2009 KIA Sorento Owner's Manual

49
Driving your vehicle
Moving up a steep grade from a
standing startTo move up a steep grade from a stand-
ing start, depress the brake pedal, shift
the shift lever to D (Drive). Select the
appropriate gear depending on load
weight and steepness of the grade, and
release the parking brake. Depress the
accelerator gradually while releasing the
service brakes.
When accelerating from a stop on a
steep hill, the vehicle may have a ten-
dency 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 systemFor your safety, the Automatic
Transmission has a shift lock system
which prevents shifting the transmission
out of P (Park) unless the brake pedal is
depressed.
To shift the transmission out of P (Park):
1. Depress and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine or turn the ignition tothe ACC or ON position.
3. Depress the lock release button and move the shift lever.
When the ignition switch is in the LOCK
position, the transmission 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 condition.
Ignition key interlock systemThe 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 cannot be
removed.

Driving your vehicle10
4For safe four-wheel drive opera-
tion Your vehicle allows you to drive in on-
road and off-road conditions.
However, do not try to drive in deep standing water, mud, or over steep
hills.
When you are driving up or down hills drive as close to straight up and down
the hill as possible. Use extreme cau-
tion in going up or down steep hills,
since you may flip your vehicle over
depending on the grade, terrain and
water/mud conditions.
You must learn how to corner in a 4WDvehicle as soon as possible. Do not
rely on your experience in convention-
al 2WD vehicles in choosing safe cor-
nering speed. You must drive more
slowly.
Drive off-road carefully because your vehicle may be damaged by rocks or
roots of trees. Become familiar with the
off-road conditions you are going to
drive before you start.FOUR WHEEL DRIVE (4WD) (IF EQUIPPED)
WARNING -
Four wheel
drive
Driving across the contour of steep
hills can be extremely dangerous.
This danger can come from slight
changes in the wheel angle which
can destabilize the vehicle or, even
if the vehicle is maintaining stabili-
ty under power, it can lose that sta-
bility if the vehicle stops its forward
motion. Your vehicle may roll over
without warning and without time
for you to correct a mistake that
could cause serious injury or death.
WARNING
Reduce speed when you turn cor-
ners. The center of gravity of 4WD
vehicles is higher than that of con-
ventional 2WD vehicles, making
them more likely to roll over when
you turn corners too fast.
WARNING
Do not grab inside of the steering
wheel when you are driving off-
road. Your arm may be hurt by a
sudden steering maneuver or from
steering wheel rebound due to
impact with objects on the ground.
This may cause you to lose steering
wheel control.

411
Driving your vehicle
Always hold the steering wheel firmlywhen you are driving off-road.
Make sure all passengers are wearing seat belts.
Do not drive in water if the level is high- er than the bottom of the vehicle.
Check your brake condition once you are out of mud or water. Press the
brake pedal several times as you move
slowly until you feel normal braking
forces return.
Shorten your scheduled maintenance interval if you drive in off-road condi-
tions such as sand, mud or water (see
“Scheduled Maintenance” in the Index).
Always wash your car thoroughly.
Full-time 4WD operation
(if equipped)When 4WD is selected with the transfer
shift knob, the vehicle will switch to 4WD
operation after a few seconds.
WARNING
If you are driving too fast in water,
the water spray can get into the
engine compartment and wet the
ignition system, causing your vehi-
cle a sudden stop. If this happens
and your vehicle is in a tilted posi-
tion, your vehicle may roll over.
WARNING
If you are driving in heavy wind, the
vehicle's higher center of gravity
decreases your steering control
capacity and requires you to drive
more slowly.
LO WAU TO
E2BLA411B

Driving your vehicle12
4✽
✽
NOTICEWhen the vehicle shifts into 4WD mode,
a slight mechanical sound and vibration
may be felt and does not indicate a prob-
lem with the system. To avoid shift shock, when the vehicle is
stopped and you make a transfer case
shift using the transfer shift knob, wait
until the corresponding indicator light in
the instrument cluster illuminates before
driving.
Knob positionThis is used to set different positions.
AUTO
Full power delivered to front and rear
axle for increased traction. Use this mode
for normal on-road driving.
The 4WD LOW indicator light ( ) will
be turned off after blinking for a few sec-
onds to remind you that you are in the
AUTO mode.
LOW
Full power to both axles, including a
lower gear ratio for low speed applica-
tions that require extra power such as
wet pavement, snow-covered roads
and/or off-road.
LOW Mode is not recommended on dry
pavement.
The 4WD LOW indicator light
( )
will
be turned on after blinking for a few sec-
onds to remind you that you are in the
LOW mode.
Transfer shift knob operationAUTO ↔ ↔
LOW
1. Stop the vehicle.
2. Depress the clutch pedal (Manual transmission) or put the shift lever into
N (Neutral) position (Automatic trans-
mission).
3. AUTO ➝ ➝
LOW
: Turn the transfer shift knob to LOW mode.
LOW ➝
➝
AUTO
: Turn the transfer shift knob to AUTO mode.
4. Before releasing the clutch pedal (Manual transmission) or shifting to
other ranges from N (Automatic trans-
mission), wait for the corresponding
indicator light in the instrument cluster
to go ON or OFF.
4WD
LOW4WD
LOW
CAUTION
If the vehicle moves while the trans-
fer shift is in process, the gearbox may be damaged.

