2008 KIA Sorento four wheel drive

4
Ignition switch / 4-2
Starting the engine / 4-4
Automatic transmission / 4-5
Four wheel drive (4WD) / 4-10
Limited slip differential / 4-19
Brake system / 4-20
Steering wheel / 4-25
Cruise control system / 4-27
Electronic stability control / 4-30
Rear parking assist system / 4-33
Instrument cluster / 4-36
Gauges / 4-37
Warnings and indicators / 4-39
Multi-meter / 4-45
Lighting / 4-51
Wipers and washers / 4-54
Defroster / 4-57
Hazard warning flasher / 4-58
Manual climate control system / 4-59
Automatic climate control system / 4-66
Windshield defrosting and defogging / 4-75
Driving your vehicle

Driving your vehicle
10 4
For safe four-wheel drive opera-
tion
• Your vehicle allows you to drive in on-
road and off-road conditions.
• However, do not try to drive in deep
standing water, mud, or over steep
hills.
• When you are driving up or down hills
drive as close to straight up and down
the hill as possible. Use extreme cau-
tion in going up or down steep hills,
since you may flip your vehicle over
depending on the grade, terrain and
water/mud conditions.
• You must learn how to corner in a 4WD
vehicle as soon as possible. Do not
rely on your experience in convention-
al 2WD vehicles in choosing safe cor-
nering speed. You must drive more
slowly.
• Drive off-road carefully because your
vehicle may be damaged by rocks or
roots of trees. Become familiar with the
off-road conditions you are going to
drive before you start.
FOUR WHEEL DRIVE (4WD) (IF EQUIPPED)
WARNING - Four wheel
drive
Driving across the contour of steep
hills can be extremely dangerous.
This danger can come from slight
changes in the wheel angle which
can destabilize the vehicle or, even
if the vehicle is maintaining stabili-
ty under power, it can lose that sta-
bility if the vehicle stops its forward
motion. Your vehicle may roll over
without warning and without time
for you to correct a mistake that
could cause serious injury or death.
WARNING
Reduce speed when you turn cor-
ners. The center of gravity of 4WD
vehicles is higher than that of con-
ventional 2WD vehicles, making
them more likely to roll over when
you turn corners too fast.
WARNING
Do not grab inside of the steering
wheel when you are driving off-
road. Your arm may be hurt by a
sudden steering maneuver or from
steering wheel rebound due to
impact with objects on the ground.
This may cause you to lose steering
wheel control.

413
Driving your vehicle
Part-time 4WD operation
(if equipped)
You can send your engine's driving
power to all front and rear wheels for
maximum power.
Four-wheel drive is useful when you
drive in snow, mud, ice or sand where
good traction is required, or when your
wheels lose traction using two-wheel
drive.When 4WD is selected with the transfer
shift knob, the vehicle will switch to 4WD
operation after a few seconds.
✽
NOTICE
When the vehicle shifts into 4WD mode,
a slight mechanical sound and vibration
may be felt and does not indicate a prob-
lem with the system.
To avoid shift shock, when the vehicle is
stopped and you make a transfer case
shift using the transfer shift knob, wait
until the corresponding indicator light in
the instrument cluster illuminates before
driving.
✽
NOTICE
 Do not select four wheel drive on flat
and normal roads.
 Four-wheel driving on flat roads for a
long period causes poor fuel economy
and noise and it also causes tires to
wear faster.
 Four-wheel driving on flat and nor-
mal roads can result in a severe bind-
ing and chattering condition when
turning the steering wheel.
 Four-wheel driving on flat roads for a
long period can also cause the differ-
ential oil temperature to increase,
resulting in damage to parts in the
power train.
OBL046901N

415
Driving your vehicle
4HI↔
4LO
1. Stop the vehicle.
2. Depress the clutch pedal for the man-
ual transmission or put the shift lever
into N (Neutral) for the automatic
transmission.
3.4HI➝
4LO
: Select the 4LO mode.
4LO➝
4HI
: Select the 4HI mode.
4. Before releasing the clutch pedal
(Manual transmission) or shifting to
other ranges from N range (Automatic
transmission), wait for corresponding
indicator light turns on or off in the
cluster.For safe four-wheel drive opera-
tion
• Your vehicle allows you to drive in on-
road and off-road conditions.
• However, do not try to drive in deep
standing water, mud, or over steep
hills.
• When you are driving up or down hills,
drive as close to straight up and down
the hills as possible. Use extreme cau-
tion in going up or down steep hills,
since you can flip your vehicle over
depending on the grade, terrain and
water/mud conditions.
• Drive off-road carefully because your
vehicle may be damaged by rocks or
roots of trees. Become familiar with the
off-road conditions you are going to
drive before you start.
CAUTION
If the vehicle moves while the trans-
fer shift is in process, the gearbox
may be damaged.
WARNING - Four-wheel
driving
The conditions on-road or off-road
that demand four-wheel drive mean
all functions of your vehicle are
exposed to more extreme stress
than under highway conditions.
Slow down, look ahead, and be
ready for sudden changes in the
composition and traction of the sur-
face under your tires. If you have
any doubt about the safety of the
conditions you are facing,stop and
consider the best way to proceed.
Do not exceed the ability of yourself
or your vehicle to operate safely.
HILL1/HILL2
Approach Hill Straight
Up/DownDo not Approach at
Angle

