Safety Features Of Your Vehicle Kia 2020-Optima

Kia 2020 Optima is a vehicle that is equipped with an impressive array of safety features. From advanced driver assistance technologies to robust structural design, the 2020 Optima prioritizes safety to ensure a secure and comfortable ride. Whether you are commuting to work, running errands or embarking on a long road trip, the safety features of this vehicle will provide you with peace of mind and a secure driving experience. In this article, we will explore some of the essential safety features that make the Kia 2020 Optima one of the safest cars on the road.

IMPORTANT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

You will find many safety precautions and recommendations throughout this section, and throughout this man-
ual. The safety precautions in this section are among the most important.

Always wear your seat belt

A seat belt is your best protection in all types of accidents. Air bags are designed to supplement seat belts, not replace them. So even though your vehicle is equipped with air bags, ALWAYS make sure you and
your passengers wear your seat belts, and wear them properly.

Restrain all children

All children under age 13 should ride in your vehicle properly restrained in a rear seat, not the front seat. Infants and small children should be restrained in an appropriate child restraint. Larger children should use a booster seat with the lap/shoulder belt until they can use the seat belt properly without a booster seat.

Air bag hazards

While air bags can save lives, they can also cause serious or fatal injuries to occupants who sit too close to them, or who are not properly restrained. Infants, young children, and shorter adults are at the greatest risk of being injured by an inflating air bag. Follow all instructions and warnings in this manual.

Driver distraction

Driver distraction presents a serious and potentially deadly danger, especially for inexperienced drivers.
Safety should be the first concern when behind the wheel and drivers need to be aware of the wide array of
potential distractions, such as drowsiness, reaching for objects, eating, personal grooming, other passen-
gers, and using cellular phones.

Control your speed

Excessive speed is a major factor in crash injuries and deaths. Generally, the higher the speed, the greater the risk, but serious injuries can also occur at lower speeds. Never drive faster than is safe for current conditions, regardless of the maximum speed posted.

Keep your vehicle in safe condition

Having a tire blowout or a mechani- cal failure can be extremely hazardous. To reduce the possibility of
such problems, check your tire pressures and condition frequently, and perform all regularly scheduled maintenance.

SEAT

Driver’s seat

1 Seat adjustment, forward / backward
2 Seatback recliner
3 Seat adjustment, height
4 Lumbar support *
5 Driver position memory system *
6 Headrest

Front passenger’s seat

7 Seat adjustment, forward / backward
8 Seatback recliner
9 Seat cushion height
10 Lumbar support*
11 Headrest

Rear seat

12 Armrest and Cup holder
13 Headrest
14 Seat-back release/folding lever

*: if equipped

⚠ WARNING – Loose objects

Do not place anything in the driver’s foot well or under the front seats. Loose objects in the driver’s foot area could interfere with the operation of the foot pedals.

⚠ WARNING – Uprighting seat

Do not press the release lever on a manual seatback without holding and controlling the seatback. The seatback will spring upright possibly impacting you or other passengers.

⚠ WARNING – Driver responsibility for passengers

The driver must advise the passengers to keep the seatback in an upright position whenever the vehicle is in motion. If a seat is reclined during an accident, the restraint system’s ability to restrain will be greatly impaired.

⚠ WARNING – Seat cushion

Occupants should never sit on aftermarket seat cushions or sitting cushions. The passenger’s hips may slide under the lap portion of the seat belt during an accident or a sudden stop.

⚠ WARNING – Driver’s seat

• Never attempt to adjust the seat while the vehicle is mov-ing. This could result in loss of control of your vehicle.
• Do not allow anything to inter- fere with the normal position of the seatback. Storing item sagainst the seatback could result in serious or fatal injury in a sudden stop or collision.
• it as far back as possible fromthe steering wheel while still maintaining comfortable control of the your vehicle. A distance of at least 10″ from your chest to the steering wheel is recommended. Failure to do so can result in air bag inflation injuries to the driver.

⚠ WARNING – Rear seatbacks

Always lock the rear seatback before driving. Failure to do so could result in passengers or objects being thrown forward injuring vehicle occupants.

⚠ WARNING – Luggage and Cargo

Do not stack, pile or stack luggage or cargo higher than the seatback in the cargo area. In an accident the cargo could strike and injure a passenger. If objects are large, heavy or must be piled, they must be secured in the cargo area.

⚠ WARNING – Unexpected Seat Movement

After adjusting a front driver’s or passenger’s manual seat, always check that it is locked by shifting your weight to the front and back. Sudden or unexpected movement of the driver’s seat could cause you to lose control of the vehicle.

Front seat adjustment – manual

Forward and backward

To move the seat forward or backward:

1. Pull the seat slide adjustment lever up and hold it.
2. Slide the seat to the position you desire.
3. Release the lever and make sure the seat is locked in place.

Adjust the seat before driving, and make sure the seat is locked securely by trying to move forward and backward without using the lever. If the seat moves, it is not locked properly.

