2008 KIA Optima parking brake

311
Knowing your vehicle
✽ ✽
NOTICEAlways remove the ignition key, engage
the parking brake, close all windows
and lock all doors when leaving your
vehicle unattended. ✽ ✽
NOTICEIf the door is locked/unlocked multiple
times in rapid succession with either the
vehicle key or door lock switch, the sys-
tem may stop operating temporarily in
order to protect the circuit and prevent
damage to system components.
Operating door locks from inside
the vehicleWith the door lock button To unlock a door, push the door lock
button forward to the “Unlock” position
(red mark on button visible).
To lock a door, push the door lock but-
ton (1) forward to the “Lock” position. If
the door is locked properly, the red
mark (2) on the door lock button will
not be visible.
To open a door, pull the door handle
(3) outward.
If the inner door handle of front door is
pulled when the door lock button is in
lock position, the button is unlocked
and door opens. (if equipped) Front doors cannot be locked if the
ignition key is in the ignition switch and
door is open.
WARNING
- Door lock mal-
function
If a power door lock ever fails to
function while you are in the vehi-
cle, try one or more of the following
techniques to exit:
• Operate the door unlock feature
repeatedly (both electronic and
manual) while simultaneously
pulling on the door handle.
Operate the other door locks and
handles, front and rear.
Lower a front window and use the
key to unlock the door from out-
side.
Lower the rear seats (if
equipped), move to the cargo
area and open the trunk using the
emergency release handle (if
equipped).
OMG035007
Lock
Unlock

Knowing your vehicle12 3With central door lock switch
(if equipped) When pushing down on the front por-
tion (1) of the switch, all vehicle doors
will lock.
When pushing down on the rear por-
tion (2) of the switch, all vehicle doors
will unlock. However, if the key is in the ignition
switch and any front door is open, the
doors will not lock when the front por-
tion of central door lock switch is
pressed.
CAUTION
- Doors
The doors should always be fully
closed and locked while the vehi-
cle is in motion to prevent acci-
dental opening of the door.
Locked doors will also discour-
age potential intruders when the
vehicle stops or slows.
Be careful when opening doors
and watch for vehicles, motorcy-
cles, bicycles or pedestrians
approaching the vehicle in the
path of the door. Opening a door
when something is approaching
can cause damage or injury.
WARNING
- Unlocked vehi-
cles
Leaving your vehicle unlocked can
invite theft or possible harm to you
or others from someone hiding in
your vehicle while you are gone.
Always remove the ignition key,
engage the parking brake, close all
windows and lock all doors when
leaving your vehicle unattended.
WARNING
- Unattended
children
An enclosed vehicle can become
extremely hot, causing death or
severe injury to unattended chil-
dren or animals who cannot escape
the vehicle. Furthermore, children
might operate features of the vehi-
cle that could injure them, or they
could encounter other harm, possi-
bly from someone gaining entry to
the vehicle. Never leave children or
animals unattended in your vehicle.
OMG035008OMG035009
Driver’s doorPassenger’s door (if equipped)

Knowing your vehicle26 3To unfold the rear seat:1. Lift and push the seatback backward
firmly until it clicks into place (1).
2. Return the rear safety belt to the prop-
er position.
✽ ✽
NOTICEBe careful when loading cargo through
the rear passenger seats to prevent dam-
age to the vehicle interior.
OMG035033
1
OMG035042
(if equipped)
CAUTION
When returning the rear seat-
backs to the upright position,
remember to return the rear
shoulder belts to their proper
position.
Do not remove the floor carpet in
your vehicle. Emission control
system components cause high
exhaust temperatures under the
floor.
WARNING
- Cargo danger
Cargo should always be secured to
prevent it from being thrown about
the vehicle in a collision and caus-
ing injury to the vehicle occupants.
CAUTION
- Loading proce-
dure
Make sure the engine is off, the
transaxle is in P (Park) and the
parking brake is applied whenever
loading or unloading cargo. Vehicle
may move if shift lever is inadver-
tently moved to another position
with the engine on.

357
Knowing your vehicle
✽ ✽
NOTICE• If luggage or other objects are placed
on the front passenger's seat or if the
temperature of the seat changes while
the seat is unoccupied, the "PASSEN-
GER AIR BAG OFF" indicator may
blink. These conditions do not indi-
cate a problem.
• Do not put heavy objects on the front
passenger's seat. This may cause front
passenger air bag deployment in the
event of an accident, thus increasing
your repair costs.
(Continued)
Kia does not endorse nor will it
support any changes to any part
or structure of the vehicle that
could affect the advanced air bag
system, including the occupant
classification system.
Specifically, the front passenger
seat, dashboard or door should
not be replaced except by an
authorized Kia dealer using origi-
nal Kia parts designed for this
vehicle and model. Any other
such replacement or modification
could adversely affect the opera-
tion of the occupant classification
system and your advanced air
bags.
For the same reason, do not
attach anything to the seat, dash-
board or door, even temporarily. If
the system is adversely affected,
it could cause severe personal
injuries or death in a collision.
(Continued)
(Continued)
Do not place sharp objects on the
front passenger seat. These can
damage the occupant classifica-
tion system, if they puncture the
seat cushion.
Do not install accessory seat cov-
ers on the front seats, since these
will interfere with proper sensor
operation.
WARNING
The front seat passenger’s air bag
is much larger than the steering
wheel air bag and inflates with
considerably more force. It can
seriously hurt or kill a passenger
who is not in the proper position
and wearing the safety belt prop-
erly. The front passengers
should always move their seat as
far back as practical and sit back
in their seat.
It is essential that the front pas-
sengers always wear their safety
belts when vehicle is in motion,
even when the vehicle is moving
in a parking lot or up a driveway
into garage.
If the driver brakes the vehicle
heavily in urgent situations, occu-
pants will be thrown forward. If
front passengers are not wearing
the safety belts, they will be
directly in front of the air bags
when inflation occurs. In that sit-
uation, severe injury or death is
possible.
(Continued)

