2007 KIA Sorento light

Driving tips16
5
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, percep-
tions and judgement can be affect-
ed by even a small amount of alco-
hol or drugs. You could have a seri-
ous - or even fatal - accident if you
drink or take drugs and drive or ride
with a driver who has been drinking
or taking drugs.
Surface obstaclesUnseen or hidden obstacles can be haz-
ardous. A rock, log, hole, rut, or bump
can startle you if you’re not prepared.
Often these obstacles are hidden 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 down-
hill?
 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 pre-
pared. 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
acceleration, sudden turns, or sudden
braking. 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 tips18
5Driving uphillOnce 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 spin-
ning 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 visible to
other drivers.
Stalling while driving uphill
What should I do if my vehicle stalls, or isabout to stall, and I can’t make it up thehill?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 vehi- cle 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 trans-
mission 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.
WARNING -
Driving across
hills
Turning or driving across steep
hills can be dangerous. You could
lose traction, slide sideways, 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 overhills
Driving to the top (crest) of a hill at
full speed can cause an accident
and result in serious or fatal injury.
There could be a drop-off, embank-
ment, cliff, another vehicle or peo-
ple sitting on the ground. As you
near the top of a hill, slow down and
stay alert.

Driving tips20
5Driving downhillGoing 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 be
able to maintain vehicle control?
 What’s the surface like? Smooth? Rough? Slippery? Hard-packed dirt?
Gravel?
 Are there hidden surface obstacles? 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 condi- tions and their effect on the terrain
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
vehicle under control at all times. 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 direc-
tion, just ease off the brakes and steer to
keep the front of the vehicle pointing
straight downhill.
WARNING
- Braking
Heavy braking when going down a
hill can cause your brakes to over-
heat and fade. This could cause
loss of control and a serious acci-
dent. Apply the brakes lightly when
descending a hill and use a low
gear to keep vehicle speed under
control.
WARNING
- 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.
WARNING
- Downhill
Before beginning to go downhill, 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
occupants, or interfere with your
ability to control the vehicle.

Driving tips22
5If your vehicle slides downhillIf you feel your vehicle starting to slide
sideways, turn downhill immediately. This
should help straighten out the vehicle
and prevent the side slipping. 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 inclineIf your vehicle stalls when you’re crossing
an incline, be sure you (and your pas-
sengers) 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 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 steering, accelerating, and
braking. You may want to reduce the air
pressure in your tires slightly when driv-
ing on sand. This will improve traction.
Remember to re-inflate them the first
chance that you have after you leave the
loosely packed sand.
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.

523
Driving tips
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 moving, poor steering and
difficult braking can easily cause you to
slide out of control.
Driving in waterLight rain causes no special off-road driv-
ing problems. However, heavy rain can
cause flash flooding, and flood waters
demand extreme caution.
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 bear-
ing hubs, it may be a good idea to have
an Authorized Kia dealer or other com-
petent service center repack your front
wheel bearings and examine your rear-
end fluid for evidence of water.
CAUTION
 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 digdown, not forward, and couldbury the vehicle to the frame. Smooth, easy power is betterthan too much power.
WARNING
- Frozen sur-
faces
Driving on frozen lakes, ponds or
rivers can be dangerous.
Underwater springs, currents under
the ice, or sudden thaws can weak-
en the ice. Your vehicle could fall
through the ice and you and your
passengers could drown. Drive
your vehicle on safe surfaces only.

