2009 KIA Optima tow

545
Driving your vehicle
E140601AUNWeight of the trailerHow heavy can a trailer safely be? It
should never weigh more than the maxi-
mum trailer weight with trailer brakes. But
even that can be too heavy.
It depends on how you plan to use your
trailer. For example, speed, altitude, road
grades, outside temperature and how
often your vehicle is used to pull a trailer
are all important. The ideal trailer weight
can also depend on any special equip-
ment that you have on your vehicle.
E140602AENWeight of the trailer tongueThe tongue load of any trailer is an
important weight to measure because it
affects the total gross vehicle weight
(GVW) of your vehicle. This weight
includes the curb weight of the vehicle,
any cargo you may carry in it, and the
people who will be riding in the vehicle.
And if you will tow a trailer, you must add
the tongue load to the GVW because
your vehicle will also be carrying that
weight.The trailer tongue should weigh a maxi-
mum of 10% of the total loaded trailer
weight, within the limits of the maximum
trailer tongue load permissible. After
you've loaded your trailer, weigh the trail-
er and then the tongue, separately, to
see if the weights are proper. If they
aren’t, you may be able to correct them
simply by moving some items around in
the trailer.
C190E01JM
Tongue Load Total Trailer Weight
WARNING -
Trailer
Never load a trailer with more
weight in the rear than in the
front. The front should be loaded
with approximately 60% of the
total trailer load; the rear should
be loaded with approximately 40%
of the total trailer load.
Never exceed the maximum weight limits of the trailer or trail-
er towing equipment. Improper
loading can result in damage to
your vehicle and/or personal
injury. Check weights and loading
at a commercial scale or highway
patrol office equipped with scales.
An improperly loaded trailer can cause loss of vehicle control.
C190E02JM
Gross Axle Weight
Gross Vehicle Weight

6
Road warning / 6-2
In case of an emergency while driving / 6-2
If the engine will not start / 6-3
Emergency starting / 6-4
If the engine overheats / 6-6
If you have a flat tire / 6-7
Towing / 6-15
What to do in an emergency

What to do in an emergency26ROAD WARNING F010100AUNHazard warning flasher The hazard warning flasher serves as a
warning to other drivers to exercise
extreme caution when approaching,
overtaking, or passing your vehicle.It should be used whenever emergency
repairs are being made or when the vehi-
cle is stopped near the edge of a road-
way.
Depress the flasher switch with the igni-
tion switch in any position. The flasher
switch is located in the center console
switch panel. All turn signal lights will
flash simultaneously.
• The hazard warning flasher operates
whether your vehicle is running or not.
The turn signals do not work when the hazard flasher is on.
Care must be taken when using the hazard warning flasher while the vehi-
cle is being towed.
F020100AUNIf the engine stalls at a crossroad
or crossing If the engine stalls at a crossroad orcrossing, set the shift lever in the N
(Neutral) position and then push the
vehicle to a safe place.
If your vehicle has a manual transaxle not equipped with a ignition lock
switch, the vehicle can move forward
by shifting to the 2 (second) or 3 (third)
gear and then turning the starter with-
out depressing the clutch pedal.F020200AUNIf you have a flat tire while drivingIf a tire goes flat while you are driving:
1. Take your foot off the accelerator pedaland let the car slow down while driving
straight ahead. Do not apply the brakes
immediately or attempt to pull off the
road as this may cause a loss of con-
trol. When the car has slowed to such
a speed that it is safe to do so, brake
carefully and pull off the road. Drive off
the road as far as possible and park on
firm, level ground. If you are on a divid-
ed highway, do not park in the median
area between the two traffic lanes.IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY
WHILE DRIVING
OMG049055N

What to do in an emergency46EMERGENCY STARTINGF040100AENJump starting Jump starting can be dangerous if done
incorrectly. Therefore, to avoid harm to
yourself or damage to your vehicle or
battery, follow the jump starting proce-
dures. If in doubt, we strongly recom-
mend that you have a competent techni-
cian or towing service jump start your
vehicle.
CAUTION
Use only a 12-volt jumper system.You can damage a 12-volt startingmotor, ignition system, and other electrical parts beyond repair byuse of a 24-volt power supply (eithertwo 12-volt batteries in series or a 24-volt motor generator set).
WARNING
- Battery
• Keep all flames or sparks away from the battery. The battery pro-
duces hydrogen gas which may
explode if exposed to flame or
sparks.
If these instructions are not fol-
lowed exactly, serious personal
injury and damage to the vehicle
may occur! If you are not sure
how to follow this procedure,
seek qualified assistance.
Automobile batteries contain sul-
furic acid. This is poisonous and
highly corrosive. When jump
starting, wear protective glasses
and be careful not to get acid on
yourself, your clothing or on the
car.
Do not attempt to jump start the vehicle if the discharged battery
is frozen or if the electrolyte level
is low; the battery may rupture or
explode.
WARNING
- Battery
Never attempt to check the elec-
trolyte level of the battery as this
may cause the battery to rupture or
explode causing serious injury.
1VQA4001
Discharged battery
Jumper Cables
Booster battery
(-)
(+)
(+)
(-)

