2009 KIA Optima Owner's Manual

523
Driving your vehicle
E070503AUN-EUIndicator lightWhen ignition switch is turned to ON, the
indicator light illuminates, then goes off if
ESC system is operating normally.
The ESC indicator light blinks whenever
ESC is operating.
ESC OFF indicator light comes on when
either the ESC is turned off with the but-
ton, or ESC fails to operate when turned
on.
E070504ABH-EUESC OFF usageWhen driving
ESC should be turned on for daily driv-ing whenever possible.
To turn ESC off while driving, press the ESC OFF button while driving on a flat
road surface.
Never press the ESC OFF button while
ESC is operating (ESC indicator light
blinks).
If ESC is turned off while ESC is operat-
ing, the vehicle may slip out of control.✽ ✽ NOTICE• When operating the vehicle on a
dynamometer, ensure that the ESC is
turned off (ESC OFF light illuminat-
ed). If the ESC is left on, it may pre-
vent the vehicle speed from increas-
ing, and result in false diagnosis.
• Turning the ESC off does not affect ABS or brake system operation.
ESC
ESCOFF
■ ESC indicator light (blinks)
■ ESC OFF indicator light (comes on)
WARNING
Never press the ESC OFF button
while ESC is operating.
If the ESC is turned off while ESC is
operating, the vehicle may go out of
control.
To turn ESC off while driving, press
the ESC OFF button while driving
on a flat road surface.

Driving your vehicle24
5E070600AMGGood braking practices
After parking the vehicle, check to be
sure the parking brake is not engaged
and that the parking brake indicator
light is out before driving away.
Driving through water may get the brakes wet. They can also get wet
when the car is washed. Wet brakes
can be dangerous! Your car will not
stop as quickly if the brakes are wet.
Wet brakes may cause the car to pull
to one side.
To dry the brakes, apply the brakes
lightly until the braking action returns to
normal, taking care to keep the car
under control at all times. If the braking
action does not return to normal, stop
as soon as it is safe to do so and call
an authorized KIA dealer for assis-
tance. Don't coast down hills with the car out
of gear. This is extremely hazardous.
Keep the car in gear at all times, use
the brakes to slow down, then shift to a
lower gear so that engine braking will
help you maintain a safe speed.
Don't "ride" the brake pedal. Resting your foot on the brake pedal while driv-
ing can be dangerous because it can
result in the brakes overheating and
losing their effectiveness. It also
increases the wear of the brake com-
ponents.
If a tire goes flat while you are driving, apply the brakes gently and keep the
car pointed straight ahead while you
slow down. When you are moving
slowly enough for it to be safe to do so,
pull off the road and stop in a safe
place.
WARNING
Whenever leaving vehicle orparking, always set the parking
brake as far as possible and fully
engage the vehicle's transaxle
into the park position. Vehicles
not fully engaged in park with the
parking brake set are at risk for
moving inadvertently and injur-
ing yourself or others.
All vehicles should always have the parking brake fully engaged
when parking to avoid inadver-
tent movement of the car which
can injure occupants or pedestri-
ans.

525
Driving your vehicle
If your car is equipped with an auto-matic transaxle, don't let your car
creep forward. To avoid creeping for-
ward, keep your foot firmly on the
brake pedal when the car is stopped.
Use caution when parking on a hill. Firmly engage the parking brake and
place the gear selector lever in P
(Park). If your car is facing downhill,
turn the front wheels into the curb to
help keep the car from rolling. If your
car is facing uphill, turn the front
wheels away from the curb to help
keep the car from rolling. If there is no
curb or if it is required by other condi-
tions to keep the car from rolling, block
the wheels. Under some conditions your parking
brake can freeze in the engaged posi-
tion. This is most likely to happen when
there is an accumulation of snow or ice
around or near the rear brakes or if the
brakes are wet. If there is a risk that the
parking brake may freeze, apply it only
temporarily while you put the gear
selector lever in P (Park) (automatic
transaxle) and block the rear wheels so
the car cannot roll. Then release the
parking brake.
Do not hold the vehicle on the upgrade with the accelerator pedal. This can
cause the transaxle to overheat.
Always use the brake pedal or parking
brake.

Driving your vehicle26
5E090000AFDThe cruise control system allows you to
program the vehicle to maintain a con-
stant speed without resting your foot on
the accelerator pedal.
This system is designed to function
above approximately 40 km/h (25 mph).
✽ ✽
NOTICEDuring normal cruise control operation,
when the SET switch is activated or
reactivated after applying the brakes,
the cruise control will energize after
approximately 3 seconds. This delay is
normal.
E090100ANFTo set cruise control speed:1. Pull the CRUISE ON-OFF button on
the steering wheel to turn the system
on. The CRUISE indicator light in the
instrument cluster will illuminate.
2. Accelerate to the desired speed, which must be more than 40 km/h (25 mph).
CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM (IF EQUIPPED)
WARNING
If the cruise control is left on,(CRUISE indicator light in the
instrument cluster illuminated)
the cruise control can be
switched on accidentally. Keep
the cruise control system off
(CRUISE indicator light OFF)
when the cruise control is not in
use, to avoid inadvertently set-
ting a speed.
Use the cruise control system only when traveling on open
highways in good weather.
Do not use the cruise control when it may not be safe to keep
the car at a constant speed, for
instance, driving in heavy or
varying traffic, or on slippery
(rainy, icy or snow-covered) or
winding roads or over 6% up-hill
or down-hill roads.
(Continued)
(Continued)
Pay particular attention to thedriving conditions whenever
using the cruise control system.
Be careful when driving downhill using the cruise control system,
which may increase the vehicle
speed.
OMG059100L
CAUTION
During cruise-speed driving of amanual transaxle vehicle, do notshift into neutral without depress-ing the clutch pedal, since theengine will be overrevved. If thishappens, depress the clutch pedalor release the cruise controlON/OFF switch.

