2006 KIA Sorento Owner's Manual

Driving uphill
Once you decide you can safely drive
up the hill, you need to take some
special steps.
 Use a low gear and get a firm grip
on the steering wheel.
 Get a smooth start up the hill and
try to maintain your speed. Don’t
use more power than you need,
because you don’t want your
wheels to start spinning or sliding.
 Try to drive straight up the hill, if at
all possible. If the path twists and
turns, you may have to find another
route. Slow down as you approach the top
of the hill.
 Attach a flag to the vehicle to make
you more visible to approaching
traffic on trails or hills.
 Sound the horn as you approach
the top of the hill to let opposing
traffic know you’re there.
 Use your headlights even during
the day. They make you more visi-
ble to other drivers.DRIVING TIPS5-22
WARNING- Driving Across Hills
Turning or driving across steep
hills can be dangerous. You
could lose traction, slide side-
ways, or just reach an area too
steep to traverse. In any case, it
could cause you to roll over. You
could be seriously or fatally
injured. When driving up hills,
always try to go as straight up
as possible.
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Stalling while Driving Uphill
What should I do if my vehicle stalls,
or is about to stall, and I can’t make it
up the hill?
If your vehicle stalls, or is about to
stall while driving uphill, there are
some things you should do, and there
are some things you must not do.
First, here’s what you should do:
 Push the brake pedal to stop the
vehicle and keep it from rolling
backwards. Also, apply the parking
brake.
 If your engine is still running, shift
the transmission into reverse,
release the parking brake, and
slowly back down the hill in reverse. If your engine has stopped running,
you’ll need to restart it. With the
brake pedal depressed and the
parking brake still applied, shift a
manual transmission to N (Neutral),
or an automatic transmission to P
(Park) and restart the engine. Then,
shift to reverse, release the parking
brake, and slowly back down the
hill in reverse.
 As you are backing down the hill,
put your left hand on the steering
wheel at the 12 o’clock position.
This way, you’ll be able to tell if your
wheels are straight or turned to the
left or right as you back down.
DRIVING TIPS
5-23
WARNING
- Driving over
Hills
Driving to the top (crest) of a hill
at full speed can cause an acci-
dent and result in serious or
fatal injury. There could be a
drop-off, embankment, cliff,
another vehicle or people sit-
ting on the ground. As you near
the top of a hill, slow down and
stay alert.
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Here are some things you must not
do if you stall, or are about to stall,
when going up a hill.
 Never attempt to prevent a stall by
depressing the clutch or shifting to
N (Neutral) to “rev-up” the engine
and regain forward momentum.
This won’t work. Your vehicle will
roll backwards very quickly and you
could go out of control or roll over.
Instead, apply the brake to stop the
vehicle. Then apply the parking
brake. Shift into reverse, release the
parking brake, and slowly back down.Stalled on a Steep Uphill
If your vehicle stalls and you can’t
back down the hill, try this: Set the
parking brake, put your transmission
in 1 (First) gear or P (Park), and turn
the engine off. Leave the vehicle and
get some help. If your vehicle is at an
angle to the slope of the hill, exit the
vehicle on the uphill side and stay
clear of the path the vehicle would
take if it rolled downhill. Leave it in 1
(First) gear for manual transmission
or P (Park) for automatic transmis-
sion.DRIVING TIPS5-24
CAUTION
Never attempt to turn around if
you are about to stall when
going up a hill. If the hill is steep
enough to stall your vehicle, it’s
steep enough to cause you to
roll over if you turn around. If
you can’t make it up, you must
back down the hill.
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Driving Downhill
When off-roading takes you downhill,
you’ll want to consider many of the
same things you thought about
before you went uphill. As a brief
reminder, those include:
 How steep is the downhill? Will I be
able to maintain vehicle control?
 What’s the surface like? Smooth?
Rough? Slippery? Hard-packed
dirt? Gravel?
 Are there hidden surface obsta-
cles? Ruts? Logs? Boulders?
 What’s at the bottom of the hill? Is
there a hidden creek bank or even
a river bottom with large rocks?
 Have changes in the weather con-
ditions and their effect on the ter-
rain since you went uphill made
your task more difficult?Once you have decided that you can
go down a hill safely, try to keep your
vehicle headed straight down, and
use a low gear. This way, engine
braking can help your brakes so they
won’t have to do all the work.
Descend slowly, keeping your vehicle
under control at all times.
DRIVING TIPS
5-25
WARNING- Exiting Vehicle
Getting out on the downhill
(low) side of a vehicle stopped
across an incline is dangerous.
If the vehicle rolls over, you
could be crushed or fatally
injured. Always get out on the
uphill (high) side of the vehicle
and stay well clear of the
rollover path.WARNING - Leaving Vehicle
If you are going to leave your
vehicle, set the parking brake
and shift a manual transmission
to 1(First), or an automatic
transmission to P (Park).
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Avoid turns that take you across the
incline of the hill. A hill that’s not too
steep to drive down may be too steep
to drive across. You could roll over if
you don’t drive straight down.
Never go downhill with the clutch
pedal depressed. This is called “free-
wheeling.” Your brakes will have to do
all the work and could overheat and
fade.If your wheels lock up during downhill
braking, you may feel the vehicle
starting to slide sideways. To regain
your direction, just ease off the
brakes and steer to keep the front of
the vehicle pointing straight downhill.
