Kia Optima: Placement of a Child Restraint System

We recommend that, whenever possible, you put the child restraint in the center position of the rear seat and secure it to the vehicle with the lap belt.

If the center rear seat is not available, or you are using more than one child restraint system in the vehicle at the same time.

The rear outboard safety belts have been designed to allow a child restraint to be used in these positions. Since those safety belts normally lock only under extreme or emergency conditions (emergency lock mode) you must manually adjust those belts to the auto lock mode.

WARNING

When a child restraint is not in use, make sure that it is secured by a safety belt. In a sudden stop or accident, a loose child restraint could be thrown forward and injure someone.

Installing a Child Restraint System in the Front Passenger Seat and Rear Outboard Seats

For safety reasons, we recommend that the child restraint system be used in the center rear seat. If the center rear seat is unavailable, a rear-facing child restraint may be installed in the rear outboard seats. Never place a rear-facing child restraint in the front passenger seat, because of the danger that an inflating passenger side air bag could impact the rear-facing child restraint and kill the child.

Since all three of these safety belts move freely under normal conditions and only lock under extreme or emergency conditions (emergency lock mode), you must manually change these safety belts to the auto lock mode to secure a child restraint.

✽ NOTICE

The driver’s safety belt incorporates the emergency lock mode only.

WARNING - Restraint Instructions

Failure to observe this manuals instructions regarding child restraint systems and the instructions provided with the child restraint system could increase the chance and/or severity of injury in an accident.

WARNING - Child Restraint Placement

Never use a rear-facing child restraint in the front passenger seat. In a collision the air bag inflates with great force. A child in a rear-facing restraint in the front passenger seat can be severely or fatally injured by the power of the air bag.