2009 KIA Sportage Shift

Driving tips38
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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.
If your trailer weighs more than the
maximum trailer weight without trail-
er brakes and you have an automat-
ic transaxle, you should drive in D
(Drive) when towing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle in D (Drive)
when towing a trailer will minimize
heat build up and extend the life of
your transaxle.
✽ ✽
NOTICE• When towing a trailer on steep
grades (in excess of 6%) pay close
attention to the engine coolant
temperature gauge to ensure the
engine does not overheat. If the
needle of the coolant temperature
gauge moves across the dial
towards “H” (HOT), pull over and
stop as soon as it is safe to do so,
and allow the engine to idle until it
cools down. You may proceed once
the engine has cooled sufficiently.
• You must decide driving speed depending on trailer weight and
uphill grade to reduce the possibil-
ity of engine and transaxle over-
heating.
CAUTION
Failure to use an approved trail-
er wiring harness could result indamage to the vehicle electricalsystem and/or personal injury.

539
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 until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.
WARNING
- Parking brake
It can be dangerous to get out of
your vehicle if the parking brake
is not firmly set.
If you have left the engine run-
ning, the vehicle can move sud-
denly. You or others could be
seriously or fatally injured.
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 lose.

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 dri-
vingIf a tire goes flat while you are dri-
ving:
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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OKM049109
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 (automatic transaxle)
or reverse (manual transaxle).
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 traf-
fic.
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 authorised Kia dealer or seek
other qualified assistance. If your temperature gauge indicates
overheating, if you experience a loss
of power, or if you hear a loud knock-
ing or pinging noise, the engine has
probably overheated. Should any of
these symptoms occur, use the fol-
lowing procedure:
1. Turn on the hazard warning flash-
er, then drive to the nearest safe
location and stop your vehicle; set
the automatic transaxle in P
(Park), or shift the manual
transaxle to N (Neutral) and apply
the parking brake.
2. Make sure the air conditioner is off.
3. If coolant or steam is boiling out of the radiator, stop the engine and
call an Authorized Kia Dealer for
assistance.
If coolant is not boiling out, allow
the engine to idle and open the
hood to permit the engine to cool
gradually.
If the temperature does not go
down with the engine idling, stop
the engine and allow sufficient
time for it to cool. 4. The coolant level should then be
checked. If the level in the reser-
voir is low, look for leaks at the
radiator hoses and connections,
heater hoses and connections,
radiator, and water pump. If you
find a major leak or another prob-
lem that may have caused the
engine to overheat, do not operate
the engine until it has been cor-
rected. Call an Authorized Kia
Dealer for assistance. If you do not
find a leak or other problem, care-
fully add coolant to the reservoir.
If the engine frequently overheats,have the cooling system checkedand repaired by an Authorized KiaDealer.
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WARNING
- Removing
radiator cap
Do not remove the radiator cap
when the engine and radiator
are hot. Scalding hot coolant
and steam may blow out under
pressure. This could cause seri-
ous injury.
OVERHEATING

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In case of an emergency
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✽ ✽NOTICE• Do not tow the vehicle backwards
with the front wheels on the
ground as this may cause damage
to the vehicle.
• Do not tow with sling-type equip- ment. Use wheel lift or flatbed
equipment.
When towing your vehicle in an
emergency without wheel dollies :
1. Set the ignition switch in the ACC
position.
2. Place the transaxle shift lever in N (Neutral).
3. Release the parking brake.✽ ✽ NOTICEFailure to place the transaxle shift
lever in N (Neutral) may cause inter-
nal damage to the transaxle.
Towing with a vehicle other
than a tow truck If towing is necessary, we recom-
mend you to have it done by an
Authorized Kia dealer or a commer-
cial tow truck service.
1GHA4105A1KMB4025
OKM069026


OKM069027

In case of an emergency18
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When your vehicle is being
towed by another vehicle
other than a tow truck (in case
of an emergency) Turn the ignition switch to ACC so
the steering wheel isn’t locked.
Place the transaxle shift lever in N (Neutral).
Release the parking bake.
Vehicles equipped with automatic transaxles should not exceed 45
km/h (28 mph) and should not be
towed more than 80 km (50 miles).
Vehicles equipped with manual transaxle should not be towed in
excess of 88 km/h (55 mph) and
should not be towed more than
645 km (400 miles). Press the brake pedal with more
force than normal since you will
have reduced brake performance.
More steering effort will be required because the power steer-
ing system will be disabled.
If you are driving down a long hill, the brakes may overheat and brake
performance will be reduced. Stop
often and let the brakes cool off.
✽ ✽ NOTICETo prevent internal damage to the
transaxle, never tow your vehicle
from the rear (backwards) with all
four tires in contact with the sur-
face.
Tips for towing a stuck vehicleThe following methods are effective
when your vehicle is stuck in mud,
sand or similar substances that pre-
vent the vehicle from being driven
out under its own power.
Remove the soil and sand, etc.
from the front and the back of the
tires.
Place a stone or wood under the tires.

In case of an emergency22
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Tire replacement 1. Park on a level surface and apply
the parking brake firmly.
2. Shift the shift lever into R (Reverse) with manual transaxle
or P (Park) with automatic
transaxle.
3. Activate the hazard warning flash- er. 4. Remove the wheel lug nut wrench,
jack, jack handle, and spare tire
from the vehicle.
5. Block both the front and rear of the wheel that is diagonally opposite
the jack position.
WARNING
- Changing a tire
To prevent vehicle movementwhile changing a tire, always
set the parking brake fully, and
always block the wheel diago-
nally opposite the wheel being
changed.
It is recommended that the wheels of the vehicle be
chocked, and that no person
should remain in a vehicle that
is being jacked.
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725
Maintenance
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AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE (IF EQUIPPED)Checking the automatic
transaxle fluid level The automatic transaxle fluid level
should be checked regularly.
Keep the vehicle on the level ground
with the parking brake applied and
check the fluid level according to the
following procedure.
1. Place the selector lever in N(Neutral) position and confirm the
engine is running at normal idle
speed. 2. After the transaxle is warmed up
sufficiently (fluid temperature
70~80 °C (158~176 °F)), for exam-
ple by 10 minutes usual driving,
shift the selector lever through all
positions then place the selector
lever in N (Neutral) or P (Park)
position.
3. Confirm that the fluid level is in“HOT” range on the level gauge. If
the fluid level is lower, add the
specified fluid from the fill hole. If
the fluid level is higher, drain the
fluid from the drain hole.
4. If the fluid level is checked in cold condition (fluid temperature 20~
30 °C (68~86 °F) add the fluid to
“COLD” line and then recheck the
fluid level according to the above
step 2.
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1LDE5009
COLD HOT