2009 KIA Sorento warning light

55
Driving tips
BEFORE DRIVING Before entering vehicle: Be sure that all windows, outside mir-ror(s), and outside lights are clean.
Check the condition of the tires.
Check under the vehicle for any sign of leaks.
Be sure there are no obstacles behind you if you intend to back up.Necessary inspections Fluid levels, such as engine oil, engine
coolant, brake fluid, and washer fluid
should be checked on a regular basis,
with the exact interval depending on the
fluid. Further details are provided in
Section 7, Maintenance.
Before starting Close and lock all doors.
Position the seat so that all controls areeasily reached.
Adjust the inside and outside rearview mirrors.
Be sure that all lights work.
Check all gauges.
Check the operation of warning lights when the ignition switch is turned to
the ON position.
Release the parking brake and make sure the brake warning light goes out.
For safe operation, be sure you are famil-
iar with your vehicle and its equipment.
WARNING
- Driving under
the influence of alcohol or
drugs
Drinking and driving is dangerous.
Drunk driving is the number one
contributor to the highway death
toll each year. Even a small amount
of alcohol will affect your reflexes,
perceptions and judgement. Driving
while under the influence of drugs
is as dangerous or more dangerous
than driving drunk.
You are much more likely to have a
serious accident if you drink or take
drugs and drive.
If you are drinking or taking drugs,
don’t drive. Do not ride with a driv-
er who has been drinking or taking
drugs. Choose a designated driver
or call a cab.

57
Driving tips
SPECIAL DRIVING CONDITIONS Hazardous driving conditions When hazardous driving conditions are
encountered such as water, snow, ice,
mud, sand, or similar hazards, follow
these suggestions:
Drive cautiously and allow extra dis-tance for braking.
Avoid sudden movements in braking or steering.
When braking with non-ABS brakes pump the brake pedal with a light up-
and-down motion until the vehicle is
stopped. If stalled in snow, mud, or sand, use
second gear. Accelerate slowly to
avoid spinning the drive wheels.
Use sand, rock salt, tire chains, or other non-slip material under the drive
wheels to provide traction when stalled
in ice, snow, or mud.
Rocking the vehicle If it is necessary to rock the vehicle to
free it from snow, sand, or mud, first turn
the steering wheel right and left to clear
the area around your drive wheels. Then,
shift back and forth between 1 (First) and
R (Reverse) in vehicles equipped with a
manual transmission or R (Reverse) and
any forward gear in vehicles equipped
with an automatic transmission. Do not
race the engine, and spin the wheels as
little as possible. If you are still stuck after
a few tries, have the vehicle pulled out by
a tow vehicle to avoid engine overheating
and possible damage to the transmis-
sion.
WARNING
- Downshifting
Downshifting with an automatic
transmission, while driving on slip-
pery surfaces can cause an acci-
dent. The sudden change in tire
speed could cause the tires to skid.
Be careful when downshifting on
slippery surfaces.
WARNING
Do not pump the brake pedal on a
vehicle equipped with ABS.
CAUTION
Prolonged rocking may causeengine over-heating, transmissiondamage or failure, and tire damage.

Driving tips85
Driving at night Because night driving presents more
hazards than driving in the daylight, here
are some important tips to remember:
Slow down and keep more distancebetween you and other vehicles, as it
may be more difficult to see at night,
especially in areas where there may
not be any street lights.
Adjust your mirrors to reduce the glare from other driver's headlights.
Keep your headlights clean and prop- erly aimed on vehicles not equipped
with the automatic headlight aiming
feature. Dirty or improperly aimed
headlights will make it much more diffi-
cult to see at night.
Avoid staring directly at the headlights of oncoming vehicles. You could be
temporarily blinded, and it will take
several seconds for your eyes to read-
just to the darkness.
Driving in the rain Rain and wet roads can make driving
dangerous, especially if you’re not pre-
pared for the slick pavement. Here are a
few things to consider when driving in the
rain:
A heavy rainfall will make it harder tosee and will increase the distance
needed to stop your vehicle, so slow
down.
Keep your windshield wiping equip- ment in good shape. Replace your
windshield wiper blades when they
show signs of streaking or missing
areas on the windshield.
If your tires are not in good condition, making a quick stop on wet pavement
can cause a skid and possibly lead to
an accident. Be sure your tires are in
good shape.
Turn on your headlights to make it eas- ier for others to see you.
Driving too fast through large puddles can affect your brakes. If you must go
through puddles, try to drive through
them slowly.
If you believe you may have gotten your brakes wet, apply them lightly
while driving until normal braking oper-
ation returns.
WARNING
- Spinning tires
Do not spin the wheels, especially
at speeds more than 56 km/h (35
mph). Spinning the wheels at high
speeds when the vehicle is station-
ary could cause a tire to overheat,
explode and injure bystanders.
CAUTION
The ESC system (if equipped)should be turned OFF prior to rock- ing the vehicle.