Driving tips32
5Remember that trailering is different than
just driving your vehicle by itself.
Trailering causes major changes in han-
dling, durability, and fuel economy.
Successful, safe trailering requires cor-
rect equipment, and cautious driving.
This section contains many time-tested,
important trailering tips and safety rules.
Many of these are important for your
safety and that of your passengers.
Please read this section carefully before
you pull a trailer.
Load-pulling components such as the
engine, transmission, wheel assemblies,
and tires are forced to work harder
against the load of the added weight. The
engine is required to operate at relatively
higher speeds and under greater loads.
This additional burden generates extra
heat. The trailer also adds considerably
to wind resistance, increasing the pulling
requirements.
If you do decide to pull a trailerHere are some important points if you
decide to pull a trailer:
 State, provincial, county and municipal
government have varying trailering
laws. Make sure your hitch, mirrors,
lights and wiring arrangements are
legal, not only where you live, but also
where you’ll be driving. A good source
for this information is state or local law
enforcement agencies.
 Consider using a sway control. You can
ask a hitch dealer about sway control.
 After your odometer indicates 800 km
(500 miles) or more, you can tow a
trailer. For the first 800 km (500 miles)
that you tow a trailer, don ’t drive over
80 km/h (50 mph) and don’t make
starts at full throttle. This helps your
engine and other parts of your vehicle
“wear” in at the heavier loads.
 Always drive your vehicle at a moder-
ate speed (less than 100 km/h (60
mph)).
 On a long uphill grade, do not exceed
70 km/h (45 mph) or the posted towing
speed limit, whichever is lower.
 The important considerations have to
do with weight:
Weight of the trailerHow heavy can a trailer safely be? It
should never weigh more than the maxi-
mum trailer weight with trailer brakes. But
even that can be too heavy.
It depends on how you plan to use your
trailer. For example, speed, altitude, road
grades, outside temperature and how
much your vehicle is used to pull a trailer
are all important. The ideal trailer weight
can also depend on any special equip-
ment that you have on your vehicle.

Driving tips34
5Safety chains You should always attach chains
between your vehicle and your trailer.
Cross the safety chains under the tongue
of the trailer so that the tongue will not
drop to the road if it becomes separated
from the hitch.
Instructions about safety chains may be
provided by the hitch manufacturer or by
the trailer manufacturer. Follow the man-
ufacturer’ s recommendation for attaching
safety chains. Always leave just enough
slack so you can turn with your trailer.
And, never allow safety chains to drag on
the ground.
Trailer brakes If your trailer weighs more than the max-
imum trailer weight without trailer brakes
loaded, then it needs its own brakes and
they must be adequate. Be sure to read
and follow the instructions for the trailer
brakes so you’ll be able to install, adjust
and maintain them properly.
 Don’t tap into your vehicle's brake sys-
tem.
Driving with a trailer Towing a trailer requires a certain
amount of experience. Before setting out
for the open road, you must get to know
your trailer. Acquaint yourself with the
feel of handling and braking with the
added weight of the trailer. And always
keep in mind that the vehicle you are
driving is now a good deal longer and not
nearly so responsive as your vehicle is
by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer hitch
and platform, safety chains, electrical
connector(s), lights, tires and mirror
adjustment. If the trailer has electric
brakes, start your vehicle and trailer mov-
ing and then apply the trailer brake con-
troller by hand to be sure the brakes are
working. This lets you check your electri-
cal connection at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally to be
sure that the load is secure, and that the
lights and any trailer brakes are still work-
ing.
WARNING -
Trailer brakes
Do not use a trailer with its own
brakes unless you are absolutely
certain that you have properly set
up the brake system. This is not a
task for amateurs. Use an experi-
enced, competent trailer shop for
this work.

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Driving tips
Following distance Stay at least twice as far behind the vehi-
cle ahead as you would when driving
your vehicle without a trailer. This can
help you avoid situations that require
heavy braking and sudden turns.Passing Yo u’ll need more passing distance up
ahead when you’ re towing a trailer. And,
because you’ re a good deal longer, you’ll
need to go much farther beyond the
passed vehicle before you can return to
your lane.
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 possible, 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 sudden 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
connected, the trailer lights will also flash
to alert other drivers 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 occasionally to be sure the trail-
er bulbs are still working. You must also
check the lights every time you discon-
nect and then reconnect the wires.