KIA Soul EV (2018 year). Instruction — part 6

Safety features of your vehicle

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3

Seat belt - Driver's 3-point system
with emergency locking retractor

To fasten your seat belt:

To fasten your seat belt, pull it out of
the retractor and insert the metal tab
(1) into the buckle (2). There will be
an audible "click" when the tab locks
into the buckle.

The seat belt automatically adjusts to
the proper length only after the lap
belt portion is adjusted manually so
that it fits snugly around your hips. If
you lean forward in a slow, easy
motion, the belt will extend and let
you move around. If there is a sud-
den stop or impact, however, the belt
will lock into position. It will also lock
if you try to lean forward too quickly.
If you are not able to pull out the seat
belt from the retractor, firmly pull the
belt out and release it. Then you will
be able to pull the belt out smoothly.

Height adjustment

You can adjust the height of the shoul-
der belt anchor to one of the 3 posi-
tions for maximum comfort and safety.
The height of the adjusting seat belt
should not be too close to your neck.
The shoulder portion should be
adjusted so that it lies across your
chest and midway over your shoulder
near the door and not your neck.
To adjust the height of the seat belt
anchor, lower or raise the height
adjuster into an appropriate position.
To raise the height adjuster, pull it up
(1). To lower it, push it down (3) while
pressing the height adjuster button (2).

B180A01NF-1

OXM039026

Front seat

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Safety features of your vehicle

Release the button to lock the
anchor into position. Try sliding the
height adjuster to make sure that it
has locked into position.
Improperly positioned seat belts can
cause serious injuries in an accident.

You should place the lap belt portion
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 illustra-
tion.
Never wear the seat belt under the
arm that is near the door.

Seat belts - Front passenger and
rear seat 3-point system with
combination locking retractor

To fasten your seat belt:

Combination retractor type seat belts
are installed in the rear seat posi-
tions to help accommodate the
installation of child restraint systems.
Although a combination retractor is
also installed in the front passenger
seat position, it is strongly recom-
mended that children always be
seated in the rear seat. NEVER
place any infant restraint system in
the front seat of the vehicle.
This type of seat belt combines the
features of both an emergency lock-
ing retractor seat belt and an auto-
matic locking retractor seat belt. To
fasten your seat belt, pull it out of the
retractor and insert the metal tab into
the buckle. There will be an audible
"click" when the tab locks into the
buckle. When not securing a child
restraint, the seat belt operates in the
same way as the driver's seat belt
(Emergency Locking Retractor Type).

B200A02NF

WARNING

- Shoulder belt

positioning

Never position the shoulder belt
across your neck or face.

WARNING

- Seat belt

replacement

Replace your seat belts after
being in an accident. Failure to
replace seat belts after an acci-
dent could leave you with dam-
aged seat belts that will not pro-
vide protection in the event of
another collision.

Safety features of your vehicle

18

3

It automatically adjusts to the proper
length only after the lap belt portion
of the seat belt is adjusted manually
so that it fits snugly around your hips.
When the seat belt is fully extended
from the retractor to allow the instal-
lation of a child restraint system, the
seat belt operation changes to allow
the belt to retract, but not to extend
(Automatic Locking Retractor Type).
Refer to “Using a child restraint sys-
tem” in this section.

✽

✽

NOTICE

Although the combination retractor
provides the same level of protection
for seated passengers in either emer-
gency or automatic locking modes,
have the seated passengers use the
emergency locking feature for
improved convenience. The auto-
matic locking function is intended to
facilitate child restraint installation.
To convert from the automatic lock-
ing feature to the emergency locking
operation mode, allow the unbuck-
led seat belt to fully retract.

Do NOT fold down the left portion of
the rear seat back when the rear
center seat belt is buckled. ALWAYS
UNBUCKLE the rear center seat belt
before folding down the left portion of
the rear seat back. If the rear center
seat belt is buckled when the left por-
tion of the rear seat back is folded
down, distortion and damage to the
top portion of the seat back and seat
belt garnish may result, causing the
seat back to lock into the folded
down position.

