection system
A detection device located within
the front passenger seat cushion.
An electronic system which deter-
mines 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
“ ” indicates the front passenger
air bag system is deactivated.
The instrument panel air bag warn-
ing light is interconnected with the
occupant detection system.If the front passenger seat is occu-
pied by a person that the system
determines to be of appropriate 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 comfortably extended and their
feet on the floor), the PASSENGER
AIR BAG “ ” indicator will turn 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 “ ” 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.Always be sure that you and all vehicle
occupants are seated and restrained
properly (sitting upright with the seat in
an upright position, centered on the
seat cushion, with the person’s legs
comfortably extended, feet on the
floor, and wearing the safety belt prop-
erly) for the most effective protection
by the air bag and the safety belt.
The ODS (Occupant Detection
System) may not function properly if
the passenger takes actions which
can defeat the detection system.
These include:
(1) Failing to sit in an upright position.
(2) Leaning against the door or cen-
ter console.
(3) Sitting towards the sides or the
front of the seat.
(4) Putting legs on the dashboard or
resting them on other locations
which reduce the passenger
weight on the front seat.
(5) Improperly wearing the safety belt.
(6) Reclining the seat back.

Safety features of your vehicle
56 3
Condition and operation in the front passenger occupant detection
system
*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
outgrown a child restraint system sits in the front passenger seat, the system may rec-
ognize him/her as an adult depending upon his/her physique or sitting position.
*
3 Never install a child restraint system on the front passenger seat.
*
4The PASSENGER AIR BAG “ ” indicator may turn on or off when a child above
12 months to 13 years old (with or without child restraint system) sits in the front
passenger seat. This is a normal condition.
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. Child restraint system with
child under 12 months old
*
2*3*4OnOffDeactivated
3. Unoccupied OnOffDeactivated
4. Malfunction in the systemOffOnActivated
CAUTION
Do not install a child restraint
seat in the passenger seat
when the seat is heavily
soaked with any type of liquid.
Do not alter or remodel the
ODS (Occupant Detection
System). This may damage the
system and prevent its proper
function in a collision.

357
Safety features of your vehicle
✽ ✽
NOTICE
• Do not use car seat cushions that
cover up the surface of the seat
and aftermarket manufactured
passenger seat heaters.
• After conducting car interior
cleaning using steam or detergent,
the seat should be dried properly.
Afterward, check for normal
operation of the PASS AIR BAG
“ ” and air bag warning lights.
• Any service related to the passen-
ger seat and the ODS must be
done at Kia service center.
• After the passenger seat has been
removed or installed for repair
purposes, check for normal opera-
tion of the PASS AIR BAG “ ”
and air bag warning lights with a
person seated or not seated in the
passenger seat.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
When the PASS AIR BAG “ ”
symbol is illuminated, the passenger
air bag system will not operate. The
passenger air bag system will oper-
ate when necessary if the symbol is
not illuminated.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
Do not modify or replace the front
passenger seat. Don't place anything
on or attach anything such as a blan-
ket, front seat cover or after market
seat heater to the front passenger
seat. This can adversely affect the
occupant detection system.
WARNING - ODS system
Riding in an improper position or
placing items on or under the
passenger seat may interfere
with the normal operation of the
ODS (Occupant Detection
System). It is important for the
driver to instruct the passenger
as to the proper seating instruc-
tions as contained in this manual.

Safety features of your vehicle
58 3
OJFA035106
- Never sit with hips shifted
towards the front of the seat.
OJFA035104
- Do not place a heavy load in
the front passenger seatback
pocket or on the front passen-
ger seat.
OJFA035105
- Do not place feet on the front
passenger seatback.
WARNING - ODS System
Riding in an improper position adversely affects the Occupant Detection System and may result in the
deactivation of the front passenger airbag. It is important for the driver to instruct the passenger as to
the proper seating instructions as contained in this manual.
(Continued)

359
Safety features of your vehicle
OJFA035109
- Never lean on the door or cen-
ter console.
- Never sit on one side of the
front passenger seat.
OJFA035107
- Never excessively recline the
front passenger seatback.
OJFA035108
- Never place feet on the dash-
board.
(Continued) (Continued)

Safety features of your vehicle
60 3
OJFA035102
- Do not place electronic
devices such as laptops, DVD
player, or conductive materi-
als such as water bottles on
the passenger seat.
- Do not use electronic devices
such as laptops and satellite
radios which use inverter
chargers.
OJFA035103
- Wet Passenger Seat
Do not spill liquid on the pas-
senger seat. Spilled liquid on
the passenger seat may cause
the air bag warning light to illu-
minate or malfunction. If any
liquid is spilled, make sure the
seat has been completely dried
before driving the vehicle. (Continued)
OJFA035101
- Do not use car seat acces-
sories such as thick blankets
and cushions which cover up
the car seat surface.
- Do not sit on the passenger
seat wearing heavily padded
clothes such as ski wear and
hip protector.