417
Driving your vehicle
• If you need to drive in water, stop your
vehicle, set your transfer knob to 4LO
or LOW and drive at less than 8 km/h
(5 mph).• Do not drive in water if the level is high-
er than the bottom of the wheel hubs.
• Check your brake condition once you
are out of mud or water. Press the
brake pedal several times as you move
slowly until you feel normal braking
forces return.
• Shorten your scheduled maintenance
interval if you drive off-road in condi-
tions such as sand, mud or water (see
“Scheduled Maintenance’’ in the
Index). Always wash your car thor-
oughly.
• The full time four wheel drive vehicle
cannot be towed by an ordinarily tow
truck. Make sure that the vehicle is
towed with its four wheels raised off the
ground.
• Since the driving torque is always
applied to the 4 wheels the perform-
ance of the 4WD vehicle is greatly
affected by the condition of the tires.
Be sure to equip them with all four tires
with same size and type.
WARNING
If you are driving in heavy wind, the
vehicle’s higher center of gravity
decreases your steering control.
Drive more slowly than you would
in calm conditions.
WARNING- Driving
through water
If you are driving too fast in water,
the water spray can get into the
engine compartment and wet the
ignition system, causing your vehi-
cle to suddenly stop. If this hap-
pens and your vehicle is in a tilted
position, your vehicle may roll over.
WARNING
Your vehicle is equipped with tires
designed to provide for safe ride
and handling capability.
Do not use a size and type of tire
and wheel that is different from the
one that is originally installed on
your vehicle. It can affect the safety
and performance of your vehicle,
which could lead to handling failure
or rollover and serious injury.
When replacing the tires, be sure to
equip all four tires with the tire and
wheel of the same size, type, tread,
brand and load-carrying capacity. If
you nevertheless decide to equip
your vehicle with any tire/wheel
combination not recommended by
Kia for off road driving, you should
not use these tires for highway driv-
ing.

Driving your vehicle
18 4
• For speedometer test or inspection/
maintenance (I/M) program of full-time
4WD vehicle, use a four wheel chassis
dynamometer.• A 4WD vehicle should not be tested on
a 2WD drive roll tester. If a 2WD roll
tester must be used, perform the fol-
lowing:
1. Check the tire pressures recommend-
ed for your vehicle.
2. Place the rear wheels on the roll tester
for speedometer test as shown in the
illustration.
3. Release the parking brake.
4. Place the front wheels on the tempo-
rary free roller as shown in the illustra-
tion.
E5BLA401 Roll tester (speedometer)Temporary free roller
CAUTION
Never engage the parking brake
while performing these tests.
CAUTION
While the full-time 4WD vehicle is
being raised on a jack, never start
the engine or cause the tires to
rotate.
There is the danger that rotating
tires touching the ground could
cause the vehicle to go off the jack
and to jump forward.
If one of the front or rear wheels
begins to spin in mud,snow, etc.
the vehicle can sometimes be driv-
en out by depressing the accelera-
tor pedal further; however avoid
running the engine continuously at
high rpm because doing so could
damage the 4WD system.
WARNING
Keep away from the front of the
vehicle while inspecting. This is
very dangerous as the vehicle can
jump forward and cause serious
injury or death.

5
Fuel requirements / 5-2
Emission control system / 5-3
Before driving / 5-5
Suggestions for economical operation / 5-6
Special driving conditions / 5-7
Using four-wheel drive / 5-11
Vehicle load limit / 5-25
Weight of the vehicle / 5-29
Trailer towing / 5-31
Label information / 5-39
Driving tips

59
Driving tips
Winter driving
• We recommend that you carry emer-
gency equipment, including tire chains,
a window scraper, windshield deicer, a
bag of sand or salt, flares, a small
shovel and jumper cables.
• Make sure you have sufficient ethylene
glycol coolant in the radiator.
• Check the battery condition and
cables. Cold temperatures reduce the
capacity of any battery, so it must be in
excellent condition to provide enough
winter starting power.
• Make sure the engine oil viscosity is
suitable for cold weather.
• Check the ignition system for loose
connections and damage.
• Use antifreeze formulated windshield
washer fluid. (Do not use engine
coolant antifreeze.)
• Do not use the parking brake if it might
freeze. When parking, shift to 1 (First)
or R (Reverse) with a manual trans-
mission or P (Park) with an automatic
transmission and block the rear
wheels.
Snow tires
If you mount snow tires on your Kia,
make sure they are radial tires of the
same size and load range as the original
tires. Mount snow tires on all four wheels
to balance your vehicle’s handling in all
weather conditions. Keep in mind that the
traction provided by snow tires on dry
roads may not be as high as your vehi-
cle's original equipment tires. You should
drive cautiously even when the roads are
clear. Check with the tire dealer for max-
imum speed recommendations.
Do not install studded tires without first
checking local, state and municipal regu-
lations for possible restrictions against
their use.
Driving in flooded areas
Avoid driving through flooded areas
unless you are sure the water is no high-
er than the bottom of the wheel hub.
Drive through any water slowly. Allow
adequate stopping distance because
brake performance may be affected.
After driving through water, dry the
brakes by gently applying them several
times while the vehicle is moving slowly.
WARNING - Snow tire size
Snow tires should be equivalent in
size and type to the vehicle's stan-
dard tires. Otherwise, the safety and
handling of your vehicle may be
adversely affected.