Seatback angle

To recline the seatback:

1. Lean forward slightly and lift up the seatback recline lever.
2. Carefully lean back on the seat and adjust the seatback of the seat to the position you desire.
3. Release the lever and make sure the seatback is locked in place. (The lever MUST return to its orig-
   inal position for the seatback to lock.)

Seat height

To change the height of the seat, move the lever upwards or downwards.

• To lower the seat cushion, push the lever down several times.
• To raise the seat cushion, pull the lever up several times.

Front seat adjustment – power (if equipped)

The front seat can be adjusted by using the control switches located on the outside of the seat cushion. Before driving, adjust the seat to the proper position so you can easily control the steering wheel, pedals and switches on the instrument panel.

⚠ WARNING – Unattended children

Do not leave children unattended in the vehicle. Children might operate features of the vehicle that could injure them.

⚠ CAUTION – Power seat adjustments

The power seating controls function by electric motor. Excessive operation may cause damage to the electrical equipment.

⚠ CAUTION – Power Seating

Do not operate two or more power seat control switches at the same time. Doing so may damage the power seat motor or electrical components.

When in operation, the power seatconsumes a large amount of electrical power. To prevent unnecessary system drain, don’t adjust the power seat longer than necessary while the engine is not running.

Forward and backward

Push the control switch forward or backward to move the seat to the desired position. Release the switch
once the seat reaches the desired position.

Seatback angle

Push the control switch forward or backward to move the seatback to the desired angle. Release the switch once the seat reaches the desired position.

Seat height

Pull the front portion of the control switch up to raise or press down to lower the front part of the seat cushion. Pull the rear portion of the control switch up to raise or press down to lower the seat cushion. Release the switch once the seat reaches the desired position.

Lumbar support (if equipped)

The lumbar support can be adjusted by pressing the lumbar support switch on the side of the seat.

Type A

1. Press the front portion of the switch to increase support, or the rear portion of the switch, to decrease support.
2. Release the switch once it reaches the desired position.

Type B

1. Press the front portion of the switch (1) to increase support, or the rear portion of the switch (2), to decrease support.
2. Release the switch once it reaches the desired position.
3. Press the upper portion (3) of the switch to move the support posi- tion up, or press the lower portion
   (4) of the switch, to move the support position down.
4. Release the switch once it reaches the desired position.

Driver position memory system (if equipped, for power seat)

A driver position memory system is provided to store and recall the driver seat and outside rearview mirror position with a simple button operation. By saving the desired position into the system memory, different drivers can reposition the driver seat based upon their driving preference. If the battery is disconnected, the desired seat position memory will need to be resaved.

⚠ WARNING – Driver Position Memory System

Never attempt to operate the driver position memory system while the vehicle is moving. This could result in loss of control, and an accident causing death or serious injury.

Storing positions into memory using the buttons on the door

Storing driver’s seat positions

1. Shift the shift lever into P (for Automatic transmission/Dual clutch transmission) while the
   engine start/stop button is ON or ignition switch ON.
2. Adjust the driver’s seat and outside rearview mirror comfortable for the driver.
3. Press SET button on the control panel. The system will beep once.
4. Press one of the memory buttons (1 or 2) within 5 seconds after pressing the SET button. The system will beep twice when memory has been successfully stored.

When recalling an adjustment memory button while sitting in the vehicle, you can be surprised by the setting
chosen if the memory has been adjusted by someone else. If that occurs, immediately push the seat position control knob in the direction of the desired position to stop further undesired movement.

Driver position memory system reset

If the Driver position memory system reset fails to work, initialize the system as follows. How to initialize:

1. Stop the car and open the driver’s door with the Engine start/stop button in ON and the automatic shift lever in P (parking) position.
2. Pull the driver’s seat forward as far as possible and have the seatback upright as much as possible using driver’s seat forward adjustment and seatback angle (recline) movement switches.
3. Push SET button and seat fore- ward movement switch button for 2 seconds simultaneously.

⚠ CAUTION

• If alarm sounds and driver seat adjustment stops while initialization is in process, restart initialization.
• Make sure that there are no obstacles around the driver seat before proceeding with initialization.
• After initialization is completed, adjust the seats so they conform to your ideal driving position and save the customized seat settings.

Headrest (for front seat)

The driver’s and front passenger’s seats are equipped with a headrest for the occupant’s safety and comfort.
The headrest not only provides comfort for the driver and front passenger, but also helps protect the head and neck in the event of a rear collision.

For maximum effectiveness in case of an accident, the headrest should be adjusted so the middle of the
headrest is at the same height of the center of gravity of an occupant’s head. Generally, the center of gravity of most people’s head is similar with the height of the top of their eyes.

Also, adjust the headrest as close to your head as possible. For this reason, the use of a cushion that holds the body away from the seatback is not recommended.

