2011 KIA Forte brake fluid

15
Introduction
INDICATOR SYMBOLS ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER
A050000ATD-EC
Seat belt warning light
High beam indicator
Turn signal indicator
ABS warning light
Parking brake & Brake fluid
warning light
Engine oil pressure warning light
Charging system warning light
ESC indicator*
ESC OFF indicator*
Malfunction indicator*
Air bag warning light*
Cruise indicator*
Cruise SET indicator*
Low fuel level warning light
❈ For more detailed explanations, refer to “Instrument cluster” in section 4.
Door ajar warning light
Trunk lid (or tailgate) open
warning light
Front fog light indicator*
Engine coolant temperature
warning light*
Electric power steering (EPS)
system warning light*
Shift pattern indicator
* : if equipped ECOMINDER
TMindicator*ECO
Immobilizer indicator

Your vehicle at a glance
42
ENGINE COMPARTMENT
1. Engine coolant reservoir ...................7-15
2. Engine oil filler cap ...........................7-13
3. Brake/clutch* fluid reservoir ..............7-17
4. Air cleaner.........................................7-20
5. Fuse box ...........................................7-39
6. Positive battery terminal ...................7-23
7. Negative battery terminal..................7-23
8. Windshield washer fluid reservoir .....7-19
9. Radiator cap .....................................7-16
10. Engine oil dipstick ...........................7-13
11. Power steering fluid reservoir* ........7-18
* : if equipped
OTD071055N-1
B010000ATD
* The actual engine room in the vehicle may differ from the illustration.

449
Features of your vehicle
D150308ATD
Parking brake & brake fluidwarning light
Parking brake warning
This warning light illuminates for 3 sec-
onds after the ignition switch is turned to
the ON position and then it will go out.
Also, this light illuminates when the park-
ing brake is applied with the ignition
switch in the START or ON position. The
warning light should go out when the
parking brake is released.
Low brake fluid level warning
If the warning light remains on, it may
indicate that the brake fluid level in the
reservoir is low.
If the warning light remains on:
1. Drive carefully to the nearest safe location and stop your vehicle.
2. With the engine stopped, check the brake fluid level immediately and add
fluid as required. Then check all brake
components for fluid leaks.
3. Do not drive the vehicle if leaks are found, the warning light remains on or
the brakes do not operate properly.
Have the vehicle towed to any author-
ized KIA dealer for a brake system
inspection and necessary repairs. Your vehicle is equipped with dual-diago-
nal braking systems. This means you still
have braking on two wheels even if one
of the dual systems should fail. With only
one of the dual systems working, more
than normal pedal travel and greater
pedal pressure are required to stop the
vehicle. Also, the vehicle will not stop in
as short a distance with only a portion of
the brake system working. If the brakes
fail while you are driving, shift to a lower
gear for additional engine braking and
stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do
so.
To check bulb operation, check whether
the parking brake and brake fluid warning
light illuminates when the ignition switch
is in the ON position.
D150309APB
Front fog light indicator
(if equipped)
This indicator comes on when the front
fog lights are ON.
D150312AAM
Shift pattern indicator (if equipped)
The indicator displays which automatic
transaxle shift position is selected.
WARNING
Driving the vehicle with a warning
light on is dangerous. If the brake
warning light remains on, have the
brakes checked and repaired imme-
diately by an authorized KIA dealer.

53
Driving your vehicle
E020100AUN
Before entering vehicle
• Be sure that all windows, outside mir-ror(s), and outside lights are clean.
Check the condition of the tires.
Check under the vehicle for any sign of leaks.
Be sure there are no obstacles behind you if you intend to back up.
E020200AUN
Necessary inspections
Fluid levels, such as engine oil, engine
coolant, brake fluid, and washer fluid
should be checked on a regular basis,
with the exact interval depending on the
fluid. Further details are provided in
Section 7, “Maintenance”.
E020300AHM
Before starting
Close and lock all doors.
Position the seat so that all controls areeasily reached.
Adjust the inside and outside rearview mirrors.
Be sure that all lights work.
Check all gauges.
Check the operation of warning lights when the ignition switch is turned to
the ON position.
Release the parking brake and make sure the brake warning light goes out.
For safe operation, be sure you are famil-
iar with your vehicle and its equipment.
BEFORE DRIVING
WARNING
All passengers must be properly
belted whenever the vehicle is mov-
ing. Refer to “Seat belts” in section
3 for more information on their
proper use.
WARNING
Always check the surrounding areas
near your vehicle for people, espe-
cially children, before putting a vehi-
cle into D (Drive) or R (Reverse).
WARNING
Driving while distracted can result
in a loss of vehicle control, that
may lead to an accident, severe
personal injury, and death. The dri-
ver's primary responsibility is in
the safe and legal operation of a
vehicle, and use of any handheld
devices, other equipment, or vehi-
cle systems which take the driver's
eyes, attention and focus away
from the safe operation of a vehicle
or which are not permissible by law
should never be used during oper-
ation of the vehicle.

