2009 KIA Sportage Owner's Manual

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Driving tips
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Traveling to remote areasIt makes sense to plan your trip,
especially when going to a remote
area. Know the terrain and plan your
route. You are much less likely to
encounter unwanted surprises. Get
accurate maps of trails.
It’s also a good idea to travel with at
least one other vehicle. If something
happens to one of them, the other
can quickly help.
WARNING -
Cargo
Cargo piled close to the height of (or higher than) the seat
backs can be thrown forward
during a sudden stop or on
downhill slopes. You or your
passengers could be severely
injured. Keep cargo below the
top of the seat backs and, if
possible, do not pile separate
items.
Unsecured cargo in the cargo area can be tossed about
when driving on the highways
or over rough terrain. You or
your passengers can be
struck by flying objects and
severely injured. Secure the
cargo properly.
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Cargo should not be carriedon the roof without a proper
roof rack installed. The roof
rack will hold a maximum of
45 kg (100 lbs.). Heavy loads
in a roof rack raise the vehi-
cle’s center of gravity, making
it more likely to roll over. You
can be seriously or fatally
injured if the vehicle rolls
over. Do not load cargo on the
roof while driving off-road, if
at all possible. Put heavy
loads inside the cargo area,
not on the roof or in a roof
rack. Keep cargo in the cargo
area as far forward and low as
possible.

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Getting familiar with off-road driv-
ingIt’s necessary for you to practice in
an area that’s safe and close to
home before you begin serious off-
road driving. Off-road driving
requires new and different driving
skills.
You need to tune your senses to dif-
ferent kinds of signals. For example,
constantly sweep the terrain with
your eyes looking for unexpected
obstacles. Listen for unusual tire,
gear, or engine sounds. Feel and
respond to the vibrations of the vehi-
cle with your hands, feet, and body
while still carefully controlling your
vehicle. You’ll also need to adjust
your expectations and greatly lower
the number of miles you expect to
cover in an hour or a day. Controlling your vehicle is the key to
successful off-road driving. One of
the best ways to control your vehicle
is to control your speed. Here are
some things to keep in mind when
traveling at higher speeds:
You approach things faster and you
have less time to scan the terrain
for obstacles.
You have less time to react.
You have much more vehicle bounce when you drive over obsta-
cles, giving you less vehicle con-
trol.
You’ll need more distance for brak- ing, especially since you’re on an
unpaved surface. Such terrain will
always be more “slippery” than a
paved road.
WARNING -
Off road driv-
ing
When you’re driving off-road,
bouncing and quick changes in
direction can easily throw you
out of position in your seat. This
could cause you to lose control
of the vehicle and crash.
Whether you are driving on or
off the road, you and your pas-
sengers should always wear
safety belts.

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Scanning the terrain
Off-road driving can take you over
many different kinds of terrain. You
need to be familiar with the terrain
and its many different features. Here
are some things to consider.Surface conditionsOff-roading can take you over hard-
packed dirt, gravel, rocks, grass,
sand, mud, snow or ice. Each of
these surfaces affects the steering,
acceleration, and braking of your
vehicle in different ways.
Depending upon the kind of surface
you are on, you may experience slip-
ping, sliding, wheel spinning,
delayed acceleration, poor traction,
and longer braking distances.
Surface obstaclesUnseen or hidden obstacles can be
hazardous. 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 con-
stantly evaluate:
Is the path ahead clear?
Will the surface texture changeahead?
Does the path take you uphill or downhill?
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 sur-
face features can force the wheel out
of your hands if you’re not prepared. 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 especial-
ly important to avoid sudden acceler-
ation, sudden turns, or sudden brak-
ing. Any of these actions could cause
the center of gravity of the vehicle to
shift and destabilize the vehicle,
leading to a collision or rollover acci-
dent.
Off-road driving requires a different
kind of alertness from driving on
paved roads and highways. There
are no road signs, posted speed lim-
its 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.

