2009 KIA Sportage steering

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Driving your vehicle
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Power steeringPower Steering uses energy from the
engine to assist you in steering the
vehicle. If the engine is off or if the
power steering system becomes
inoperative, the vehicle may still be
steered, but it will require increased
steering effort.
Should you notice any change in the
effort required to steer during normal
vehicle operation, have the power
steering checked by an Authorized
Kia Dealer.
✽ ✽NOTICE• Never hold the steering wheel
against a stop (extreme right or
left turn) for more than 5 seconds
with the engine running. Holding
the steering wheel for more than 5
seconds in either position may
cause damage to the power steer-
ing pump.
• If the power steering drive belt breaks or if the power steering
pump malfunctions, the steering
effort will greatly increase.
✽ ✽

NOTICEIf the vehicle is parked for extended
periods outside in cold weather
(below -10°C/14°F), the power steer-
ing may require increased effort
when the engine is first started. This
is caused by increased fluid viscosity
due to the cold weather and does not
indicate a malfunction.
When this happens, increase the
engine RPM by depressing accelera-
tor until the RPM reaches 1,500 rpm
then release or let the engine idle for
two or three minutes to warm up the
fluid.
STEERING WHEEL

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Tilt steering (if equipped)A tilt steering wheel allows you to
adjust the steering wheel before you
drive.You can also raise it to the
highest level to give your legs more
room when you exit and enter the
vehicle.
The steering wheel should be posi-
tioned so that it is comfortable for
you to drive, while permitting you to
see the instrument panel warning
lights and gauges. To change the steering wheel angle,
pull down (
➀) the lock release lever,
adjust the steering wheel to the
desired angle (
➁), then pull up the
lock-release lever to lock the steering
wheel in place.
Be sure to adjust the steering wheel
to the desired position before driving.
WARNING -
Steering
wheel
Never adjust the angle of steering wheel while driving.
You may lose your steering
control and cause severe per-
sonal injury or accidents.
After adjusting, push the steering wheel both up and
down to be certain it is locked
in position.
OKM049087

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Driving your vehicle
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HornTo sound the horn, press the horn
symbol on your steering wheel.
Check the horn regularly to be sure it
operates properly.
CAUTION -
Horn
To sound the horn, press thearea indicated by the hornsymbol on your steeringwheel (see illustration). Thehorn will operate only whenthis area is pressed.
Do not strike the horn severely to operate it, or hit it with yourfist. Do not press on the hornwith a sharp-pointed object.
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The cruise control system allows you
to program the vehicle to maintain a
constant speed without resting your
foot on the accelerator pedal.
With cruise control, you can set and
automatically maintain any speed of
between 40 km/h (24 mph) and
160 km/h (96 mph).
To set cruise control speed:1. Push 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
(24 mph) and less than 160 km/h
(96 mph).
CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM (IF EQUIPPED)
WARNING
- Cruise
control
Do not use the cruise control
feature under the following con-
ditions:
Heavy or unsteady traffic
Slippery or winding roads
Situations that involve varying speeds
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Battery saver function The purpose of this feature is to
prevent the battery from being dis-
charged. The system automatically
turns off the headlights and park-
ing lights when the driver removes
the ignition key and opens the dri-
ver- side door.
With this feature, the parklight will be turned off automatically if the
driver parks on the side of road at
night.
If necessary, to keep the lights on
when the ignition key is removed,
perform the following :
1) Open the driver-side door.
2) Turn the parklights OFF and ON again using the light switch on the
steering column.
Lighting control The light switch has a Headlight and
a Parklight position.
To operate the lights, turn the knob at
the end of the control lever to one of
the following positions:➀
OFF position
➁
Parklight position
➂
Headlight position
Parklight position ( )When the light switch is in the park-
light position (1st position), the tail,
position, license and instrument
panel lights are ON.
LIGHTING
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Driving tips
Keeping a vehicle in good operating
condition is important both for econ-
omy and safety. Therefore, have an
authorized Kia dealer perform
scheduled inspections and mainte-
nance.
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WARNING
- Engine offduring motion
Never turn the engine off to
coast down hills or anytime the
vehicle is in motion. The power
steering and power brakes will
not function without the engine
running. Instead, keep the
engine on and downshift to an
appropriate gear for engine
braking effect.

Driving tips85SPECIAL DRIVING CONDITIONS Hazardous driving conditions When hazardous driving conditions
are encountered such as water,
snow, ice, mud, sand, or similar haz-
ards, follow these suggestions:
Drive cautiously and allow extradistance for braking.
Avoid sudden movements in brak- ing 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 slow-
ly 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
front wheels. Then, shift back and
forth between 1 (First) and R
(Reverse) in vehicles equipped with
a manual transaxle or R (Reverse)
and any forward gear in vehicles
equipped with an automatic
transaxle. Do not race the engine,
and spin the wheels as little as pos-
sible. If you are still stuck after a few
tries, have the vehicle pulled out by a
tow vehicle to avoid engine overheat-
ing and possible damage to the
transaxle.✽ ✽ NOTICEProlonged rocking may cause engine
over-heating, transaxle damage or
failure, and tire damage.
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WARNING
- Downshifting
Downshifting with an automatic
transaxle, while driving on slip-
pery surfaces can cause an
accident. The sudden change in
tire speed could cause the tires
to skid. Be careful when down-
shifting on slippery surfaces.
CAUTION -
ABS
Do not pump the brake pedal on a vehicle equipped with ABS.

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USING FOUR-WHEEL DRIVEDriving on snow- or Ice-cov-
ered roads (“4WD LOCK” for
full-time 4WD operation) Use snow tires. See “Tires” in this
section for more information.
Keep an adequate distance between yourself and other vehi-
cles.
Avoid sudden braking, acceleration or steering. These actions can
cause your vehicle to lose traction.
Driving in sand or mud (“4WD
LOCK” for full-time 4WD opera-
tion) Avoid sudden braking, accelerationor steering. These actions can
cause your vehicle to get stuck in
the sand or mud.
Drive at low speeds whenever pos- sible.
You may need to get out of your vehicle at times to check road con-
ditions.
If you get stuck in the sand or mud, try placing stones, wood or other
similar materials under the tires to
get traction, or move forward and
backward repeatedly to get
unstuck.
✽ ✽

NOTICEProlonged rocking may cause engine
damage, overheating, transaxle dif-
ferential or transfer case damage or
failure and tire damage.
WARNING
- Traction
Make sure that no one stands in
front of or behind the tires when
materials are placed under the
tires to get more traction. The
tires may cause loose materials
to fly out from under the vehicle,
potentially causing serious bod-
ily injury or death.