2008 KIA Sorento steering

Driving tips
18 5
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 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 is
about to stall, and I can’t make it up the
hill?
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 over
hills
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 tips
22 5
If your vehicle slides downhill
If 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 incline
If 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 ice
When 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 water
Light 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 dig
down, not forward, and could
bury the vehicle to the frame.
Smooth, easy power is better
than 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 tips
24 5
After off-road driving
Remove any brush or debris that has col-
lected on the underbody, chassis or
under the hood. These accumulations
can be a fire hazard.
After driving in mud or sand, clean and
check the brake linings. Accumulation of
mud or sand can cause glazing and
uneven braking. Check the body struc-
ture, steering, suspension, wheels, tires,
and exhaust system for damage. Also,
check the fuel lines and cooling system
for any leakage. Your vehicle will also
require more frequent service due to off-
road use.WARNING- Water
Driving through rushing water can
be dangerous. Deep water can
sweep your vehicle downstream
and you and your passengers could
drown. If it’s only inches deep, it
can still wash away the ground from
under your tires, and you could lose
traction and roll the vehicle. Never
drive through rushing water.

535
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
You’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.

In case of an emergency
16 6
If 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 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
vehicle out of mud, sand or other con-
ditions 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
communicate with each other frequent-
ly.• 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.CAUTION
• Attach a towing strap to the tow
hook.
•Using a portion of the vehicle
other than the tow hooks for tow-
ing may damage the body of your
vehicle.
•Use only a cable or chain specifi-
cally intended for use in towing
vehicles. Securely fasten the
cable or chain to the towing hook
provided.
WARNING
Use extreme caution when towing
the vehicle.
• Avoid sudden starts or erratic
driving maneuvers which would
place excessive stress on the
emergency towing hook and tow-
ing cable or chain. The hook and
towing cable or chain may break
and cause serious injury or dam-
age.
• If the towing vehicle can hardly
move, do not forcibly continue
the towing. Contact an Authorized
Kia dealer or a commercial tow
truck service for assistance.
• Tow the vehicle as straight ahead
as possible.
• Keep away from the vehicle dur-
ing towing.

617
In case of an emergency
• Use a towing strap less than 5 m (16
feet) 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.
When your vehicle is being towed
by another vehicle other than a tow
truck (in case of an emergency)
(2WD vehicles or part-time 4WD
vehicles)
• Turn the ignition switch to ACC so the
steering wheel isn’t locked.
• Place the transmission shift lever in N
(Neutral).
• Place the transfer shift knob for part-
time 4WD operation in the 2HI posi-
tion.
• Release the parking bake.
• Vehicle equipped with automatic trans-
missions should not exceed 45 km/h
(28 mph) and should not be towed
more than 80 km (50 miles).
✽
NOTICE
Remove the rear drive shaft if it is nec-
essary to exceed 45 km/h (28 mph)
and/or 80 km (50 miles). If the drive
shaft cannot be removed, stop every 80
km (50 miles) and start the engine.
Allow the engine to idle for a few min-
utes. This will ensure that the transmis-
sion is sufficiently lubricated.
E4BLA613

In case of an emergency
18 6
• 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.
✽
NOTICE
To prevent internal damage to the trans-
mission, never tow your vehicle from the
rear (backwards) with all four tires in
contact with the surface.
Tips for towing a stuck vehicle
The 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.