2011 KIA Optima brake

511
Driving your vehicle
✽
✽

NOTICE
• If the battery is weak or the smart key
does not work correctly, you can start
the engine by inserting the smart key
in the smart key holder. When you
pull out the smart key from the smart
key holder, press the smart key and
pull it out. (Continued)(Continued)
• When the stop lamp fuse is blown, you
can't start the engine normally.
Replace the fuse with a new one. If it
is not possible, you can start the
engine by pressing the ENGINE
START/STOP button for 10 seconds
while it is in the ACC position. The
engine can start without depressing
the brake pedal. But for your safety
always depress the brake pedal before
starting the engine.CAUTION
Do not press the ENGINE START/
STOP button for more than 10 sec-onds except when the stop lampfuse is blown.
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513
Driving your vehicle
During cold weather, shifting may bedifficult until the transaxle lubricant is
warmed up. This is normal and not
harmful to the transaxle.
If you've come to a complete stop and it's hard to shift into 1st or R (Reverse),
leave the shift lever at neutral position
and release the clutch. Depress the
clutch pedal back down, and then shift
into 1st or R (Reverse) gear position.Using the clutch
The clutch should be depressed all the
way to the floor before shifting, then
released slowly. The clutch pedal should
always be fully released while driving. Do
not rest your foot on the clutch pedal
while driving. This can cause unneces-
sary wear. Do not partially engage the
clutch to hold the vehicle on an incline.
This causes unnecessary wear. Use the
foot brake or parking brake to hold the
vehicle on an incline. Do not operate the
clutch pedal rapidly and repeatedly.
Downshifting
When you must slow down in heavy traf-
fic or while driving up steep hills, down-
shift before the engine starts to labor.
Downshifting reduces the chance of
stalling and gives better acceleration
when you need to increase your speed
again. When the vehicle is traveling down
steep hills, downshifting helps maintain
safe speed and prolongs brake life.
CAUTION
To avoid premature clutch wear and damage, do not drive withyour foot resting on the clutchpedal. Also, don’t use the clutchto hold the vehicle on an uphillgrade, while waiting for a trafficlight, etc.
Do not use the shift lever as a handrest during driving, as thiscan result in premature wear ofthe transaxle shift forks.
WARNING
Before leaving the driver’s seat, always set the parking brake fully
and shut the engine off. Then
make sure the transaxle is shifted
into 1st gear when the vehicle is
parked on a level or uphill grade,
and shifted into R (Reverse) on a
downhill grade. Unexpected and
sudden vehicle movement can
occur if these precautions are not
followed in the order identified.

Driving your vehicle
14
5
Good driving practices
Never take the vehicle out of gear and
coast down a hill. This is extremely
hazardous. Always leave the vehicle in
gear.
Don't "ride" the brakes. This can cause them to overheat and malfunction.
Instead, when you are driving down a
long hill, shift to a lower gear. When
you do this, engine braking will help
slow down the vehicle.
Slow down before shifting to a lower gear. This will help avoid over-revving
the engine, which can cause damage.
Slow down when you encounter cross winds. This gives you much better con-
trol of your vehicle.
Be sure the vehicle is completely stopped before you attempt to shift into
R (Reverse). The transaxle can be
damaged if you do not. To shift into R
(Reverse), depress the clutch, move
the shift lever to neutral, wait three sec-
onds, then shift to the R (Reverse)
position.
Exercise extreme caution when driving on a slippery surface. Be especially
careful when braking, accelerating or
shifting gears. On a slippery surface,
an abrupt change in vehicle speed can
cause the drive wheels to lose traction
and the vehicle to go out of control.WARNING
Always buckle-up! In a collision,
an unbelted occupant is signifi-
cantly more likely to be seriously
injured or killed than a properly
belted occupant.
Avoid high speeds when corner- ing or turning.
Do not make quick steering wheel movements, such as sharp
lane changes or fast, sharp turns.
The risk of rollover is greatly increased if you lose control of
your vehicle at highway speeds.
Losing control often occurs if two or more wheels drop off the road-
way and the driver oversteers to
reenter the roadway.
In the event your vehicle leaves the roadway, do not steer sharply.
Instead, slow down before pulling
back into the travel lanes.
Never exceed posted speed lim- its.

515
Driving your vehicle
Automatic transaxle operation
The automatic transaxle has 6 forward
speeds and one reverse speed. The indi-
vidual speeds are selected automatically,
depending on the position of the shift
lever.
✽ ✽NOTICE
The first few shifts on a new vehicle, if
the battery has been disconnected, may
be somewhat abrupt. This is a normal
condition, and the shifting sequence will
adjust after shifts are cycled a few times
by the TCM (Transaxle Control
Module) or PCM (Powertrain Control
Module).
AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE (IF EQUIPPED)
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Depress the brake pedal and the lock release button when shifting.
The shift lever can be shifted freely. Press the button when shifting.