To release the seat belt:

The seat belt is released by pressing
the release button (1) on the locking
buckle. When it is released, the belt
should automatically draw back into
the retractor.
If this does not happen, check the
belt to be sure it is not twisted, then
try again.

B210A01NF-1

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Safety features of your vehicle

Stowing the rear seat belt

Routing the seat belt webbing
through the rear seat belt guides will
help keep the belts from being
trapped behind or under the seats.
After inserting the seat belt, tighten
the belt webbing by pulling it up.

3 Point rear center belt

To fasten the rear center belt

1.Insert the mini tongue (A) into the

open end of the anchor connector
(C) until an audible “click" is heard,
indicating the latch is locked. Make
sure the belt is not twisted.

2.Pull the tongue plate (B) and insert

the tongue plate (B) into the open
end of the buckle (D) until an audi-
ble “click” is heard, indicating the
latch is locked. Make sure the belt
is not twisted.
When using the rear center seat
belt, the buckle with the “CENTER”
mark must be used.

CAUTION

- Seat belt guide

Remove the seat belt from the
guides before using. If you pull
on the seat belt when it is stored
in the guides, it may damage the
guides and/or belt webbing.

OPS033015

OPSE034020

WARNING -

Rear center
seat belt

Do not separate mini tongue and
mini buckle even if there is not
an occupant.
If it is separated, It may hit the
rear seat occupants in a collision
or sudden stops.

ORP032074

Safety features of your vehicle

20

3

There will be an audible “click” when
the tab locks in the buckle. The seat
belt automatically adjusts to the
proper length only after the lap belt is
adjusted manually so that it fits snug-
ly around your hips, if you lean for-
ward in a slow, easy motion, the belt
will extend and let you move around.
If there is a sudden stop or impact,
the belt will lock into position. It will
also lock if you try to lean forward too
quickly.
When using the rear seat center belt,
you must lock all tongue plates and
buckles.

To unfasten the rear center belt

Press the release button on the
buckle (D) and remove the tongue
plate (B) from the buckle (D).

Pre-tensioner seat belt

Your vehicle is equipped with driver's
and front passenger's pre-tensioner
seat belts (retractor pretensioner and
EFD (Emergency Fastening Device)).
The pre-tensioner seat belts may be
activated, when a frontal collision is
severe enough, together with the air
bags.
When the vehicle stops suddenly, or
if the occupant tries to lean forward
too quickly, the seat belt retractor
may lock into position. In certain
frontal collisions, the pre-tensioner
will activate and pull the seat belt into
tighter contact against the occu-
pant's body.

OPS033055L

OXMA033101

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Safety features of your vehicle

(1) Retractor Pretensioner

The purpose of the retractor pre-

tensioner is to make sure that the
shoulder belts fit in tightly against
the occupant's upper body in cer-
tain frontal collisions.

(2) EFD (Emergency Fastening Device)

The purpose of the EFD is to

make sure that the pelvis belts fit
in tightly against the occupant's
lower body in certain frontal colli-
sions.

If the system senses excessive ten-
sion on the driver or passenger's
seat belt when the pre-tensioner sys-
tem activates, the load limiter inside
the retractor pre-tensioner will release
some of the pressure on the affected
seat belt.

The seat belt pre-tensioner system
consists mainly of the following com-
ponents. Their locations are shown in
the illustration:
(1) SRS air bag warning light
(2) Retractor pre-tensioner assembly
(3) SRS control module
(4) Emergency fastening device (EFD)

• Both the driver's and front passen-

ger's seat belt pre-tensioner sys-
tem may be activated not only in
certain frontal collision but also in
certain side collision or rollover, if
the vehicle is equipped with a side
or curtain air bag.

• Because the sensor that activates

the SRS air bag is connected with
the pre-tensioner seat belt, the
SRS air bag warning light

on

the instrument panel will illuminate
for approximately 6 seconds after
the POWER button has been
turned to the ON position, and then
it should turn off.

