EMISSION CONTROL
SYSTEMThe emissions control system of your
vehicle is covered by a written limited
warranty. Please see the warranty
information contained in the Warranty
and Consumer Information Manual in
your vehicle.
Vehicle Modifications
This vehicle should not be modified.
Modification of your Kia could affect
its performance, safety or durability
and may even violate governmental
safety and emissions regulations.
In addition, damage or performance
problems resulting from any modifi-
cation may not be covered under
warranty.Engine Exhaust Gas Precautions
(Carbon Monoxide)
Carbon monoxide can be present
with other exhaust fumes.
Therefore, if you smell exhaust
fumes of any kind inside your vehi-
cle, have it inspected and repaired
immediately by an authorized Kia
dealer. If you ever suspect exhaust
fumes are coming into your vehicle,
drive it only with all the windows
fully open. Have your vehicle
checked and repaired immediately. Do not operate the engine in con-
fined or closed areas (such as
garages) any more than what is
necessary to move the vehicle in or
out of the area.
When the vehicle is stopped in an
open area for more than a short
time with the engine running, adjust
the heating or cooling system (as
needed) to draw outside air into the
vehicle.
Never sit in a parked or stopped
vehicle for any extended time with
the engine running.
When the engine stalls or fails to
start, excessive attempts to re-start
the engine may cause damage to
the emission control system.
DRIVING TIPS
5-3
WARNING
Engine exhaust gases contain
carbon monoxide (CO). Though
colorless and odorless, it is dan-
gerous and could be lethal if
inhaled. Follow the instructions
following to avoid CO poisoning.
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Driving in the Rain
Rain and wet roads can make driving
dangerous, especially if you’re not
prepared for the slick pavement. Here
are a few things to consider when
driving in the rain:
A heavy rainfall will make it harder
to see and will increase the dis-
tance needed to stop your vehicle,
so slow down.
Keep your windshield wiping equip-
ment in good shape. Replace your
windshield wiper blades when they
show signs of streaking or missing
areas on the windshield.
If your tires are not in good condi-
tion, making a quick stop on wet
pavement can cause a skid and
possibly lead to an accident. Be
sure your tires are in good shape. Turn on your headlights to make it
easier for others to see you.
Driving too fast through large pud-
dles can affect your brakes. If you
must go through puddles, try to
drive through them slowly.
If you believe your brakes may have
become wet, apply them lightly
while driving until normal braking
operation returns.Winter Driving
We recommend that you carry
emergency equipment, including
tire chains, a window scraper, wind-
shield de-icer, a bag of sand or salt,
flares, a small shovel and jumper
cables.
Make sure you have sufficient eth-
ylene-glycol coolant in the radiator.
Check the battery condition and
cables. Cold temperatures reduce
the capacity of any battery, so it
must be in excellent condition to
provide enough winter starting
power.
Make sure the engine oil viscosity
is suitable for cold weather.
Check the ignition system for loose
connections and damage.DRIVING TIPS5-10
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Scanning the terrain
Off-road driving can take you over
many different kinds of terrain. You
need to be familiar with the terrain
and its many different features. Here
are some things to consider.
Surface conditions
Off-roading can take you over hard-
packed dirt, gravel, rocks, grass,
sand, mud, snow or ice. Each of
these surfaces affects the steering,
acceleration, and braking of your
vehicle in different ways.
Depending upon the kind of surface
you are on, you may experience slip-
ping, sliding, wheel spinning, delayed
acceleration, poor traction, and
longer braking distances.Surface obstacles
Unseen or hidden obstacles can be
hazardous. A rock, log, hole, rut, or
bump can startle you if you’re not pre-
pared. Often these obstacles are hid-
den by grass, bushes, snow or even
the rise and fall of the terrain itself.
Here are some things to constantly
evaluate:
Is the path ahead clear?
Will the surface texture change
ahead?
Does the path take you uphill or
downhill?
Might you have to stop suddenly or
change direction quickly?
When you drive over obstacles or
rough terrain, it is critical that you
keep a firm grip on the steering
wheel. Ruts, troughs, or other surface
features can force the wheel out of
your hands if you’re not prepared.
DRIVING TIPS
5-19
WARNING- Off Road Driving
When you’re driving off-road,
bouncing and quick changes in
direction can easily throw you
out of position. This could
cause you to lose control of the
vehicle and crash. So, whether
you are driving on or off the
road, you and your passengers
should always wear safety
belts.
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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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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 Water
Light rain causes no special off-road
driving problems. However, heavy
rain can cause flash flooding, and
flood waters demand extreme cau-
tion.
Find out how deep the water is before
you drive through it. If it’s deep
enough to cover your wheel bearing
hubs, axles, or exhaust pipe, don’t try
it. You probably won’t get through.
Also, water that deep can damage
your axle and other vehicle parts.If the water isn’t too deep, then drive
through slowly. At fast speeds, water
can splash on your ignition system
and your vehicle can stall. Stalling
can also occur if your tailpipe goes
underwater. As long as your tailpipe
is underwater, you will not be able to
start your engine. When you go
through water, remember that it may
take you longer to stop when your
brakes are wet.
If you have driven through water that
was deep enough to cover your
wheel bearing hubs, it may be a good
idea to have an authorized Kia dealer
repack your front wheel bearings and
examine your rear-end fluid for evi-
dence of water.After Off-Road Driving
Remove any brush or debris that has
collected on the underbody, chassis
or under the hood. These accumula-
tions can be a fire hazard.
After driving in mud or sand, clean
and check the brake linings.
Accumulation of mud or sand can
cause glazing and uneven braking.
Check the body structure, steering,
suspension, wheels, tires, and
exhaust system for damage. Also,
check the fuel lines and cooling sys-
tem for any leakage. Your vehicle will
also require more frequent service
due to off-road use.DRIVING TIPS5-30
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You must check the capacity of the
lighting system and electrical equip-
ment for a trailer before connecting
the wires.
Trailer accessory : 120W and below
Turn signal lamp : 27W × 2EA and
below (Total : 4.2 A and below)
Stop lamp : 27W × 2EA and below
(Total : 4.2 A and below)
Position lamp : 5W × 8EA and
below (Total : 3.65 A and below)Driving on grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower
gear before you start down a long or
steep downgrade. If you don’t shift
down, you might have to use your
brakes so much that they would get
hot and no longer operate efficiently.
On a long uphill grade, shift down
and reduce your speed to around 45
mph (70 km/h) to reduce the possibil-
ity of engine and transmission over-
heating.
If your trailer weighs more than 1650
lbs (750 kg) and you have an auto-
matic transmission, you should drive
in D (Drive) when towing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle in D (Drive)
when towing a trailer will minimize
heat buildup and extend the life of
your transmission. If you have a man-
ual transmission, drive in fourth gear
(or, as you need to, a lower gear).
DRIVING TIPS5-40
4
3
2
1
7
6
5
Trailer Connector Back up lamp
Position lamp
Trailer accessory
Turn signal lamp (LH)
Turn siganl lamp (RH)
Stop lamp
EarthTrailer Connector
S2BLA550
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