2007 KIA Optima Owner's Manual

613
In case of an emergency
TOWINGIf emergency towing is necessary, we
recommend having it done by an author-
ized Kia dealer or a commercial tow-truck
service. Proper lifting and towing proce-
dures are necessary to prevent damage
to the vehicle. The use of wheel dollies or
flatbed equipment is recommended.For trailer towing guidelines information,refer to section 5 “Driving Tips”.
It is acceptable to tow the vehicle with the
rear wheels on the ground (without dol-
lies) and the front wheels off the ground.
When being towed by a commercial tow
truck and wheel dollies are not used, the
front of the vehicle should always be lift-
ed, not the rear.
✽ ✽ NOTICE• Do not tow the vehicle backwards
with the front wheels on the ground as
this may cause damage to the vehicle.
• Do not tow with sling-type equipment. Use wheel lift or flatbed equipment.
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In case of an emergency14
6When towing your vehicle in an emer-
gency without wheel dollies :
1. Set the ignition switch in the ACC posi-
tion.
2. Place the transaxle shift lever in N (Neutral).
3. Release the parking brake.✽ ✽ NOTICEFailure to place the transaxle shift lever
in N (Neutral) may cause internal dam-
age to the transaxle.
Tie-down hook
(for flatbed towing)
CAUTION
Do not use the hooks under the front of the vehicle for towing purposes.
These hooks are designed ONLY for transport tie-down. If the tie-down hooks are used for towing, the tie-down hooks will be damaged and this could leadto serious injury.Tie-down hook
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In case of an emergency
Front towing hook1. Open the trunk lid or rear hatch, andremove the towing hook from the tool
bag.
2. Remove the hole cover pressing the lower part of the cover on the front
bumper (1). 3. Install the towing hook by turning it
clockwise into the hole until it is fully
secured (2).
4. Remove the towing hook and install the cover after use.
Towing with a vehicle other than
a tow truck If towing is necessary, we recommend
you to have it done by an authorized Kia
dealer or a commercial tow truck service.
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In case of an emergency16
6If towing service is not available in an
emergency, your vehicle may be tem-
porarily towed using a cable or chain
secured to the emergency towing hook
under the front or rear of the vehicle. Use
extreme caution when towing the vehicle.
A driver must be in the vehicle to steer it
and operate the brakes.
Towing in this manner may be done only
on hard-surfaced roads for a short dis-
tance and at low speeds. Also, the
wheels, axles, power train, steering and
brakes must all be in good condition.
 Do not use the tow hooks to pull a vehi-
cle out of mud, sand or other condi-
tions from which the vehicle cannot be
driven out under its own power.
 Avoid towing a vehicle heavier than the vehicle doing the towing.
 The drivers of both vehicles should com- municate with each other frequently.✽ ✽ NOTICE• Attach a towing strap to the tow hook.
• Using a portion of the vehicle other
than the tow hooks for towing may
damage the body of your vehicle.
• Use only a cable or chain specifically intended for use in towing vehicles.
Securely fasten the cable or chain to
the towing hook provided.
 Before emergency towing, check that
the hook is not broken or damaged.
 Fasten the towing cable or chain securely to the hook.
 Do not jerk the hook. Apply steady and even force.
 To avoid damaging the hook, do not pull from the side or at a vertical angle.
Always pull straight ahead.
 Use a towing strap less than 5 m (16feet) long. Attach a white or red cloth
(about 30 cm (12 inches) wide) in the
middle of the strap for easy visibility.
 Drive carefully so that the towing strap is not loosened during towing.
CAUTION
Use extreme caution when towingthe vehicle.
 Avoid sudden starts or erratic driving maneuvers which wouldplace excessive stress on theemergency towing hook and tow- ing cable or chain. The hook andtowing cable or chain may break and cause serious injury or dam-age.
 If the towing vehicle does not move easily, do not forcibly continue thetowing. Contact an authorized Kiadealer or a commercial tow truckservice for assistance.
 Tow the vehicle as straight ahead as possible.
 Keep away from the vehicle dur- ing towing.
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617
In case of an emergency
When your vehicle is being towed
by another vehicle other than a tow
truck (in case of an emergency) Turn the ignition switch to ACC so thesteering wheel isn’t locked.
 Place the transaxle shift lever in N (Neutral).
 Release the parking bake.
 Vehicles equipped with automatic transaxles should not exceed 45 km/h
(28 mph) and should not be towed
more than 80 km (50 miles).
 Vehicles equipped with manual transaxle should not be towed in
excess of 88 km/h (55 mph) and
should not be towed more than 645 km
(400 miles).
 Press the brake pedal with more force than normal since you will have
reduced brake performance.
 More steering effort will be required because the power steering system
will be disabled.
 If you are driving down a long hill, the brakes may overheat and brake per-
formance will be reduced. Stop often
and let the brakes cool off.
✽ ✽ NOTICETo prevent internal damage to the
transaxle, never tow your vehicle from
the rear (backwards) with all four tires
in contact with the surface. Tips for towing a stuck vehicleThe following methods are effective
when your vehicle is stuck in mud, sand
or similar substances that prevent the
vehicle from being driven out under its
own power.
 Remove the soil and sand, etc. from
the front and the back of the tires.
 Place a stone or wood under the tires.

