2011 KIA Sportage brake

Driving your vehicle
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Driving with a trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain
amount of experience. Before setting out
for the open road, you must get to know
your trailer. Acquaint yourself with the
feel of handling and braking with the
added weight of the trailer. And always
keep in mind that the vehicle you are
driving is now a good deal longer and not
nearly so responsive as your vehicle is
by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer hitch
and platform, safety chains, electrical
connector(s), lights, tires and mirror
adjustment. If the trailer has electric
brakes, start your vehicle and trailer mov-
ing and then apply the trailer brake con-
troller by hand to be sure the brakes are
working. This lets you check your electri-
cal connection at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally to be
sure that the load is secure, and that the
lights and any trailer brakes are still work-
ing.
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Following distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the vehi-
cle ahead as you would when driving
your vehicle without a trailer. This can
help you avoid situations that require
heavy braking and sudden turns.
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Passing
You’ll need more passing distance up
ahead when you’re towing a trailer. And,
because of the increased vehicle length,
you’ll need to go much farther beyond the
passed vehicle before you can return to
your lane. Due to the added load to the
engine when going uphill the vehicle may
also take longer to pass than it would on
flat ground.
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Backing up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel
with one hand. Then, to move the trailer
to the left, just move your hand to the left.
To move the trailer to the right, move your
hand to the right. Always back up slowly
and, if possible, have someone guide
you.
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Making turns
When you’re turning with a trailer, make
wider turns than normal. Do this so your
trailer won’t strike soft shoulders, curbs,
road signs, trees, or other objects near
the edge of the road. Avoid jerky or sud-
den maneuvers. Signal well in advance
before turning or lane changes.

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Driving your vehicle
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Turn signals when towing a trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has
to have a different turn signal flasher and
extra wiring. The green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash whenever you
signal a turn or lane change. Properly
connected, the trailer lights will also flash
to alert other drivers you’re about to turn,
change lanes, or stop.
When towing a trailer, the green arrows
on your instrument panel will flash for
turns even if the bulbs on the trailer are
burned out. Thus, you may think drivers
behind you are seeing your signals
when, in fact, they are not. It’s important
to check occasionally to be sure the trail-
er bulbs are still working. You must also
check the lights every time you discon-
nect and then reconnect the wires.
Do not connect a trailer lighting system
directly to your vehicle’s lighting system.
Use only an approved trailer wiring har-
ness.
An authorized KIA dealer can assist you
in installing the wiring harness.
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Driving on grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear
before you start down a long or steep
downgrade. If you don’t shift down, you
might have to use your brakes so much
that they would get hot and no longer
operate efficiently.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and
reduce your speed to around 70 km/h (45
mph) to reduce the possibility of engine
and transaxle overheating.
If your trailer weighs more than the max-
imum trailer weight without trailer brakes
and you have an automatic transaxle,
you should drive in D (Drive) when tow-
ing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle in D (Drive) when
towing a trailer will minimize heat build up
and extend the life of your transaxle.
WARNING
Failure to use an approved trailer
wiring harness could result in dam-
age to the vehicle electrical system
and/or personal injury.

Driving your vehicle
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Parking on hills
Generally, if you have a trailer attached to
your vehicle, you should not park your
vehicle on a hill. People can be seriously
or fatally injured, and both your vehicle
and the trailer can be damaged if they
unexpectedly roll downhill.
However, if you ever have to park your
trailer on a hill, here's how to do it:
1. Pull the vehicle into the parking space.
Turn the steering wheel in the direction
of the curb (right if headed downhill,
left if headed up hill).
2. If the vehicle has a manual transaxle, place the car in neutral. If the vehicle
has an automatic transaxle, place the
car in P (Park).
3. Set the parking brake and shut off the vehicle. 4. Place chocks under the trailer wheels
on the down hill side of the wheels.
5. Start the vehicle, hold the brakes, shift to neutral, release the parking brake
and slowly release the brakes until the
trailer chocks absorb the load.
6. Reapply the brakes, reapply the park- ing brake and shift the vehicle to R
(Reverse) for manual transaxle or P
(Park) for automatic transaxle.
7. Shut off the vehicle and release the vehicle brakes but leave the parking
brake set.
CAUTION
When towing a trailer on steep grades (in excess of 6%) payclose attention to the enginecoolant temperature gauge toensure the engine does not over- heat.
If the needle of the coolant tem-perature gauge moves across thedial towards “H” (HOT), pull overand stop as soon as it is safe todo so, and allow the engine to idleuntil it cools down. You may pro-ceed once the engine has cooledsufficiently.
You must decide driving speed depending on trailer weight anduphill grade to reduce the possi-bility of engine and transaxle overheating.
WARNING- Parking on a hill
Parking your vehicle on a hill with a
trailer attached could cause seri-
ous injury or death, should the trail-
er break loose or brake stops work-
ing.
WARNING- Parking brake
It can be dangerous to get out of
your vehicle if the parking brake is
not firmly set.
If you have left the engine running,
the vehicle can move suddenly. You
or others could be seriously or
fatally injured.