413
Driving your vehicle
Part-time 4WD operation
(if equipped) You can send your engine's driving
power to all front and rear wheels for
maximum power.
Four-wheel drive is useful when you
drive in snow, mud, ice or sand where
good traction is required, or when your
wheels lose traction using two-wheel
drive.When 4WD is selected with the transfer
shift knob, the vehicle will switch to 4WD
operation after a few seconds.
✽ ✽
NOTICEWhen the vehicle shifts into 4WD mode,
a slight mechanical sound and vibration
may be felt and does not indicate a prob-
lem with the system.To avoid shift shock, when the vehicle is
stopped and you make a transfer case
shift using the transfer shift knob, wait
until the corresponding indicator light in
the instrument cluster illuminates before
driving.
✽ ✽NOTICE• Do not select four wheel drive on flat
and normal roads.
• Four-wheel driving on flat roads for a long period causes poor fuel economy
and noise and it also causes tires to
wear faster.
• Four-wheel driving on flat and nor- mal roads can result in a severe bind-
ing and chattering condition when
turning the steering wheel.
• Four-wheel driving on flat roads for a long period can also cause the differ-
ential oil temperature to increase,
resulting in damage to parts in the
power train.
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Driving your vehicle14
4Knob positionThis is used to set different positions.
2HI (Rear-wheel drive)
This mode is used, when driving on nor-
mal roads and highway.
4HI (High-range 4-wheel drive)
This mode is used, when driving off-
roads, wet or snow covered roads with
normal speed.
The 4WD indicator light
()
will be
turned on to remind you that you are in
the 4HI mode.
4LO (Low-range 4-wheel drive)
Use 4LO for climbing or descending hills,
off-roads driving and towing the vehicle,
especially when increased power is
required.
The 4WD LOW indicator light
( )
will
be turned on to remind you that you are
in the 4LO mode.
Transfer shift knob operationBy turning the transfer knob (4HI, 4LO),
both front and rear axles are engaged.
This improves the traction characteristic.
2HI ➝ ➝
4HI
Turn the transfer knob from the 2HI mode
to 4HI mode at speed below 80 km/h (50
mph).
It is not necessary to depress the clutch
pedal or put the shift lever into N
(Neutral) position (Manual transmission)
or put the shift lever into N (Neutral) posi-
tion (Automatic transmission).
Perform this operation when driving
straight. There will be a few seconds of
time delay before come into 4HI mode
when you shift the knob to 4 HI from 2HI. 4HI
➝ ➝
2HI
Turn the transfer knob from the 4HI mode
to the 2HI mode at speed below 80 km/h
(50 mph). It is not necessary to depress
the clutch pedal (Manual transmission) or
put the shift lever into N (Neutral)
(Automatic transmission). Perform this
operation when driving straight.
If the transfer mode does not shift into
2HI mode when you turn the transfer
knob to 2HI, drive straight ahead with
accelerating or decelerating, or drive in
reverse.
4WD
LOW

415
Driving your vehicle
4HI ↔
↔
4LO
1. Stop the vehicle.
2. Depress the clutch pedal for the man- ual transmission or put the shift lever
into N (Neutral) for the automatic
transmission.
3. 4HI ➝ ➝
4LO
: Select the 4LO mode.
4LO ➝ ➝
4HI
: Select the 4HI mode.
4. Before releasing the clutch pedal (Manual transmission) or shifting to
other ranges from N range (Automatic
transmission), wait for corresponding
indicator light turns on or off in the
cluster.
For safe four-wheel drive opera-
tion Your vehicle allows you to drive in on-road and off-road conditions.
However, do not try to drive in deep standing water, mud, or over steep
hills.
When you are driving up or down hills,drive as close to straight up and down
the hills as possible. Use extreme cau-
tion in going up or down steep hills,
since you can flip your vehicle over
depending on the grade, terrain and
water/mud conditions.
Drive off-road carefully because your vehicle may be damaged by rocks or
roots of trees. Become familiar with the
off-road conditions you are going to
drive before you start.
CAUTION
If the vehicle moves while the trans-fer shift is in process, the gearboxmay be damaged.
WARNING
- Four-wheel driving
The conditions on-road or off-road
that demand four-wheel drive mean
all functions of your vehicle are
exposed to more extreme stress
than under highway conditions.
Slow down, look ahead, and be
ready for sudden changes in the
composition and traction of the sur-
face under your tires. If you have
any doubt about the safety of the
conditions you are facing, stop and
consider the best way to proceed.
Do not exceed the ability of yourself
or your vehicle to operate safely.
HILL1/HILL2
Approach Hill Straight
Up/Down Do not Approach at
Angle

Driving your vehicle16
4 You must learn how to corner in a 4WD
vehicle as soon as possible. Do not rely
on your experience in conventional
2WD vehicles in choosing a safe cor-
nering speed. You must drive more
slowly.
Always hold the steering wheel firmlywhen you are driving off-road.
Make sure all passengers are wearing seat belts.
WARNING
- Steep hills
Driving across the contour of steep
hills can be extremely dangerous.
This danger can come from slight
changes in the hill angle which can
destabilize the vehicle. Even if the
vehicle is maintaining stability
under power, it can lose that stabil-
ity if the vehicle stops its forward
motion. Your vehicle may roll over
without warning and without time
for you to correct a mistake that
could cause serious injury or death.
WARNING
- Turning cor-ners
Reduce speed when you turn cor-
ners. The center of gravity of 4WD
and 2WD utility vehicles are raised
higher than that of conventional
2WD cars, making them more likely
to roll over when you turn corners
too fast.
WARNING
Do not grab inside of the steering
wheel when you are driving off-road.
Your arm may be hurt by a sudden
steering maneuver or from steering
wheel rebound due to impact with
objects on the ground. You could
lose control of the steering wheel.
OBL046499N