In case of an emergency18
6TIRES PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM (TPMS) (IF EQUIPPED)
➀
Low Tire Pressure Indicator
➁
TPMS Malfunction Indicator
Each tire, including the spare, should
be checked monthly when cold and
inflated to the inflation pressure rec-
ommended by the vehicle manufac-
turer on the vehicle placard or tire
inflation pressure label. (If your vehi-
cle has tires of a different size than
the size indicated on the vehicle
placard or tire inflation pressure
label, you should determine the
proper tire inflation pressure for
those tires.) As an added safety feature, your
vehicle has been equipped with a
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS) that illuminates a low tire
pressure indicator when one or more
of your tires is significantly under-
inflated. Accordingly, when the low
tire pressure indicator illuminates,
you should stop and check your tires
as soon as possible, and inflate them
to the proper pressure. Driving on a
significantly under-inflated tire caus-
es the tire to overheat and can lead
to tire failure. Under-inflation also
reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread
life, and may affect the vehicle’s han-
dling and stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a
substitute for proper tire mainte-
nance, and it is the driver’s responsi-
bility to maintain correct tire pres-
sure, even if under-inflation has not
reached the level to trigger illumina-
tion of the TPMS low tire pressure
indicator.
Your vehicle has also been equipped
with a TPMS malfunction indicator to
indicate when the system is not
operating properly. The TPMS mal-
function indicator is a separate indi-
cator, which displays the symbol
"TPMS" when illuminated. When the
malfunction indicator is illuminated,
the system may not be able to detect
or signal low tire pressure as intend-
ed. TPMS malfunctions may occur for
a variety of reasons, including the
installation of replacement or alterna-
tive tires or wheels on the vehicle that
prevent the TPMS from functioning
properly. Always check the TPMS
malfunction indicator after replacing
one or more tires or wheels on your
vehicle to ensure that the replace-
ment or alternate tires and wheels
allow the TPMS to continue to func-
tion properly.
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619
In case of an emergency
Low tire pressure
indicator
When the tire pressure monitoring
system warning indicator is illuminat-
ed, one or more of your tires is sig-
nificantly under-inflated. Immediately
reduce your speed, avoid hard cor-
nering and anticipate increased stop-
ping distances. You should stop and
check your tires as soon as possible.
Inflate the tires to the proper pres-
sure as indicated on the vehicle’s
placard or tire inflation pressure label
located on the driver’s side center pil-
lar outer panel. If you cannot reach a
service station or if the tire cannot
hold the newly added air, replace the
low pressure tire with the compact
spare tire. Because the compact
spare tire is not equipped with a tire
pressure sensor, the TPMS malfunc-
tion indicator may go on and the Low
Tire Pressure indicator may go off
after restarting and about 20 minutes
of continuous driving.
TPMS (Tire pressure
monitoring system)
malfunctionThe TPMS malfunction indicator
comes on and stays on when there is
a problem with the Tire Pressure
Monitoring System. If Front Left sen-
sor fails, the TPMS malfunction indica-
tor comes on, but if Front Right, Rear
Left, or Rear Right tire is under-inflat-
ed, the low tire pressure indicator may
come on with the TPMS malfunction
indicator.
Have the system checked by an
authorized Kia dealer as soon as pos-
sible to determine the cause of the
problem.
WARNING
- Low pressuredamage
Significantly low tire pressure
makes the vehicle unstable and
can contribute to loss of vehicle
control and increased braking
distances.
Continued driving on low pres-
sure tires can cause the tires to
overheat and fail.
TPMS
CAUTION
In winter or cold weather, the low tire pressure indicator maybe illuminated if the tire pres-sure was adjusted to the recom-mended tire inflation pressurein warm weather. It does notmean your TPMS is malfunction-ing because the decreased tem-perature leads to a proportionallowering of tire pressure.
When you drive your vehiclefrom a warm area to a cold areaor from a cold area to a warmarea, or the outside temperatureis greatly higher or lower, youshould check the tire inflationpressure and adjust the tires tothe recommended tire inflationpressure.

In case of an emergency20
6✽
✽
NOTICEThe TPMS malfunction indicator
may be illuminated if the vehicle is
moving around electric power sup-
ply cable or radio transmitter such
as police stations, government and
public offices, broadcasting stations,
military installations, airports, or
transmitting tower, etc. which can
interfere with normal operation of
the Tire Monitoring System
(TPMS).
Changing a tire with TPMSIf you have a flat tire, the Low Tire
Pressure indicator will come on.
Have the flat tire repaired by an
authorized Kia dealer as soon as
possible or replace the flat tire with
the compact spare tire.✽ ✽NOTICENEVER use a puncture-repairing
agent to repair and/or inflate a low
pressure tire. If used, you will have
to replace the tire pressure sensor. Each wheel is equipped with a tire
pressure sensor mounted inside the
tire behind the valve stem. You must
use TPMS specific wheels. It is rec-
ommended that you always have
your tires serviced by an authorized
Kia dealer as soon as possible. After you replace the low pressure
tire with the compact spare tire, the
TPMS malfunction indicator may illu-
minate after restarting and about 20
minutes of continuous driving
because the compact spare tire does
not have a sensor.
Once the low pressure tire is re-inflat-
ed to the recommended pressure
and installed on the vehicle, the
TPMS malfunction indicator and the
low tire pressure indicator will be
extinguished. If the low pressure and
TPMS malfunction indicators are not
extinguished after about 20 minutes
of continuous driving, please visit an
authorized Kia dealer.
You may not be able to identify a low
tire by simply looking at it. Always use
a good quality tire pressure gauge to
measure the tire's inflation pressure.
Please note that a tire that is hot
(from being driven) will have a higher
pressure measurement than a tire
that is cold (from sitting stationary for
at least 3 hours and driven less than
1.6 km (1 mile) during that 3 hour
period). Allow the tire to cool before
measuring the inflation pressure.