Driving your vehicle
48
5
Following distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the vehi-
cle ahead as you would when driving
your vehicle without a trailer. This can
help you avoid situations that require
heavy braking and sudden turns.
Passing
You’ll need more passing distance up
ahead when you’re towing a trailer. And,
because of the increased vehicle length,
you’ll need to go much farther beyond the
passed vehicle before you can return to
your lane.
Backing up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel
with one hand. Then, to move the trailer
to the left, just move your hand to the left.
To move the trailer to the right, move your
hand to the right. Always back up slowly
and, if possible, have someone guide
you.
Making turns
When you’re turning with a trailer, make
wider turns than normal. Do this so your
trailer won’t strike soft shoulders, curbs,
road signs, trees, or other objects. Avoid
jerky or sudden maneuvers. Signal well
in advance.
Turn signals when towing a trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has
to have a different turn signal flasher and
extra wiring. The green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash whenever you
signal a turn or lane change. Properly
connected, the trailer lights will also flash
to alert other drivers you’re about to turn,
change lanes, or stop.
When towing a trailer, the green arrows
on your instrument panel will flash for
turns even if the bulbs on the trailer are
burned out. Thus, you may think drivers
behind you are seeing your signals
when, in fact, they are not. It’s important
to check occasionally to be sure the trail-
er bulbs are still working. You must also
check the lights every time you discon-
nect and then reconnect the wires.
Do not connect a trailer lighting system
directly to your vehicle’s lighting system.
Use only an approved trailer wiring har-
ness. An authorized KIA dealer can assist you
in installing the wiring harness.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 (45mph) to reduce the possibility of engine
and transaxle overheating.
If your trailer weighs more than the max-
imum trailer weight without trailer brakes
and you have an automatic transaxle,
you should drive in D (Drive) when tow-
ing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle in D (Drive) when
towing a trailer will minimize heat build up
and extend the life of your transaxle.
WARNING
Failure to use an approved trailer wiring harness could result in dam-
age to the vehicle electrical system
and/or personal injury.
ED(FL) ENG 5.QXP 10/28/2010 6:24 PM Page 48
549
Driving your vehicle
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 unex-
pectedly 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 parking space.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 park- ing 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.CAUTION
When towing a trailer on steep
grades (in excess of 6%) pay
close attention to the enginecoolant temperature gauge toensure the engine does not over- heat. If the needle of the coolant
temperature gauge moves acrossthe dial towards “130°C” (HOT),pull over and stop as soon as it is
safe to do so, and allow theengine to idle until it cools down.You may proceed once the enginehas cooled sufficiently.
You must decide the driving speed depending on trailerweight and uphill grade to reducethe possibility of engine and
transaxle overheating.
WARNING - Parking on a
hill
Parking your vehicle on a hill with a
trailer attached could cause seri-
ous injury or death, should the trail-
er break loose.
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 running,
the vehicle can move suddenly. You
or others could be seriously or
fatally injured.
ED(FL) ENG 5.QXP 10/28/2010 6:24 PM Page 49
Driving your vehicle
50
5
When you are ready to leave after park- ing 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:
Start your engine;
Shift into gear; and
Release the parking brake.
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. Maintenance when trailer towing
Your vehicle will need service more often
when you regularly pull a trailer.
Important items to pay particular atten-tion to include engine oil, automatic
transaxle fluid, axle lubricant and cooling
system fluid. Brake condition is another
important item to frequently check. Each
item is covered in this manual, and the
Index will help you find them quickly. If
you’re trailering, it’s a good idea to review
these sections before you start your trip.
Don’t forget to also maintain your trailer
and hitch. Follow the maintenance
schedule that accompanied your trailer
and check it periodically. Preferably, con-
duct the check at the start of each day’s
driving. Most importantly, all hitch nutsand bolts should be tight.CAUTION
Due to higher load during trailer
usage, overheating might occur
in hot days or during uphill driv- ing. If the coolant gauge indicatesover-heating, switch off the A/Cand stop the vehicle in a safe area
to cool down the engine.
When towing, check the transaxle fluid more frequently.
If your vehicle is not equipped with an air conditioner, you
should install a condenser fan to improve engine performancewhen towing a trailer.
ED(FL) ENG 5.QXP 10/28/2010 6:24 PM Page 50
551
Driving your vehicle
If you do decide to pull a trailer
Here are some important points if you
decide to pull a trailer:
Consider using a sway control. You canask a hitch dealer about sway control.
Do not do any towing with your car dur- ing its first 2,000 km (1,200 miles) in
order to allow the engine to properly
break in. Failure to heed this caution
may result in serious engine or
transaxle damage.
When towing a trailer, be sure to con- sult an authorized KIA dealer for fur-
ther information on additional require-
ments such as a towing kit, etc.
Always drive your vehicle at a moder- ate speed (less than 100 km/h / 60
mph). If your vehicle is a commercial
vehicle, drive less than 80 km/h.
On a long uphill grade, do not exceed 70 km/h (45 mph) or the posted towing
speed limit, whichever is lower.
The chart contains important consider- ations that have to do with weight:Engine
1.4/
1.6 2.0Engine
ItemEngineM/T A/T 1.6 Engine
Maximum
Without brake550 550 550 550
trailer System ( 1212) (1212) (1212) (1212)
weight With brake 1200 1500 1400 1400 kg (Ibs.) System (2645) (3307) (3086) (3086)
Maximum permissible
static vertical load on 55 75 75 75
the coupling device (121) (165) (165) (165) kg (Ibs.)
