2006 KIA Sportage danger

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Off-road driving with your
four-wheel drive vehicleOff-road driving can be great fun. But
it has definite hazards. The greatest
of these is the terrain itself.
“Off-roading” means you’ve left the
paved road system behind. Traffic
lanes are not marked. Curves are not
banked.
There are no carefully engineered
road signs to warn you of dangerous
conditions or to advise you of a safe
speed. You have to assess the envi-
ronment yourself. Surfaces can be
slippery, rough, uphill or downhill.
Off-road driving involves learning
new skills. That’s why it’s important
that you read and understand this
section. You’ll find useful driving
information and suggestions. These
will help make your off-road driving
safer and more enjoyable. Before you go off-roading
There are some things to do before
you leave the paved roads. Be sure
to have all necessary maintenance
and service work done beforehand.
Be sure to read all the information
about your four-wheel drive vehicle
in this manual. Is there enough fuel?
Is the spare tire fully inflated? Are the
fluid levels at the proper levels? What
are the local laws that apply to off-
roading where you’ll be driving? If
you don’t know, you should check
with law enforcement people in the
area. Will you be on someone’s pri-
vate land? If so, be sure to get the
necessary permission.
Loading your vehicle for off-road
driving
There are some important items to
remember about how to properly
load your vehicle.
 The heaviest things should be in
the cargo area and forward of your
rear axle. Place heavier items as
far forward as you can.
 Be sure the load is properly secured, so driving over off-road
terrain doesn’t shift your load or
throw items toward the driver or
passengers.
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Driving on off-road hillsOff-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.
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.
WARNING -
Driving on
hills
Many hills are simply too steep
for any vehicle. If you drive up
them, you will stall. If you drive
down them, you can’t control
your speed. In either case, you
could flip over. If you drive
across them, you will roll over.
You could be seriously or fatally
injured. If you have any doubt
about the steepness, don’t drive
up or down the hill, even if it
means that you have to turn
around and find another route.
Re-tracking is a normal part of
safe off-roading.
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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 anoth-
er 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.
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.
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 sitting
on the ground. As you near the
top of a hill, slow down and stay
alert.
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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 transaxle 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 transaxle or P
(Park) for automatic transaxle.
CAUTION -
Stalling
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.
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 downhill
Going downhill can be considerably
more dangerous than driving uphill.
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 beable 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 vehi-
cle under control at all times.
WARNING
- Leaving vehi-
cle
If you are going to leave your
vehicle, set the parking brake
and shift a manual transaxle to
1(First), or an automatic
transaxle 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 down-
hill 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.
CAUTION -
Downhill
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 -
Wheel locking
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
iceWhen 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 steer-
ing, accelerating, 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.
✽ ✽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
- Exiting vehi-
cle
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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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 brak-
ing can easily cause you to slide out
of control.
Driving in waterLight 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 or other competent service
center repack your front wheel bear-
ings and examine your rear-end fluid
for evidence of water.
WARNING
- Frozen sur-
faces
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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