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Introduction
VEHICLE HANDLING
INSTRUCTIONS
As with other vehicles of this type,
failure to operate this vehicle correct-
ly may result in loss of control, an
accident or vehicle rollover.
Specific design characteristics (high-
er ground clearance, track, etc.) give
this vehicle a higher center of gravity
than other types of vehicles. In other
words they are not designed for cor-
nering at the same speeds as con-
ventional 2-wheel drive vehicles.
Avoid sharp turns or abrupt maneu-
vers. 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, in section 5 of 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, econo-
my 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 emer-
gencies, to allow the brakes to seat
properly.
• Avoid full-throttle starts.
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To deactivate the immobilizer sys-
tem:
Insert the ignition key into the key
cylinder and turn it to the ON posi-
tion.
To activate the immobilizer sys-
tem:
Turn the ignition key to the OFF posi-
tion. The immobilizer system acti-
vates automatically. 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 malfunction after you
receive your new vehicle.
Limp home (override) proce-
dure
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 pro-
cedure. 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 posi-
tion. The IMMO indicator ( ) will
blink 5 times and go off indicating
the beginning of the limp home pro-
cedure.
2. Turn the ignition key to the ACC
position.
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).
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 vehicle.
Manual transaxle operation
The manual transaxle has five for-
ward gears.
Press the clutch pedal down fully
while shifting, then release it slowly.
A special safety feature prevents
inadvertent shifting from 5 (Fifth) to
R (Reverse). The gearshift lever must
be returned to the neutral position
before shifting into R (Reverse).
Make sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before shifting into R
(Reverse).
Never operate the engine with the
tachometer (rpm) in the red zone.
✽
NOTICE
To avoid premature clutch wear and
damage, do not drive with your foot
resting on the clutch pedal. Also,
don’t use the clutch to hold the vehi-
cle stopped on an upgrade, while
waiting for a traffic light, etc.
Downshifting
When you must slow down in heavy
traffic or while driving up steep hills,
downshift before the engine starts to
labor. Downshifting reduces the
chance of stalling and gives better
acceleration when you again need to
increase your speed. When the vehi-
cle is traveling down steep hills,
downshifting helps maintain safe
speed and prolongs brake life.
MANUAL TRANSAXLE (IF EQUIPPED)
1KMA3052
WARNING- Manual
transaxle
Before leaving the driver’s seat,
always set the parking brake
fully and shut the engine off.
Then make sure the transaxle is
shifted into 1
stgear when the
vehicle is parked on a level or
uphill grade, and shifted into R
(Reverse) on a downhill grade.
Unexpected and sudden vehicle
movement can occur if these
precautions are not followed in
the order identified.
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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.
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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.
W-78
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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
• 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
seconds in either position may
cause damage to the power steer-
ing pump.
• If the power steering drive belt
breaks or if the power steering
pump malfunctions, 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 steer-
ing 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 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
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Shift pattern indicators
(if equipped)
The individual indicators illuminate to
show the automatic transaxle shift
lever selection.
Immobilizer indicator
(if equipped)
This light illuminates when the immo-
bilizer key is inserted and turned to
the ON position to start the engine.
At this time, you can start the engine.
The light goes out after the engine is
running. In case this light goes out
before you start the engine, you must
turn to the LOCK position and restart
the engine.
If this light blinks when the ignition
switch is in the ON position before
starting the engine, have the system
checked by an authorized Kia
Dealer.
Parking brake & brake
fluid warning
Parking brake warning
This light is illuminated when the
parking brake is applied with the igni-
tion switch in the START or ON posi-
tion. The warning light should go off
when the parking brake is released.
Low brake fluid level warning
If the warning light remains on, it may
indicate that the brake fluid level in
the reservoir is low.
If the warning light remains on:
1. Drive carefully to the nearest safe
location and stop your vehicle.2. With the engine stopped, check
the brake fluid level immediately
and add fluid as required. Then
check all brake components for
fluid leaks.
3. Do not drive the vehicle if leaks
are found, the warning light
remains on or the brakes do not
operate properly. Have it towed to
any Authorized Kia Dealer for a
brake system inspection and nec-
essary repairs.
To check bulb operation, check
whether the parking brake and brake
fluid warning light illuminates when
the ignition switch is in the ON posi-
tion.
WARNING
Driving the vehicle with a warn-
ing light on is dangerous.If the
brake warning light remains on,
have the brakes checked and
repaired immediately by an
Authorized Kia Dealer.
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4WD LOCK indicator
light (if equipped)
4WD LOCK indicator light is illumi-
nated when the 4WD LOCK button is
pushed. The purpose of this 4WD
LOCK mode is to increase the drive
power when driving on dry road sur-
face, wet pavement, snow-covered
roads and/or off-road. 4WD LOCK
indicator light is turned off by push-
ing the button once again
Safety belt warning chime
If the driver's safety belt is not fas-
tened when the ignition key is turned
ON or if it is unfastened after the key
is ON, the safety belt warning chime
will sound for approximately 6 sec-
onds. At this time, if the safety belt is
fastened, the chime will stop at once.
Parking start warning chime
If you drive over 10 km/h (6.2 mph)
with the parking brake applied, the
parking start warning chime will
sound.
Key reminder warning chime
If the driver’s door is opened while
the ignition key is left in the ignition
switch, the key reminder warning
chime will sound. This is to prevent
you from locking your keys in the
vehicle.
4WD
LOCK
CAUTION
Do not use 4WD LOCK mode on
dry paved roads or highway,it
can cause noise, vibration or
damage of 4WD related parts.