2008 KIA Sportage Owner's Manual

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Driving your vehicle
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Moving up a steep grade from
a standing start
To move up a steep grade from a
standing start, depress the brake
pedal, shift the shift lever to D
(Drive). Select the appropriate gear
depending on load weight and steep-
ness of the grade, and release the
parking brake. Depress the accelera-
tor gradually while releasing the ser-
vice brakes.
When accelerating from a stop on
a steep hill, the vehicle may have a
tendency 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
Transaxle has a shift lock system
which prevents shifting the transaxle
out of P (Park) unless the brake
pedal is depressed.
To shift the transaxle out of P (Park):
1. Depress and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine or turn the ignition
to the ON position.
3. Depress the lock release button
and move the shift lever.
When the ignition switch is in the
ACC or LOCK position, the transaxle
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 con-
dition.
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 can-
not be removed.

Driving your vehicle
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Engine power can be delivered to all
front and rear wheels for maximum
traction. Full-time 4WD is useful
when extra traction is required on
road, such as, when driving on slip-
pery, muddy, wet, or snow-covered
roads. These vehicles are not
designed for challenging off-road
use. Occasional off-road use such as
established unpaved roads and trails
is OK. It is always important when
traveling off-highway that the driver
carefully reduce speed to a level that
does not exceed the safe operating
speed for those conditions. In gener-
al, off-road conditions provide less
traction and braking effectiveness
than normal road conditions. The dri-
ver must be especially alert to avoid
driving on slopes which tilt the vehi-
cle to either side.These factors must be carefully con-
sidered when driving off-road.
Keeping the vehicle in contact with
the driving surface and under control
in these conditions is always the dri-
ver's responsibility for the safety of
him/herself and his or her passen-
gers.
FOUR WHEEL DRIVE (4WD) (IF EQUIPPED)
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WARNING - Off road dri-
ving
This vehicle is designed primar-
ily for on road use although it
can operate effectively off road.
However it was not designed for
driving in challenging off-road
conditions.Driving in condi-
tions that exceed the vehicle's
intended design or the driver's
experience level may result in
severe injury or death.1KMA3053 4WD
1KMA3054
2WDFront wheel
Front wheel Rear wheel

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Driving your vehicle
Four Wheel Drive (4WD) transfer mode selection
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Transfer mode Selection button Indicator light Description
• This mode is used for climbing or descending sharp grades,
off-road driving, driving on sandy and muddy roads etc. to
maximize traction.
• This mode automatically begins to deactivate at speed above
30 km/h (19 mph) and is shifted to 4WD AUTO mode at
speed above 40 km/h (25 mph). If the vehicle decelerates to
speeds below 30 km/h (19 mph), however, the transfer mode
is shifted into 4WD LOCK mode again.
• When driving in AUTO mode, the vehicle operates similar to
the conventional 2WD vehicles under normal operating con-
ditions. However, if the system determines that there is a
need for the 4WD mode, the engine’s driving power is dis-
tributed to all four wheels automatically without driver inter-
vention.
• When driving on normal roads and pavement, the vehicle
moves similar to the conventional 2WD vehicles.
4WD
LOCK
4WD LOCK
4WD AUTO
(4WD LOCK is
deactivated)
4WD
LOCK
(Indicator light is
not illuminated) (Indicator light is
illuminated)
✽
NOTICE
• When driving on normal roads, deactivate the 4WD LOCK mode by pushing the 4WD LOCK button(the indica-
tor light goes off). Driving on normal roads with 4WD LOCK mode(especially, when cornering) may cause
mechanical noise or vibration. The noise and vibration will disappear when the 4WD LOCK mode is deactivated.
Some parts of the power train may be damaged by prolonged driving with the noise and vibration.
• When the 4WD LOCK mode is deactivated, a shock may be felt as the drive power delivered entirely to the front
wheels. This shock is not a mechanical failure.

Driving your vehicle
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For safe four-wheel drive oper-
ation
• Do not try to drive in deep standing
water or mud since such conditions
can stall your engine and clog your
exhaust pipes. Do not drive down
steep hills since it requires extreme
skill to maintain control of the vehi-
cle.• When you are driving up or down
hills drive as close to straight up
and down the hill as possible. Use
extreme caution in going up or
down steep hills, since you may flip
your vehicle over depending on the
grade, terrain and water/mud con-
ditions.
WARNING - Hills
Driving across the contour of
steep hills can be extremely
dangerous.This danger can
come from slight changes in the
wheel angle which can destabi-
lize the vehicle or, even if the
vehicle is maintaining stability
under power,it can lose that
stability if the vehicle stops its
forward motion.Your vehicle
may roll over without warning
and without time for you to cor-
rect a mistake that could cause
serious injury or death.
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 nor-
mal road conditions.Slow down
and be ready for changes in the
composition and traction of the
surface 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 vehi-
cle to operate safely.
HILL1HILL2