Driving tips12
5Driving on a hill ("4LO" for part-
time 4WD operation or "LOW" for
full-time 4WD operation) Use low gear when going uphill or
downhill and avoid sudden braking.
Do not shift gears or use your clutch when going downhill. Do not coast
downhill in Neutral.
Crossing a ditch ("4LO" for part-
time 4WD operation or "LOW" for
full-time 4WD operation) Avoid driving through ditches if possi-ble, especially if there is water in the
ditch. Your vehicle may stall if the elec-
trical system gets wet. If you must
cross a ditch, select 4LO or LOW
mode.
Avoid driving where the water level is higher than the bottom of the wheel
hub. If the water level rises above this
mark, your vehicle will need to be serv-
iced.
Tap lightly on the brake pedal during and after driving through water. This
will help keep the brakes dry and in
proper working order.
Do not shift gears while crossing a ditch.
Tight corner brake effectThis is called tight corner brake effect.
Tight corner brake effect is a unique
characteristic of four-wheel drive vehicles
caused by the difference in tire rotation at
the four wheels and the zero-degree
alignment of the front wheels and sus-
pension.
Sharp turns at low speeds should be car-
ried out with caution.
WARNING
- 4WD
When turning sharply on a paved
road at low speed while in four-
wheel drive, steering control will be
difficult.

Driving tips16
5
WARNING -
Drinking &
driving
Drinking and driving, or drug use
and driving can be very dangerous
on any road. This certainly remains
true for off-road driving. At the very
time you need special alertness and
driving skills, your reflexes, percep-
tions and judgement can be affect-
ed by even a small amount of alco-
hol or drugs. You could have a seri-
ous - or even fatal - accident if you
drink or take drugs and drive or ride
with a driver who has been drinking
or taking drugs.
Surface obstaclesUnseen or hidden obstacles can be haz-
ardous. A rock, log, hole, rut, or bump
can startle you if you’re not prepared.
Often these obstacles are hidden by
grass, bushes, snow or even the rise and
fall of the terrain itself. Here are some
things to constantly evaluate:
Is the path ahead clear?
Will the surface texture change ahead?
Does the path take you uphill or down-
hill?
Might you have to stop suddenly or change direction quickly?
When you drive over obstacles or rough
terrain, it is critical that you keep a firm
grip on the steering wheel. Ruts, troughs,
or other surface features can force the
wheel out of your hands if you’re not pre-
pared. When you drive over bumps, rocks, or
other obstacles, your wheels can leave
the ground. If this happens, even with
one or two wheels, you can’t control the
vehicle as well or perhaps at all. Because
you will be on an unpaved surface, it’s
especially important to avoid sudden
acceleration, sudden turns, or sudden
braking. Any of these actions could
cause the center of gravity of the vehicle
to shift and destabilize the vehicle, lead-
ing to a collision or rollover accident.
Off-road driving requires a different kind
of alertness from driving on paved roads
and highways. There are no road signs,
posted speed limits or signal lights. You
have to use your own judgment about
what is safe and what isn’t. Bad judgment
in this uncontrolled environment can be
fatal.

Driving tips18
5Driving uphillOnce you decide you can safely drive up
the hill, you need to take some special
steps.
Use a low gear and get a firm grip on
the steering wheel.
Get a smooth start up the hill and try to maintain your speed. Don’t use more
power than you need, because you
don’t want your wheels to start spin-
ning or sliding.
Try to drive straight up the hill, if at all possible. If the path twists and turns,
you may have to find another route. Slow down as you approach the top of
the hill.
Attach a flag to the vehicle to make you more visible to approaching traffic on
trails or hills.
Sound the horn as you approach the top of the hill to let opposing traffic
know you’re there.
Use your headlights even during the day. They make you more visible to
other drivers.
Stalling while driving uphill
What should I do if my vehicle stalls, or isabout to stall, and I can’t make it up thehill?If your vehicle stalls, or is about to stall
while driving uphill, there are some
things you should do, and there are some
things you must not do. First, here’s what
you should do:
Push the brake pedal to stop the vehi- cle and keep it from rolling backwards.
Also, apply the parking brake.
If your engine is still running, shift the transmission into reverse, release the
parking brake, and slowly back down
the hill in reverse.
If your engine has stopped running, you’ll need to restart it. With the brake
pedal depressed and the parking
brake still applied, shift a manual trans-
mission to N (Neutral), or an automatic
transmission to P (Park) and restart
the engine. Then, shift to reverse,
release the parking brake, and slowly
back down the hill in reverse.
As you are backing down the hill, put your left hand on the steering wheel at
the 12 o’clock position. This way, you’ll
be able to tell if your wheels are
straight or turned to the left or right as
you back down.
WARNING -
Driving across
hills
Turning or driving across steep
hills can be dangerous. You could
lose traction, slide sideways, or just
reach an area too steep to traverse.
In any case, it could cause you to
roll over. You could be seriously or
fatally injured. When driving up
hills, always try to go as straight up
as possible.
WARNING
- Driving overhills
Driving to the top (crest) of a hill at
full speed can cause an accident
and result in serious or fatal injury.
There could be a drop-off, embank-
ment, cliff, another vehicle or peo-
ple sitting on the ground. As you
near the top of a hill, slow down and
stay alert.

