2005 KIA Sportage Owner's Manual

Driving your vehicle14 4
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For safe four-wheel drive oper-
ation  Do not try to drive in deep standing
water, mud, or over steep hills. When you are driving up or down
hills drive as close to straight up
and down the hill as possible. Use
extreme caution in going up or
down steep hills, since you may flip
your vehicle over depending on the
grade, terrain and water/mud con-
ditions.
WARNING -
Steep hills
Driving across the contour of
steep hills can be extremely
dangerous. This danger can
come from slight changes in the
wheel angle which can destabi-
lize the vehicle or, even if the
vehicle is maintaining stability
under power, it can lose that
stability if the vehicle stops its
forward motion. Your vehicle
may roll over without warning
and without time for you to cor-
rect a mistake that could cause
serious injury or death.
WARNING -
Four-wheel
driving
The conditions on-road or off-
road that demand four-wheel
drive mean all functions of your
vehicle are exposed to more
extreme stress than under high-
way conditions. Slow down,
look ahead, and be ready for
sudden changes in the compo-
sition and traction of the sur-
face under your tires. If you
have any doubt about the safety
of the conditions you are facing,
stop and consider the best way
to proceed. Do not exceed the
ability of yourself or your vehi-
cle to operate safely.
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415
Driving your vehicle
 You must learn how to corner in a
4WD vehicle as soon as possible.
Do not rely on your experience in
conventional 2WD vehicles in
choosing safe cornering speed.
You must drive more slowly. Drive off-road carefully because
your vehicle may be damaged by
rocks or roots of trees. Become
familiar with the off-road conditions
you are going to drive before you
start.
 Always hold the steering wheel
firmly when you are driving off-
road.
 Make sure all passengers are
wearing seat belts.
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WARNING -
Turning corners
Reduce speed when you turn
corners. The center of gravity of
4WD vehicles is higher than that
of conventional 2WD vehicles,
making them more likely to roll
over when you turn corners too
fast.
WARNING
Do not grab inside of the steer-
ing wheel when you are driving
off-road. Your arm may be hurt
by a sudden steering maneuver
or from steering wheel rebound
due to impact with objects on
the ground. You could lose con-
trol of the steering wheel.
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Driving your vehicle16 4
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 If you need to drive in water, stop
your vehicle, set your transfer to
“4WD LOCK” and drive at less than
8 km/h (5 mph).
✽ ✽
NOTICE• Do not drive in water if the level is
higher than the bottom of the vehi-
cle.
• Check your brake condition once
you are out of mud or water. Press
the brake pedal several times as
you move slowly until you feel nor-
mal braking forces return.
• Shorten your scheduled mainte-
nance interval if you drive in off-
road conditions such as sand,
mud or water (see “Maintenance
Services” in the Index). Always
wash you car thoroughly.
• Since the driving torque is always
applied to the 4 wheels the per-
formance of the 4WD vehicle is
greatly affected by the condition of
the tires. Be sure to equip them
with all four tires with same size
and type.
• The full time four wheel drive
vehicle cannot be towed by an
ordinary tow truck. Make sure
that the vehicle is towed with its
four wheels raised off the ground.
WARNING
While the full-time 4WD vehicle
is being raised on a jack, never
start the engine or cause the
tires to rotate.
There is the danger that rotating
tires touching the ground could
cause the vehicle to go off the
jack and to jump forward.
CAUTION
If one of the front or rear wheels
begins to spin in mud, snow,
etc. the vehicle can sometimes
be driven out by depressing the
accelerator pedal further; how-
ever avoid running the engine
continuously at high rpm
because doing so could dam-
age the 4WD system.
WARNING
If you are driving in heavy wind,
the vehicle's higher center of
gravity decreases your steering
control capacity and requires
you to drive more slowly.
WARNING -
Driving
through water
If you are driving too fast in
water, the water spray can get
into the engine compartment
and wet the ignition system,
causing your vehicle to sudden-
ly stall. If this happens and your
vehicle is in a tilted position,
your vehicle may roll over.
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Driving your vehicle
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WARNING
 Avoid high cornering speed.
 Do not make quick steering
wheel movements, such as
sharp lane changes or fast,
sharp turns.
 The risk of rollover is greatly
increased if you lose control
of your vehicle at high speeds.
 In a collision, an unbelted per-
son is significantly more likely
to die compared to a person
wearing a seat belt.
 Loss of control often occurs if
two or more wheels drop off
the roadway and the driver
over steers to re-enter the
roadway.
 In the event your vehicle
leaves the roadway, do not
steer sharply.
