2011 KIA Soul Owner's Manual

Driving your vehicle
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5
✽
✽
NOTICE
The ESC system (if equipped) should be
turned OFF prior to rocking the vehicle.
E110300AUN
Smooth cornering
Avoid braking or gear changing in cor-
ners, especially when roads are wet.
Ideally, corners should always be taken
under gentle acceleration. If you follow
these suggestions, tire wear will be held
to a minimum.
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Driving at night
Because night driving presents more
hazards than driving in the daylight, here
are some important tips to remember:
Slow down and keep more distance
between you and other vehicles, as it
may be more difficult to see at night,
especially in areas where there may
not be any street lights.
WARNING- Spinning tires
Do not spin the wheels, especially
at speeds more than 56 km/h (35
mph). Spinning the wheels at high
speeds when the vehicle is station-
ary could cause a tire to overheat
which could result in tire damage
that may injure bystanders.
OUN056051OCM053010
WARNING
If your vehicle becomes stuck in
snow, mud, sand, etc., then you
may attempt to rock the vehicle free
by moving it forward and backward.
Do not attempt this procedure if
people or objects are anywhere
near the vehicle. During the rocking
operation the vehicle may suddenly
move forward of backward as it
becomes unstuck, causing injury
or damage to nearby people or
objects.

541
Driving your vehicle
Adjust your mirrors to reduce the glarefrom other driver's headlights.
Keep your headlights clean and prop- erly aimed. Dirty or improperly aimed
headlights will make it much more diffi-
cult to see at night. Headlight operation
when using windshield wipers is
mandatory in some states.
Avoid staring directly at the headlights of oncoming vehicles. You could be
temporarily blinded, and it will take
several seconds for your eyes to read-
just to the darkness.
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Driving in the rain
Rain and wet roads can make driving
dangerous, especially if you’re not pre-
pared for the slick pavement. Here are a
few things to consider when driving in the
rain:
A heavy rainfall will make it harder tosee and will increase the distance
needed to stop your vehicle, so slow
down.
Keep your windshield wiping equip- ment in good shape. Replace your
windshield wiper blades when they
show signs of streaking or missing
areas on the windshield. If your tires are not in good condition,
making a quick stop on wet pavement
can cause a skid and possibly lead to
an accident. Be sure your tires are in
good shape.
Turn on your headlights to make it eas- ier for others to see you.
Driving too fast through large puddles can affect your brakes. If you must go
through puddles, try to drive through
them slowly.
If you believe you may have gotten your brakes wet, apply them lightly
while driving until normal braking oper-
ation returns.E110600AUN
Driving in flooded areas
Avoid driving through flooded areas
unless you are sure the water is no high-
er than the bottom of the wheel hub.
Drive through any water slowly. Allow
adequate stopping distance because
brake performance may be affected.
After driving through water, dry the
brakes by gently applying them several
times while the vehicle is moving slowly.
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Driving your vehicle
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5
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Highway driving
Tires
Adjust the tire inflation pressures to
specification. Low tire inflation pressures
will result in overheating and possible
failure of the tires.
Avoid using worn or damaged tires which
may result in reduced traction or tire fail-
ure.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
Never exceed the maximum tire inflation
pressure shown on the tires.
Fuel, engine coolant and engine oil
High speed travel consumes more fuel
than urban motoring. Do not forget to
check both the engine coolant and
engine oil.
Drive belt
A loose or damaged drive belt may result
in overheating of the engine.
WARNING
Underinflated or overinflated
tires can cause poor handling,
loss of vehicle control, and sud-
den tire failure leading to acci-
dents, injuries, and even death.
Always check tires for proper
inflation before driving. For prop-
er tire pressures, refer to “Tires
and wheels” in section 8.
Driving on tires with no or insuffi- cient tread is dangerous. Worn-
out tires can result in loss of
vehicle control, collisions, injury,
and even death. Worn-out tires
should be replaced as soon as
possible and should never be
used for driving. Always check
the tire tread before driving your
car. For further information and
tread limits, refer to “Tires and
wheels” in section 7.

