Kia Sorento: Children always in the rear

Children under 13 years of age must always ride seated in the rear passenger rows and must be properly secured in an appropriate restraint system to minimize the risk of severe injury during a collision, sudden emergency stop, or sharp evasive maneuver while traveling in your Kia Sorento.

WARNING

Restraint Location

Never install a rear-facing or forward-facing child or infant seat in the front passenger seating position. Placing a child in the front passenger seat exposes them to the force of an inflating front airbag, which can strike the child with violent impact force and cause severe or fatal injuries.

CAUTION

Hot Child Restraint System (CRS)

A Child Restraint System can become dangerously hot when left inside an enclosed vehicle parked under direct sunlight. Always touch and check the temperature of the seat fabric, metal buckles, and plastic latches before placing your child into the restraint system to prevent accidental contact burns.

According to national traffic safety collision statistics, children are significantly safer when properly restrained in the rear seating positions rather than the front seat of a vehicle. Even with advanced dual-stage front airbags, front-seat passenger deployment forces can inflict serious or fatal injuries on young occupants. Children who have grown too large for a Child Restraint System must always use the factory 3-point seat belts provided in your Kia Sorento.

All 50 states have established child restraint laws requiring younger passengers to travel in certified safety devices. Specific legal requirements governing the exact age, height, or weight thresholds at which standard seat belts can be used instead of a dedicated child seat vary by jurisdiction. You should thoroughly familiarize yourself with the specific legal regulations in your home state and any states through which you plan to travel.

Every Child Restraint System must be correctly positioned and installed in the rear passenger seats. You must utilize a commercially available child seat that fully complies with all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).

A standard Child Restraint System is engineered to be secured firmly to the vehicle structure using either the lap belt portion of an adult lap/shoulder belt system or the dedicated lower LATCH system anchors built into the rear seats of your Kia Sorento.

Child Restraint System (CRS)

Infants and younger children must always ride restrained in an appropriate rear-facing or forward-facing CRS that has first been correctly anchored to the rear seat. Carefully read, understand, and strictly follow all installation guidelines, safety warnings, and usage instructions supplied directly by the child seat manufacturer.

Child Restraint System (CRS) Installation

An improperly secured or loose Child Restraint System substantially increases the risk of severe bodily injury or death in a traffic accident. Always observe the following critical safety precautions when installing and using a CRS in your vehicle:

• Always strictly follow the specific mounting, routing, and securing instructions provided in the CRS manufacturer manual.

• Always properly adjust and tighten the child seat internal harness straps around your child every time they occupy the restraint.

• If the vehicle head restraint interferes with flush installation against the seatback (as outlined in your CRS instruction manual), adjust the head restraint height upward or remove the head restraint completely from that seating position.

• Never use portable infant carriers or child seats that merely hook over a seatback frame, as these temporary attachments cannot provide adequate structural support or crash protection during an impact.

• Installing a Child Restraint System in the rear center seating position may cause the child seat frame to press against adjacent seat belt buckles, potentially damaging the buckle mechanisms and rendering them unsafe or unusable. Always verify that the installed CRS base does not press against or interfere with any surrounding seat belt buckles, and inspect the placement regularly to ensure it has not shifted during travel in your Kia Sorento.

WARNING

Following any vehicle crash or impact, have an authorized Kia dealer thoroughly inspect the Child Restraint System, seat belt assemblies, top tether anchors, and lower LATCH anchors to ensure structural integrity was not compromised.