ODMESA2024/Q

Safety features of your vehicle

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3

If the pre-tensioner seat belt system
are not working properly, this warn-
ing light will illuminate even if there is
no malfunction of the SRS air bag. If
the SRS air bag warning light does
not illuminate when the POWER but-
ton is turned ON, or if it remains illu-
minated after illuminating for approx-
imately 6 seconds, or if it illuminates
while the vehicle is being driven,
have an authorized Kia dealer
inspect the pre-tensioner seat belt
and SRS air bag system as soon as
possible.

Pre-tensioners are designed to oper-
ate only one time. After activation,
pre-tensioner seat belts must be
replaced. If the pre-tensioner must
be replaced, contact an authorized
Kia dealer.

Seat belt precautions

Infant or small child

All 50 states have child restraint
laws. You should be aware of the
specific requirements in your state.
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 system” in this
section.

WARNING

- Hot preten-

sioner

Do not touch the pre-tensioner
seat belt assemblies for several
minutes after they have been
activated. When the pre-ten-
sioner seat belt mechanism
fires during a collision the pre-
tensioner becomes hot and can
burn you.

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Safety features of your vehicle

✽

✽

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 requirements of the
Federal Motor

Vehicle Safety

Standards. Before buying any child
restraint system, make sure that it
has a label certifying that it meets
Federal Motor

Vehicle Safety

Standard 213. The restraint must be
appropriate for your child's height
and weight. Check the label on the
child restraint for this information.
Refer to “Child restraint system” in
this section.

Larger children

Children who are too large for child
restraint systems should always
occupy the rear seat and use the
available lap/shoulder belts. The lap
portion should be fastened and
snugged on the hips and as low as
possible. Check if the belt fits period-
ically. A child's squirming could put
the belt out of position. Children are
given the most safety in the event of
an accident when they are restrained
by a proper restraint system in the
rear seat. If a larger child (over age
12) must be seated in the front seat,
the child should be securely
restrained by the available lap/shoul-
der belt and the seat should be
placed in the rearmost position.
Children age 12 and under should be
restrained securely in the rear seat.
NEVER place a child age 12 and
under in the front seat. NEVER place
a rear facing child seat in the front
seat of a vehicle.

If the shoulder belt portion slightly
touches the child’s neck or face, try
placing the child closer to the center of
the vehicle. If the shoulder belt still
touches their face or neck they need to
be returned to a child restraint system.

WARNING

- Small children

Do not allow small children to
ride in the vehicle without an
appropriate child restraint sys-
tem. If the shoulder belt comes
in contact with your child's neck
or face your child is too small to
ride in the vehicle. In a crash the
seat belt will inflict injury to your
child's neck, throat and face.

Safety features of your vehicle

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3

Restraint of pregnant women

Pregnant women should wear
lap/shoulder belt assemblies when-
ever possible according to specific
recommendations by their doctors.
The lap portion of the belt should be
worn AS SECURELY AND LOW AS
POSSIBLE.

Injured person

A seat belt should be used when an
injured person is being transported.
When this is necessary, you should
consult a physician for recommenda-
tions.

One person per belt

Two people (including children)
should never attempt to use a single
seat belt. This could increase the
severity of injuries in case of an acci-
dent.

Do not lie down

To reduce the chance of injuries in
the event of an accident and to
achieve maximum effectiveness of
the restraint system, all passengers
should be sitting up and the front and
rear seats should be in an upright
position when the vehicle is moving.
A seat belt cannot provide proper
protection if the person is lying down
in the rear seat or if the front and rear
seats are in a reclined position.

WARNING

- Pregnant

women

Pregnant women must never
place the lap portion of the seat
belt above or on the abdomen
where the fetus is located. The
force of the seat belt during a
collision will crush the fetus.

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Safety features of your vehicle

Care of seat belts

Seat belt systems should never be
disassembled or modified. In addi-
tion, care should be taken to assure
that seat belts and belt hardware are
not damaged by seat hinges, doors
or other abuse.

Periodic inspection

All seat belts should be inspected
periodically for wear or damage of
any kind. Any damaged parts should
be replaced as soon as possible.

Keep belts clean and dry

Seat belts should be kept clean and
dry. If belts become dirty, they can be
cleaned by using a mild soap solu-
tion and warm water. Bleach, dye,
strong detergents or abrasives
should not be used because they
may damage and weaken the fabric.

