Kia Sportage 2023 Manual page 30

Safety features of your vehicle
back of the seat could spring forward
resulting in accidental injury to a per-
son struck by the seatback.
僅 Riding in a vehicle with the seatback
reclined could lead to serious or fatal
injury in an accident.
If a seat is reclined during an accident,
the occupant's hips may slide under
the lap portion of the seatbelt, apply-
ing great force to the unprotected
abdomen. Serious or fatal internal
injuries could result. The driver must
advise the passenger to keep the
seatback in an upright position when-
ever the vehicle is in motion.
僅 Do not use a sitting cushion that
reduces friction between the seat and
passenger. The passenger's hips may
slide under the lap portion of the seat
belt during an accident or a sudden
stop. Serious or fatal internal injuries
could result because the seat belt
can't operate normally.
僅 Never attempt to adjust any seat
whilst the vehicle is moving. This
could result in loss of control, and an
accident causing death, serious injury,
or property damage.
僅 Do not allow anything to interfere with
the normal position of the seatback.
Storing items against a seatback or in
any other way interfering with proper
locking of a seatback could result in
serious or fatal injury in a sudden stop
or collision.
僅 Always drive and ride with your seat-
back upright and the lap portion of
the seat belt snug and low across the
hips. This is the best position to pro-
tect you in case of an accident.
僅 In order to avoid unnecessary and
perhaps severe air bag injuries,
always sit as far back as possible from
3 6
the steering wheel whilst maintaining
comfortable control of the vehicle. We
recommend that your chest is at least
250 mm (10 inches) away from the
steering wheel.
僅 The rear seatback must be securely
latched. If not, passengers and objects
could be thrown forward resulting in
serious injury or death in the event of
a sudden stop or collision.
僅 Luggage and other cargo should be
laid flat in the cargo area. If objects
are large, heavy, or must be piled,
they must be secured. Under no cir-
cumstances should cargo be piled
higher than the seatbacks. Failure to
follow these warnings could result in
serious injury or death in the event of
a sudden stop, collision or rollover.
僅 No passenger should ride in the cargo
area or sit or lie on folded seatbacks
whilst the vehicle is moving. All pas-
sengers must be properly seated in
seats and restrained properly whilst
riding.
僅 When resetting the seatback to the
upright position, make sure it is
securely latched by pushing it forward
and backwards.
僅 To avoid the possibility of burns, do
not remove the carpet in the cargo
area. Emission control devices
beneath this floor generate high tem-
peratures.
僅 After adjusting the seat, always check
that it is securely locked into place by
attempting to move the seat forward
or backward without using the lock
release lever. Sudden or unexpected
movement of the driver's seat could
cause you to lose control of the vehi-
cle resulting in an accident.
Seat