Driving tips18
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This section contains many time-
tested, important trailering tips and
safety rules. Many of these are
important for your safety and that of
your passengers. Please read this
section carefully before you pull a
trailer.
Load-pulling components such as
the engine, transaxle, wheel assem-
blies, and tires are forced to work
harder against the load of the added
weight. The engine is required to
operate at relatively higher speeds
and under greater loads. This addi-
tional burden generates extra heat
which creates more wear in engine,
and a shortened engine life. The trail-
er also adds considerably to wind
resistance, increasing the pulling
requirements.
If you do decide to pull a trailerHere are some important points if
you decide to pull a trailer:
Consider using a sway control. You
can ask a hitch dealer about sway
control.
After your odometer indicates 800 km (500 miles) or more, you can
tow a trailer. For the first 800 km
(500 miles) that you tow a trailer,
don’t drive over 80 km/h (50 mph)
and don’t make starts at full throt-
tle. This helps your engine and
other parts of your vehicle “wear” in
at the heavier loads.
Always drive your vehicle at a mod- erate speed (less than 100 km/h
(60 mph)).
The important considerations have to do with weight: Weight of the trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be? It
should never weigh more than the
maximum trailer weight with trailer
brakes. But even that can be too
heavy.
If you feel that the trailer is adversely
affecting the movement of your vehi-
cle, reduce your speed, avoid
uneven or winding roads, avoid
roads with steep grades, and/or light-
en your trailer load.
Driving tips20
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Safety chains You should always attach chains
between your vehicle and your trail-
er. Cross the safety chains under the
tongue of the trailer so that the
tongue will not drop to the road if it
becomes separated from the hitch.
Instructions about safety chains may
be provided by the hitch manufactur-
er or by the trailer manufacturer.
Follow the manufacturer’s recom-
mendation for attaching safety
chains. Always leave just enough
slack so you can turn with your trail-
er. And, never allow safety chains to
drag on the ground.
Trailer brakes If your trailer weighs more than the
maximum weight for a trailer without
brakes, then the trailer needs its own
brakes. You must consult with a
knowledgeable and reputable trailer
vendor to determine which brake
equipped trailer is right for your
needs. Be sure to read and follow the
instructions for the trailer brakes so
you’ll be able to install, adjust and
maintain them properly.
Driving with a trailer Towing a trailer requires experience.
You must gain that experience slow-
ly and carefully which practicing with
an unloaded or lightly loaded trailer.
Before setting out for the open road,
you must get to know your trailer.
Acquaint yourself with the feel of
handling and braking with the trailer.
And always keep in mind that the
vehicle you are driving is now a good
deal longer and not nearly so
responsive as your vehicle is by
itself.
Before you start, check the trailer
hitch and platform, safety chains,
electrical connector(s), lights, tires
and mirror adjustment. If the trailer
has electric brakes, start your vehicle
and trailer moving and then apply the
trailer brake controller by hand to be
sure the brakes are working. This lets
you check your electrical connection
at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally
to be sure that the load is secure,
and that the lights and any trailer
brakes are still working.
WARNING
Do not use a trailer with its own
brakes unless you are absolute-
ly certain that you have properly
set up the brake system. This is
not a task for amateurs. Use an
experienced, competent trailer
shop for this work.
Driving tips22
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Do not connect a trailer lighting sys-
tem directly to your vehicle’s lighting
system. Use only an approved trailer
wiring harness.
Your Authorized Kia Dealer can
assist you in installing the wiring har-
ness.
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 70
km/h (45 mph) to reduce the possi-
bility of engine and transaxle over-
heating.
Operating your vehicle in D (Drive)
when towing a trailer will minimize
heat buildup and extend the life of
your transaxle.
WARNING
- Trailer wiring
harness
Failure to use an approved trail-
er wiring harness could result in
damage to the vehicle's electri-
cal system, there by disabling
the brake light system resulting
in an accident.
CAUTION
When towing a trailer on steep grades especially (in excess of6%) pay close attention to theengine coolant temperaturegauge to ensure the enginedoes not overheat. If the needleof the coolant temperaturegauge moves across the dialtowards “H” (HOT), pull over andstop as soon as it is safe to doso, and allow the engine to idleuntil it cools down. You may pro-ceed once the engine hascooled sufficiently.
523
Driving tips
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Parking on hills Generally, if you have a trailer
attached to your vehicle, you should
not park your vehicle on a hill. People
can be seriously or fatally injured,
and both your vehicle and the trailer
can be damaged if unexpectedly roll
down hill.
However, if you ever have to park
your trailer on a hill, here’s how to do
it:
1. Pull the vehicle into the parkingspace. Turn the steering wheel in
the direction of the curb (right if
headed down hill, left if headed up
hill). 2. If the vehicle has a manual
transaxle, place the car in neutral.
If the vehicle has an automatic
transaxle, place the car in P
(Park).
3. Set the parking brake and shut off the vehicle.
4. Place chocks under the trailer wheels on the down hill side of the
wheels.
