warning KIA SOUL 2009 User Guide

Safety features of your vehicle
10
3
4. Pull on the seatback folding lever, then
fold the seat toward the front of the
vehicle. When you return the seatback
to its upright position, always be sure it
has locked into position by pushing on
the top of the seatback. 5. To use the rear seat, lift and pull the
seatback backward by pulling on the
folding lever. Pull the seatback firmly
until it clicks into place. Make sure the
seatback is locked in place.
6. Return the rear seat belt to the proper position.
OAM039020
OAM039021
WARNING
When you return the rear seatback to its upright position after being
folded down:
Be careful not to damage the seat
belt webbing or buckle. Do not
allow the seat belt webbing or
buckle to get caught or pinched in
the rear seat. Ensure that the seat-
back is completely locked into its
upright position by pushing on the
top of the seatback. Otherwise, in
an accident or sudden stop, the
seat could fold down and allow
cargo to enter the passenger com-
partment, which could result in
serious injury or death.

311
Safety features of your vehicle
C010303BPA
Headrest
The rear seat(s) is equipped with head-
rests in all the seating positions for the
occupant's safety and comfort.
The headrest not only provides comfort
for passengers, but also helps to protect
the head and neck in the event of a colli-sion.
WARNING - Cargo loading
Make sure the engine is off, the
automatic transaxle is in P (Park)and the parking brake is applied
whenever loading or unloading
cargo. Failure to take these steps
may allow the vehicle to move if
shift lever is inadvertently moved toanother position.
WARNING - Cargo
Cargo should always be secured to
prevent it from being thrown about
the vehicle in a collision and caus-
ing injury to the vehicle occupants.Special care of objects should betaken when placing them in the rear
seats, since those may hit the front
seat occupants in a frontal colli-sion.
CAUTION - Rear seat belts
When returning the rear seatbacks
to the upright position, rememberto return the rear shoulder belts to
their proper position. Routing theseat belt webbing through the rear seat belt guides will help keep thebelts from being trapped behind or
under the seats.
CAUTION - Damaging rear
seat belt buckles
When you fold the rear seatback or put luggage on the rear seat cush-ion, insert the buckle in the pocket between the rear seatback and
cushion. Doing so can prevent thebuckle from being damaged by therear seatback or luggage.
OPA039053

Safety features of your vehicle
12
3
Adjusting the height up and down
To raise the headrest, pull it up to the
highest position (1). To lower the head-
rest, push and hold the release button (2)
on the headrest support and lower the
headrest to the lowest position (3). Removal
To remove the headrest, raise it as far as
it can go then press the release button
(1) while pulling upward (2).
To reinstall the headrest, put the head- rest poles (3) into the holes while press-
ing the release button (1). Then adjust it
to the appropriate height.
OUN026043
WARNING
For maximum effectiveness in case of an accident, the headrest
should be adjusted so the middleof the headrest is at the same
height of the center of gravity of
an occupant's head. Generally,
the center of gravity of most peo-ple's head is similar with the
height of the top of their eyes.
Also adjust the headrest as close
to your head as possible. The use
of a cushion that holds the body
away from the seatback is notrecommended.
Do not operate the vehicle with the headrests removed as severe
injury to an occupant may occur
in the event of an accident.
Headrests may provide protec-
tion against severe neck injuries
when properly adjusted.
OUN028044
WARNING
Make sure the headrest locks in
position after adjusting it to proper-
ly protects the occupants.

