2012 KIA Optima Owner's Manual

Features of your vehicle
98
4
System operation
Ventilation
1. Set the mode to the position.
2. Set the air intake control to the outside
(fresh) air position.
3. Set the temperature control to the desired position.
4. Set the fan speed control to the desired speed.
Heating
1. Set the mode to the position.
2. Set the air intake control to the outside(fresh) air position.
3. Set the temperature control to the desired position.
4. Set the fan speed control to the desired speed.
5. If dehumidified heating is desired, turn the air conditioning system (if
equipped) on.
If the windshield fogs up, set the mode to the
,position. Operation Tips
To prevent dust or unpleasant fumes
from entering the vehicle through the
ventilation system, temporarily set the
air intake control to the recirculated air
position. Be sure to return the control
to the fresh air position when the irrita-
tion has passed to keep fresh air in the
vehicle. This will help keep the driver
alert and comfortable.
Air for the heating/cooling system is drawn in through the grilles just ahead
of the windshield. Care should be
taken that these are not blocked by
leaves, snow, ice or other obstructions.
To prevent interior fog on the wind- shield, set the air intake control to the
fresh air position and fan speed to the
desired position, turn on the air condi-
tioning system, and adjust the temper-
ature control to desired temperature.
Air conditioning (if equipped)
All Kia Air Conditioning Systems are
filled with environmentally friendly
R-134a refrigerant which does not dam-
age the ozone layer.
1. Start the engine. Push the air condi- tioning button.
2. Set the mode to the position.
3. Set the air intake control to the recir- culated air position. However, pro-
longed operation of the reticulated air
position will excessively dry the air. In
this case, change the air position.
4. Adjust the fan speed control and tem- perature control to maintain maximum
comfort.
When maximum cooling is desired, set the temperature control to the extreme
left position, set the mode control to
the MAX A/C position, then set the fan
speed control to the highest speed.

499
Features of your vehicle
✽
✽NOTICE
• While using the air conditioning sys-
tem, monitor the temperature gauge
closely while driving up hills or in
heavy traffic when outside tempera-
tures are high. Air conditioning sys-
tem operation may cause engine over-
heating. Continue to use the blower
fan but turn the air conditioning sys-
tem off if the temperature gauge indi-
cates engine overheating.
• While opening the windows in humid weather air conditioning may create
water droplets inside the vehicle.
Since excessive water droplets may
cause damage to electrical equipment,
air conditioning should only be used
with the windows closed.
Air conditioning system operation tips
If the vehicle has been parked in direct
sunlight during hot weather, open the
windows for a short time to let the hot
air inside the vehicle escape.
To help reduce moisture inside of the windows on rainy or humid days,
decrease the humidity inside the vehi-
cle by operating the air conditioning
system.
During air conditioning system opera- tion, you may occasionally notice a
slight change in engine speed as the
air conditioning compressor cycles.
This is a normal system operation
characteristic.
Use the air conditioning system every month only for a few minutes to ensure
maximum system performance.
When using the air conditioning sys- tem, you may notice clear water drip-
ping (or even puddling) on the ground
under the passenger side of the vehi-
cle. This is a normal system operation
characteristic. Operating the air conditioning system
in the recirculated air position provides
maximum cooling, however, continual
operation in this mode may cause the
air inside the vehicle to become stale.
During cooling operation, you may occasionally notice a misty air flow
because of rapid cooling and humid air
intake. This is a normal system opera-
tion characteristic.

Features of your vehicle
100
4
Climate control air filter
The climate control air filter installed
behind the glove box filters the dust or
other pollutants that come into the vehi-
cle from the outside through the heating
and air conditioning system. If dust or
other pollutants accumulate in the filter
over a period of time, the air flow from the
air vents may decrease, resulting in
moisture accumulation on the inside of
the windshield even when the outside
(fresh) air position is selected. If this hap-
pens, have the climate control air filter
replaced by an authorized Kia dealer.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
• Replace the filter according to the
Maintenance Schedule.
If the vehicle is being driven in severe
conditions such as dusty, rough roads,
more frequent climate control air fil-
ter inspections and changes are
required.
• When the air flow rate suddenly decreases, the system should be
checked at an authorized Kia dealer.
Checking the amount of air con-
ditioner refrigerant and compres-
sor lubricant
When the amount of refrigerant is low,
the performance of the air conditioning is
reduced. Overfilling also has a negative
influence on the air conditioning system.
Therefore, if abnormal operation is
found, have the system inspected by an
authorized Kia dealer.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
It is important that the correct type and
amount of oil and refrigerant is used.
Otherwise, damage to the compressor
and abnormal system operation may
occur.
WARNING
The air conditioning system should
be serviced by an authorized Kia
dealer. Improper service may cause
serious injury to the person per-
forming the service.
OMG075033
Outside air
Recirculatedair
Climate control
air filter Blower
Evaporator
coreHeater core