527
Driving your vehicle
3. Push the -/SET switch, and release it atthe desired speed. The SET indicator
light in the instrument cluster will illumi-
nate. Release the accelerator at the
same time. The desired speed will auto-
matically be maintained.On a steep grade, the vehicle may slowdown or speed up slightly while goingdownhill.
E090200ANFTo increase cruise control set
speed:Follow either of these procedures:
Push the RES/+ switch and hold it. Your vehicle will accelerate. Release the
switch at the speed you want.
Push the RES/+ switch and release it immediately. The cruising speed will
increase by 1.6 km/h (1 mph) each time
the RES/+ switch is operated in this
manner.
E090300ANFTo decrease the cruising speed:Follow either of these procedures:
Push the -/SET switch and hold it. Your
vehicle will gradually slow down.
Release the switch at the speed you
want to maintain.
Push the -/SET switch and release it
immediately. The cruising speed will
decrease by 1.6 km/h (1 mph) each
time the -/SET switch is operated in this
manner.
OMG059102L
OMG059101L
OMG059102L

Driving your vehicle28
5E090400AUNTo temporarily accelerate with the
cruise control on:If you want to speed up temporarily when
the cruise control is on, depress the
accelerator pedal. Increased speed will
not interfere with cruise control operation
or change the set speed.
To return to the set speed, take your foot
off the accelerator.
E090500ANFTo cancel cruise control, do one
of the following: Press the brake pedal.
Press the clutch pedal with a manual
transaxle.
Shift into N (Neutral) with an automatic transaxle.
Press the CANCEL switch located on the steering wheel.
Decrease the vehicle speed lower than the memory speed by 15 km/h (9
mph).
Decrease the vehicle speed to less than approximately 40 km/h (25 mph).
Each of these actions will cancel cruisecontrol operation (the SET indicator light in the instrument cluster will go off), but itwill not turn the system off. If you wish to resume cruise control operation, pushthe RES/+ switch located on your steer-ing wheel. You will return to your previ- ously preset speed.
OMG059103L

529
Driving your vehicle
E090600ANFTo resume cruising speed at
more than approximately 40 km/h
(25 mph):If any method other than the CRUISE
ON-OFF switch was used to cancel
cruising speed and the system is still
activated, the most recent set speed will
automatically resume when the RES/+
switch is pushed.
It will not resume, however, if the vehicle
speed has dropped below approximately
40 km/h (25 mph).
E090700AUNTo turn cruise control off, do one
of the following: Release the CRUISE ON-OFF button(the CRUISE indicator light in the
instrument cluster will go off).
Turn the ignition off.Both of these actions cancel cruise con- trol operation. If you want to resumecruise control operation, repeat the stepsprovided in “To set cruise control speed” on the previous page.
OMG059101L

Driving your vehicle30
5E100000AMG-ECYour vehicle's fuel economy depends
mainly on your style of driving, where you
drive and when you drive.
Each of these factors affects how many
kilometers (miles) you can get from a
liter (gallon) of fuel. To operate your vehi-
cle as economically as possible, use the
following driving suggestions to help
save money in both fuel and repairs:
Drive smoothly. Accelerate at a moder-
ate rate. Don't make "jack-rabbit" starts
or full-throttle shifts and maintain a
steady cruising speed. Don't race
between stoplights. Try to adjust your
speed to that of the other traffic so you
don't have to change speeds unneces-
sarily. Avoid heavy traffic whenever
possible. Always maintain a safe dis-
tance from other vehicles so you can
avoid unnecessary braking. This also
reduces brake wear.
Drive at a moderate speed. The faster you drive, the more fuel your car uses.
Driving at a moderate speed, especial-
ly on the highway, is one of the most
effective ways to reduce fuel consump-
tion. Don't "ride" the brake or clutch pedal.
This can increase fuel consumption
and also increase wear on these com-
ponents. In addition, driving with your
foot resting on the brake pedal may
cause the brakes to overheat, which
reduces their effectiveness and may
lead to more serious consequences.
Take care of your tires. Keep them inflated to the recommended pressure.
Incorrect inflation, either too much or
too little, results in unnecessary tire
wear. Check the tire pressures at least
once a month.
Be sure that the wheels are aligned correctly. Improper alignment can
result from hitting curbs or driving too
fast over irregular surfaces. Poor align-
ment causes faster tire wear and may
also result in other problems as well as
greater fuel consumption.
Keep your car in good condition. For better fuel economy and reduced
maintenance costs, maintain your car
in accordance with the maintenance
schedule in Section 7. If you drive your
car in severe conditions, more frequent
maintenance is required (see Section
7 for details). Keep your car clean. For maximum
service, your vehicle should be kept
clean and free of corrosive materials. It
is especially important that mud, dirt,
ice, etc. not be allowed to accumulate
on the underside of the car. This extra
weight can result in increased fuel con-
sumption and also contribute to corro-
sion.
Travel lightly. Don't carry unnecessary weight in your car. Weight reduces fuel
economy.
Don't let the engine idle longer than necessary. If you are waiting (and not
in traffic), turn off your engine and
restart only when you're ready to go.
Remember, your vehicle does not require extended warm-up. After the
engine has started, allow the engine to
run for 10 to 20 seconds prior to plac-
ing the vehicle in gear. In very cold
weather, however, give your engine a
slightly longer warm-up period.
Don't "lug" or "over-rev" the engine. Lugging is driving too slowly in too
high a gear resulting in the engine
bucking. If this happens, shift to a lower
gear. Over-revving is racing the engine
beyond its safe limit. This can be avoid-
ed by shifting at the recommended
speeds.ECONOMICAL OPERATION