Kia Rio: Driver's and passenger's front air bag

Your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Supplemental Restraint (Air Bag) System and lap/shoulder belts at both the driver and passenger seating position.

The indications of the system's presence are the letters "AIR BAG" embossed on the air bag pad cover in 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 system alone in case of a frontal impact of sufficient severity. The SRS uses sensors to gather information about the driver's seat position, the driver's and front passenger's seat belt usage and impact severity.

The advanced SRS offers the ability to control the air bag inflation with two levels. A first stage level is provided 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 instrument panel in low speed collisions.

However, children are safer if they are restraint in the rear seat. According to the impact severity, seating position 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.

Additionally, your vehicle is equipped with an occupant detection system in the front passenger's seat. The occupant detection system detects the presence of a passenger in the front passenger's seat and will turn off the front passenger's air bag under certain conditions. For more detail, see "Occupant detection system" in this section.

Do not place any objects that may cause magnetic fields near the front seat.These may cause a malfunction of the seat track position sensor.

Manufacturers are required by government regulations to provide a contact point concerning modifications to the vehicle for persons with disabilities, which modifications may affect the vehicle’s advanced air bag system. That contact is Kia’s toll-free Customer Assistance center at 1- 800-333-4Kia. However, Kia does not endorse nor will it support any changes to any part or structure of the vehicle that could affect the advanced air bag system, including the occupant detection system.

WARNING - Replacement/ modifications

The front passenger seat, dashboard or door should not be replaced except by an authorized Kia dealer using original Kia parts designed for this vehicle and model. Any other such replacement or modification could adversely affect the operation of the occupant detection system and your advanced air bags.

Advanced air bags are combined with pre-tensioner seat belts to help provide enhanced occupant protection in frontal crashes. Front air bags are not intended to deploy in collisions in which sufficient protection can be provided by the pre-tensioner seat belt alone.

WARNING - SRS Wiring

Do not tamper with or disconnect SRS wiring or other components of the SRS system. Doing so could result in injury, due to accidental deployment of the air bags or by rendering the SRS inoperative.

Front air bags are not intended to deploy in side-impact, rear-impact or rollover crashes. In addition, front air bags will not deploy in frontal crashes below the deployment threshold.

The actual air bags in the vehicle may differ from the illustration.

Side impact air bag

Your vehicle is equipped with a side impact air bag in each front seat.

The purpose of the air bag is to provide the vehicle's driver and/or the front passenger with additional protection than that offered by the seat belt alone.

The side impact air bags are designed to deploy only during certain side-impact collisions, depending on the crash severity, angle, speed and point of impact. The side air bags are not designed to deploy in all side impact situations.

WARNING - Unexpected deployment

Avoid impact to the side impact airbag sensor when the ignition switch is ON to prevent unexpected deployment of the side impact air bag.

The side impact air bag is supplemental to the driver's and the passenger's seat belt systems and is not a substitute for them. Therefore your seat belts must be worn at all times while the vehicle is in operation.

For best protection from the side air bag system and to avoid being injured by the deploying side air bag, both front seat occupants should sit in an upright position with the seat belt properly fastened. The driver's hands should be placed on the steering wheel at the 9:00 and 3:00 positions.

The passenger's arms and hands should be placed on their laps.

WARNING - Deployment

Do not install any accessories including seat covers, on the side or near the side impact air bag as this may affect the deployment of the side air bags.

If seat or seat cover is damaged, have the vehicle checked and repaired by an authorized Kia dealer.

Inform that your vehicle is equipped with side impact air bags and an occupant detection system.

WARNING - Flying objects

Do not place any objects (an umbrella, bag, etc.) between the front door and the front seat. Such objects may become dangerous projectiles if the side airbag inflates.

The actual air bags in the vehicle may differ from the illustration.

Curtain air bag

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 bags are designed to deploy only during certain side impact collisions, depending on the crash severity, angle, speed and impact. The curtain air bags are not designed to deploy in all side impact situations, collisions from the front or rear of the vehicle or in most rollover situations.

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 passengers when they are seated on seats equipped with side and/or curtain air bags.

✽ NOTICE

Never try to open or repair any components of the side curtain air bag system. This should only be done by an authorized Kia dealer.

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 the air bag would not be expected to provide additional protection.

These include rear impacts, second or third collisions in multiple impact accidents, as well as low speed impacts.