2006 KIA Sorento warning light

Rocking the Vehicle
If it is necessary to rock the vehicle to
free it from snow, sand, or mud, first
turn the steering wheel right and left
to clear the area around your front
wheels. Then, shift back and forth
between 1 (First) and R (Reverse) in
vehicles equipped with a manual
transmission or R (Reverse) and any
forward gear in vehicles equipped
with an automatic transmission. Do
not race the engine, and spin the
wheels as little as possible. If you are
still stuck after a few tries, have the
vehicle pulled out by a tow vehicle to
avoid engine overheating and possi-
ble damage to the transmission,
transfer case (if equipped), or differ-
ential.Driving at Night
Because night driving presents many
more hazards than driving in the day-
light, here are some important tips to
remember:
 Slow down and keep more distance
between you and other vehicles, as
it may be more difficult to see at
night, especially in areas where
there may not be any street lights.
 Adjust your mirrors to reduce the
glare from other driver’s headlights.
 Keep your headlights clean and
properly aimed. Dirty or improperly
aimed headlights will make it much
more difficult to see at night.
 Avoid staring directly at the head-
lights of oncoming vehicles. You
could be temporarily blinded, and it
will take several seconds for your
eyes to readjust to the darkness.
DRIVING TIPS
5-9
✽ ✽
NOTICEProlonged rocking may cause
engine over-heating, transmission
or transfer case (if equipped) dam-
age or failure, and tire damage.
WARNING- Spinning Tires
Do not spin the wheels, espe-
cially at speeds more than 35
mph (56 km/h). Spinning the
wheels at high speeds when the
vehicle is stationary could
cause a tire to overheat,
explode and injure bystanders.
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When you drive over bumps, rocks,
or other obstacles, your wheels can
leave the ground. If this happens,
even with one or two wheels, you
can’t control the vehicle as well or
perhaps at all. Because you will be on
an unpaved surface, it’s especially
important to avoid sudden accelera-
tion, sudden turns, or sudden brak-
ing. Any of these actions could cause
the center of gravity of the vehicle to
shift and destabilize the vehicle, lead-
ing to a collision or rollover accident.
Off-road driving requires a different
kind of alertness from driving on
paved roads and highways. There are
no road signs, posted speed limits or
signal lights. You have to use your
own judgment about what is safe and
what isn’t. Bad judgment in this
uncontrolled environment can be
fatal.Driving on Off-Road Hills
Off-road driving often takes you up,
down, or across a hill. Driving safely
on hills requires excellent judgment
and an understanding of what your
vehicle can and can’t do. There are
some hills that simply should not be
driven.DRIVING TIPS5-20
WARNING- Drinking & Driving
Drinking and driving, or drug
use and driving can be very
dangerous on any road. This
certainly remains true for off-
road driving. At the very time
you need special alertness and
driving skills, your reflexes, per-
ceptions and judgement can be
affected by even a small amount
of alcohol or drugs. You could
have a serious - or even fatal -
accident if you drink or take
drugs and drive or ride with a
driver who has been drinking or
taking drugs.
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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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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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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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Backing up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel
with one hand. Then, to move the
trailer to the left, just move your hand
to the left. To move the trailer to the
right, move your hand to the right.
Always back up slowly and, if possi-
ble, have someone guide you.
Making turns
When you’re turning with a trailer,
make wider turns than normal. Do
this so your trailer won’t strike soft
shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees,
or other objects. Avoid jerky or sud-
den maneuvers. Signal well in
advance.Turn signals when towing a trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle
has to have a different turn signal
flasher and extra wiring.
The green arrows on your instrument
panel will flash whenever you signal a
turn or lane change. Properly con-
nected, the trailer lights will also flash
to alert other drivers that you’re about
to turn, change lanes, or stop.
When towing a trailer, the green
arrows on your instrument panel will
flash for turns even if the bulbs on the
trailer are burned out. Thus, you may
think drivers behind you are seeing
your signals when, in fact, they are
not. It’s important to check occasion-
ally to be sure the trailer bulbs are still
working. You must also check the
lights every time you disconnect and
then reconnect the wires.Do not connect a trailer lighting sys-
tem directly to your vehicle’s lighting
system.
Use only an approved trailer wiring
harness. Your authorized Kia dealer
can assist you in installing the wiring
harness.
DRIVING TIPS
5-39
WARNING
Using an improper trailer wiring
harness could lead to malfunc-
tioning of your vehicles electri-
cal system and a possible acci-
dent.
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ROAD WARNINGHazard Warning Flasher
The hazard warning flasher serves
as a warning to other drivers to exer-
cise extreme caution when approach-
ing, overtaking, or passing your vehi-
cle. It should be used whenever
emergency repairs are being made,
when the vehicle is stopped near the
edge of a roadway, or whenever your
vehicle is in distress.Depress the flasher switch to activate
at any time. The flasher switch is
located in the center console switch
panel. All turn signal lights will flash
simultaneously.
• The hazard warning flasher oper-
ates whether your vehicle is run-
ning or not.
 The turn signals do not work when
the hazard flasher is on.
 Care must be taken when the haz-
ard warning flasher is used while
the vehicle is being towed. Local
regulations may prohibit using it in
this manner.IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY6-2
AU TO
AUTO AMB
OFF TEMPMODE
AMB
A/C
A/C
L
R
H
M
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF
5BLC601A
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ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT
PROTECTIONFuses
A vehicle’s electrical system is pro-
tected from electrical overload dam-
age by fuses.
This vehicle has two fuse panels, one
located in the driver’s side kick panel,
the other in the engine compartment
near the battery.If any of your vehicle’s lights, acces-
sories, or controls do not work, check
the appropriate circuit fuse. If a fuse
has blown, the element inside the
fuse will be melted.
Always replace a blown fuse with one
of the same rating.
If the same fuse blows again, avoid
using the system involved and imme-
diately consult an authorized Kia
dealer.
Two kinds of fuses are used: stan-
dard for lower amperage rating and
main for higher amperage ratings.Fuse Replacement
If the electrical system does not work,
first check the driver’s side fuse
panel.
IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY
6-7
S2BLD313
StandardMain fuseNormal
Blown
NormalBlown
WARNING- Fuse Replacement
 Never replace a fuse with any-
thing but another fuse of the
same rating.
 A higher capacity fuse could
cause damage and possibly a
fire.
 Never install a wire instead of
the proper fuse – even as a
temporary repair. It may cause
extensive wiring damage and
possibly a fire.
 Do not use a screwdriver or
any other metal object to
remove fuses because it may
cause a short circuit and dam-
age the system.
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