2009 KIA Sportage brake

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Driving tips
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Driving on a hill (“4WD LOCK”
for full-time 4WD operation) Use low gear when going uphill ordownhill and avoid sudden braking.
Do not shift gears or use your clutch when going downhill. Do not
coast downhill in Neutral.
Crossing a ditch (“4WD LOCK”
for full-time 4WD operation) Avoid driving through ditches ifpossible, especially if there is
water in the ditch. Your vehicle may
stall if the electrical system gets
wet. If you must cross a ditch,
select 4WD LOCK 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 serviced.
Tap lightly on the brake pedal dur- ing 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 differ-
ence in tire rotation at the four
wheels and the zero-degree align-
ment of the front wheels and sus-
pension.
Sharp turns at low speeds should be
carried out with caution.
CAUTION -
4WD
When turning sharply on apaved road at low speed whilein four-wheel drive, steeringcontrol will be difficult.

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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.

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Driving 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 beable to maintain vehicle control?
What’s the surface like? Smooth? Rough? Slippery? Hard-packed
dirt? Gravel?
Are there hidden surface obsta- cles? 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 con- ditions and their effect on the ter-
rain 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 vehi-
cle under control at all times.
WARNING
- Leaving vehi-
cle
If you are going to leave your
vehicle, set the parking brake
and shift a manual transaxle to
1(First), or an automatic
transaxle to P (Park).

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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 down-
hill braking, you may feel the vehicle
starting to slide sideways. To regain
your direction, just ease off the
brakes and steer to keep the front of
the vehicle pointing straight downhill.
CAUTION -
Downhill
Before beginning to go down-
hill, it is critical that you ensurethat no cargo can shift forwardwhile you are heading downhill.Such shifting could eitherendanger you and your occu-pants, or interfere with yourability to control the vehicle.
WARNING
- Braking
Heavy braking when going
down a hill can cause your
brakes to overheat and fade.
This could cause loss of control
and a serious accident. Apply
the brakes lightly when
descending a hill and use a low
gear to keep vehicle speed
under control.
CAUTION -
Wheel locking
Avoid braking so hard that you lock the wheels when goingdownhill. If your front wheelsare locked, you can’t steer yourvehicle.

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Stalling downhillStalling is much more likely to hap-
pen going uphill. But if it happens
going downhill, here’s what to do.
Stop your vehicle by applying thebrakes. Then apply the parking
brake.
Move the shift lever to P (Park) in automatic transaxle or shift to N
(Neutral) in manual transaxle and,
while still braking, restart the
engine.
Shift back to a low gear, release the parking brake, and drive
straight down.
If the engine won’t start, get out and seek help. Exit on the uphill
side of the vehicle and stay clear of
the path the vehicle would take if it
rolled downhill.
Driving across an inclineSooner or later, an off-road trail will
probably go across the incline of a
hill. If this happens, you have to
decide whether or not to try to drive
across the incline. Here are some
things to consider:
A hill that can be driven straight upor down may be too steep to drive
across. When you go straight up or
down a hill, the length of the wheel
base (the distance from the front
wheels to the rear wheels) reduces
the likelihood the vehicle will tum-
ble end over end. But when you
drive across an incline, the much
narrower track width (the distance
between the left and right wheels)
may not prevent the vehicle from
tilting and rolling over. Also, driving
across an incline puts more weight
on the downhill wheels. This could
cause a downhill slide or a rollover. Surface conditions can be a prob-
lem when you drive across a hill.
Loose gravel, muddy spots, or
even wet grass can cause your
tires to slip sideways. If the vehicle
slips sideways, it can hit something
that will tip it (a rock, a rut, etc.) and
cause it to roll over.
Hidden obstacles can make the steepness of the incline even
worse. If you drive across a rock
with the uphill wheels, or if the
downhill wheels drop into a rut or
depression, your vehicle can tilt
even more.
For reasons like these, you need to
decide carefully whether or not to try
to drive across an incline. Just
because the trail goes across the
incline doesn’t mean you have to
drive it.

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Hard-packed snow and ice offer the
worst tire traction. On these surfaces,
it’s very easy to lose control. On wet
ice, for example, the traction is so
poor that you will even have difficulty
accelerating. And if you do get mov-
ing, poor steering and difficult brak-
ing can easily cause you to slide out
of control.
Driving in waterLight rain causes no special off-road
driving problems. However, heavy
rain can cause flash flooding, and
flood waters demand extreme cau-
tion.
Find out how deep the water is
before you drive through it. If it’s
deep enough to cover your wheel
bearing hubs, axles, or exhaust pipe,
don’t try it, You probably won’t get
through. Also, water that deep can
damage your axle and other vehicle
parts.
If the water isn’t too deep, then drive
through slowly. At fast speeds, water
can splash on your ignition system
and your vehicle can stall. Stalling
can also occur if your tailpipe goes
underwater. As long as your tailpipe
is underwater, you will not be able to
start your engine. When you go
through water, remember that it may
take you longer to stop when your
brakes are wet. If you have driven through water that
was deep enough to cover your
wheel bearing hubs, it may be a
good idea to have an Authorized Kia
dealer or other competent service
center repack your front wheel bear-
ings and examine your rear-end fluid
for evidence of water.
WARNING
- Frozen sur-
faces
Driving on frozen lakes, ponds
or rivers can be dangerous.
Underwater springs, currents
under the ice, or sudden thaws
can weaken the ice. Your vehicle
could fall through the ice and
you and your passengers could
drown. Drive your vehicle on
safe surfaces only.

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After off-road drivingRemove any brush or debris that has
collected on the underbody, chassis
or under the hood. These accumula-
tions can be a fire hazard.
After driving in mud or sand, clean
and check the brake linings.
Accumulation of mud or sand can
cause glazing and uneven braking.
Check the body structure, steering,
suspension, wheels, tires, and
exhaust system for damage. Also,
check the fuel lines and cooling sys-
tem for any leakage. Your vehicle will
also require more frequent service
due to off-road use.
WARNING
- Water
Driving through rushing water
can be dangerous. Deep water
can sweep your vehicle down-
stream and you and your pas-
sengers could drown. If it’s only
inches deep, it can still wash
away the ground from under
your tires, and you could lose
traction and roll the vehicle.
Never drive through rushing
water.