559
Driving your vehicle
When you are ready to leave after park-
ing on a hill
1. With the manual transaxle in Neutralor automatic transaxle in P (Park),
apply your brakes and hold the brake
pedal down while you:

and

2. Slowly remove your foot from the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.E140500AUN
Maintenance when trailer towing
Your vehicle will need service more often
when you regularly pull a trailer.
Important items to pay particular atten-
tion to include engine oil, automatic
transaxle fluid, axle lubricant and cooling
system fluid. Brake condition is another
important item to frequently check. Each
item is covered in this manual, and the
Index will help you find them quickly. If
you’re trailering, it’s a good idea to review
these sections before you start your trip.
Don’t forget to also maintain your trailer
and hitch. Follow the maintenance
schedule that accompanied your trailer
and check it periodically. Preferably, con-
duct the check at the start of each day’s
driving. Most importantly, all hitch nuts
and bolts should be tight.
CAUTION
Due to higher load during trailer usage, overheating might occurin hot days or during uphill driv- ing. If the coolant gauge indicatesover-heating, switch off the A/Cand stop the vehicle in a safe area to cool down the engine.
When towing check transaxle fluid more frequently.

Driving your vehicle
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If you do decide to pull a trailer
Here are some important points if you
decide to pull a trailer:
Consider using a sway control. You can
ask a hitch dealer about sway control.
Do not do any towing with your car dur- ing its first 2,000 km (1,200 miles) in
order to allow the engine to properly
break in. Failure to heed this caution
may result in serious engine or
transaxle damage.
When towing a trailer, be sure to con- sult an authorized KIA dealer for fur-
ther information on additional require-
ments such as a towing kit, etc.
Always drive your vehicle at a moder- ate speed (less than 100 km/h (60
mph)).
On a long uphill grade, do not exceed 70 km/h (45 mph) or the posted towing
speed limit, whichever is lower.
The chart contains important consider- ations that have to do with weight: Engine
Item 2.4L Gasoline Engine
2WD 4WD
Maximum trailer
weight
Without brake system 454
(1000) 454
(1000)
With brake system 907
(2000) 907
(2000)
Maximum tongue weight 91
(200) 91
(200)
kg (lbs.)
2WD : 2-Wheel drive
4WD : 4-Wheel drive
To identify what the vehicle trailering capacity is for your vehicle, you should read the informa-
tion in “Weight of the Trailer” that appears later in this section.

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Driving your vehicle
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Weight of the trailer
What is the maximum safe weight of a
trailer? It should never weigh more than
the maximum trailer weight with trailer
brakes. But even that can be too heavy.
It depends on how you plan to use your
trailer. For example, speed, altitude, road
grades, outside temperature and how
often your vehicle is used to pull a trailer
are all important. The ideal trailer weight
can also depend on any special equip-
ment that you have on your vehicle.
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Weight of the trailer tongue
The tongue load of any trailer is an
important weight to measure because it
affects the total gross vehicle weight
(GVW) of your vehicle. This weight
includes the curb weight of the vehicle,
any cargo you may carry in it, and the
people who will be riding in the vehicle.
And if you will tow a trailer, you must add
the tongue load to the GVW because
your vehicle will also be carrying that
weight.The trailer tongue should weigh a maxi-
mum of 10% of the total loaded trailer
weight, within the limits of the maximum
permissible trailer tongue load. After
you've loaded your trailer, weigh the trail-
er and then the tongue, separately, to
see if the weights are proper. If they
aren’t, you may be able to correct them
simply by moving some items around in
the trailer.
C190E01JM
Tongue Load Total Trailer Weight
C190E02JM
Gross Axle WeightGross Vehicle Weight

Driving your vehicle
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Towing capacity:
Without trailer brakes
: 454 kg (1000 lbs)
With trailer brakes : 907 kg (2000 lbs)
Towing capacity is the maximum
trailer weight including its cargo
weight, your vehicle can tow.
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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.
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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.
4. The resulting figure equals the available amount of cargo and lug-
gage load capacity. For example, if
the "XXX" amount equals 635 kg
(1400 lbs.) and there will be five 68
kg (150 lbs.) passengers in your
vehicle, the amount of available
cargo and luggage load capacity
is 295 kg (650 lbs).
(635-340 (5 x 68) = 295 kg or
1400-750 (5 x 150) = 650 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.

What to do in an emergency
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Hazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher serves as a
warning to other drivers to exercise
extreme caution when approaching,
overtaking, or passing your vehicle.It should be used whenever emergency
repairs are being made or when the vehi-
cle is stopped near the edge of a road-
way.
Depress the flasher switch with the igni-
tion switch in any position. The flasher
switch is located in the center console
switch panel. All turn signal lights will
flash simultaneously.
• The hazard warning flasher operates
whether your vehicle is running or not.
The turn signals do not work when the hazard flasher is on.
Care must be taken when using the hazard warning flasher while the vehi-
cle is being towed.
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If the engine stalls at a crossroad
or crossing
If the engine stalls at a crossroad or
crossing, set the shift lever in the N
(Neutral) position and then push the vehi-
cle to a safe place.
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If you have a flat tire while driving
If a tire goes flat while you are driving:
1. Take your foot off the accelerator pedaland let the vehicle slow down while
driving straight ahead. Do not apply the
brakes immediately or attempt to pull
off the road as this may cause a loss of
control. When the vehicle has slowed
to such a speed that it is safe to do so,
brake carefully and pull off the road.
Drive off the road as far as possible
and park on a firm level ground. If you
are on a divided highway, do not park
in the median area between the two
traffic lanes.
IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY
WHILE DRIVING
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