2008 KIA Sportage 4wd

Your vehicle at a glance
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INTERIOR OVERVIEW
1. Door lock/unlock button
2. Power window switches
3. Outside rearview mirror control switch
(if equipped)
4. Hood release lever
5. Instrument panel illumination
(if equipped)
6. Traction control system (if equipped)/
Electronic stability program
(if equipped)
7. 4WD LOCK button (if equipped)
8. Steering wheel tilt
9. Brake pedal
10. Accelerator pedal
11. Seat
12. Parking brake lever
13. Fuel filler lid release lever
1KMB0004/1KMA2019A

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9Ignition switch / 4-2
Starting the engine / 4-4
Manual transaxle / 4-5
Automatic transaxle / 4-6
Four wheel drive (4WD) / 4-12
Brake system / 4-18
Steering wheel / 4-25
Cruise control system / 4-28
Traction control system / 4-33
Electronic stability control / 4-36
Instrument cluster / 4-39
Gauges / 4-40
Warnings and indicators / 4-46
Compass / 4-54
Lighting / 4-57
Wipers and washers / 4-61
Defroster / 4-64
Hazard warning flasher / 4-65
Manual climate control system / 4-66
Automatic climate control system / 4-75
Windshield defrosting and defogging / 4-88
Driving your vehicle
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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.

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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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ESC OFF indicator
(if equipped)
The ESC OFF indicator will illumi-
nate when the ignition switch is
turned ON, but should go off after
approximately 3 seconds. To switch
to ESC OFF mode, press the ESC
OFF button. The ESC OFF indicator
will illuminate indicating the ESC is
deactivated. If this indicator stays on
in the ESC ON mode, the ESC may
have a malfunction. Take your car to
the authorized Kia dealer and have
the system checked.
Low washer fluid level
warning indicator
(If equipped)
This warning light indicates the
washer fluid reservoir is near empty.
Refill the washer fluid as soon as
possible.
4WD system warning
(if equipped)
When the key is turned to the “ON”
position, the 4WD system warning
light will come on and then go off in a
few seconds.
CAUTION
If the 4WD system warning light
() blinks,this indicates that
there is a malfunction in the
4WD system.If this occurs,have
your vehicle checked by an
Authorized Kia Dealer as soon
as possible.
ESC
OFF