5. Start the vehicle, hold the brakes, shift to neutral, release the parking
brake and slowly release the
brakes until the trailer chocks
absorb the load.
6. Reapply the brakes, reapply the parking brake and shift the vehicle
to R (Reverse) for manual
transaxle or P (Park) for automatic
transaxle.
7. Shut off the vehicle and release the vehicle brakes but leave the
parking brake set.
When you are ready to leave after
parking on a hill 1. With the manual transaxle in Neutral or 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 forward until the trail- er is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.
WARNING
- Parking on a
hill
Parking your vehicle on a hill
with a trailer attached could
cause serious injury or death,
should the trailer break loose.
WARNING
- Parking brake
It can be dangerous to get out of
your vehicle if the parking brake
is not firmly set or if the engine
is still running. In either case
the vehicle can move suddenly.
You or others could be serious-
ly or fatally injured.
Driving tips24
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Maintenance when trailer tow-
ing Your vehicle will need service more
often when you regularly pull a trail-
er. Important items to pay particular
attention to include engine oil, auto-
matic transaxle fluid, axle lubricant
and cooling system fluid. Brake con-
dition is another important item to
frequently check. Each item is cov-
ered 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 mainte-
nance schedule that accompanied
your trailer and check it periodically.
Preferably, conduct the check at the
start of each day’s driving. Most
importantly, all hitch nuts and bolts
should be tight.
CAUTION
Due to higher load during
trailer usage, overheatingmight occur in hot days orduring uphill driving. If thecoolant gauge indicates over-heating, switch off the A/C andstop the vehicle in a safe areato cool down the engine.
When towing check transaxle fluid more frequently.
If your vehicle is not equipped with the air conditioner, youshould install a condenser fanfor engine performance whentowing a trailer.
In case of an emergency26ROAD WARNING Hazard warning flasher The hazard warning flasher serves
as a warning to other drivers to exer-
cise extreme caution when
approaching, overtaking, or passing
your vehicle. It should be used when-
ever emergency repairs are being
made or when the vehicle is stopped
near the edge of a roadway.
Depress the flasher switch with the
ignition 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 oper-
ates whether your vehicle is run-
ning 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 vehicle is being towed.
If the engine stalls at a cross-
road or crossingIf the engine stalls at a crossroad or
crossing, set the shift lever in the N
(Neutral) position and then push the
vehicle to a safe place.If you have a flat tire while
drivingIf a tire goes flat while you are driv-
ing:
1. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal and 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 control.
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 divided
highway, do not park in the median
area between the two traffic lanes.
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OLD026100
IN CASE OF AN EMER-
GENCY WHILE DRIVING
63
In case of an emergency
2. When the car is stopped, turn onyour emergency hazard flashers,
set the parking brake and put the
transaxle in P.
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 section.If engine stalls while driving1. Reduce your speed gradually,keeping a straight line. Move cau-
tiously 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. (1) TPMS Malfunction Indicator
(2) Low Tire Pressure Telltale
Each tire, including the spare (if pro-
vided), should be checked monthly
when cold and inflated to the inflation
pressure recommended by the vehi-
cle manufacturer on the vehicle plac-
ard or tire inflation pressure label. (If
your vehicle has tires of a different
size than the size indicated on the
vehicle placard or tire inflation pres-
sure label, you should determine the
proper tire inflation pressure for
those tires.) As an added safety feature, your
vehicle has been equipped with a tire
pressure monitoring system (TPMS)
that illuminates a low tire pressure
telltale when one or more of your
tires is significantly under-inflated.
Accordingly, when the low tire pres-
sure telltale illuminates, you should
stop and check your tires as soon as
possible, and inflate them to the
proper pressure. Driving on a signif-
icantly under-inflated tire causes the
tire to overheat and can lead to tire
failure. Under-inflation also reduces
fuel efficiency and tire tread life, and
may affect the vehicle’s handling and
stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a
substitute for proper tire mainte-
nance, and it is the driver’s responsi-
bility to maintain correct tire pres-
sure, even if under-inflation has not
reached the level to trigger illumina-
tion of the TPMS low tire pressure
telltale.
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OLD626200N
TIRES PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM (TPMS) (IF EQUIPPED)
67
In case of an emergency
This device complies with
Industry Canada Standard RSS-
210.Operation is subject to the fol-
lowing two conditions:
1. This device may not cause harm- ful interference, and
2. This device must accept any inter- ference received, including inter-
ference that may cause undesired
operation.
Changes or modifications not
expressly approved by the party
responsible for compliance could
void the user’s authority to oper-
ate the equipment.
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WARNING
- Protecting TPMS
Tampering with, modifying, or
disabling the Tire Pressure
Monitoring System (TPMS)
components may interfere with
the system's ability to warn the
driver of low tire pressure con-
ditions and/or TPMS malfunc-
tions.
WARNING
- TPMS
The TPMS cannot alert you to severe and sudden tire dam-
age caused by external fac-
tors such as nails or road
debris.
If you feel any vehicle instabil- ity, immediately take your foot
off the accelerator, apply the
brakes gradually and with
light force, and slowly move to
a safe position off the road.