Kia Optima: 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 automatic 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, it is recommended that 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.

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

To release the seat belt:

The seat belt is released by pressing the release button (1) of 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.