DRIVING TIPS5-26
CAUTION
Before beginning to go down-
hill, it is critical that you ensure
that no cargo can shift forward
while you are heading downhill.
Such shifting could either
endanger you and your occu-
pants, or interfere with your
ability to control the vehicle.
WARNING
- Braking
Heavy braking when going
down a hill can cause your
brakes to overheat and fade.
This could cause loss of control
and a serious accident. Apply
the brakes lightly when
descending a hill and use a low
gear to keep vehicle speed
under control.
CAUTION
Avoid braking so hard that you
lock the wheels when going
downhill. If your front wheels
are locked, you can’t steer your
vehicle.
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Stalling downhill
Stalling is much more likely to hap-
pen going uphill. But if it happens
going downhill, here’s what to do.
 Stop your vehicle by applying the
brakes. Then apply the parking
brake.
 Move the shift lever to P (Park) in
automatic transmissions or shift to
N (Neutral) in manual transmis-
sions and, while still braking,
restart the engine.
 Shift back to a low gear, release the
parking brake, and drive straight
down.
 If the engine won’t start, get out
and seek help. Exit on the uphill
side of the vehicle and stay clear of
the path the vehicle would take if it
rolled downhill.Driving across an incline
Sooner or later, an off-road trail will
probably go across the incline of a
hill. If this happens, you have to
decide whether or not to try to drive
across the incline. Here are some
things to consider:
 A hill that can be driven straight up
or down may be too steep to drive
across. When you go straight up or
down a hill, the length of the wheel
base (the distance from the front
wheels to the rear wheels) reduces
the likelihood the vehicle will tumble
end over end. But when you drive
across an incline, the much narrow-
er track width (the distance
between the left and right wheels)
may not prevent the vehicle from
tilting and rolling over. Also, driving
across an incline puts more weight
on the downhill wheels. This could
cause a downhill slide or a rollover. Surface conditions can be a prob-
lem when you drive across a hill.
Loose gravel, muddy spots, or even
wet grass can cause your tires to
slip sideways. If the vehicle slips
sideways, it can hit something that
will tip it (a rock, a rut, etc.) and
cause it to roll over.
 Hidden obstacles can make the
steepness of the incline even
worse. If you drive across a rock
with the uphill wheels, or if the
downhill wheels drop into a rut or
depression, your vehicle can tilt
even more.
For reasons like these, you need to
decide carefully whether or not to try
to drive across an incline. Just
because the trail goes across the
incline doesn’t mean you have to
drive it.
DRIVING TIPS
5-27
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If your vehicle slides downhill
If you feel your vehicle starting to
slide sideways, turn downhill immedi-
ately. This should help straighten out
the vehicle and prevent the side slip-
ping. However, a much better way to
prevent this is to get out and “walk the
course” first so you know what the
surface is like before you drive it.Stalling while crossing an incline
If your vehicle stalls when you’re
crossing an incline, be sure you (and
your passengers) get out on the
uphill side, even if that door is harder
to open. If you get out on the downhill
side and the vehicle starts to roll over,
you’ll be in its path.
If you have to walk down the slope,
stay out of the path the vehicle will
take if it does roll over.DRIVING TIPS5-28
WARNING
- Roll Over
Driving across an incline that’s
too steep will make your vehicle
roll over. You could be seriously
or fatally injured. If you have
any doubt about the steepness
of the incline, don’t drive across
it. Find another route instead.
WARNING- Exiting Vehicle
Getting out on the downhill
(low) side of a vehicle stopped
across an incline is dangerous.
If the vehicle rolls over, you
could be crushed or fatally
injured. Always get out on the
uphill (high) side of the vehicle
and stay well clear of the
rollover path.
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Driving in Mud, Sand, Snow, or Ice
When you drive in mud, sand, snow,
or ice, your wheels won’t get good
traction. You can’t accelerate as
quickly, turning is more difficult, and
you’ll need longer braking distances.
It’s best to use a low gear when
you’re in mud, the deeper the mud,
the lower the gear. In extremely deep
mud, the idea is to keep your vehicle
moving so you don’t get stuck.
When you drive on sand, you’ll sense
a change in wheel traction. But it will
depend upon how loosely packed the
sand is. On loosely packed sand (as
on beaches or sand dunes) your tires
will tend to sink into the sand.This has an effect on steering, accel-
erating, and braking. You may want to
reduce the air pressure in your tires
slightly when driving on sand. This
will improve traction. Remember to
re-inflate them the first chance that
you have after you leave the loosely
packed sand.Hard-packed snow and ice offer the
worst tire traction. On these surfaces,
it’s very easy to lose control. On wet
ice, for example, the traction is so
poor that you will even have difficulty
accelerating. And if you do get mov-
ing, poor steering and difficult braking
can easily cause you to slide out of
control.
DRIVING TIPS
5-29
✽ ✽
NOTICE In case of loss of traction in mud,
loose soil, or sand, turn the steer-
ing wheel rapidly from side-to-
side. This can help generate addi-
tional traction.
 Do not gun the engine. This will
cause the tires to spin and dig
down, not forward, and could
bury the vehicle to the frame.
Smooth, easy power is better than
too much power.
WARNING- Frozen Surfaces
Driving on frozen lakes, ponds
or rivers can be dangerous.
Underwater springs, currents
under the ice, or sudden thaws
can weaken the ice. Your vehicle
could fall through the ice and
you and your passengers could
drown. Drive your vehicle on
safe surfaces only.
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