Instead , slow down before
pulling back into the travel
lanes.
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Driving your vehicle18 4
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Power brakes Your vehicle has power-assisted
brakes that adjust automatically
through normal usage.
In the event that the power-assisted
brakes lose power because of a
stalled engine or some other reason,
you can still stop your vehicle by
applying greater force to the brake
pedal than you normally would. The
stopping distance, however, will be
longer.
When the engine is not running, the
reserve brake power is partially
depleted each time the brake pedal
is applied. Do not pump the brake
pedal when the power assist has
been interrupted.
Pump the brake pedal only when
necessary to maintain steering con-
trol on slippery surfaces.
In the event of brake failure If service brakes fail to operate while
the vehicle is in motion, you can
make an emergency stop with the
parking brake. The stopping dis-
tance, however, will be much greater
than normal.
BRAKE SYSTEM
WARNING
- Parking brake
Operating the parking brake
while the vehicle is moving at
normal speeds can cause a sud-
den loss of control of the vehi-
cle. If you must use the parking
brake to stop the vehicle, use
great caution in applying the
brake.
WARNING -
Brakes
 Do not drive with your foot
resting on the brake pedal.
This will create abnormal high
brake temperatures, exces-
sive brake lining and pad
wear, and increased stopping
distances.
 When descending a long or
steep hill, shift to a lower gear
and avoid continuous applica-
tion of the brakes. Continuous
brake application will cause
the brakes to overheat and
could result in a temporary
loss of braking performance.
(Continued)
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Driving your vehicle
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Disc brakes wear indicator Your vehicle has disc brakes.
When your brake pads are worn and
it's time for new pads, you will hear a
high-pitched warning sound from
your front brakes or rear brakes (if
equipped). You may hear this sound
come and go or it may occur when-
ever you depress the brake pedal.
Please remember that some driv-
ing conditions or climates may
cause a brake squeal when you
first apply (or lightly apply) the
brakes. This is normal and does
not indicate a problem with your
brakes.
✽ ✽
NOTICETo avoid costly brake repairs, do not
continue to drive with worn brake
pads.
WARNING
- Brake wear
This brake wear warning sound
means your vehicle needs serv-
ice. If you ignore this audible
warning, you will eventually lose
braking performance, which
could lead to a serious accident.
CAUTION
Always replace brake pads as
complete front or rear axle sets.
(Continued)
 Wet brakes may result in the
vehicle not slowing down at
the usual rate and pulling to
one side when the brakes are
applied. Applying the brakes
lightly will indicate whether
they have been affected in this
way. Always test your brakes
in this fashion after driving
through deep water. To dry the
brakes, apply them lightly
while maintaining a safe for-
ward speed until brake per-
formance returns to normal.
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Driving your vehicle20 4
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Parking brake To apply the parking brake, pull the
parking brake handle fully and firmly
upward while applying the service
brake.To release the parking brake, pull the
handle up slightly and push the
release button, then lower the handle
to the released position while holding
the button in.
CAUTION
Driving with the parking brake
applied will cause excessive
brake pad and brake rotor wear.
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WARNING
- Parking brake
 To prevent unintentional
movement when stopped and
leaving the vehicle, do not use
the gearshift lever in place of
the parking brake. Set the
parking brake AND make sure
the gearshift lever is securely
positioned in 1st (First) gear
or R (Reverse) for manual
transaxle equipped vehicles
and in P (Park) for automatic
transaxle equipped vehicles.
 Never allow a person who is
unfamiliar with the vehicle or
children to touch the parking
brake. If the parking brake is
released unintentionally, seri-
ous injury may occur.
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Driving your vehicle
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Check the brake warning light by
turning the ignition switch ON (do not
start the engine). This light will be
illuminated when the parking brake is
applied with the ignition switch in the
START or ON position.
Before driving, be sure the parking
brake is fully released and the brake
warning light is off.If the brake warning light remains on
after the parking brake is released,
there may be a malfunction in the
brake system. Immediate attention is
necessary.
If at all possible, cease driving the
vehicle immediately. If that is not pos-
sible, use extreme caution while
operating the vehicle and only con-
tinue to drive the vehicle until you
can reach a safe location or repair
shop.
Parking on curbed streets  When parking your vehicle on an
uphill grade, park as close to the
curb as possible and turn the front
wheels away from the curb so that
the front wheels will contact the
curb if the vehicle moves back-
ward.
 When parking your vehicle on a
downhill grade, park as close to the
curb as possible and turn the front
wheels toward the curb so that the
front wheels will contact the curb if
the vehicle moves forward.
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