313
Safety features of your vehicle
C020100AUN Seat belt restraint systemSEAT BELTS
WARNING
For maximum restraint system protection, the seat belts must
always be used whenever the car
is moving.
Seat belts are most effective when seatbacks are in theupright position.
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/she
must be properly belted and the
seat should be moved as far back
as possible.
Never wear the shoulder belt under your arm or behind your
back. An improperly positionedshoulder belt can cause serious
injuries in a crash. The shoulder
belt should be positioned midway
over your shoulder across your
collarbone.
(Continued)
WARNING
Seat belts are designed to bear
upon the bony structure of the
body, and should be worn low
across the front of the pelvis or the
pelvis, chest and shoulders, as
applicable; wearing the lap section
of the belt across the abdominal
area must be avoided. Seat belts should be adjusted as
firmly as possible, consistent with
comfort, to provide the protection
for which they have been designed.
A slack belt will greatly reduce the
protection afforded to the wearer.
Care should be taken to avoid con- tamination of the webbing with pol-
ishes, oils and chemicals, and par-
ticularly battery acid. Cleaning may
safely be carried out using mild
soap and water. The belt should bereplaced if webbing becomes
frayed, contaminated or damaged.
(Continued)(Continued)
Avoid wearing twisted seat belts.A twisted belt can't do its job as
well. In a collision, it could even
cut into you. Be sure the beltwebbing is straight and not twist-ed.
Be careful not to damage the belt webbing or hardware. If the belt
webbing or hardware is dam-
aged, replace it.

Safety features of your vehicle
14
3
C020101AAM
Seat belt warning
Type A
As a reminder to the driver, the seat belt
warning light will blink for approximately
6 seconds each time you turn the ignition
switch ON regardless of belt fastening.
If the driver’s seat belt is unfastened after
the ignition switch is ON, the seat belt
warning light blinks again for approxi-
mately 6 seconds.
If the driver's seat belt is not fastened
when the ignition switch is turned ON or
if it is unfastened after the ignition switch
is ON, the seat belt warning chime will
sound for approximately 6 seconds. At
this time, if the seat belt is fastened, the
chime will stop at once. (if equipped) Type B
Front
As a reminder to the driver and front pas-
senger, the driver’s and front passenger’s
seat belt warning lights will illuminate for
approximately 6 seconds each time you
turn the ignition switch ON regardless of
belt fastening.
If the driver’s or front passenger’s seat
belt is not fastened when the ignition
switch is turned ON or if it is disconnect-
ed after the ignition switch is turned ON,
the corresponding seat belt warning light
will illuminate until the belt is fastened.
If you continue not to fasten the seat belt
and you drive over 9km/h, the illuminated
warning light will start to blink until you
drive under 6km/h.
1GQA2083OAM039043L
Type A
Type B
WARNING
No modifications or additions
should be made by the user which
will either prevent the seat belt
adjusting devices from operating to
remove slack, or prevent the seat
belt assembly from being adjusted
to remove slack.
(Continued) It is essential to replace the entire
assembly after it has been worn in
a severe impact even if damage to
the assembly is not obvious. Belts
should not be worn with straps
twisted. Each belt assembly must
only be used by one occupant; it is
dangerous to put a belt around a
child being carried on the occu-pant's lap.

315
Safety features of your vehicle
If you continue not to fasten the seat belt
and you drive over 20km/h the seat belt
warning chime will sound for approxi-mately 100 seconds and the correspon-
ding warning light will blink.
✽✽NOTICE

317
Safety features of your vehicle
To raise the height adjuster, pull it up (1).
To lower it, push it down (3) while press-
ing the height adjuster button (2).
Release the button to lock the anchor
into position. Try sliding the height
adjuster to make sure that it has lockedinto position.When using the rear center seat belt, the
buckle with the “CENTER” mark must be
used. (if equipped)
WARNING
Verify the shoulder belt anchor is locked into position at the appro-
priate height. Never position the
shoulder belt across your neck or
face. Improperly positioned seatbelts can cause serious injuriesin an accident.
Failure to replace seat belts after an accident could leave you with
damaged seat belts that will not
provide protection in the event ofanother collision leading to per-
sonal injury or death. Replace
your seat belts after being in an
accident as soon as possible.
B200A02NFOAM039046
WARNING
You should place the lap belt por-
tion as low as possible and snugly
across your hips, not on your waist.If the lap belt is located too high on
your waist, it may increase the
chance of injury in the event of a
collision. Both arms should not be
under or over the belt. Rather, one
should be over and the other under,
as shown in the illustration.
Never wear the seat belt under the
arm nearest the door.

