13
Introduction
VEHICLE HANDLING
INSTRUCTIONS
As with other vehicles of this type, failure
to operate this vehicle correctly may
result in loss of control, an accident or
vehicle rollover. Specific design charac-
teristics (higher ground clearance, track,
etc.) give this vehicle a higher center of
gravity than ordinary cars. They are not
designed for cornering at the same
speeds as conventional 2-wheel drive
vehicles. Avoid sharp turns or abrupt
maneuvers. Again, failure to operate this
vehicle correctly may result in loss of
control, an accident or vehicle rollover.
Be sure to read the “on-pavement’’
and “off-road’’ driving guidelines,
Section 5 in this manual.
VEHICLE BREAK-IN PROCESS
No special break-in period is needed. By
following a few simple precautions for the
first 1,000 km (600 miles) you may add to
the performance, economy and life of
your vehicle.
• Do not race the engine.
• Do not maintain a single speed for long
periods of time, either fast or slow.
Varying engine speed is needed to
properly break-in the engine.
• Avoid hard stops, except in emergen-
cies, to allow the brakes to seat prop-
erly.
• Avoid full-throttle starts.
35
Knowing your vehicle
Your vehicle is equipped with an electron-
ic engine immobilizer system to reduce
the risk of unauthorized vehicle use.
Your immobilizer system is comprised of
a small transponder in the ignition key,
and antenna coil in the key cylinder and
Immobilizer Control Unit (or Smartra
Unit).
With this system, whenever you insert
your ignition key into the ignition switch
and turn it to ON, the antenna coil in the
ignition switch receives a signal from the
transponder in the ignition key and then
sends the signal to the ECU (Engine
Control Unit).
The ECU checks the signal whether the
ignition key is valid.
If the key is determined to be valid, the
engine will start.
If the key is determined to be invalid, the
engine will not start.
To deactivate the immobilizer system:
Insert the ignition key into the key cylin-
der and turn it to the ON position.
To activate the immobilizer system:
Turn the ignition key to the OFF position.
The immobilizer system activates auto-
matically. Without a valid ignition key for
your vehicle, the engine will not start.
✽
NOTICE
When starting the engine, do not use the
key with other immobilizer keys around.
Otherwise the engine may not start or
may stop soon after it starts. Keep each
key separately not to have any malfunc-
tion after you receive your new vehicle.
Limp home (override) procedure
When you turn the ignition key to the ON
position, if the IMMO indicator goes off
after blinking 5 times, your transponder
equipped in the ignition key is out of order.
You cannot start the engine without the
lime home procedure. To start the engine,
you have to input your password by using
the ignition switch.
The following procedure is how to input
your password of “2345” as an example.
1. Turn the ignition key to the ON position.
The IMMO indicator ( ) will blink 5
times and go off indicating the begin-
ning of the limp home procedure.
2. Turn the ignition key to the ACC posi-
tion.
3. To enter the first digit (in this example
“2”), turn the ignition key to the ON and
ACC position twice. Perform the same
procedure for the next digits between 3
seconds and 10 seconds (for example,
for “3”, turn the ignition ON and ACC 3
times).
IMMOBILIZER SYSTEM (IF EQUIPPED)
CAUTION
Do not put metal accessories near
the key or ignition switch.
The engine may not start for the
metal accessories may interrupt the
transponder signal from normally
transmitting.
WARNING
In order to prevent theft of your
vehicle, do not leave spare keys
anywhere in your vehicle. Your
Immobilizer password is a cus-
tomer unique password and should
be kept confidential. Do not leave
this number anywhere in your vehi-
cle.
49
Driving your vehicle
Moving up a steep grade from a
standing start
To move up a steep grade from a stand-
ing start, depress the brake pedal, shift
the shift lever to D (Drive). Select the
appropriate gear depending on load
weight and steepness of the grade, and
release the parking brake. Depress the
accelerator gradually while releasing the
service brakes.
When accelerating from a stop on a
steep hill, the vehicle may have a ten-
dency to roll backwards. Shifting the
shift lever into 2 (Second Gear) while
in Sport mode will help prevent the
vehicle from rolling backwards.
Shift lock system
For your safety, the Automatic
Transmission has a shift lock system
which prevents shifting the transmission
out of P (Park) unless the brake pedal is
depressed.
To shift the transmission out of P (Park):
1. Depress and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine or turn the ignition to
the ACC or ON position.
3. Depress the lock release button and
move the shift lever.
