
Driving tips12
5Driving in flooded areas Avoid driving through flooded areas
unless you are sure the water is no high-
er than the bottom of the wheel hub.
Drive through any water slowly. Allow
adequate stopping distance because
brake performance may be affected.
After driving through water, dry the
brakes by gently applying them several
times while the vehicle is moving slowly.
HLA (Hydraulic Lash Adjuster)
noiseThe engine HLA's keep the gap between
the valve and cam at zero regardless of
the valve expansion.
Occasionally, you may hear a temporary
or continuous sound (clatter) from the
engine when starting or idling. This noise
will usually go away by following a few
simple steps: If the temporary sound occurs when
starting a cold engine:
This is a normal condition. This sound
will disappear after the engine oil has
reached normal operating pressure.
If the sound occurs when starting the
engine after the engine has not been oper-
ated for more than 48 hours; or engine
has been cranked excessively:
This condition may be caused by oil
draining from the HLA's. This allows air to
enter the HLA causing insufficient lubri-
cating oil in the HLA. This will usually dis-
appear within 15 minutes with the engine
running at 2000~3000 rpm. If the sound
does not disappear, have the engine oil
pressure, engine lubrication system and
HLA's inspected by an Authorized Kia
Dealer.
CAUTION
Do not run the engine at more than
3000 rpm until the noise goes away. Damage to the HLA's could occur.

523
Driving tips
Driving on grades Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear
before you start down a long or steep
downgrade. If you don’t shift down, you
might have to use your brakes so much
that they would get hot and no longer
operate efficiently.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and
reduce your speed to around 45 mph (70
km/h) to reduce the possibility of engine
and transaxle overheating.
If your trailer weighs more than 1000 lbs.
(454 kg) and you have an automatic
transaxle, you should drive in D (Drive)
when towing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle in D (Drive) when
towing a trailer will minimize heat buildup
and extend the life of your transaxle.
Parking on hills Generally, you should not park your vehi-
cle, with a trailer attached, on a hill.
People can be seriously or fatally injured,
and both your vehicle and the trailer can
be damaged if they begin a downhill tra-
jectory.
CAUTION
When towing a trailer on steepgrades (in excess of 6%) payclose attention to the enginecoolant temperature gauge to ensure the engine does not over-heat. If the needle of the coolanttemperature gauge moves across the dial towards “H” (HOT), pullover and stop as soon as it is safe to do so, and allow the engine toidle until it cools down. You mayproceed once the engine has cooled sufficiently.
You must decide driving speed depending on trailer weight anduphill grade to reduce the possi-bility of engine and transaxleoverheating.
WARNING
- Parking on a hill
Parking your vehicle on a hill with a
trailer attached could cause serious
injury or death, should a down hill
trajectory happen.

Driving tips24
5However, if you ever have to park your
trailer on a hill, here’s how to do it:
1. Apply your brakes, but don’t shift into
gear.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the brakes until the chocks
absorb the load.
4. Reapply the brakes. Apply your park- ing brake, and then shift to P (Park) for
an automatic transaxle.
5. Release the brakes.
When you are ready to leave after parking on a hill 1. With the automatic transaxle in P (Park), apply your brakes and hold the
brake pedal down while you:
and
2. Slowly remove your foot from the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.
Maintenance when trailer towing Your vehicle will need service more often
when you regularly pull a trailer.
Important items to pay particular atten-
tion include engine oil, automatic
transaxle fluid, axle lubricant and cooling
system fluid. Brake condition is another
important item to frequently check. Each
item is covered in this manual, and the
Index will help you find them quickly. If
you’re trailering, it’s a good idea to review
these sections before you start your trip.
Don’t forget to also maintain your trailer
and hitch. Follow the maintenance
schedule that accompanied your trailer
and check it periodically. Preferably, con-
duct the check at the start of each day’s
driving. Most importantly, all hitch nuts
and bolts should be tight.
WARNING
- Parking brake
It can be dangerous to get out of
your vehicle if the parking brake is
not firmly set.
If you have left the engine running,
the vehicle can move suddenly. You
or others could be seriously or
fatally injured.
CAUTION
Due to higher load during trailerusage, overheating might occur inhot days or during uphill driving. Ifthe coolant gauge indicates over-heating, switch off the A/C and stop the vehicle in a safe area to cooldown the engine.