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Driving your vehicle
• You must consciously take the
effort to learn how to corner in a
4WD vehicle. Do not rely on your
experience in conventional 2WD
vehicles in choosing safe cornering
speed in 4WD mode. For starters,
you must drive more slowly in
4WD.
• Drive carefully off-road because
your vehicle may be damaged by
rocks or roots of trees. Become
familiar with the off-road conditions
where you are going to drive
before you begin driving.• Always hold the steering wheel
firmly when you are driving off-
road.
• Make sure all passengers are
wearing seat belts.
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WARNING - 4WD
Reduce speed when you turn
corners.The center of gravity of
4WD vehicles is higher than that
of conventional 2WD vehicles,
making them more likely to roll
over when you turn corners too
fast.
WARNING - Steering
wheel
Do not grab inside of the steer-
ing 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.You could lose con-
trol of the steering wheel.
1KMN4415

Driving your vehicle
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• If you need to drive in water, stop
your vehicle, set your transfer to
“4WD LOCK” and drive at less than
8 km/h (5 mph).
✽
NOTICE
• Do not drive in water if the level is
higher than the bottom of the vehi-
cle.
• 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 nor-
mal braking forces return.
• Shorten your scheduled mainte-
nance interval if you drive in off-
road conditions such as sand, mud
or water (see “Maintenance
Schedule” in the Index). Always
wash you car thoroughly after off
road use, especially cleaning the
under side of the vehicle.
• Since the driving torque is always
applied to the 4 wheels the perfor-
mance of the 4WD vehicle is great-
ly affected by the condition of the
tires. Be sure to equip the vehicle
with four tires of the same size and
type.
• A full time four wheel drive vehi-
cle cannot be towed by an ordi-
nary tow truck. Make sure that
the vehicle is placed on a flat bed
truck for moving.WARNING - Wind danger
If you are driving in heavy wind,
the vehicle's higher center of
gravity decreases your steering
control capacity and requires
you to drive more slowly.WARNING - Driving
through water
Drive slowly.If you are driving
too fast in water, the water spray
can get into the engine com-
partment and wet the ignition
system, causing your vehicle to
suddenly stall.If this happens
and your vehicle is in a tilted
position, your vehicle may roll
over.

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Driving your vehicle
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WARNING - 4WD driving
•Avoid high cornering speed.
• Do not make quick steering
wheel movements,such as
sharp lane changes or fast,
sharp turns.
• The risk of rollover is greatly
increased if you lose control
of your vehicle at high speed.
• In a collision, an unbelted per-
son is significantly more likely
to die compared to a person
wearing a seat belt.
•Loss of control often occurs if
two or more wheels drop off
the roadway and the driver
over steers
to re-enter the
roadway.In the event your
vehicle leaves the roadway, do
not steer sharply.Instead,
slow down before pulling back
into the travel lanes.
WARNING - Jacked vehi-
cle
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.WARNING
Your vehicle is equipped with
tires designed to provide for
safe ride and handling capabili-
ty.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 perfor-
mance 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 ti
re 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 driving.
CAUTION - Mud or snow
If one of the front or rear wheels
begins to spin in mud,snow,
etc.the vehicle can sometimes
be driven out by depressing the
accelerator pedal further; how-
ever avoid running the engine
continuously at high rpm
because doing so could dam-
age the 4WD system.

Driving your vehicle
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Power brakes
Your vehicle has power-assisted
brakes that adjust automatically
through normal usage.
In the event that the power-assisted
brakes lose power because of a
stalled engine or some other reason,
you can still stop your vehicle by
applying greater force to the brake
pedal than you normally would. The
stopping distance, however, will be
somewhat longer.
When the engine is not running, the
reserve brake power is partially
depleted each time the brake pedal
is applied. Do not pump the brake
pedal when the power assist has
been interrupted.
Pump the brake pedal only when
necessary to maintain steering con-
trol on slippery surfaces.
In the event of brake failure
If service brakes fail to operate while
the vehicle is in motion, you can
make an emergency stop with the
parking brake. The stopping dis-
tance, however, will be much greater
than normal.
BRAKE SYSTEM
WARNING- Parking brake
Operating the parking brake
while the vehicle is moving at
normal speeds can cause a sud-
den loss of control of the vehi-
cle.If you must use the parking
brake to stop the vehicle, use
great caution in applying the
brake.
WARNING - Brakes
• Do not drive with your foot
resting on the brake pedal.
This will create abnormal high
brake temperatures, exces-
sive brake lining and pad
wear, and increased stopping
distances.
• When descending a long or
steep hill,shift to a lower gear
and avoid continuous applica-
tion of the brakes.Continuous
brake application will cause
the brakes to overheat and
could result in a temporary
loss of braking performance.
(Continued)