2007 KIA Optima warning light

Driving your vehicle32
4Parking brake & brake
fluid warning Parking brake warning This light is illuminated when the parking
brake is applied with the ignition switch in
the START or ON position. The warning
light should go off when the parking
brake is released.Low brake fluid level warningIf the warning light remains on, it may
indicate that the brake fluid level in the
reservoir is low.
If the warning light remains on:
1. Drive carefully to the nearest safe
location and stop your vehicle.
2. With the engine stopped, check the brake fluid level immediately and add
fluid as required. Then check all brake
components for fluid leaks.
3. Do not drive the vehicle if leaks are found, the warning light remains on or
the brakes do not operate properly.
Have it towed to any authorized Kia
dealer for a brake system inspection
and necessary repairs.
To check bulb operation, check whether
the parking brake and brake fluid warning
light illuminates when the ignition switch
is in the ON position.
Trunk lid open
warning (if equipped)This warning light activates when the
trunk is not closed securely.Door ajar warningThis warning light illuminates when a
door is not closed securely.Low washer fluid level
warning indicator
(if equipped)This warning light indicates the washer
fluid reservoir is near empty. Refill the
washer fluid as soon as possible.
Low fuel level
warningThis warning light indicates the fuel tank
is nearly empty. The warning light will
come on when the fuel level has dropped
to about 7~8 liters (1.8~2.1 gallons).
Refuel as soon as possible.Headlight high beam
indicator This indicator illuminates when the head-
lights are on and in the high beam posi-
tion or when the turn signal lever is pulled
into the Flash-to-Pass position.Air bag warning
(if equipped) This warning light will blink or illuminate
for approximately 6 seconds each time
you turn the ignition switch to the ON
position.
If this indicator does not go out, or if it illu-
minates while the vehicle is being driven,
see an authorized Kia dealer for immedi-
ate service.
WARNING
Driving the vehicle with a brake
warning light on is dangerous. If the
brake warning light remains on,
have the brakes checked and
repaired immediately by an author-
ized Kia dealer.
AIR
BAG

Driving your vehicle34
4Front fog light
indicator (if equipped) This light comes on when the front fog
lights are ON.Auto cruise indicator
(if equipped)CRUISE indicator
The indicator light illuminates when the
cruise control system is enabled.
SET indicator
The indicator light illuminates when the
cruise function switch (COAST/ SET or
RES/ACCEL) is ON.
Low tire pressure
indicator (if equipped)The low tire pressure indicator comes on
for 3 seconds after the ignition key is
turned to the "ON" position.
If the warning light does not come on, or
continuously remains on after coming on
for about 3 seconds when you turned the
ignition key to the "ON" position, the Tire
Pressure Monitoring System is not work-
ing properly. If this occurs, have your vehi-
cle checked by an authorized Kia dealer as
soon as possible.
This warning light will also illuminate if one
or more of your tires is significantly under-
inflated. You should stop and check your
tires as soon as possible. If the warning
light illuminates while driving, reduce vehi-
cle speed immediately and stop the vehi-
cle. Avoid hard braking and overcorrecting
at the steering wheel. Inflate the tires to the
proper pressure as indicated on the vehi-
cle’ s tire information placard.
TPMS (Tire pressure
monitoring system)
malfunction indicator
(if equipped)TPMS malfunction indicator comes on for
3 seconds after the ignition key is turned to
the "ON" position. If the warning light does
not come on, or continuously remains on
after coming on for about 3 seconds when
you turned the ignition key to the "ON"
position, the Tire Pressure Monitoring
System is not working porperly. If this
occurs, have your vehicle checked by an
authorized Kia dealer as soon as possible.
CRUISESET
TPMS
WARNING
- Low tire pres-
sure
Significantly low tire pressure
makes the vehicle unstable and can
contribute to loss of vehicle control
and increased braking distances.
Continued driving on low pressure
tires will cause the tires to overheat
and fail.

435
Driving your vehicle
The warning light also comes on and stays
on when there is a problem with the Tire
Pressure Monitoring System.
If this happens, the system may not moni-
tor the tire pressure. Have the system
checked by an authorized Kia dealer as
soon as possible.
Safety belt warning chime
(if equipped)If the driver's seat belt is not fastened
when the ignition key is turned “ON”or if
it is disconnected after the key is turn
ON, the safety belt warning chime will
sound for approximately 6 seconds.
If the driver’ s lap/shoulder belt is not fas-
tened when you drive over 10 km/h, the
safety belt warning chime will sound for 6
seconds. This cycle will repeat 11 times
with an interval of 24 seconds between
cycles.Key reminder warning chime
(if equipped)If the driver’ s door is opened and the igni-
tion key is left in the ignition switch, the
key reminder warning chime will sound.
This is to help prevent you from locking
your keys in the vehicle.
WARNING
- Safe stopping
 The TPMS cannot alert you to
severe and sudden tire damage
caused by external factors.
 If you feel any vehicle instability,
immediately take your foot off the
accelerator, apply the brakes
gradually and with light force, and
slowly move to a safe position off
the road.