361
Safety features of your vehicle
When an adult is seated in the front
passenger seat, if the PASSENGER
AIR BAG “ ” indicator is on,
change Engine Start/Stop button to
the OFF position and ask the pas-
senger to sit properly (sitting upright
with the seat back in an upright posi-
tion, centered on the seat cushion
with their seat belt on, legs comfort-
ably 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 pas-
senger air bag.If the PASSENGER AIR BAG “ ”
indicator is still on, ask the passen-
ger to move to the rear seat.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
The PASSENGER AIR BAG “ ”
indicator illuminates for about 4 sec-
onds after Engine Start/Stop button
is turned to the ON position after the
engine is started. If the front passen-
ger seat is occupied, the occupant
detection sensor will then classify
the front passenger after several
more seconds.
B990A01O
Proper position
WARNING - “AIR BAG
OFF” light
Do not allow an adult passenger
to ride in the front seat when the
PASSENGER AIR BAG “ ”
indicator is illuminated,
because the air bag will not
deploy in the event of a crash.
The driver must instruct the
passenger to reposition himself
in the seat. Failure to properly
position yourself may lead to air
bag deactivation resulting in air
bag non-deployment in a colli-
sion. If the PASSENGER AIR
BAG “ ” indicator remains
illuminated after the passenger
repositions themselves proper-
ly and the car is restarted, it is
recommended that the passen-
ger move to the rear seat
because the passenger's front
air bag will not deploy.

Safety features of your vehicle
62 3
Even though your vehicle is
equipped with the occupant detec-
tion system, never install a child
restraint system in the front pas-
senger's seat. A deploying air bag
can forcefully strike a child result-
ing in serious injuries or death. Any
child age 13 and under should ride
in the rear seat. Children too large
for child restraints should use the
available lap/shoulder belts. No
matter what type of crash, children
of all ages are safer when
restrained in the rear seat.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG “ ”
indicator is illuminated when the
front passenger's seat is occupied
by an adult and he/she sits prop-
erly (sitting upright with the seat-
back in an upright position, cen-
tered 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.Any child age 13 and under should
ride in the rear seat. Children too
large for child restraints should use
the available lap/shoulder belts. No
matter what type of crash, children of
all ages are safer when restrained in
the rear seat.
If the occupant detection system is
not working properly, the SRS air
bag warning light on the instrument
panel will illuminate because the
passenger's front air bag is connect-
ed with the occupant detection sys-
tem. If there is a malfunction of the
occupant detection system, the PAS-
SENGER AIR BAG “ ” indicator
will not illuminate and the passen-
ger's front air bag will inflate in frontal
impact crashes even if there is no
occupant in the front passenger's
seat.Driver's and passenger's front
air bag
ODE036063
■Driver’s front air bag
■Driver’s knee air bagODE036037

363
Safety features of your vehicle
Your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Supplemental Restraint
(Air Bag) System and lap/shoulder
belts at both the driver and passen-
ger seating position.
The indication of the system's pres-
ence are the letters "AIR BAG" locat-
ed on the air bag pad cover on 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
passenger with additional protection
than that offered by the seat belt sys-
tem alone in case of a frontal impact
of sufficient severity. The SRS uses
sensors to gather information about
the driver's and front passenger's
seat belt usage and impact severity.
The seat belt buckle sensor deter-
mines if the front passenger's seat
belt is fastened.These sensors provide the ability to
control the SRS deployment based on
whether or not the seat belts are fas-
tened, and how severe the impact is.
The advanced SRS offers the ability
to control the air bag inflation with
two levels. A first stage level is pro-
vided for moderate-severity impacts.
A second stage level is provided for
more severe impacts.
The passenger’s front air bag is
designed to help reduce the injury of
children sitting close to the instru-
ment panel in low speed collisions.
However, children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear seat.
According to the impact severity 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.
ODE036038
■Passenger’s front air bag