⚠ WARNING – Headrest removal/adjustment

• Do not operate the vehicle with the headrests removed. Headrests can provide critical neck and head support in a crash.
• Do not adjust the headrest height while the vehicle is in motion. Driver may lose control of the vehicle.

⚠ CAUTION

Excessive pulling or pushing may damage the headrest.

Adjusting the height up and down

To raise the headrest, pull it up to the desired position (1). To lower the headrest, push and hold the release button (2) on the headrest support and lower the headrest to the desired position (3).

✽ NOTICE

If you recline the seatback towards the front with the headrest and seat cushion raised, the headrest may
come in contact with the sunvisor or other parts of the vehicle.

Seatback pocket

The seatback pocket is provided on the back of the front passenger’s and driver’s seatbacks.

⚠ WARNING – Seatback pockets

Do not put heavy or sharp objects in the seatback pockets. In an accident they could come loose from the pocket and injure vehicle occupants.

Rear seat adjustment

Headrest

The rear seat is equipped with headrests in all the seating positions for the occupant’s safety and comfort.
The headrest not only provides comfort for passengers, but also helps protect the head and neck in the event of a collision.

For maximum effectiveness in case of an accident, the headrest should be adjusted so the middle of the headrest is at the same height of the center of gravity of an occupant’s head. Generally, the center of gravity of most people’s heads is similar with the height as the top of their eyes.

Also, adjust the headrest as close to your head as possible. For this reason, the use of a cushion that holds the body away from the seatback is not recommended.

Adjusting the height up and down (if equipped)

To raise the headrest, pull it up to the desired position (1). To lower the headrest, push and hold the release button (2) on the headrest support and lower the headrest to the desired position (3).

Removal and reinstallation (if equipped)

To remove the headrest, raise it as far as it can go then press the release button (1) while pulling the headrest upward (2). To reinstall the headrest, put the headrest poles (3) into the holes while pressing the release button (1). Then adjust it to the appropriate height and ensure that it locks in position.

Armrest

To use the armrest, pull it forward from the seatback.

Folding the rear seat

The rear seatbacks may be folded to facilitate carrying long items or to increase the luggage capacity of the vehicle.

⚠ WARNING – Folded Seatback

The purpose of the fold-down rear seatbacks is to allow you to carry longer objects that could not otherwise be accommodated.

• Never allow a passenger to sit on top of the folded down seatback while the car is moving. This is not a proper seating position since the seat has important crash protection features and seat belts are not available in this seat configuration.
• To reduce the risk of injury caused by sliding cargo within the passenger compartment of the vehicle, objects carried on the folded down seatback should not extend higher than the top of the front seats.

To fold down the rear seatback:

1. Make sure the rear seat belt webbing is in the guide to prevent the seat belt from being damaged.
2. Set the front seatback to the upright position and if necessary, slide the front seat forward.
3. Lower the rear headrests to the lowest position.

⚠ WARNING – Objects

Objects carried on the folded down seatback should not extend higher than the top of the front seatbacks. This could allow cargo to slide forward and cause injury or damage during sudden stops.

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 sudden stop or impact, however, the belt will lock into position. It will also lock if you try to lean forward too quickly.

✽ NOTICE

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 shoulder belt anchor to one of the 4 positions 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).

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.

⚠ 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 accident could leave you with damaged seat belts that will not provide protection in the event of another collision.

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 positions 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 recommended 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 locking 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).

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 installation 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 system” in this section.

✽ NOTICE

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

⚠ CAUTION

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 portion 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.

The seat belt should be locked into the buckle on each seat cushion to be properly fastened.

➀ : Rear right seat belt fastening buckle
➁ : Rear center seat belt fastening buckle
➂ : Rear left seat belt fastening buckle

When using the rear center seat belt, the buckle with the “CENTER” mark must be used.

⚠ WARNING

Prior to fastening the rear seat belts, ensure the latch matches the seat belt buckles. Forcefully fastening the left or right seat belt to the center buckle can result in an improper fastening scenario that will not protect you and/or your passengers in an accident.

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.

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 occupant’s body.

(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 certain 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 collisions.

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

✽ NOTICE

When the pre-tensioner seat belts are activated, a loud noise may beheard and fine dust, which may appear to be smoke, may be visible in the passenger compartment. These are normal operating conditions and are not hazardous.

The seat belt pre-tensioner system consists mainly of the following components. Their locations are shown in
the illustration:

(1). SRS air bag warning light
(2). Front retractor pretensioner assembly
(3). SRS control module
(4). Emergency fastening device(EFD)

⚠ WARNING – Skin Irritation

Wash all exposed skin areas thoroughly after an accident in which the pre-tensioner seat belts were activated. The fine dust from the pre-tensioner activation may cause skin irritation and should not be breathed for prolonged periods.

✽ NOTICE

• Both the driver’s and front passenger’s seat belt pre-tensioner system may be activated not only in certain frontal collision, but also in certain side collisions or rollovers, 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 ignition switch has been turned to the ON position, and then it should turn off.