Safety features of your vehicle
20
3
To release the seat belt:
When you want to release the seat belt,
press the button (1) in the locking buckle. The center seat belt can be stowed with
the plate and webbing rolled in the pock-
et between the rear seatback and cush-ion.C020200AUN-C1 Pre-tensioner seat belt (if equipped)
Your vehicle is equipped with driver's and front passenger's pre-tensioner seat
belts. The purpose of the pre-tensioner is
to make sure that the seat belts fit tightly
against the occupant's body in certain
frontal collisions. The pre-tensioner seat
belts may be activated in crashes where
the frontal collision is severe enough.
OMG035300OAM039024B210A02NF-1
WARNING
The center lap belt latching mecha-
nism is different from those for the
rear seat shoulder belts. When fas-tening the rear seat shoulder belts
or the center lap belt, make sure
they are inserted into the correct
buckles to obtain maximum protec-
tion from the seat belt system and
assure proper operation.

321
Safety features of your vehicle
When the vehicle stops suddenly, or if
the occupant tries to lean forward too
quickly, the seat belt retractor will lock
into position. In certain frontal collisions,
the pre-tensioner will activate and pullthe seat belt into tighter contact against
the occupant's body.
If the system senses excessive seat belt
tension on the driver or passenger's seat
belt when the pre-tensioner activates, theload limiter inside the pre-tensioner willrelease some of the pressure on the
affected seat belt. (if equipped)The seat belt pre-tensioner system con-
sists mainly of the following components.
Their locations are shown in the illustra-tion:
1. SRS air bag warning light
2. Retractor pre-tensioner assembly
3. SRS control module
8KMB3311
WARNING
To obtain maximum benefit from a pre-tensioner seat belt:
1. The seat belt must be worn cor- rectly and adjusted to the proper
position. Please read and follow
all of the important information
and precautions about your vehi-
cle’s occupant safety features –
including seat belts and air bags
– that are provided in this manu-al.
2. Be sure you and your passen- gers always wear seat belts prop-
erly.

323
Safety features of your vehicle
C020300AUN Seat belt precautions
C020306AUN
Infant or small child
You should be aware of the specific
requirements in your country. Child
and/or infant seats must be properly
placed and installed in the rear seat. For
more information about the use of these
restraints, refer to “Child restraint sys-
tem” in this section.
✽✽NOTICE
Small children are best protected from
injury in an accident when properly
restrained in the rear seat by a child
restraint system that meets the require-
ments of the Safety Standards of your
country. Before buying any child
restraint system, make sure that it has alabel certifying that it meets Safety
Standards of your country. The restraint
must be appropriate for your child'sheight and weight. Check the label on
the child restraint for this information.
Refer to “Child restraint system” in thissection.
WARNING
All occupants of the vehicle must wear their seat belts at all times.
Seat belts and child restraintsreduce the risk of serious or fatal
injuries for all occupants in the
event of a collision or sudden stop.
Without a seat belt, occupants
could be shifted too close to a
deploying air bag, strike the interior
structure or be thrown from the
vehicle. Properly worn seat belts
greatly reduce these hazards.
Always follow the precautions
about seat belts, air bags and occu-pant seating contained in this man-ual.
WARNING
Every person in your vehicle needs
to be properly restrained at all
times, including infants and chil-
dren. Never hold a child in yourarms or lap when riding in a vehi-
cle. The violent forces created dur-
ing a crash will tear the child from
your arms and throw the child
against the interior. Always use a
child restraint appropriate for your
child's height and weight.(Continued)
Always wear the seat belts when driving or riding in a motor vehi-
cle.
If the vehicle or pre-tensioner seat belt must be discarded, con-
tact an authorized KIA dealer.