KIA RIO HATCHBACK 2008 Repair Manual

Knowing your vehicle
52 3
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 certain
side impact collisions.• The curtain air bag deployment occurs
only on the side of the vehicle affected
by the impact.
• The side air bags (side and/or curtain
air bags) are not designed to deploy in
collisions from the front or rear of the
vehicle or in most rollover situations.
• The curtain air bags are designed to
deploy only in certain side-impact colli-
sions, depending on the crash severity,
angle, speed and impact.
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WARNING
• In order for side air bags (side
and curtain air bags) to provide
its best protection, both front seat
occupants and both outboard
rear occupants should sit in an
upright position with the seat
belts properly fastened.
Importantly, children should sit in
a proper child restraint system in
the rear seat.
(Continued)
(Continued)
• 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 possi-
ble, and secure the child restraint
system in a locked position.
• 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 air
bags.
• Never try to open or repair any
components of the side curtain
air bag sys
tem. 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.

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Knowing your vehicle
Why didn’t my air bag go off in a
collision?
(Inflation and non-inflation conditions
of the air bag)
There are many types of accidents in
which one or more of the air bags
would not be expected to provide
additional protection.
These include rear impacts,second or
third collisions in multiple impact acci-
dents,as well as low speed impacts.
Just because your vehicle is damaged
and even if it is totally unusable, don’t
be surprised that the air bags did not
inflate.
Air bag collision sensors
(1)SRS control module
(2)Front impact sensor (if equipped)(3)Side impact sensor (if equipped)
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Knowing your vehicle
54 3
Air bag inflation condition
Front air bag
Front air bags (driver’s and front passen-
ger’s air bags) are designed to inflate
when the impact is delivered to front col-
lision sensors depending on the intensity,
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.
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WARNING- Protecting air
bag module and sensors
• Do not hit or allow any heavy
objects to hit the locations where
air bags or sensors are installed.
This may cause damage and
unexpected air bag deployment,
which could result in severe per-
sonal 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 Kia dealer.
WARNING- Body changes
• Problems may arise if the sensor
installation angles are changed
due to the deformation of front
bumper, body or B pillar where
side collision sensors are
installed. In the event of a colli-
sion, have the vehicle inspected
by an authorized Kia 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 vehicles
collision and air bag deployment
performance.

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Knowing your vehicle
Side air bags (if equipped)
Side air bags (side and/or curtain air
bags) are designed to inflate when an
impact is detected by side collision sen-
sors depending on the strength, speed or
angles of impact of side impact of side
impact collision or rollover.Although the front air bags (driver’s and
front passenger’s air bags) are designed
to inflate only in frontal collision, it may
inflate in any collision if front impact sen-
sors detect a sufficient impact. Side air
bags (side and/or curtain air bags) are
designed to inflate only in side impact
collision, it may inflate in any collision if
side impact sensors detect a sufficient
impact.
If the vehicle chassis is impacted by
bumps or objects on unimproved roads
or sidewalks, air bags may deploy. Drive
carefully on unimproved roads or on sur-
faces not designed for vehicle traffic to
prevent unintended air bag deployment.
To protect occupants, front air bags and
pre-tensioner seat belts may deploy in
certain side impact collisions.
Air bag non-inflation conditions
• In certain low-speed collisions the air
bags may not deploy. The air bags are
designed not to deploy in such cases
because the risk of injuries which can
be caused by the air bags exceeds the
benefits they provide in protecting
occupants.
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Knowing your vehicle
56 3
• Frontal air bags are not designed to
inflate in rear collisions, because occu-
pants are moved backward by the
force of the impact. In this case, the air
bags do not provide protection.• Front air bags may not inflate in side
impact collision, because occupants
move to the direction of the collision,
and thus in side impacts, frontal air bag
deployment does not provide occupant
protection.
However, side or curtain air bags may
inflate depending on the intensity, vehi-
cle speed and angles of impact.• In a slant or angled collision, the force
of impact may direct the occupants in a
direction between the front and side air
bags, and thus the sensors may not
deploy any air bags.
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Knowing your vehicle
• Just before impact, drivers often brake
heavily. Such heavy braking lowers the
front portion of the vehicle causing it to
“ride” under a vehicle with a higher
ground clearance. Air bags may not
inflate in this "under-ride" situation
because deceleration forces that are
detected by sensors may be signifi-
cantly altered by such “under-ride” col-
lisions.• Air bags may not inflate in rollover acci-
dents because air bag deployment
would not provide proper protection to
the occupants.
However, side air bags may inflate
when the vehicle is rolled over by a
side impact collision, if the vehicle is
equipped with side air bags and cur-
tain air bags.• Air bags may not inflate if the vehicle
collides with objects such as utility
poles or trees, where the point of
impact is concentrated to one area and
the full force of the impact is not trans-
mitted to the sensors.
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Knowing your vehicle
58 3
Air bag system operation
• Air bags only operate when the ignition
switch is turned to the ON or START
positions.
• 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 vehicle speed at
which the air bags will inflate.
• Air bag deployment depends on a
number of factors including vehicle
speed, angles of impact and the densi-
ty and stiffness of the vehicles or
objects which your vehicle hits in the
collision. However, factors are not limit-
ed 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 the
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 normally can
include facial abrasions, bruises and
broken bones, and sometimes more
serious injuries 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 steer-
ing wheel air bag can cause fatal
injuries,especially if the occupant
is positioned excessively close to
the steering wheel.WARNING - Seated
positioning
• To avoid severe personal injury or
death caused by deploying air
bags in a collision, the driver
should sit as far back from the
steering wheel air bag as possible
(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 bag inflates instantly in an
event of collision, passengers
may be injured by the air bag
expansion force if they are not in
proper position.
• Air bag inflation may cause
injuries which normally include
facial or bodily abrasions, injuries
by the broken glasses or burns by
the explosives.