543
Driving your vehicle
WINTER DRIVING
E120000ASA
Severe weather conditions in the winter
result in greater wear and other prob-
lems. To minimize the problems of winter
driving, you should follow these sugges-
tions:
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Snowy or icy conditions
To drive your vehicle in deep snow, it may
be necessary to use snow tires on your
tires. If snow tires are needed, it is nec-
essary to select tires equivalent in size
and type of the original equipment tires.
Failure to do so may adversely affect the
safety and handling of your vehicle.
Furthermore, speeding, rapid accelera-
tion, sudden brake applications, and
sharp turns are potentially very haz-
ardous practices.
During deceleration, use engine braking
to the fullest extent. Sudden brake appli-
cations on snowy or icy roads may cause
skids to occur. You need to keep suffi-
cient distance between the vehicle in
operation in front and your vehicle. Also,
apply the brake gently.
E120101AUN
Snow tires
If you mount snow tires on your vehicle,
make sure they are radial tires of the
same size and load range as the original
tires. Mount snow tires on all four wheels
to balance your vehicle’s handling in all
weather conditions. Keep in mind that the
traction provided by snow tires on dry
roads may not be as high as your vehi-
cle's original equipment tires. You should
drive cautiously even when the roads are
clear. Check with the tire dealer for max-
imum speed recommendations.
Do not install studded tires without firstchecking local, state and municipal regu-lations for possible restrictions againsttheir use.
WARNING- Snow tire size
Snow tires should be equivalent in
size and type to the vehicle's stan-
dard tires. Otherwise, the safety
and handling of your vehicle may
be adversely affected.
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Driving your vehicle
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5
E120200AUN
Use high quality ethylene glycol
coolant
Your vehicle is delivered with high quality
ethylene glycol coolant in the cooling
system. It is the only type of coolant that
should be used because it helps prevent
corrosion in the cooling system, lubri-
cates the water pump and prevents
freezing. Be sure to replace or replenish
your coolant in accordance with the
maintenance schedule in section 7.
Before winter, have your coolant tested to
assure that its freezing point is sufficient
for the temperatures anticipated during
the winter.
E120300AUN
Check battery and cables
Winter puts additional burdens on the
battery system. Visually inspect the bat-
tery and cables as described in section
7. The level of charge in your battery can
be checked by an authorized KIA dealer
or a service station.
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Change to "winter weight" oil if
necessary
In some climates it is recommended that
a lower viscosity "winter weight" oil be
used during cold weather. See section 8
for recommendations. If you aren't sure
what weight oil you should use, consult
an authorized KIA dealer.
E120500AUN
Check spark plugs and ignition
system
Inspect your spark plugs as described in
section 7 and replace them if necessary.
Also check all ignition wiring and compo-
nents to be sure they are not cracked,
worn or damaged in any way.
E120600AUN
To keep locks from freezing
To keep the locks from freezing, squirt an
approved de-icer fluid or glycerine into
the key opening. If a lock is covered with
ice, squirt it with an approved de-icing
fluid to remove the ice. If the lock is
frozen internally, you may be able to thaw
it out by using a heated key. Handle the
heated key with care to avoid injury.
E120700AUN
Use approved window washer
anti-freeze in system
To keep the water in the window washer
system from freezing, add an approved
window washer anti-freeze solution in
accordance with instructions on the con-
tainer. Window washer anti-freeze is
available from an authorized KIA dealer
and most auto parts outlets. Do not use
engine coolant or other types of anti-
freeze as these may damage the paint
finish.
E120800AAM
Don’t let your parking brake
freeze
Under some conditions your parking
brake can freeze in the engaged position.
This is most likely to happen when there
is an accumulation of snow or ice around
or near the rear brakes or if the brakes
are wet. If there is a risk the parking
brake may freeze, apply it only temporar-
ily while you put the gear shift lever in P
(Park, automatic transaxle) or in first or
reverse gear (manual transaxle) and
block the rear wheels so the vehicle can-
not roll. Then release the parking brake.

