Kia Sportage Hybrid 2024 Owner's Manual page 70

Safety features of your vehicle
How does the air bag system
operate?
僅 Air bags are activated (able to inflate
if necessary) only when the vehicle is
in the ON position and it can be acti -
vated within about 3 minutes after
ignition off.
僅 Air bags inflate instantly in the event
of serious frontal or side collision (if
equipped with side air bag or curtain
air bag) in order to help protect the
occupants from serious physical
injury.
僅 There is no single speed at which the
air bags will inflate. Generally, air bags
are designed to inflate based upon
the severity of a collision and its direc -
tion. These two factors determine
whether the sensors produce an elec -
tronic deployment/ inflation signal.
僅 Air bags will inflate based upon the
severity of a collision and its direction,
etc. Air bags will not inflate in every
crash or collision situation.
僅 The front air bags will completely
inflate and deflate in an instant. It is
virtually impossible for you to see the
air bags inflate during an accident. It
is much more likely that you will sim -
ply see the deflated air bags hanging
out of their storage compartments
after the collision.
僅 In order to help provide protection in
a severe collision, the air bags must
inflate rapidly. The speed of air bag
inflation is a consequence of
extremely short time in which a colli -
sion occurs and the need to get the air
bag between the occupant and the
vehicle structures before the occu -
pant impacts those structures. This
speed of inflation reduces the risk of
serious or life-threatening injuries in a
4 32
Air bag - supplemental restraint system
severe collision and is thus a neces -
sary part of air bag design.
僅 However, air bag inflation can also
cause injuries which can include facial
abrasions, bruises and broken bones
because the inflation speed also
causes the air bags to expand with a
great deal of force.
僅 There are even circumstances
under which contact with the steer -
ing wheel air bag can cause fatal
injuries, especially if the occupant is
positioned excessively close to the
steering wheel.
WARNING
僅 Even in vehicles with air bags, you
and your passengers must always
wear the safety belts provided in
order to minimise the risk and severity
of injury in the event of a collision or
in most rollover situations.
僅 SRS and pre-tensioners contain explo -
sive chemicals. If scraping a vehicle
without removing SRS and pre-ten -
sioners from a vehicle, it may cause
fire. Before scraping a vehicle, contact
a professional workshop. Kia recom -
mends to visit an authorised Kia
dealer/service partner.
僅 Keep the SRS parts and wirings away
from water or any liquid. If the SRS
components are inoperative due to
exposure to water or liquids, it may
cause fire or severe injury.
僅 To avoid severe personal injury or
death caused by deploying air bags in
a collision, the driver should sit as far
back from the steering wheel air bag.
The front passenger should always
move their seat as far back as possi -
ble and sit back in their seat.