65
What to do in an emergency
F040101AUNJump starting procedure 1. Make sure the booster battery is 12-volt and that its negative terminal is
grounded.
2. If the booster battery is in another vehicle, do not allow the vehicles to
touch.
3. Turn off all unnecessary electrical loads.
4. Connect the jumper cables in the exact sequence shown in the illustration.
First connect one end of a jumper
cable to the positive terminal of the
discharged battery (1), then connect
the other end to the positive terminal
on the booster battery (2). Proceed to
connect one end of the other jumper
cable to the negative terminal of the
booster battery (3), then the other end
to a solid, stationary, metallic point (for
example, the engine lifting bracket)
away from the battery (4). Do not con-
nect it to or near any part that moves
when the engine is cranked.
Do not allow the jumper cables to con-
tact anything except the correct battery
terminals or the correct ground. Do not
lean over the battery when making
connections. 5. Start the engine of the vehicle with the
booster battery and let it run at 2,000
rpm, then start the engine of the vehi-
cle with the discharged battery.
If the cause of your battery discharging isnot apparent, you should have your vehi- cle checked by an authorized KIA dealer.
F040200AUNPush-starting Your manual transaxle-equipped vehicle
should not be push-started because it
might damage the emission control sys-
tem.
Vehicles equipped with automatic
transaxle cannot be push-started.
Follow the directions in this section for
jump-starting.
CAUTION
- Battery cables
Do not connect the jumper cablefrom the negative terminal of the booster battery to the negative ter-minal of the discharged battery. This can cause the discharged bat-tery to overheat and crack, releas-ing battery acid.
WARNING
Never tow a vehicle to start it
because the sudden surge forward
when the engine starts could cause
a collision with the tow vehicle.

67
What to do in an emergency
(Continued)
Be sure to use the correctfront and rear jacking posi-
tions on the vehicle; never
use the bumpers or any other
part of the vehicle for jack
support.
The vehicle can easily roll off the jack causing serious
injury or death. No person
should place any portion of
their body under a vehicle that
is supported only by a jack;
use vehicle support stands.
Do not start or run the engine while the vehicle is on the
jack.
Do not allow anyone to remain in the vehicle while it is on the
jack.
Make sure any children pres- ent are in a secure place away
from the road and from the
vehicle to be raised with the
jack.
IF YOU HAVE A FLAT TIREF070100ABHJack and tools
The jack, jack handle, and wheel lug
nut wrench are stored in the luggage
compartment. Pull up the luggage
box cover to reach this equipment.
(1) Jack handle
(2) Jack
(3) Wheel lug nut wrench
F070101AUNJacking instructions The jack is provided for emergency
tire changing only.
To prevent the jack from “rattling”
while the vehicle is in motion, store it
properly.
Follow jacking instructions to reduce
the possibility of personal injury.
WARNING
- Changing tires
Never attempt vehicle repairs in the traffic lanes of a public
road or highway.
Always move the vehicle com- pletely off the road and onto
the shoulder before trying to
change a tire. The jack should
be used on level firm ground.
If you cannot find a firm, level
place off the road, call a tow-
ing service company for
assistance.
(Continued)
ONF068001

What to do in an emergency14
6 Do not take this vehicle through an
automatic car wash while the com-
pact spare tire is installed.
The compact spare tire should not be installed on the front axle if the
vehicle must be driven in snow or
on ice.
Do not use the compact spare tire on any other vehicle because this
tire has been designed especially
for your vehicle.
The compact spare tire’s tread life is shorter than a regular tire.
Inspect your compact spare tire
regularly and replace worn com-
pact spare tires with the same size
and design, mounted on the same
wheel. The compact spare tire should not
be used on any other wheels, nor
should standard tires, snow tires,
wheel covers or trim rings be used
with the compact spare wheel. If
such use is attempted, damage to
these items or other car compo-
nents may occur.
Do not use more than one compact spare tire at a time.
Do not tow a trailer while the com- pact spare tire is installed.

615
What to do in an emergency
TOWINGF080100AUNTowing serviceIf emergency towing is necessary, we
recommend having it done by an author-
ized KIA dealer or a commercial tow-
truck service. Proper lifting and towing
procedures are necessary to prevent
damage to the vehicle. The use of wheel
dollies or flatbed is recommended.For trailer towing guidelines information,refer to “Trailer towing” in section 5.
It is acceptable to tow the vehicle with the
rear wheels on the ground (without dol-
lies) and the front wheels off the ground.
If any of the loaded wheels or suspen-
sion components are damaged or the
vehicle is being towed with the front
wheels on the ground, use a towing dolly
under the front wheels.
When being towed by a commercial tow
truck and wheel dollies are not used, the
front of the vehicle should always be lift-
ed, not the rear.
HNF4015
D080B02NFD080B01NF
CAUTION
Do not tow the vehicle backwards with the front wheels on theground as this may cause dam- age to the vehicle.
Do not tow with sling-type equip- ment. Use wheel lift or flatbedequipment.
CAUTION
Before towing, check the level ofthe automatic transaxle fluid. If it isbelow the "HOT" range on the dip- stick, add fluid. If you cannot addfluid, a towing dolly must be used.
dolly