When to replace seat belts

The entire in-use seat belt assembly
or assemblies should be replaced if
the vehicle has been involved in an
accident. This should be done even if
no damage is visible. Additional
questions concerning seat belt oper-
ation should be directed to an
authorized Kia dealer.

WARNING

- Pinched seat

belt

• Make sure that the webbing

and/or buckle does not get
caught or pinched in the rear
seat when returning the rear
seatback to its upright posi-
tion. A caught or pinched
webbing/buckle may become
damaged and could fail dur-
ing a collision or sudden stop.

• Seatbelts can become hot in a

vehicle that has been closed
up in sunny weather. They
could burn infants and chil-
dren.

Safety features of your vehicle

26

3

CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEM

Children riding in the vehicle should
sit in the rear seat and must always
be properly restrained to minimize
the risk of injury in an accident, sud-
den stop or sudden maneuver.
According to accident statistics, chil-
dren are safer when properly
restrained in the rear seats than in
the front seat. Larger children not in
a child restraint should use one of
the seat belts provided.
You should be aware of the specific
requirements in your country. Child
and/or infant safety seats must be
properly placed and installed in the
rear seat. You must use a commer-
cially available child restraint system
that meets the requirements of the
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards (FMVSS).
Child restraint systems are designed
to be secured in vehicle seats by the
lap belt portion of a lap/shoulder belt,
or by a tether anchor and/or LATCH
anchors.

Children could be injured or killed in
a crash if their restraints are not
properly secured. For small children
and babies, a child seat or infant seat
must be used. Before buying a par-
ticular child restraint system, make
sure it fits your vehicle seat and seat
belts, and fits your child.
Follow all the instructions provided
by the manufacturer when installing
the child restraint system.

When the child restraint system is
not in use, store it in the luggage
area or fasten it with a seat belt so
that it will not be thrown forward in
case of a sudden stop or an acci-
dent.

WARNING

- Restraint

location

Never install a child or infant
seat on the front passenger's
seat. A child riding in the front
passenger seat can be forceful-
ly struck by an inflating airbag.

WARNING

- Hot child

restraint

A child restraint system can
become very hot if it is left in a
closed vehicle on a sunny day.
Be sure to check the seat cover,
buckles and latches before
placing a child in the restraint
system.

3 27

Safety features of your vehicle

After an accident, have an author-
ized Kia dealer check the child
restraint system, seat belt, tether
anchor and lower anchor.

Using a child restraint system

For small children and babies, the use
of a child seat or infant seat is required.
The child seat or infant seat should be
of appropriate size for the child and
should be installed in accordance with
the manufacturer's instructions.

WARNING

- Holding chil-

dren

Never hold a child in your arms
or lap when riding in a vehicle.
The violent forces created dur-
ing a crash will tear the child
from your arms and throw the
child against the car’s interior.
Always use a child restraint
system which is appropriate for
your child's height and weight.

WARNING

- Unattended

Children

Never leave children unattended
in a vehicle. The car can heat up
very quickly, resulting in injuries
to the child in the vehicle.

WARNING

- Seat belt use

Do not use one seat belt for two
occupants at the same time.
This will eliminate any safety
benefit provided by the seat belt
to the occupants.

CRS09

OTQ037038

Forward-facing child restraint system

Rearward-facing child restraint system

Safety features of your vehicle

28

3

For safety reasons, we recommend
that the child restraint system be
used in the rear seats.
Never place a rear-facing child
restraint in the front passenger seat,
because of the danger an inflating
passenger-side air bag could impact
the rear-facing child restraint and kill
the child.
Since all passenger seat belts move
freely under normal conditions and
only lock under extreme or emer-
gency conditions (emergency lock
mode), you must manually change
these seat belts to the auto lock
mode to secure a child restraint.
If the seat belt does not operate as
described in this section, have the
system checked immediately by your
authorized Kia dealer.

✽

✽

NOTICE

If the vehicle headrest prevents
proper installation of a child seat (as
described in the child seat system
manual), the headrest of the respec-
tive seating position shall be read-
justed or entirely removed.

