2011 KIA Optima warning light
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Features of your vehicle
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The tachometer pointer may move slight-
ly when the ignition switch is in ACC or
ON position with the engine OFF. This
movement is normal and will not affect
the accuracy of the tachometer once the
engine is running.
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge indicates the approxi-
mate amount of fuel remaining in the fuel
tank. The fuel tank capacity is given in
section 8. The fuel gauge is supplement-
ed by a low fuel warning light, which will
illuminate when the fuel tank is nearly
empty.
On inclines or curves, the fuel gauge
pointer may fluctuate or the low fuel
warning light may come on earlier than
usual due to the movement of fuel in the
tank.
CAUTION
Do not operate the engine within
the tachometer's RED ZONE. This may cause severe engine damage.
OTF040058
WARNING- Fuel gauge
Running out of fuel can expose
vehicle occupants to danger.
You must stop and obtain addition-
al fuel as soon as possible after the
warning light comes on or when the
gauge indicator comes close to the
E level.
CAUTION
Avoid driving with extremely lowfuel level. Running out of fuel couldcause the engine to misfire, damag- ing the catalytic converter.
■Type A
■Type C
■Type B
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Welcome Light (if equipped)
On - The Welcome Light function will be
activated.
Off - The Welcome Light function will be inactivated.
Welcome Sound
On - The Welcome Sound function willbe activated.
Off - The Welcome Sound function will be inactivated.
Auto Triple Turn (One-touch tripleturn signal)
On - The lane change signals will blink 3 times when the turn signal lever is
moved slightly.
Off - The Auto Triple Turn function will be inactivated.
Horn feedback
On - The hazard warning light will blinkand the horn will sound when the
door is locked or unlocked with the
transmitter or smart key.
Off - The hazard warning light will blink but the horn will not sound when the
door is locked or unlocked with the
transmitter or smart key.
AVG fuel economy
Auto Reset - The average fuel economy will reset automatically
when you drive after refuel-
ing.
Manual Reset - The average fuel econo- my will not reset auto-
matically when you drive
after refueling.
Warnings and indicators
All warning lights are checked by turning
the ignition switch ON (do not start the
engine). Any light that does not illuminate
should be checked by an authorized KIA
dealer.
After starting the engine, check to make
sure that all warning lights are off. If any
warning lights are still on, this indicates a
situation that needs attention. When
releasing the parking brake, the brake
system warning light should go off. The
fuel warning light will stay on if the fuel
level is low.
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Features of your vehicle
Air bag warning light
This warning light will illuminate for
approximately 6 seconds each time you
turn the ignition switch to the ON posi-
tion.
This light also comes on when the
Supplement Restraint System (SRS) is
not working properly. If the air bag warn-
ing light does not come on, or continu-
ously remains on after operating for
about 6 seconds when you turned the
ignition switch to the ON position or start-
ed the engine, or if it comes on while
driving, have the SRS inspected by an
authorized KIA dealer.
Anti-lock brake system(ABS) warning light (if equipped)
This warning light illuminates if the igni-
tion switch is turned ON and goes off in
approximately 3 seconds if the system is
operating normally.
If the ABS warning light remains on,
comes on while driving, or does not
come on when the ignition switch is
turned to the ON position, this indicates
that the ABS may have malfunctioned.
If this occurs, have your vehicle checked
by an authorized KIA dealer as soon as
possible. The normal braking system will
still be operational, but without the assis-
tance of the anti-lock brake system. Electronic brake
force distribution
(EBD) system
warning light
If these two warning lights illuminate at
the same time while driving, your vehi-
cle’s ABS and EBD system may have
malfunctioned.
In this case, your ABS and regular brake
system may not work normally. Have the
vehicle checked by an authorized KIA
dealer as soon as possible.
WARNING
If both ABS and Brake warning
lights are on and stay on, your vehi-
cle’s brake system will not work
normally during sudden braking. In
this case, avoid high speed driving
and abrupt braking. Have your vehi-
cle checked by an authorized KIA
dealer as soon as possible.
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✽
✽
NOTICE
If the ABS warning light or EBD warn-
ing light is on and stays on, the
speedometer or odometer/tripmeter
may not work. In this case, have your
vehicle checked by an authorized KIA
dealer as soon as possible.
Seat belt warning
As a reminder to the driver, the seat belt
warning light will blink for approximately
6 seconds each time you turn the ignition
switch ON, regardless of belt fastening.
If the driver's seat belt is not fastened
when the ignition switch is turned on, the
seat belt warning light and the seat belt
warning chime will operate for approxi-
mately 6 seconds. But if it is refastened
within the 6 seconds, the warning light
will blink till the 6 seconds and the warn-
ing chime will turn off immediately.
If the driver's seat belt is disconnected
after the ignition switch is turned to the
ON position, the seat belt warning light
will blink for approximately 6 seconds.
But if it is fastened within the 6 seconds
the warning light will turn off immediately.