Recommended distance
from rear wheel center 5 Door : 820 (32.3)
to coupling point 5 Door wagon : 1055 (41.5)
mm (Inch) 3 Door : 825 (32.5)
Gasoline Engine
Diesel Engine
M/T : Manual transaxle
A/T : Automatic transaxle
ED(FL) ENG 5.QXP 10/28/2010 6:24 PM Page 51
Driving your vehicle
52
5
Weight of the trailer
How heavy can a trailer be considered
safe? It should never weigh more than
the maximum trailer weight with trailer
brakes. But even that can be too heavy.
It depends on how you plan to use your
trailer. For example, speed, altitude, road
grades, outside temperature and how
often your vehicle is used to pull a trailer
are all important. The ideal trailer weight
can also depend on any special equip-
ment that you have on your vehicle.
Weight of the trailer tongue
The tongue load of any trailer is an
important weight to measure because it
affects the total gross vehicle weight
(GVW) of your vehicle. This weight
includes the curb weight of the vehicle,
any cargo you may carry in it, and the
people who will be riding in the vehicle.
And if you tow a trailer, you must add the
tongue load to the GVW because your
vehicle will also be carrying that weight. The trailer tongue should weigh a maxi-
mum of 10% of the total loaded trailer
weight, within the limits of the maximum
trailer tongue load permissible. After
you've loaded your trailer, weigh the trail-
er and then the tongue, separately, to
see if the weights are proper. If they
aren’t, you may be able to correct them
simply by moving some items around in
the trailer.
C190E01JM
Tongue Load Total Trailer Weight
WARNING -
Trailer
Never load a trailer with more weight in the rear than in the
front. The front should be loaded
with approximately 60% of the
total trailer load; the rear should
be loaded with approximately 40%of the total trailer load.
Never exceed the maximum weight limits of the trailer or trail-
er towing equipment. Improper
loading can result in damage to
your vehicle and/or personal
injury. Check weights and loading
at a commercial scale or highway
patrol office equipped with scales.
An improperly loaded trailer can cause loss of vehicle control.C190E02JM
Gross Axle WeightGross Vehicle Weight
ED(FL) ENG 5.QXP 10/28/2010 6:24 PM Page 52
6
Road warning / 6-2 In case of an emergency while driving / 6-2If the engine will not start / 6-3Emergency starting / 6-4If the engine overheats / 6-6
If you have a flat tire (with spare tire) / 6-7
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) / 6-15
Towing / 6-20
What to do in an emergency
ED(FL) ENG 6.QXP 6/28/2010 10:51 AM Page 1
What to do in an emergency
2
6
ROAD WARNING
Hazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher serves as a
warning to other drivers to exercise
extreme caution when approaching,
overtaking, or passing your vehicle. It should be used whenever emergency
repairs are being made or when the vehi-cle is stopped near the edge of a road-
way.
Depress the flasher switch with the igni-
tion 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 operates
whether your vehicle is running 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 vehi-
cle is being towed. If the engine stalls at a crossroad
or crossing
If 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 your vehicle has a manual transaxle not equipped with a ignition lock
switch, the vehicle can move forward
by shifting to the 2 (second) or 3 (third)
gear and then turning the starter with-out depressing the clutch pedal.
If you have a flat tire while driving
If a tire goes flat while you are driving:
1. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal and let the vehicle 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 vehicle has slowed
down 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 possi-
ble and park on a firm level ground. If
you are on a divided highway, do not
park in the median area between the
two traffic lanes.
IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY WHILE DRIVING
OED040302
ED(FL) ENG 6.QXP 6/28/2010 10:51 AM Page 2
What to do in an emergency
4
6
EMERGENCY STARTING
Connect cables in numerical order and
disconnect in reverse order. Jump starting
Jump starting can be dangerous if done
incorrectly. Therefore, to avoid harm to
yourself or damage to your vehicle or
battery, follow the jump starting proce-
dures. If in doubt, we strongly recom-
mend that you have a competent techni-
cian or towing service jump start your
vehicle.
Jump starting procedure
CAUTION
Use only a 12-volt jumper system.
You can damage a 12-volt starting
motor, ignition system, and otherelectrical parts beyond repair by use of a 24-volt power supply (eithertwo 12-volt batteries in series or a
24-volt motor generator set).
WARNING - Battery
• Keep all flames or sparks away from the battery. The battery pro-
duces hydrogen gas which may
explode if exposed to flame orsparks.
Do not attempt to jump start the vehicle if the discharged battery
is frozen or if the electrolyte level
is low; the battery may rupture or
explode.
WARNING - Battery
Never attempt to check the elec-
trolyte level of the battery as this
may cause the battery to rupture or
explode causing serious injury.
1VQA4001
Discharged battery
Jumper Cables
Booster
battery
(-)
(+)
(+)(-)
CAUTION -AGM battery (if equipped)
Absorbent Glass Matt (AGM) bat-
teries are maintenance-free andshould only be serviced by an
authorized KIA dealer. For charg- ing your AGM battery, use onlyfully automatic battery chargersthat are specially developed for
AGM batteries.
When replacing the AGM battery, use only the KIA genuine batteryfor the ISG system.
(Continued)
ED(FL) ENG 6.QXP 6/28/2010 10:51 AM Page 4