Placing a passenger seat belt
into the auto lock mode

The auto lock mode will help prevent
the normal movement of the child in
the vehicle from causing the seat belt
to loosen and compromise the child
restraint system. To secure a child
restraint system, use the following
procedure.

E2MS103005

WARNING

- Child seat

installation

• Always follow the instructions

provided by the child restraint
system manufacturer. Child
restraint system manufactur-
ers know their products best.

• Failure to observe this manu-

al's instructions regarding
child restraint system and the
instructions provided with the
child restraint system could
result in the improper installa-
tion of the child restraint sys-
tem which may reduce the
protection to your child in a
crash or a sudden stop.

3 29

Safety features of your vehicle

To install a child restraint system on
the outboard or center rear seats, do
the following:
1. Place the child restraint system in

the seat and route the lap/shoul-
der belt around or through the
restraint, following the restraint
manufacturer’s instructions. Be
sure the seat belt webbing is not
twisted.

2. Fasten the lap/shoulder belt latch

into the buckle. Listen for the dis-
tinct “click” sound.

Position the release button so that it
is easy to access in case of an emer-
gency.

If the vehicle headrest prevents prop-
er installation of a child seat (as
described in the child seat system
manual), the headrest of the respec-
tive seating position shall be read-
justed or entirely removed.

3. Pull the shoulder portion of the

seat belt all the way out. When the
shoulder portion of the seat belt is
fully extended, it will shift the
retractor to the “Auto Lock” (child
restraint) mode.

OEN036101

OEN036102

Safety features of your vehicle

30

3

4. Slowly allow the shoulder portion

of the seat belt to retract and listen
for an audible “clicking” or “ratchet-
ing” sound. This indicates that the
retractor is in the “Auto Lock”
mode. If no distinct sound is
heard, repeat steps 3 and 4.

5. Remove as much slack from the

belt as possible by pushing down
on the child restraint system while
feeding the shoulder belt back into
the retractor.

6. Push and pull on the child restraint

system to confirm that the seat
belt is holding it firmly in place. If it
is not, release the seat belt and
repeat steps 2 through 6.

7. Double check that the retractor is

in the “Auto Lock” mode by
attempting to pull more of the seat
belt out of the retractor. If you can-
not, the retractor is in the “Auto
Lock” mode.

The lap/shoulder belt automatically
returns to the “emergency lock
mode” whenever the belt is allowed
to retract fully. Therefore, the preced-
ing seven steps must be followed
each time a child restraint is
installed.
To remove the child restraint, press
the release button on the buckle and
then pull the lap/shoulder belt out of
the restraint and allow the seat belt
to retract fully.

When the seat belt is allowed to
retract to its fully stowed position,
the retractor will automatically
switch from the “Auto Lock” mode
to the emergency lock mode for
normal adult usage.

OEN036104

OEN036103

WARNING

- Auto lock

mode

Set the retractor to Automatic
Lock mode when installing any
child restraint system. If the
retractor is not in the Automatic
Locking mode,

the child

restraint can move when your
vehicle turns or stops suddenly.

3 31

Safety features of your vehicle

Securing a child restraint seat
with tether anchor system

Child restraint hook holders are
located on the back of the rear seat-
backs.

This symbol indicates the
position of the tether anchor.

1.Route the child restraint seat strap

over the seatback.
For vehicles with adjustable head-
rests, route the tether strap under
the headrest and between the
headrest posts, otherwise route
the tether strap over the top of the
seatback. In case of interference
between the child restraint seat
and the headrest remove the par-
ticular head restraint for better fit-
ment of the child restraint seat.

2.Connect the tether strap hook to

the appropriate child restraint hook
holder and tighten to secure the
child restraint seat.

Check that the child restraint system
is secure by pushing and pulling it in
different directions. Incorrectly fitted
child restraints may swing, twist, tip
or separate causing death or serious
injury.

OXM039034N

OPS033019

WARNING

- Tether strap

Never mount more than one
child restraint to a single tether
or to a single lower anchorage
point.

The increased load

caused by multiple seats may
cause the tethers or anchorage
points to break.