If the driver's seat belt is not fastened
when the vehicle speed exceeds 10 km/h
(6 mph), the seat belt warning light and
chime will operate approximately 11
times with a pattern of 6 seconds on and
24 seconds off until the belt is fastened
or the vehicle speed decreases below 5
km/h (3 mph).
Turn signal indicator
The blinking green arrows on the instru-
ment panel show the direction indicated
by the turn signals. If the arrow comes on
but does not blink, blinks more rapidly
than normal, or does not illuminate at all,
it indicates a malfunction in the turn sig-
nal system. You should consult your deal-
er for repairs.
This indicator also blinks when the haz-
ard warning switch is turned on.
High beam indicator
This indicator illuminates when the head-
lights are on and in the high beam posi-
tion or when the turn signal lever is pulled
into the Flash-to-Pass position.
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Features of your vehicle
Engine oil pressure warning light
This warning light indicates the engine oil
pressure is low.
If the warning light illuminates while driv-
ing:
1. Drive safely to the side of the road and stop.
2. With the engine off, check the engine oil level. If the level is low, add oil as
required.
If the warning light remains on after
adding oil or if oil is not available, call an
authorized KIA dealer.
Parking brake & brake fluid warning 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.
CAUTION
If the oil pressure warning light stays on while the engine is run-ning, serious engine damage mayresult. The oil pressure warninglight comes on whenever there is insufficient oil pressure. In normaloperation, it should come on whenthe ignition switch is turned on,then go out when the engine isstarted. If the oil pressure warninglight stays on while the engine isrunning, there is a serious malfunc-tion.
If this happens, stop the vehicle assoon as it is safe to do so, turn off the engine and check the oil level. Ifthe oil level is low, fill the engine oilto the proper level and start theengine again. If the light stays onwith the engine running, turn theengine off immediately. In anyinstance where the oil light stays onwhen the engine is running, theengine should be checked by anauthorized KIA dealer before the car is driven again.
CAUTION
If the engine is not stopped imme-diately after the engine oil pressurewarning light is illuminated, severedamage could result.
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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.Front fog light indicator
(if equipped)
This indicator comes on when the front
fog lights are ON.
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.
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Features of your vehicle
Charging system warninglight
This warning light indicates a malfunction
of either the generator or electrical
charging system.
If the warning light illuminates while the
vehicle is in motion:
1. Drive to the nearest safe location.
2. With the engine off, check the genera- tor drive belt for looseness or break-
age.
3. If the belt is adjusted properly, a prob- lem exists somewhere in the electrical
charging system. Have an authorized
KIA dealer correct the problem as
soon as possible.
Trunk lid open warninglight
This warning light illuminates when the
trunk lid is not closed securely with the
ignition switch in any position.
Door ajar warning light
This warning light illuminates when a
door is not closed securely with the igni-
tion switch in any position.
Tail light indicator*
This indicator illuminates when the tail
lights are on.
Immobilizer indicator (if equipped)
Without smart key system
This light illuminates when the immobiliz-
er key is inserted and turned to the ON
position to start the engine.
At this time, you can start the engine. The
light goes out after the engine is running.
If this light blinks when the ignition switch
is in the ON position before starting the
engine, have the system checked by an
authorized KIA dealer.
With smart key system (if equipped)
If any of the following occurs in a vehicle
equipped with the smart key, the immobi-
lizer indicator illuminates, blinks or the
light goes off.
When the smart key is in the vehicle, if the engine start/stop button is turned
to the ON position, the indicator will
illuminate until the engine is started.
However, when the smart key is not in
the vehicle, if the engine start/stop but-
ton is depressed, the indicator will blink
for a few minutes to indicate that you
will not be able to start the engine.
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When the ignition switch is turned to
the ON position and the indicator turns
off after 2 seconds, the system may
need repair. Have the vehicle checked
by an authorized KIA dealer.
When the battery is weak, if the engine start/stop button is depressed, the indi-
cator will blink and you will not be able
to start the engine. However, you may
still be able to start the engine by
inserting the smart key in the smart
key holder. If smart key system related
parts need repair, the indicator blinks.Low fuel level warning light
This warning light indicates the fuel tank
is nearly empty. When it comes on, you
should add fuel as soon as possible.
Driving with the fuel level warning light on
or with the fuel level below “E” can cause
the engine to misfire and damage the
catalytic converter (if equipped).
Malfunction indicator lamp(MIL) (check engine light)
This indicator is part of the Engine
Control System which monitors various
emission control system components. If
this indicator illuminates while driving, it
indicates that a potential malfunction has
been detected somewhere in the emis-
sion control system.
This indicator will also illuminates when
the ignition switch is turned to the ON
position, and will go off in a few seconds
after the engine is started. If it illuminates
while driving, or does not illuminate when
the ignition switch is turned to the ON
position, take your vehicle to the nearest
authorized KIA dealer and have the sys-
tem checked.
Generally, your vehicle will continue to be
drivable, but have the system checked by
an authorized KIA dealer promptly.