545
Driving your vehicle
E120900AHM
Don't let ice and snow accumu-
late underneath
Under some conditions, snow and ice
can build up under the fenders and inter-
fere with the steering. When driving in
severe winter conditions where this may
happen, you should periodically check
underneath the vehicle to be sure the
movement of the front wheels and the
steering components is not obstructed.
E121000ASA-EC
Carry emergency equipment
Depending on the severity of the weath-
er, you should carry appropriate emer-
gency equipment. Some of the items you
may want to carry include tow straps or
chains, flashlight, emergency flares,
sand, shovel, jumper cables, window
scraper, gloves, ground cloth, coveralls,
blanket, etc.
TRAILER TOWING
E140000ABH
We do not recommend using this
vehicle for trailer towing.

Driving your vehicle
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5
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Tire and loading information label
The label located on the driver's door
sill gives the original tire size, cold
tire pressures recommended for your
vehicle, the number of people that
can be in your vehicle and vehicle
capacity weight.
E150101AAM
Vehicle capacity weight:
385 kg (849 lbs.)
Vehicle capacity weight is the maxi-
mum combined weight of occupants
and cargo. If your vehicle is equipped
with a trailer, the combined weight
includes the tongue load.
E150102AAM
Seating capacity:
Total : 5 persons (Front seat : 2 persons, Rear seat : 3 persons)
Seating capacity is the maximum
number of occupants including a
driver, your vehicle may carry.
However, the seating capacity may
be reduced based upon the weight of
all of the occupants, and the weight
of the cargo being carried or towed. Do not overload the vehicle as there
is a limit to the total weight, or load
limit including occupants and cargo,
the vehicle can carry.
E150103AAM
Towing capacity:
We do not recommend using this
vehicle for trailer towing.
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Cargo capacity:
The cargo capacity of your vehicle
will increase or decrease depending
on the weight and the number of
occupants and the tongue load, if
your vehicle is equipped with a trailer.
E150105AUN-C1
Steps for determining correct load
limit
1. Locate the statement "The combined weight of occupants and cargo
should never exceed XXX kg or XXX
lbs.'' on your vehicle's placard.
2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and passengers that will
be riding in your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and passengers from XXX kg
or XXX lbs.
VEHICLE LOAD LIMIT
OAM050100L
OAM050101L
OAM050102L

547
Driving your vehicle
4. The resulting figure equals the avail-able amount of cargo and luggage
load capacity. For example, if the
"XXX" amount equals 385 kg (849
lbs.), and there will be five 68 kg (150
lbs.) passengers in your vehicle, the
amount of available cargo and lug-
gage load capacity is 45 kg (99 lbs.).
(385-340 (5 x 68) = 45 kg or 849-750
(5 x 150) = 99 lbs.)
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo being loaded on
the vehicle. That weight may not
safely exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity calculated
in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trail- er, load from your trailer will be
transferred to your vehicle. Consult
this manual to determine how this
reduces the available cargo and
luggage load capacity of your
vehicle.
✽ ✽NOTICE
We do not recommend using this
vehicle for trailer towing.
Refer to your vehicle’s tire and loading information label for specific informa-
tion about your vehicle's capacity weight and seating positions. The com-
bined weight of the driver, passengers and cargo should never exceed your
vehicle's capacity weight.
C190F01JM
Item Description Total
A Vehicle Capacity 385 kg
Weight (849 lbs)
Subtract Occupant
B Weight 136 kg
68 kg (150 lbs) × 2 (300 lbs)
C
Available Cargo and249 kg
Luggage weight (549 lbs)
Example 1
ABC
C190F02JM
Item Description TotalA Vehicle Capacity 385 kg
Weight (849 lbs)
Subtract Occupant
B Weight 340 kg
68 kg (150 lbs) × 5 (750 lbs)
C
Available Cargo and45 kg
Luggage weight (99 lbs)
ABC
Example 2