447
Driving your vehicle
Front windshield deicer (if equipped)To activate the front windshield deicer,
press the front windshield deicer button.
The indicator on the button illuminates
when the deicer is ON.
The front windshield deicer automatically
turns off after 20 minutes or when the
ignition switch is turned off. To turn off the
defroster, press the front windshield
deicer button again.
The front windshield deicer is designed
to defrost wiper blades. If you want to
defrost and defog on the front wind-
shield, refer to “Windshield Defrosting
and Defogging” in this section. The hazard warning flasher causes the
rear tail lights and front turn signal lights
to flash on and off, which serves as a
warning to other drivers to exercise cau-
tion when approaching or passing your
vehicle.
To activate the flasher, depress the haz-
ard warning flasher switch. This switch
operates in any ignition switch position.
To turn the flashers off, depress the
switch again.
OMG045100
OMG065001
HAZARD WARNING FLASHER

Driving your vehicle52
4Air intake control button This is used to select outside (fresh) air
position or recirculated air position.
To change the air intake control position,
push the control button.
Recirculated air position
The indicator light on the but-
ton is illuminated when the
recirculated air position is
selected.
Use this position only for
short period with the recircu-
lated air position selected, air
from passenger compart-
ment will be drawn through
the climate control system
and heated or cooled accord-
ing to the function selected.
Outside (fresh) air position
With the outside (fresh) air
position selected, air enters
the vehicle from outside and
is heated or cooled according
to the function selected.
✽ ✽
NOTICEProlonged use of the air conditioning
with the “recirculated air position”
selected, will result in excessively dry air
in the passenger compartment.
WARNING
- Recirculated
air
 Continued climate control system
operation in the recirculated air
position may allow humidity to
increase inside vehicle which
may fog the glass and obscure
visibility.
 Do not sleep in a vehicle with air
conditioning or heating system
on. It may cause serious harm or
death due to a drop in the oxygen
level and/or body temperature.
 Continued climate control system
operation in the recirculated air
position can slightly reduce oxy-
gen levels which can lead to
cause drowsiness or sleepiness,
and loss of vehicle control. Set
the air intake control to the out-
side (fresh) air position as much
as possible while driving.
OMG045041

459
Driving your vehicle
WARNING -
Recirculated air
 Continued climate control system
operation in the recirculated air
position may allow humidity to
increase inside vehicle which
may fog the glass and obscure
visibility.
 Do not sleep in a vehicle with air
conditioning or heating system
on. It may cause serious harm or
death due to a drop in the oxygen
level and/or body temperature.
 Continued climate control system
operation in the recirculated air
position can slightly reduce oxy-
gen levels which can lead to
cause drowsiness or sleepiness,
and loss of vehicle control. Set
the air intake control to the out-
side (fresh) air position as much
as possible while driving.
OMG045039

Driving tips45BEFORE DRIVING Before entering vehicle: Be sure that all windows, outside mir-ror(s), and outside lights are clean.
 Check the condition of the tires.
 Check under the vehicle for any sign of leaks.
 Be sure there are no obstacles behind you if you intend to back up.Necessary inspections Fluid levels, such as engine oil, engine
coolant, brake fluid, and washer fluid
should be checked on a regular basis,
with the exact interval depending on the
fluid. Further details are provided in
Section 7, Maintenance.
Before starting  Close and lock all doors.
 Position the seat so that all controls areeasily reached.
 Adjust the inside and outside rearview mirrors.
 Be sure that all lights work.
 Check all gauges.
 Check the operation of warning lights when the ignition switch is turned to
the ON position.
 Release the parking brake and make sure the brake warning light goes out.
For safe operation, be sure you are famil-
iar with your vehicle and its equipment.
WARNING
- Driving under
the influence of alcohol or
drugs
Drinking and driving is dangerous.
Drunk driving is the number one
contributor to the highway death
toll each year. Even a small amount
of alcohol will affect your reflexes,
perceptions and judgement. Driving
while under the influence of drugs
is as dangerous or more dangerous
than driving drunk.
You are much more likely to have a
serious accident if you drink or take
drugs and drive.
If you are drinking or taking drugs,
don’t drive. Do not ride with a driv-
er who has been drinking or taking
drugs. Choose a designated driver
or call a cab.

Driving tips65SPECIAL DRIVING CONDITIONSHazardous driving conditions When hazardous driving conditions are
encountered such as water, snow, ice,
mud, sand, or similar hazards, follow
these suggestions:
 Drive cautiously and allow extra dis-tance for braking.
 Avoid sudden movements in braking or steering.
 When braking with non-ABS brakes pump the brake pedal with a light up-
and-down motion until the vehicle is
stopped.  If stalled in snow, mud, or sand, use
second gear. Accelerate slowly to
avoid spinning the drive wheels.
 Use sand, rock salt, tire chains, or other non-slip material under the drive
wheels to provide traction when stalled
in ice, snow, or mud.
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 transaxle or R (Reverse) and any
forward gear in vehicles equipped with
an automatic transaxle. 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
possible damage to the transaxle.✽ ✽ NOTICEProlonged rocking may cause engine
over-heating, transaxle damage or fail-
ure, and tire damage.
CAUTION
- ABS
Do not pump the brake pedal on a
vehicle equipped with ABS.
WARNING
- Downshifting
Downshifting with an automatic
transaxle, while driving on slippery
surfaces can cause an accident.
The sudden change in tire speed
could cause the tires to skid. Be
careful when downshifting on slip-
pery surfaces.
WARNING
- Spinning tires
Do not spin the wheels, especially
at speeds more than 56 km/h (35
mph). Spinning the wheels at high
speeds when the vehicle is station-
ary could cause a tire to overheat,
explode and injure bystanders.