2011 KIA Soul tow

15
Introduction
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As with other vehicles of this type, failure
to operate this vehicle correctly may
result in loss of control, an accident or
vehicle rollover.
Specific design characteristics (higher
ground clearance, track, etc.) give this
vehicle a higher center of gravity than
other types of vehicles. It is not designed
for cornering at the same speeds as a
conventional 2-wheel drive sedans or
sports coupe. Avoid sharp turns or abrupt
maneuvers. Failure to operate this vehi-
cle correctly may result in loss of control,
an accident or vehicle rollover.Be sure
to read the “Reducing the risk of a
rollover” driving guidelines, in section
5 of this manual.
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No special break-in period is needed. By
following a few simple precautions for the
first 1,000 km (600 miles) you may add to
the performance, economy and life of
your vehicle.
Do not race the engine.
While driving, keep your engine speed (rpm, or revolutions per minute)
between 2,000 rpm and 4,000 rpm.
Do not maintain a single speed for long periods of time, either fast or slow.
Varying engine speed is needed to
properly break-in the engine.
Avoid hard stops, except in emergen- cies, to allow the brakes to seat prop-
erly.
Don't let the engine idle longer than 3 minutes at one time.
Don't tow a trailer during the first 2,000 km (1,200 miles) of operation.
VEHICLE BREAK-IN PROCESS
VEHICLE HANDLING
INSTRUCTIONS

Safety features of your vehicle
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4. Pull on the seatback folding lever, then
fold the seat toward the front of the
vehicle. When you return the seatback
to its upright position, always be sure it
has locked into position by pushing on
the top of the seatback. 5. To use the rear seat, lift and pull the
seatback backward by pulling on the
folding lever. Pull the seatback firmly
until it clicks into place. Make sure the
seatback is locked in place.
6. Return the rear seat belt to the proper position.
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WARNING
When you return the rear seatback
to its upright position after being
folded down:
Be careful not to damage the seat
belt webbing or buckle. Do not
allow the seat belt webbing or
buckle to get caught or pinched in
the rear seat. Ensure that the seat-
back is completely locked into its
upright position by pushing on the
top of the seatback. Otherwise, in
an accident or sudden stop, the
seat could fold down and allow
cargo to enter the passenger com-
partment, which could result in
serious injury or death.
CAUTION- Rear seat belts
When returning the rear seatbacksto the upright position, remember to return the rear shoulder belts totheir proper position. Routing theseat belt webbing through the rearseat belt guides will help keep the belts from being trapped behind orunder the seats.
CAUTION - Damaging rear
seat belt buckles
When you fold the rear seatback,
insert the buckle in the pocket between the rear seatback andcushion. Doing so can prevent thebuckle from being damaged by therear seatback.

Safety features of your vehicle
18
3
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Stowing the rear seat belt
The rear seat belt buckles can be stowed
in the pocket between the rear seatback
and cushion when not in use. Routing the seat belt webbing through
the rear seat belt guides will help keep
the belts from being trapped behind or
under the seats when they are folded
down.
After inserting the seat belt, tighten the
belt webbing by pulling it up.
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Pre-tensioner seat belt
Your vehicle is equipped with driver's and
front passenger's pre-tensioner seat
belts. The purpose of the pre-tensioner is
to make sure that the seat belts fit tightly
against the occupant's body in certain
frontal collisions. The pre-tensioner seat
belts may be activated in crashes where
the frontal collision is severe enough.
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CAUTION
When using the seat belt, use it
after taking it out of the guides. Ifyou pull the seat belt when it isstored in the guides, it may damagethe guides and/or belt webbing.

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Safety features of your vehicle
4. Slowly allow the shoulder portion ofthe seat belt to retract and listen for an
audible “clicking” or “ratcheting” sound.
This indicates that the retractor is in
the “Automatic Locking” mode. If no
distinct sound is heard, repeat steps 3
and 4. 5. Remove as much slack from the belt
as possible by pushing down on the
child restraint system while feeding the
shoulder belt back into the retractor.
6. Push and pull on the child restraint system to confirm that the seat belt is
holding it firmly in place. If it is not,
release the seat belt and repeat steps
2 through 6.
7. Double check that the retractor is in the “Automatic Locking” mode by
attempting to pull more of the seat belt
out of the retractor. If you cannot, the
retractor is in the “Automatic Locking”
mode.
To remove the child restraint, press the
release button on the buckle and then
pull the lap/shoulder belt out of the
restraint and allow the seat belt to retract
fully. When the seat belt is allowed to
retract to its fully stowed position, the
retractor will automatically switch
from the “Automatic Locking” mode to
the emergency locking mode for nor-
mal adult usage.
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WARNING- Auto lock
mode
The lap/shoulder belt automatically
returns to the “emergency lock
mode” whenever the belt is allowed
to retract fully. Therefore, the pre-
ceding seven steps must be fol-
lowed each time a child restraint is
installed.
If the retractor is not in the
Automatic Locking mode, the child
restraint can move when your vehi-
cle turns or stops suddenly. A child
can be seriously injured or killed if
the child restraint is not properly
anchored to the car, including set-
ting the retractor to the Automatic
Locking mode.