Driving your vehicle
16
5
For smooth operation, depress the brake
pedal when shifting from N (Neutral) to aforward or reverse gear. Transaxle ranges
The indicator light in the instrument clus-
ter displays the shift lever position when
the ignition switch is in the ON position.
P (Park)
Always come to a complete stop before
shifting into P (Park). This position locks
the transaxle and prevents the front
wheels from rotating.
WARNING- Automatic
transaxle
Always check the surrounding
areas near your vehicle for peo-
ple, especially children, before
shifting a shift lever into D (Drive)
or R (Reverse).
Before leaving the driver’s seat, always make sure the shift lever
is in the P (Park) position; then
set the parking brake fully and
shut the engine off. Unexpected
and sudden vehicle movement
can occur if these precautions
are not followed in the order iden-
tified.
CAUTION
To avoid damage to your transaxle, do not accelerate theengine in R (Reverse) or any for-ward gear position with thebrakes on.
When stopped on an upgrade, do not hold the vehicle with enginepower. Use the service brake orthe parking brake.
Do not shift from N (Neutral) or P (Park) into D (Drive), or R(Reverse) when the engine isabove idle speed.

517
Driving your vehicle
R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward.
N (Neutral)
The wheels and transaxle are not
engaged. The vehicle will roll freely even
on the slightest incline unless the parking
brake or service brakes are applied.D (Drive)
This is the normal forward driving posi-
tion. The transaxle will automatically shift
through a 6-gear sequence, providing the
best fuel economy and power.
For extra power when passing another
vehicle or climbing grades, depress the
accelerator fully, at which time the
transaxle will automatically downshift to
the next lower gear.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
Always come to a complete stop before
shifting into D.
WARNING
Shifting into P (Park) while the
vehicle is in motion will cause the
drive wheels to lock which will
cause you to lose control of the
vehicle.
Do not use the P (Park) position in place of the parking brake.
Always make sure the shift lever
is latched in the P (Park) position
and set the parking brake fully.
Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle.
CAUTION
The transaxle may be damaged ifyou shift into P (Park) while the vehicle is in motion.
CAUTION
Always come to a complete stopbefore shifting into or out of R (Reverse); you may damage thetransaxle if you shift into R(Reverse) while the vehicle is inmotion, except when “Rocking theVehicle” explained in this section.

519
Driving your vehicle
Paddle shifter (if equipped)
The paddle shifter is available when the
shift lever is in the D position or the sport
mode.With the shift lever in the D position
The paddle shifter can operate when the
vehicle speed is more than 10km/h.
Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once to
shift up or down one gear and the system
changes from automatic mode to manual
mode.
If the vehicle speed is lower than 10km/h,
if you depress the accelerator pedal for
more than 7 seconds or if you shift the
shift lever from D to sport mode and shift
it from sport mode to D again, the system
will change from manual mode to auto-
matic mode.
With the shift lever in the sport mode
Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once to
shift up or down one gear.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
If you pull the [+] and [-] paddle shifters
at the same time, you can't shift the gear.
Shift lock system
For your safety, the automatic transaxle
has a shift lock system which prevents
shifting the transaxle out of P (Park)
unless the brake pedal is depressed.
To shift the transaxle from P (Park) into R
(Reverse):
1. Depress and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine or turn the ignition
switch to the ON position.
3. Move the shift lever.
If the brake pedal is repeatedly
depressed and released with the shift
lever in the P (Park) position, a chattering
noise near the shift lever may be heard.
This is a normal condition.
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WARNING
Always fully depress the brake
pedal before and while shifting out
of the P (Park) position into anoth-
er position to avoid inadvertent
motion of the vehicle which could
injure persons in or around the
vehicle.

Driving your vehicle
20
5
Shift-lock override
If the shift lever cannot be moved from
the P (Park) into R (Reverse) position
with the brake pedal depressed, continue
depressing the brake, then do the follow-
ing:
1. Carefully remove the cap covering the
shift-lock access hole.
2. Insert a key (or screwdriver) into the access hole and press down on the
key (or screwdriver).
3. Move the shift lever.
4. Have your vehicle inspected by an authorized KIA dealer immediately.
Ignition key interlock system
The ignition key cannot be removed
unless the shift lever is in the P (Park)
position.
Good driving practices
Never move the shift lever from P(Park) or N (Neutral) to any other posi-
tion with the accelerator pedal
depressed.
Never move the shift lever into P (Park) when the vehicle is in motion.
Be sure the vehicle is completely stopped before you attempt to shift into
R (Reverse) or D (Drive).
Never take the vehicle out of gear and coast down a hill. This may be
extremely hazardous. Always leave the
car in gear when moving.
Do not "ride" the brakes. This can cause them to overheat and malfunc-
tion. Instead, when you are driving
down a long hill, slow down and shift to
a lower gear. When you do this, engine
braking will help slow down the vehicle.
Slow down before shifting to a lower gear. Otherwise, the lower gear may
not be engaged.
Always use the parking brake. Do not depend on placing the transaxle in P
(Park) to keep the vehicle from moving.
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