4
Ignition switch / 4-2
Starting the engine / 4-3
Manual transaxle / 4-4
Automatic transaxle / 4-6
Brake system / 4-10
Steering wheel / 4-16
Cruise control system / 4-18
Electronic stability control / 4-21
Instrument cluster / 4-24
Gauges / 4-25
Warnings and indicators / 4-30
Compass - Z-Nav™ compass / 4-36
Rear parking assist system / 4-37
Lighting / 4-40
Wipers and washers / 4-43
Defroster / 4-46
Hazard warning flasher / 4-47
Manual climate control system / 4-48
Automatic climate control / 4-55
Windshield defrosting and defogging / 4-63
Driving your vehicle

43
Driving your vehicle
STARTING THE ENGINE 1. Make sure the parking brake is
applied.
2.Manual Transaxle- Depress the
clutch pedal fully and shift the
transaxle into Neutral. Keep the clutch
pedal depressed while turning the
ignition switch to the start position.
The starter will not operate if the
clutch pedal is not fully depressed.
Automatic Transaxle- Place the
transaxle shift lever in P (Park).
Depress the brake pedal fully.
You can also start the engine when
the shift lever is in the N (Neutral)
position.
3. Turn the ignition switch to START and
hold it there until the engine starts (a
maximum of 10 seconds), then
release the key.
4. In extremely cold weather (below
0°F / -18°C) or after the vehicle has
not been operated for several days, let
the engine warm up without depress-
ing the accelerator.
Whether the engine is cold or warm, it
should be started without depressing
the accelerator.✽ ✽
NOTICEDo not engage the starter for more than
10 seconds. If the engine stalls or fails to
start, wait 5 to 10 seconds before re-
engaging the starter. Excessive or
improper use of the starter may damage
it. The starter will not operate if:
Manual Transaxle- the clutch pedal is
not fully depressed.
Automatic Transaxle- the shift lever
is NOT in the P (Park) or N (Neutral)
position.
WARNING
- Ignition key
• Never turn the ignition switch to
LOCK or ACC while the vehicle is
moving. This would result in loss
of directional control and braking
function, which could cause an
accident or collision.
Before leaving the driver’s seat,
always make sure the shift lever
is engaged in 1
stgear for manual
transaxle or P (Park) for automat-
ic transaxle. Then, set the parking
brake fully and shut the engine
off. Unexpected and sudden vehi-
cle movement may occur if these
precautions are not taken.
Never reach for the ignition
switch, or any other controls
through the steering wheel while
the vehicle is in motion. The pres-
ence of your hand or arm in this
area could cause a loss of vehicle
control, an accident and serious
bodily injury or death.
Do not place any movable objects
around the driver’s seat as they
may move while driving, interfere
with the driver and lead to an
accident.
CAUTION -
Stall
If the engine stalls while you are in
motion, do not attempt to move the
shift lever to the P (Park) position. If
traffic and road conditions permit,
you may put the shift lever in the N
(Neutral) position while the vehicle
is still moving and turn the ignition
switch to the START position in an
attempt to restart the engine.
WARNING
Always wear appropriate shoes
when operating your vehicle.
Unsuitable shoes (high heels, ski
boots,etc.) may interfere with your
ability to use the brake and acceler-
ator pedal, and the clutch (if
equipped).

45
Driving your vehicle
To shift into reverse, rest the lever in
neutral for at least 3 seconds after your
car is completely stopped. Then move
the lever into the reverse position.
During cold weather, shifting may be
difficult until the transaxle lubricant has
warmed up. This is normal and not
harmful to the transaxle.
If you've come to a complete stop and
it's hard to shift into 1st or R (Reverse),
put the shift lever in N (Neutral) posi-
tion and release the clutch. Press the
clutch pedal back down, and then shift
into 1st or R (Reverse) gear position.
✽ ✽
NOTICETo avoid premature clutch wear and
damage, do not drive with your foot
resting on the clutch pedal. Also, don’t
use the clutch to hold the vehicle
stopped on an uphill grade, while wait-
ing for a traffic light, etc.
DownshiftingWhen you must slow down in heavy traf-
fic or while driving up steep hills, down-
shift before the engine starts to labor.
Downshifting reduces the chance of
stalling and gives better acceleration
when you again need to increase your
speed. When the vehicle is traveling
down steep hills, downshifting helps
maintain safe speed and prolongs brake
life.
WARNING
- Manual
transaxle
Before leaving the driver’s seat,
always set the parking brake fully
and shut the engine off. Then make
sure the transaxle is shifted into 1
st
gear when the vehicle is parked on
a level or uphill grade, and shifted
into R (Reverse) on a downhill
grade. Unexpected and sudden
vehicle movement can occur if
these precautions are not followed
in the order identified.

Driving your vehicle6 4
Automatic transaxle operationAll normal forward driving is done with
the shift lever in the D (Drive) position.
To move the shift lever from the P (Park)
position, the brake pedal must be
depressed.For smooth operation, depress the brake
pedal when shifting from N (Neutral) to a
forward or reverse gear.
AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE (IF EQUIPPED)
WARNING
- Automatic
transaxle
Before leaving the driver’s seat,
always make sure the shift lever is
in the P (PARK) position; then set
the parking brake fully and shut the
engine off. Unexpected and sudden
vehicle movement can occur if
these precautions are not followed
in the order identified.
OMG045004
Depress the brake pedal when shifting, if your vehicle is equipped shift lock system.
The shift lever can be moved freely.