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Driving on off-road hillsOff-road driving often takes you up,
down, or across a hill. Driving safely
on hills requires excellent judgment
and an understanding of what your
vehicle can and can’t do. There are
some hills that simply should not be
driven.
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, per-
ceptions and judgement can be
affected by even a small amount
of alcohol or drugs. You could
have a serious - or even fatal -
accident if you drink or take
drugs and drive or ride with a
driver who has been drinking or
taking drugs.
WARNING -
Driving on
hills
Many hills are simply too steep
for any vehicle. If you drive up
them, you will stall. If you drive
down them, you can’t control
your speed. In either case, you
could flip over. If you drive
across them, you will roll over.
You could be seriously or fatally
injured. If you have any doubt
about the steepness, don’t drive
up or down the hill, even if it
means that you have to turn
around and find another route.
Re-tracking is a normal part of
safe off-roading.

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Approaching a hillWhen you approach a hill, you need
to decide if it’s one of those hills
that’s just too steep to climb,
descend, or cross. Steepness can be
difficult to judge. On a very small hill,
for example, there may be a smooth,
constant incline with only a small
change in elevation where you can
easily see all the way to the top. On
a large hill, the incline may get steep-
er as you near the top, but you may
not see this because the crest of the
hill is hidden by bushes, grass, or
shrubs.Here are some other things to con-
sider as you approach a hill:
Is there a constant incline, or does
the hill get sharply steeper in
places?
Is there good traction on the hill- side, or will the surface cause tire
slipping?
Is there a straight path up or down the hill so you won’t have to make
turning maneuvers?
Are there obstructions on the hill that can block your path (boulders,
trees, logs or ruts)?
What’s beyond the hill? Is there a cliff, an embankment, a drop-off, or
a fence? Get out of the vehicle and
walk the hill if you are unsure. It’s
the smart way to find out. Is the hill simply too rough? Steep
hills often have ruts, gullies,
troughs, and exposed rocks
because they are more susceptible
to the effects of erosion.
How have weather conditions affected the terrain? Is there likely
to be mud, snow or ice on the hill?
What time of day is it? Are temper- atures dropping so that wet sur-
faces will start to freeze?

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Driving 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 spinning or sliding.
Try to drive straight up the hill, if at all possible. If the path twists and
turns, you may have to find anoth-
er 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 visi-
ble to other drivers.
WARNING -
Driving
across hills
Turning or driving across steep
hills can be dangerous. You
could lose traction, slide side-
ways, 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 over hills
Driving to the top (crest) of a hill
at full speed can cause an acci-
dent and result in serious or
fatal injury. There could be a
drop-off, embankment, cliff,
another vehicle or people sitting
on the ground. As you near the
top of a hill, slow down and stay
alert.

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Stalling while driving uphillWhat should I do if my vehicle stalls,or is about to stall, and I can’t makeit up the hill?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 vehicle and keep it from rolling
backwards. Also, apply the parking
brake.
If your engine is still running, shift the transaxle into reverse, release
the parking brake, and slowly back
down the hill in reverse. If your engine has stopped run-
ning, you’ll need to restart it. With
the brake pedal depressed and the
parking brake still applied, shift a
manual transaxle to N (Neutral), or
an automatic transaxle 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. Here are some things you must not
do if you stall, or are about to stall,
when going up a hill.
Never attempt to prevent a stall by
depressing the clutch or shifting to
N (Neutral) to “rev-up” the engine
and regain forward momentum.
This won’t work. Your vehicle will
roll backwards very quickly and
you could go out of control or roll
over.
Instead, apply the brake to stop the
vehicle. Then apply the parking
brake. Shift into reverse, release the
parking brake, and slowly back
down.

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Stalled on a steep uphillIf your vehicle stalls and you can’t
back down the hill, try this: Set the
parking brake, put your transaxle in 1
(First) gear or P (Park), and turn the
engine off. Leave the vehicle and get
some help. If your vehicle is at an
angle to the slope of the hill, exit the
vehicle on the uphill side and stay
clear of the path the vehicle would
take if it rolled downhill. Leave it in 1
(First) gear for manual transaxle or P
(Park) for automatic transaxle.
CAUTION -
Stalling
Never attempt to turn around if
you are about to stall whengoing up a hill. If the hill is steepenough to stall your vehicle, it’ssteep enough to cause you toroll over if you turn around. Ifyou can’t make it up, you mustback down the hill.
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.