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Knowing your vehicle
Noise and smoke
When 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. After the air bag inflates,
you may feel substantial discomfort in
breathing due to the contact of your
chest to both the safety belt and the air
bag, as well as from breathing the smoke
and powder.We strongly urge you to
open your doors and/or windows as
soon as possible after impact in order
to reduce discomfort and prevent pro-
longed exposure to the smoke and
powder.
Though the smoke and powder are non-
toxic, it may cause irritation to the skin
(eyes, nose and throat etc.). Wash and
rinse with cold water immediately and
consult a doctor if symptoms persist.
Installing a child restraint on a
front passenger seat is extremely
dangerous and should never be
done.
Neverplace 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 severe or fatal
injuries.
In addition, do not place front-facing child
restraint in the front passenger’s seat
either. If the front passenger air bag
inflates, it may cause severe or fatal
injuries to the child.
WARNING-Hot air bag
parts
When the air bags deploy, the air
bag related parts in 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.
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Knowing your vehicle
60 3
Air bag warning light
The purpose of 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 blink or illumi-
nate for approximately 6 seconds, then
go off.
Have the system checked if:
• The light does not turn on briefly when
you turn the ignition ON.
• The light stays on after the engine
starts.
• The light comes on while the vehicle is
in motion.
Air bag (Supplemental Restraint
System) service
Your Supplemental Restraint System is
virtually maintenance-free. There are no
parts which you can service.
You must have the system serviced
under the following circumstances:
• If an air bag ever inflates, the air bag
must be replaced. Do not try to remove
or discard the air bag by yourself. This
must be done by an authorized Kia
dealer.
• If the air bag warning indicator light
alerts you to a problem, have the air
bag system checked as soon as possi-
ble. Otherwise, your air bag system
may be ineffective.
WARNING
• Never put child restraint in the
front passenger seat. If the front
passenger air bag inflates, it may
cause severe or fatal injuries.
• When children are seated in the
rear outboard seats in which cur-
tain air bags are equipped, be
sure to put the child restraint sys-
tem as far away from the door
side as possible, and secure the
child restraint system to be
locked in position.
Inflation of side or curtain air bag
(if equipped) could cause severe
injury or death due to the expan-
sion impact.
AIR
BAG
CAUTION - No modification
Do not modify any part of the air bag
system. Modification could make
the air bag system ineffective or
could cause unnecessary deploy-
ment.

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Knowing your vehicle
Repairing or scrapping the vehicle
• Repairing/replacing the steering
wheel, instrument panel, center con-
sole headliner/pillar trim, or modifying
vehicle sheet metal components could
disable the air bag system. Have such
repairs and maintenance performed by
an authorized Kia dealer.
• Special care must be taken in scrap-
ping or junking an air bag-equipped
vehicle. Always refer such activities to
a qualified professional.
WARNING- No mainte-
nance or repair
• Do not work on the air bag sys-
tem’s components or wiring. This
could cause the air bags to inflate
inadvertently, possibly seriously
injuring someone. Working on the
system could also disable the
system so that the air bags would
not deploy in a collision.
• Any work on the air bag system,
such as removing, installing, or
repairing the steering wheel must
be performed by a qualified Kia
technician. Improper handling of
the air bag system including the
steering wheel may result in seri-
ous personal injury or death.
Air bag warning label
Air bag warning labels which are now required by the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(CMVSS) are attached to alert driver and passengers of potential risk of air bag system.
Note that these government warnings focus on the risk to children, Kia also wants you to be
aware of the risks which adults are exposed to. Those have been described in previous pages.
2(if equipped)
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