Driving tips20
5Driving downhillGoing downhill can be considerably more
dangerous than driving uphill. When off-
roading takes you downhill, you’ll want to
consider many of the same things you
thought about before you went uphill. As
a brief reminder, those include:
How steep is the downhill? Will I be
able to maintain vehicle control?
What’s the surface like? Smooth? Rough? Slippery? Hard-packed dirt?
Gravel?
Are there hidden surface obstacles? Ruts? Logs? Boulders?
What’s at the bottom of the hill? Is there a hidden creek bank or even a
river bottom with large rocks?
Have changes in the weather condi- tions and their effect on the terrain
since you went uphill made your task
more difficult?
Once you have decided that you can go
down a hill safely, try to keep your vehicle
headed straight down, and use a low
gear. This way, engine braking can help
your brakes so they won’t have to do all
the work. Descend slowly, keeping your
vehicle under control at all times. Avoid turns that take you across the
incline of the hill. A hill that’s not too
steep to drive down may be too steep to
drive across. You could roll over if you
don’t drive straight down.
Never go downhill with the clutch pedal
depressed. This is called “free-wheeling.”
Your brakes will have to do all the work
and could overheat and fade.
If your wheels lock up during downhill
braking, you may feel the vehicle starting
to slide sideways. To regain your direc-
tion, just ease off the brakes and steer to
keep the front of the vehicle pointing
straight downhill.
WARNING
- Braking
Heavy braking when going down a
hill can cause your brakes to over-
heat and fade. This could cause
loss of control and a serious acci-
dent. Apply the brakes lightly when
descending a hill and use a low
gear to keep vehicle speed under
control.
WARNING
- Wheel locking
Avoid braking so hard that you lock
the wheels when going downhill. If
your front wheels are locked, you
can’t steer your vehicle.
WARNING
- Downhill
Before beginning to go downhill, it
is critical that you ensure that no
cargo can shift forward while you
are heading downhill. Such shifting
could either endanger you and your
occupants, or interfere with your
ability to control the vehicle.

Driving tips22
5If your vehicle slides downhillIf you feel your vehicle starting to slide
sideways, turn downhill immediately. This
should help straighten out the vehicle
and prevent the side slipping. However, a
much better way to prevent this is to get
out and “walk the course” first so you
know what the surface is like before you
drive it.Stalling while crossing an inclineIf your vehicle stalls when you’re crossing
an incline, be sure you (and your pas-
sengers) get out on the uphill side, even
if that door is harder to open. If you get
out on the downhill side and the vehicle
starts to roll over, you’ll be in its path.
If you have to walk down the slope, stay
out of the path the vehicle will take if it
does roll over.
Driving in mud, sand, snow, or iceWhen you drive in mud, sand, snow, or
ice, your wheels won’t get good traction.
You can’t accelerate as quickly, turning is
more difficult, and you’ll need longer
braking distances.
It’s best to use a low gear when you’re in
mud, the deeper the mud, the lower the
gear. In extremely deep mud, the idea is
to keep your vehicle moving so you don’t
get stuck.
When you drive on sand, you’ll sense a
change in wheel traction. But it will
depend upon how loosely packed the
sand is. On loosely packed sand (as on
beaches or sand dunes) your tires will
tend to sink into the sand. This has an
effect on steering, accelerating, and
braking. You may want to reduce the air
pressure in your tires slightly when driv-
ing on sand. This will improve traction.
Remember to re-inflate them the first
chance that you have after you leave the
loosely packed sand.
WARNING
- Exiting vehicle
Getting out on the downhill (low)
side of a vehicle stopped across an
incline is dangerous. If the vehicle
rolls over, you could be crushed or
fatally injured. Always get out on
the uphill (high) side of the vehicle
and stay well clear of the rollover
path.