What to do in an emergency
66
IF THE ENGINE OVERHEATS
F050000ATD
If your temperature gauge indicates over-
heating, you will experience a loss of
power, or hear loud pinging or knocking,
the engine is probably too hot. If this hap-
pens, you should:
1. Pull off the road and stop as soon as itis safe to do so.
2. Place the shift lever in P (automatic transaxle) or neutral (manual
transaxle) and set the parking brake. If
the air conditioning is on, turn it off.
3. If engine coolant is running out under the vehicle or steam is coming out
from underneath the hood, stop the
engine. Do not open the hood until the
coolant has stopped running or the
steaming has stopped. If there is no
visible loss of engine coolant and no
steam, leave the engine running and
check to be sure the engine cooling
fan is operating. If the fan is not run-
ning, turn the engine off.
4. Check to see if the water pump drive belt is missing. If it is not missing,
check to see that it is tight. If the drive
belt seems to be satisfactory, check for
coolant leaking from the radiator,
hoses or under the vehicle. (If the air
conditioning had been in use, it is nor-
mal for cold water to be draining from
it when you stop). 5. If the water pump drive belt is broken
or engine coolant leaks, stop the
engine immediately and call the near-
est authorized KIA dealer for assis-
tance. 6. If you cannot find the cause of the
overheating, wait until the engine tem-
perature has returned to normal. Then,
if coolant has been lost, carefully add
coolant to the reservoir to bring the
fluid level in the reservoir up to the
halfway mark.
7. Proceed with caution, keeping alert for further signs of overheating. If over-
heating happens again, call an author-
ized KIA dealer for assistance.
CAUTION
Serious loss of coolant indicates
there is a leak in the cooling systemand this should be checked as soonas possible by an authorized KIAdealer.
WARNING
While the engine is running, keep
hair, hands and clothing away from
moving parts such as the fan and
drive belts to prevent injury.
WARNING
Do not remove the radiator cap
when the engine is hot. This can
allow coolant to be blown out of the
opening and cause serious burns.

What to do in an emergency
18
6
F080301AUN-EU
Emergency towing precautions
Turn the ignition switch to ACC so the
steering wheel isn’t locked.
Place the transaxle shift lever in N (Neutral).
Release the parking brake.
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 steering system
will be disabled.
If you are driving down a long hill, the brakes may overheat and brake per-
formance will be reduced. Stop often
and let the brakes cool off.
F080400ATD
Tie-down hook
(for flatbed towing, if equipped)
CAUTION - Automatictransaxle
If the car is being towed with all
four wheels on the ground, it canbe towed only from the front. Besure that the transaxle is in neu-tral. Be sure the steering is unlocked by placing the ignitionswitch in the ACC position. Adriver must be in the towed vehi-cle to operate the steering andbrakes.
To avoid serious damage to the automatic transaxle, limit thevehicle speed to 15 km/h (10 mph)and drive less than 1.5 km (1mile) when towing.
Before towing, check the auto- matic transaxle fluid leak underyour vehicle. If the automatic transaxle fluid is leaking, aflatbed equipment or towing dollymust be used.
WARNING
Do not use the tie-down hooks for
towing purposes. These hooks are
designed ONLY for transport tie-
down. If the tie-down hooks are
used for towing, the tie-down hooks
or front bumper will be damaged
and this could lead to serious
injury.
OTD069013N

7
Engine compartment / 7-2
Maintenance services / 7-3
Owner maintenance / 7-4
Maintenance schedule / 7-6
Explanation of scheduled maintenance items / 7-10
Engine oil / 7-13
Engine coolant / 7-14
Brake/clutch fluid / 7-17
Power steering fluid / 7-18
Automatic transaxle fluid / 7-19
Washer fluid / 7-19
Parking brake / 7-20
Air cleaner / 7-20
Climate control air filter / 7-21
Wiper blades / 7-21
Battery / 7-23
Tires and wheels / 7-26
Fuses / 7-39
Appearance care / 7-48
Emission control system / 7-54
Maintenance

Maintenance
27
ENGINE COMPARTMENT
1. Engine coolant reservoir
2. Engine oil filler cap
3. Brake/clutch* fluid reservoir
4. Air cleaner
5. Fuse box
6. Positive battery terminal
7. Negative battery terminal
8. Windshield washer fluid reservoir
9. Radiator cap
10. Engine oil dipstick
11. Power steering fluid reservoir*
* : if equipped
OTD071055N-1
B010000ATD
* The actual engine room in the vehicle may differ from the illustration.