Safety features of your vehicle
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Main components of occupant detec-
tion system
A detection device located within the front passenger seat track.
Electronic system to determine whether passenger air bag systems
should be activated or deactivated.
A warning light located on the instru- ment panel which illuminates the
words PASSENGER AIR BAG “OFF”
indicating the front passenger air bag
system is deactivated.
The instrument panel air bag warning light is interconnected with the occu-
pant detection system. If the front passenger seat is occupied by
a person that the system determines to
be of adult size, and he/she sits properly
(sitting upright with the seatback in an
upright position, centered on the seat
cushion with their seat belt on, legs com-
fortably extended and their feet on the
floor), the PASSENGER AIR BAG “OFF”
indicator will turn off and the front pas-
senger's air bag will be able to inflate, if
necessary, in frontal crashes.
You will find the PASSENGER AIR BAG
“OFF” indicator on the center facia panel.
This system detects the conditions 1~4
in the following table and activates or
deactivates the front passenger air bag
based on these conditions. Always be sure that you and all vehicle
occupants are seated and restrained
properly (sitting upright with the seat in
an upright position, centered on the seat
cushion, with the person’s legs comfort-
ably extended, feet on the floor, and
wearing the safety belt properly) for the
most effective protection by the air bag
and the safety belt.
The ODS (Occupant Detection System)
may not function properly if the passen-
ger takes actions which can affect the
detection system. These include:
(1) Failing to sit in an upright position.
(2) Leaning against the door or center console.
(3) Sitting towards the sides or the front of the seat.
(4) Putting legs on the dashboard or rest- ing them on other locations which
reduce the passenger weight on the
front seat.
(5) Improperly wearing the safety belt.
(6) Reclining the seat back.

Safety features of your vehicle
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- Never sit with the hips shifted
towards the front of the seat.
- Never lean on the door or centerconsole.
- Never sit on one side of the front passenger seat.
- Never place the feet on the dash-
board.
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- Never put a heavy load in thefront passenger seat.
- Never excessively recline thefront passenger seatback.
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- Never place the feet on the frontpassenger seatback.
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Safety features of your vehicle
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SRS Care
The SRS is virtually maintenance-free
and there are no parts you can safely
service by yourself. If the SRS air bag
warning light does not illuminate, or con-
tinuously remains on, have your vehicle
immediately inspected by an authorized
KIA dealer.
Any work on the SRS system, such as
removing, installing, repairing, or any
work on the steering wheel must be per-
formed by an authorized KIA dealer.
Improper handling of the SRS system
may result in serious personal injury.
WARNING
Modification to SRS componentsor wiring, including the addition
of any kind of badges to the pad
covers or modifications to the
body structure, can adversely
affect SRS performance and lead
to possible injury.
For cleaning the air bag pad cov- ers, use only a soft, dry cloth or
one which has been moistened
with plain water. Solvents or
cleaners could adversely affect
the air bag covers and proper
deployment of the system.

No objects should be placed over
or near the air bag modules on the
steering wheel, instrument panel,
and the front passenger's panel
above the glove box, because any
such object could cause harm if the
vehicle is in a crash severe enough
to cause the air bags to inflate.
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If the air bags inflate, they must be replaced by an authorized KIA
dealer.
Do not tamper with or disconnect SRS wiring, or other components
of the SRS system. Doing so
could result in injury, due to acci-
dental inflation of the air bags or
by rendering the SRS inopera-
tive.
If components of the air bag sys- tem must be discarded, or if the
vehicle must be scrapped, certain
safety precautions must be
observed. An authorized KIA
dealer knows these precautions
and can give you the necessary
information. Failure to follow
these precautions and proce-
dures could increase the risk of
personal injury.
If your car was flooded and has soaked carpeting or water on
flooring, you shouldn't try to start
the engine; have the car towed to
an authorized KIA dealer.

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Features of your vehicle
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Smart key precautions
✽
✽NOTICE
• If, for some reason, you happen to lose
your smart key, you will not be able to
start the engine. Tow the vehicle, if
necessary, and contact an authorized
KIA dealer.
• A maximum of 2 smart keys can be registered to a single vehicle. If you
lose a smart key, you should immedi-
ately take the vehicle and key to your
authorized KIA dealer to protect it
from potential theft.
• The smart key will not work if any of the following occurs:
- The smart key is close to a radiotransmitter such as a radio station or
an airport which can interfere with
normal operation of the smart key.
- The smart key is near a mobile two- way radio system or a cellular
phone.
- Another vehicle’s smart key is being operated close to your vehicle.
When the smart key does not work
properly, open and close the door with
the mechanical key. If you have a
problem with the smart key, contact
an authorized KIA dealer.
❈ The actual feature may differ from the illus-
tration.
Restrictions in handling keys
When leaving keys with parking lot and
valet attendants, the following proce-
dures will ensure that your vehicle’s
glove box compartment can not be
opened in your absence.
1. Press and hold the release button (1) and remove the mechanical key (2).
2. Close and then lock the glove box using the mechanical key.
3. Leave the smart key with the atten- dant. The glove box can not be opened
without the mechanical key.
CAUTION
Keep the smart key away fromwater or any liquid. If the keylessentry system is inoperative due toexposure to water or liquids, it willnot be covered by your manufactur- er’s vehicle warranty.
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