63
In case of an emergency
3. Have all passengers get out of the car.Be sure they all get out on the side of
the car that is away from traffic.
4. When changing a flat tire, follow the instruction provided later in this sec-
tion.If engine stalls while driving1. Reduce your speed gradually, keepinga straight line. Move cautiously off the
road to a safe place.
2. Turn on your emergency flashers.
3. Try to start the engine again. If your vehicle will not start, contact an
authorized KIA dealer or seek other
qualified assistance. If your temperature gauge indicates over-
heating, if you experience a loss of
power, or if you hear a loud knocking or
pinging noise, the engine has probably
overheated. Should any of these symp-
toms occur, use the following procedure:
1. Turn on the hazard warning flasher,
then drive to the nearest safe location
and stop your vehicle; set the automat-
ic transaxle in P (Park) and apply the
parking brake.
2. Make sure the air conditioner is off.
3. If coolant or steam is boiling out of the radiator, stop the engine and call an
Authorized Kia Dealer for assistance.
If coolant is not boiling out, allow the
engine to idle and open the hood to
permit the engine to cool gradually.
If the temperature does not go down
with the engine idling, stop the engine
and allow sufficient time for it to cool. 4. The coolant level should then be
checked. If the level in the reservoir is
low, look for leaks at the radiator hoses
and connections, heater hoses and
connections, radiator, and water
pump. If you find a major leak or anoth-
er problem that may have caused the
engine to overheat, do not operate the
engine until it has been corrected. Call
an Authorized Kia Dealer for assis-
tance. If you do not find a leak or other
problem, carefully add coolant to the
reservoir.
If the engine frequently overheats, havethe cooling system checked and repaired by an Authorized Kia Dealer.
WARNING
- Removing
radiator cap
Do not remove the radiator cap
when the engine and radiator are
hot. Scalding hot coolant and steam
may blow out under pressure. This
could cause serious injury.
OVERHEATING

In case of an emergency18
6Low tire pressure tell-
tale
When the tire pressure monitoring
system warning telltale is illuminat-
ed, one or more of your tires is sig-
nificantly under-inflated.
Immediately reduce your speed,
avoid hard cornering and anticipate
increased stopping distances. You
should stop and check your tires as
soon as possible when the tires are
cool. And inflate the tires to the prop-
er pressure as indicated on the vehi-
cle’s placard or tire inflation pressure
label located on the driver’s side cen-
ter pillar outer panel. If you cannot
reach a service station or if the tire
cannot hold the newly added air,
replace the low pressure tire with the
temporary spare tire.
Then the TPMS malfunction indicator
or the Low Tire Pressure telltale may
turn on after restarting and about 20
minutes of continuous driving before
you have the low-pressure tire
repaired and reinstalled on the vehi-
cle.
CAUTION
In winter or cold weather, the
low tire pressure telltale may beilluminated if the tire pressurewas adjusted to the recom-mended tire inflation pressurein warm weather. It does notmean your TPMS is malfunction-ing because the decreased tem-perature leads to a proportionallowering of tire pressure.
When you drive your vehiclefrom a warm area to a cold areaor from a cold area to a warmarea, or the outside temperaturesignificantly increases ordecreases, you should checkthe tire inflation pressure andadjust the tires to the recom-mended tire inflation pressure.
WARNING
- Low tire pres- sure
Significantly low tire pressure
makes the vehicle unstable and
can contribute to loss of vehicle
control and increased braking
distances.
Continued driving on low pres-
sure tires will cause the tires to
overheat and fail.