2008 KIA Spectra Owner's Manual

Driving your vehicle
12 4
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Disc brakes wear indicator
Your vehicle has disc brakes.
When your brake pads are worn and
it's time for new pads, you will hear a
high-pitched warning sound from
your front brakes or rear brakes (if
equipped). You may hear this sound
come and go or it may occur when-
ever you depress the brake pedal.
Please remember that some driving
conditions or climates may cause a
brake squeal when you first apply (or
lightly apply) the brakes. This is nor-
mal and does not indicate a problem
with your brakes.
WARNING- Brake wear
This brake wear warning sound
means your vehicle needs serv-
ice. If you ignore this audible
warning, you will eventually lose
braking performance, which
could lead to a serious accident.
CAUTION
Always replace brake pads as
complete front or rear axle sets.
(Continued)
• Wet brakes may result in the
vehicle not slowing down at
the usual rate and pulling to
one side when the brakes are
applied. Applying the brakes
lightly will indicate whether
they have been affected in this
way. Always test your brakes
in this fashion after driving
through deep water. To dry the
brakes, apply them lightly
while maintaining a safe for-
ward speed until brake per-
formance returns to normal.CAUTION
To avoid costly brake repairs,do
not continue to drive with worn
brake pads.

413
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Driving your vehicle
Parking brake
To engage the parking brake, first
apply the foot brake and then without
pressing the release button in, pull
the parking brake lever up as far as
possible. In addition it is recommend-
ed that when parking the vehicle on
a gradient, the shift lever should be
positioned in the appropriate low
gear on manual transaxle vehicles or
in the P (Park) position on automatic
transaxle vehicles.To release the parking brake, first
apply the foot brake and pull up the
parking brake lever slightly.
Secondly, depress the release button
and lower the parking brake lever
while holding the button.
✽
NOTICE
If you depress the release button
without pulling up the parking
brake lever, you will not be able to
release the parking brake.
WARNING- Parking brake
• To prevent unintentional
movement when stopped and
leaving the vehicle, do not use
the gearshift lever in place of
the parking brake. Set the
parking brake AND make sure
the gearshift lever is securely
positioned in 1st (First) gear
or R (Reverse) for manual
transaxle equipped vehicles
and in P (Park) for automatic
transaxle equipped vehicles.
• Never allow a person who is
unfamiliar with the vehicle or
children to touch the parking
brake. If the parking brake is
released unintentionally,seri-
ous injury may occur.
OLD036031OLD036030
CAUTION
Driving with the parking brake
applied will cause excessive
brake pad and brake rotor wear.

Driving your vehicle
14 4
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
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 system. Immediate attention is
necessary.
If at all possible, cease driving the
vehicle immediately. If that is not pos-
sible, use extreme caution while
operating the vehicle and only con-
tinue to drive the vehicle until you
can reach a safe location or repair
shop.
Parking on curbed streets
• When parking your vehicle on an
uphill grade, park as close to the
curb as possible and turn the front
wheels away from the curb so that
the front wheels will contact the
curb if the vehicle moves back-
ward.
• When parking your vehicle on a
downhill grade, park as close to the
curb as possible and turn the front
wheels toward the curb so that the
front wheels will contact the curb if
the vehicle moves forward.
W-75

415
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Driving your vehicle
Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
(if equipped)The ABS system continuously sens-
es the speed of the wheels. If the
wheels are going to lock, the ABS
system repeatedly modulates the
hydraulic brake pressure to the
wheels.
When you apply your brakes under
conditions which may lock the
wheels, you may hear a “tik-tik’’
sound from the brakes, or feel a cor-
responding sensation in the brake
pedal. This is normal and it means
your ABS system is active.
In order to obtain the maximum ben-
efit from your ABS system in an
emergency situation, do not attempt
to modulate your brake pressure and
do not try to pump your brakes.
Press your brake pedal as hard as
possible or as hard as the situation
warrants and allow the ABS system
to control the force being delivered to
the brakes.
WARNING- ABS Brakes
Your ABS is not a substitute for
good driving judgement. You
can still have an accident. In
fact, your ABS system will prob-
ably not be able to prevent an
accident in the following driving
conditions:
• Dangerous driving,such as
neglecting safety precautions,
speeding, or driving too close
to the vehicle in front of you.
• Driving at high speed in situa-
tions providing considerably
less traction,such as wet con-
ditions where hydroplaning
could occur.
(Continued)
(Continued)
• Driving too fast on poor road
surfaces. The ABS is designed
to improve maximum braking
effectiveness on typical high-
ways and roads in good con-
dition. On poor road surfaces
in poor condition, the ABS
may actually reduce braking
effectiveness.

Driving your vehicle
16 4
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
• Even with the anti-lock brake sys-
tem, your vehicle still requires suf-
ficient 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
prevent accidents resulting from
excessive speeds.
• On loose or uneven road surfaces,
operation of the anti-lock brake
system may result in a longer stop-
ping distance than for vehicles
equipped with a conventional
brake system.
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 reg-
ular brakes will work normally.
• The ABS warning light will stay
on for approximately 3 sec-
onds after the ignition switch
is ON. During that time, the
ABS will go through self-diag-
nosis and the light will go off if
everything is normal. If the
light stays on, you may have a
problem with your ABS sys-
tem. Contact an authorized Kia
dealer as soon as possible.
CAUTION
• When you drive on a road hav-
ing poor traction,such as an
icy road, and operate your
brakes continuously, the ABS
will be active continuously
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
problem with the ABS.
Contact an authorized Kia
dealer as soon as possible.

417
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Driving your vehicle
✽
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 malfunc-
tioning.
• Do not pump your brakes!
• Have the battery recharged before
driving the vehicle.

Driving your vehicle
18 4
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Power steering
Power Steering uses energy from the
engine to assist you in steering the
vehicle. 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
steering checked by an Authorized
Kia Dealer.
✽
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 start-
ed. This is caused by increased fluid
viscosity due to the cold weather and
does not indicate a malfunction.
When this happens, increase the
engine RPM by depressing accelera-
tor until the RPM reaches 1,500 rpm
then release or let the engine idle for
two or three minutes 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 run-
ning. Holding the steering
wheel for more than 5 sec-
onds in either position may
cause damage to the power
steering pump.
• If the power steering drive belt
breaks or if the power steering
pump malfunctions, the steer-
ing effort will greatly increase.

419
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Driving your vehicle
Tilt steering (if equipped)
A tilt steering wheel allows you to
adjust the steering wheel before you
drive. You can also raise it to the
highest level to give your legs more
room when you exit and enter the
vehicle.
The steering wheel should be posi-
tioned so that it is comfortable for
you to drive, while permitting you to
see the instrument panel warning
lights and gauges.To change the steering wheel angle,
pull down (
1) the lock release lever,
adjust the steering wheel to the
desired angle (
2), then pull up the
lock-release lever to lock the steering
wheel in place.
Be sure to adjust the steering wheel
to the desired position before driving.
WARNING
• Never adjust the angle of
steering wheel while driving.
You may lose your steering
control and cause severe per-
sonal injury or accidents.
• After adjusting, push the
steering wheel both up and
down to be certain it is locked
in position.
OLD026076