4101
Features of your vehicle
AUTOMATIC CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM (IF EQUIPPED)
OTF040129/OTF040175N
■
■Type A
■
■Type B1. Fan speed control switch
2. Driver’s temperature control knob
3. Outside air position button
4. Air conditioning button
5. Front windshield defroster button
6. Mode selection button
7. Passenger's temperature control knob
8. Dual temperature control selection button
9. Rear window defroster button
10. OFF button
11. Recirculated air position button (Type A)
Air intake control button (Type B)
12. AUTO (automatic control) button
13. Climate control display
14. Climate information screen selection button

Features of your vehicle
102
4
Automatic heating and air condi-
tioning
The automatic climate control system is
controlled by simply setting the desired
temperature.
The Full Automatic Temperature Control
(FATC) system automatically controls the
heating and cooling system as follows;
1. Press the AUTO button. The modes,
fan speeds, air intake and air-condi-
tioning will be controlled automatically
by setting the temperature. 2. Set the temperature control knob to
the desired temperature.
If the temperature is set to the lowest
setting (Lo), the air conditioning sys-
tem will operate continuously.
3. To turn the automatic operation off, select any button or switch of the fol-
lowing:





The selected function will be controlled manually while other functions operate
automatically.
For your convenience and to improve the
effectiveness of the climate control, use
the AUTO button and set the temperature
to 23°C (73°F).
✽ ✽ NOTICE
Never place anything over the sensor
located on the instrument panel to
ensure better control of the heating and
cooling system.
OTF040132OTF040131

4103
Features of your vehicle
Manual heating and air condition-
ing
The heating and cooling system can be
controlled manually by pushing buttons
other than the AUTO button. In this case,
the system works sequentially according
to the order of buttons selected.
1. Start the engine.
2. Set the mode to the desired position.To improve the effectiveness of heat-ing and cooling :
- Heating:
- Cooling:
3. Set the temperature control to the desired position.
4. Set the air intake control to the outside (fresh) air or recirculated air position.
5. Set the fan speed control to the desired speed.
6. If air conditioning is desired, turn the air conditioning system on.
Press the AUTO button in order to con-
vert to full automatic control of the sys-
tem.
Mode selection
The mode selection button controls the
direction of the air flow through the venti-
lation system.
Every time you press the mode selection
button, the mode will change as follows:
Refer to the illustration in the “Manual cli-
mate control system”. Face-Level
Air flow is directed toward the upper body
and face. Additionally, each outlet can be
controlled to direct the air discharged
from the outlet.
Bi-Level
Air flow is discharged towards the face and
floor.
Floor-Level
Most of the air flow is directed to the
floor, with a small amount of the air being
directed to the windshield and side win-
dow defroster.
Floor/Defrost-Level
Most of the air flow is directed to the floor
and the windshield with a small amount
directed to the side window defrosters.
OTF040133N

Features of your vehicle
104
4
Defrost-level
Most of the air flow is directed to the
windshield with a small amount of air
directed to the side window defrosters. Instrument panel vents
The outlet vents can be opened or closed
separately using the thumbwheel.
Also, you can adjust the direction of air
delivered from these vents using the vent
control lever as shown.Temperature control
The temperature control knob allows you
to control the temperature of the air flow-
ing from the ventilation system. To
change the air temperature in the pas-
senger compartment, turn the knob to
the right for warm air or left for cooler air.
OTF040124OTF040135OTF040134N

4105
Features of your vehicle
Adjusting the driver and passenger side
temperature individually
1. Press the DUAL button to operate thedriver and passenger side temperature
individually. Pressing the right temper-
ature control button will automatically
switch to the DUAL mode as well.
2. Operate the left temperature control to adjust the driver side temperature.
Operate the right temperature control
to adjust the passenger side tempera-
ture.
When the driver side temperature is set
to the highest (HIGH) or lowest (LOW)
temperature setting, the DUAL mode is
deactivated for maximum heating or
cooling. Adjusting the driver and passenger side
temperature equally
1. Press the DUAL button again to deac-
tivate DUAL mode. The passenger
side temperature will be set to the
same temperature as the driver side
temperature.
2. Operate the driver side temperature control switch. The driver and passen-
ger side temperature will be adjusted
equally. Temperature conversion
You can switch the temperature mode
between Fahrenheit to Centigrade as fol-
lows:
While pressing the MODE, press the
DUAL button for 3 seconds or more.
The display will change from Fahrenheit
to Centigrade, or from Centigrade to
Fahrenheit.
If the battery has been discharged or dis-
connected, the temperature mode dis-
play will reset to Fahrenheit.
OTF040137