2008 KIA Sportage ABS

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Knowing your vehicle
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Follow the child seat manufacturer’s
instructions to properly install child
restraint seats with ISOFIX or
ISOFIX-compatible attachments.
Once you have installed the ISOFIX
child restraint, assure that the seat is
properly attached to the ISOFIX and
tether anchors. Also, test the child
restraint seat before you place the
child in it. Tilt the seat from side to
side. Also try to tug the seat forward.
Check to see if the anchors hold the
seat in place.
WARNING - ISOFIX
Anchors
If the child restraint is not
anchored properly, the risk of a
child being seriously injured or
killed in a collision greatly
increases.
WARNING - ISOFIX lower
anchors
ISOFIX lower anchors are only
to be used with the left and right
rear outboard seating positions.
Never attempt to attach an
ISOFIX equipped seat in the
center seating position.You may
damage the anchors or the
anchors may fail and break in a
collision.
WARNING
When using the vehicle’s
“ISOFIX”system to install a
child restraint system in the rear
seat, all unused vehicle rear
seat belt metal latch plates or
tabs must be latched securely in
their seat belt buckles and the
seat belt webbing must be
retracted behind the child
restraint to prevent the child
from reaching and taking hold
of unretracted seat belts.
Unlatched metal latch plates or
tabs may allow the child to
reach the unretracted seat belts
which may result in
strangula-
tion and a serious injury or
death to the child in the child
restraint.
CAUTION
Do not allow the rear seat belt
webbing to get scratched or
pinched by the ISOFIX-seat
latch and ISOFIX anchor during
the installation.

Driving your vehicle
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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.Yo u
can still have an accident.In
fact, your ABS system will not
be able to prevent an accident.
You must especially avoid:
• 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 maxi-
mum braking effectiveness on
typical highways and roads in
good condition.On poor road
surfaces, the ABS may actual-
ly reduce braking effective-
ness.

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Driving your vehicle
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• 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.
✽
NOTICE
• 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 authorized Kia dealer
as soon as possible.
✽
NOTICE
• 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 problem with the ABS.
Contact an authorized Kia dealer
as soon as possible.
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Driving your vehicle
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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.

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Driving your vehicle
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TCS OFF usage
When driving
• It’s a good idea to keep the TCS
turned on for daily driving whenev-
er possible.
• To turn TCS off while driving, press
the TCS OFF button while driving
on a flat road surface.
Never press TCS OFF button while
TCS is operating (TCS indicator light
blinks).
If TCS is turned off while TCS is
operating, the vehicle may slip out of
control.
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NOTICE
• When measuring the vehicle speed
with a chassis dynamometer, make
sure the TCS is turned off (TCS
OFF light illuminated). If the TCS
is left on, it may prevent the vehi-
cle speed from increasing, and
cause a false diagnosis of a faulty
speedometer.
• Turning the TCS off does not
affect ABS or brake system opera-
tion.WARNING
Never press the TCS OFF button
while TCS is operating.
If the TCS is turned off while
TCS is operating, the vehicle
may slip out of control.
To turn TCS off while driving,
press the TCS OFF button while
driving on a flat road surface.

Driving your vehicle
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ESC OFF usage
When driving
• It’s a good idea to keep the ESC
turned on for daily driving whenev-
er possible.
• To turn ESC off while driving, press
the ESC OFF button while driving
on a flat road surface.
Never press ESC OFF button while
ESC is operating (ESC indicator light
blinks).
If ESC is turned off while ESC is
operating, the vehicle may slip out of
control.
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NOTICE
• When measuring the vehicle speed
with a chassis dynamo-meter,
make sure the ESC is turned off
(ESC OFF light illuminated). If
the ESC is left on, it may prevent
the vehicle speed from increasing,
and cause a false diagnosis of a
faulty speedometer.
• Turning the ESC off does not
affect ABS or brake system opera-
tion.WARNING-ESC
Never press the ESC OFF but-
ton while ESC is operating.
If the ESC is turned off while
ESC is operating, the vehicle
may slip out of control.
To turn ESC off while driving,
press the ESC OFF button while
driving on a flat road surface.

Driving your vehicle
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Warning lights / audible indi-
cators
Checking operation
All warning lights are checked by
turning the ignition switch ON (do not
start the engine). Any light that does
not illuminate should be checked by
an Authorized Kia Dealer.
After starting the engine, check to
make sure that all warning lights are
off. If any are still on, this indicates a
situation that needs attention. When
releasing the parking brake, the
brake system warning light should go
off. The fuel warning light will stay on
if the fuel level is low.
Anti-lock brake sys-
tem (ABS) warning
light (if equipped)
This light illuminates if the key is
turned to ON and goes off in approx-
imately 3 seconds if the system is
operating normally.
If the light stays on, you may have a
problem with your ABS system.
Contact an authorized Kia dealer as
soon as possible.
Electronic brake force
distribution (EBD)
system warning light
(if equipped)
If two warning lights illumi-
nate at the same time
while driving, your vehicle
has a problem with ABS
and EBD system.In this case, your ABS system and
regular brake system may not work
normally. Have the vehicle checked
by an Authorized Kia Dealer as soon
as possible.
WARNINGS AND INDICATORS
WARNING-Brake indica-
tors
If the both ABS and Brake warn-
ing lights are ON and stay ON,
your vehicle’s brake system will
not work normally.You may
experience an unexpected and
dangerous situation during sud-
den braking.In this case, avoid
high speed driving and abrupt
braking.Have your vehicle
checked by Authorized Kia
Dealer as soon as possible.

Driving tips
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SPECIAL DRIVING CONDITIONS
Hazardous driving conditions
When hazardous driving conditions
are encountered such as water,
snow, ice, mud, sand, or similar haz-
ards, follow these suggestions:
• Drive cautiously and allow extra
distance for braking.
• Avoid sudden movements in brak-
ing or steering.
• When braking with non-ABS
brakes pump the brake pedal with
a light up-and-down motion until
the vehicle is stopped.• If stalled in snow, mud, or sand,
use second gear. Accelerate slow-
ly to avoid spinning the drive
wheels.
• Use sand, rock salt, tire chains, or
other non-slip material under the
drive wheels to provide traction
when stalled in ice, snow, or mud.
Rocking the vehicle
If it is necessary to rock the vehicle
to free it from snow, sand, or mud,
first turn the steering wheel right and
left to clear the area around your
front wheels. Then, shift back and
forth between 1 (First) and R
(Reverse) in vehicles equipped with
a manual transaxle or R (Reverse)
and any forward gear in vehicles
equipped with an automatic
transaxle. Do not race the engine,
and spin the wheels as little as pos-
sible. If you are still stuck after a few
tries, have the vehicle pulled out by a
tow vehicle to avoid engine overheat-
ing and possible damage to the
transaxle.
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NOTICE
Prolonged rocking may cause engine
over-heating, transaxle damage or
failure, and tire damage.
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WARNING - Downshifting
Downshifting with an automatic
transaxle, while driving on slip-
pery surfaces can cause an
accident.The sudden change in
tire speed could cause the tires
to skid.Be careful when down-
shifting on slippery surfaces.
CAUTION - ABS
Do not pump the brake pedal on
a vehicle equipped with ABS.