When the ignition switch is in the LOCK
position, the transmission cannot be
shifted from P (Park).
If the brake pedal is repeatedly
depressed and released with the shift
lever in the P (Park) position, a chattering
noise near the shift lever may be heard.
This is a normal condition.
Ignition key interlock system
The ignition key cannot be removed
unless the shift lever is in the P (Park)
position. If the ignition switch is in any
other position, the key cannot be
removed.
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.
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
Driving your vehicle
22 4
To release the parking brake, pull the
handle up slightly and push the release
button, then lower the handle to the
released position while holding the but-
ton in.Check the brake warning light by turning
the ignition switch ON (do not start the
engine). This light will be illuminated
when the parking brake is applied with
the ignition switch in the START or ON
position.
Before driving, be sure the parking brake
is fully released and the brake warning
light is off.
If the brake warning light remains on
after the parking brake is released, there
may be a malfunction in the brake sys-
tem. Immediate attention is necessary.
If at all possible, cease driving the vehi-
cle immediately. If that is not possible,
use extreme caution while operating the
vehicle and only continue to drive the
vehicle until you can reach a safe loca-
tion or repair shop.
WARNING- Parking brake
• To prevent unintentional move-
ment when stopped, do not use
just the gear shift lever to hold
the vehicle in position. Set the
parking brake AND make sure the
gearshift lever is securely posi-
tioned in 1st (First) gear or R
(Reverse) for manual transmis-
sion equipped vehicles and in P
(Park) for automatic transmission
equipped vehicles.
• Never allow a person who is unfa-
miliar with the vehicle or children
to touch the parking brake. If the
parking brake is released unin-
tentionally,serious injury may
occur.
E2BLA417W-75
Driving your vehicle
24 4
• Even with the anti-lock brake system,
your vehicle still requires sufficient
stopping distance. Always maintain a
safe distance from the vehicle in front
of you.
• Always slow down when cornering.
The anti-lock brake system cannot pre-
vent accidents resulting from exces-
sive speeds.
• On loose or uneven road surfaces,
operation of the anti-lock brake system
may result in a longer stopping dis-
tance than for vehicles equipped with a
conventional brake system.
✽
NOTICE
When you jump start your vehicle
because of a drained battery, the engine
may not run as smoothly and the ABS
warning light may turn on at the same
time. This happens because of the low
battery voltage. It does not mean your
ABS is malfunctioning.
Do not pump your brakes!
Have the battery recharged before
driving the vehicle.
ABS
W-78
CAUTION
• If the ABS warning light is on and
stays on, you may have a problem
with the ABS system. In this case,
however, your regular brakes will
work normally.
• The ABS warning light will stay
on for approximately 3 seconds
after the ignition switch is ON.
During that time, the ABS will go
through self-diagnosis and the
light will go off if everything is
normal. If the light stays on, you
may have a problem with your
ABS system. Contact an author-
ized Kia dealer as soon as possi-
ble.
CAUTION
• When you drive on a road having
poor traction,such as an icy road,
and operate your brakes continu-
ously, the ABS will be active con-
tinuously and the ABS warning
light may illuminate. Pull your car
over to a safe place and stop the
engine.
•Restart the engine. If the ABS
warning light is off, then your
ABS system is normal.
Otherwise, you may have a prob-
lem with the ABS. Contact an
authorized Kia dealer as soon as
possible.
425
Driving your vehicle
Power steering
Power Steering uses energy from the
engine to assist you in steering the vehi-
cle. If the engine is off or if the power
steering system becomes inoperative,
the vehicle may still be steered, but it will
require increased steering effort.
Should you notice any change in the
effort required to steer during normal
vehicle operation, have the power steer-
ing checked by an Authorized Kia Dealer.
✽
NOTICE
If the power steering drive belt breaks
or if the power steering pump malfunc-
tions, the steering effort will greatly
increase.
✽
NOTICE
If the vehicle is parked for extended
periods outside in cold weather (below -
10°C/14°F), the power steering may
require increased effort when the engine
is first started. This is caused by
increased fluid viscosity due to the cold
weather and does not indicate a mal-
function.
When this happens, increase the engine
RPM by depressing accelerator until the
RPM reaches 1,500 rpm then release or
let the engine idle for two or three min-
utes to warm up the fluid.
STEERING WHEEL
CAUTION
Never hold the steering wheel
against a stop (extreme right or left
turn) for more than 5 seconds with
the engine running. Holding the
steering wheel for more than 5 sec-
onds in either position may cause
damage to the power steering
pump.