2012 KIA Sorento ignition

Driving your vehicle18
5✽
✽
NOTICE• In sports mode, the driver must exe-
cute upshifts in accordance with road
conditions, taking care to keep the
engine speed below the red zone.
• In sports mode, only the 6 forward gears can be selected. To reverse or
park the vehicle, move the shift lever
to the R (Reverse) or P (Park) position
as required.
• In sports mode, downshifts are made automatically when the vehicle slows
down. When the vehicle stops, 1st gear
is automatically selected.
• In sports mode, when the engine rpm approaches the red zone shift points
are varied to upshift automatically.
• To maintain the required levels of vehicle performance and safety, the
system may not execute certain
gearshifts when the shift lever is oper-
ated.
• When driving on a slippery road, push the shift lever forward into the
+(up) position. This causes the
transaxle to shift into the 2nd gear
which is better for smooth driving on
a slippery road. Push the shift lever to
the -(down) side to shift back to the 1st
gear.
Shift lock system (if equipped)For your safety, the automatic transaxle
has a shift lock system which prevents
shifting the transaxle from P (Park) or N
(Neutral) into R (Reverse) unless the
brake pedal is depressed.
To shift the transaxle from P (Park) or N
(Neutral) into R (Reverse):
1. Depress and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine or turn the ignition
switch to the ON position.
3. Move the shift lever.
If the brake pedal is repeatedly
depressed and released with the shift
lever in the P (Park) position, a chattering
noise near the shift lever may be heard. It
is a normal condition. Shift-lock override
If the shift lever cannot be moved from
the P (Park) or N (Neutral) position into R
(Reverse) position with the brake pedal
depressed, continue depressing the
brake, then do the following:
1. Carefully remove the cap covering the
shift-lock access hole (1).
2. Insert a key (or screwdriver) into the access hole and press down on the
key (or screwdriver).
3. Move the shift lever.
4. Have your vehicle inspected by an authorized KIA dealer immediately.
WARNING
Always fully depress the brake
pedal before and while shifting out
of the P (Park) position into anoth-
er position to avoid inadvertent
motion of the vehicle which could
injure persons in or around the
vehicle.
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Driving your vehicle
E060103AHMIgnition key interlock system The ignition key cannot be removed
unless the shift lever is in the P (Park)
position. Even if the ignition switch is in
the LOCK position, the key also cannot
be removed.
If your vehicle is equipped with ENGINE
START/STOP button, the button will not
change to the OFF position unless the
shift lever is in the P (Park) position.
E060200AAMGood driving practices Never move the gear shift lever from P(Park) or N (Neutral) to any other posi-
tion with the accelerator pedal
depressed.
 Never move the gear shift lever into P (Park) when the vehicle is in motion.
 Be sure the vehicle is completely stopped before you attempt to shift into
R (Reverse) or D (Drive).
 Never take the vehicle out of gear and coast down a hill. This may be
extremely hazardous. Always leave the
car in gear when moving.
 Do not "ride" the brakes. This can cause them to overheat and malfunc-
tion. Instead, when you are driving
down a long hill, slow down and shift to
a lower gear. When you do this, engine
braking will help slow down the car.
 Slow down before shifting to a lower gear. Otherwise, the lower gear may
not be engaged.  Always use the parking brake. Do not
depend on placing the transaxle in P
(Park) to keep the vehicle from moving.
 Exercise extreme caution when driving on a slippery surface. Be especially
careful when braking, accelerating or
shifting gears. On a slippery surface,
an abrupt change in vehicle speed can
cause the drive wheels to lose traction
and the vehicle to go out of control.
 Optimum vehicle performance and economy is obtained by smoothly
depressing and releasing the accelera-
tor pedal.
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Driving your vehicle24
5 You must consciously take the effort to
learn how to corner in a 4WD vehicle.
Do not rely on your experience in con-
ventional 2WD vehicles in choosing
safe cornering speed in 4WD mode.
For starters, you must drive more slow-
ly in 4WD.
 Drive carefully off-road because your vehicle may be damaged by rocks or
roots of trees. Become familiar with the
off-road conditions where you are
going to drive before you begin driving.
 Always hold the steering wheel firmlywhen you are driving off-road.
 Make sure all passengers are wearing seat belts.  If you need to drive in the water, stop
your vehicle, set your transfer to the
4WD LOCK mode and drive at less
than 8 km/h (5 mph).
WARNING
- Steering
wheel
Do not grab the inside of the steer-
ing wheel when you are driving off-
road. You may hurt your arm by a
sudden steering maneuver or from
steering wheel rebound due to
impact with objects on the ground.
You could lose control of the steer-
ing wheel.
WARNING
- Wind danger
If you are driving in heavy wind, the
vehicle's higher center of gravity
decreases your steering control
capacity and requires you to drive
more slowly.
WARNING
- Driving
through water
Drive slowly. If you are driving too
fast in water, the water can get into
the engine compartment and wet
the ignition system, causing your
vehicle to suddenly stop. If this
happens and your vehicle is in a
tilted position, your vehicle may roll
over.
WARNING
- 4WD
Reduce speed when you turn cor-
ners. The center of gravity of 4WD
vehicles is higher than that of con-
ventional 2WD vehicles, making
them more likely to roll over when
you turn corners too fast.
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Driving your vehicle30
5Check the brake warning light by turning
the ignition switch ON (do not start the
engine). This light will be illuminated when
the parking brake is applied with the igni-
tion switch in the START or ON position.
Before driving, be sure the parking brake
is fully released and the brake warning
light is off.
If the brake warning light remains on after
the parking brake is released while the
engine is running, there may be a mal-
function in the brake system. Immediate
attention is necessary.
If at all possible, cease driving the vehi-
cle immediately. If that is not possible,
use extreme caution while operating the
vehicle and only continue to drive the
vehicle until you can reach a safe loca-
tion or repair shop.
E070300AHM-ECAnti-lock brake system (ABS)
W-75
WARNING
ABS (or ESC) will not prevent acci-
dents due to improper or danger-
ous driving maneuvers. Even
though vehicle control is improved
during emergency braking, always
maintain a safe distance between
you and objects ahead. Vehicle
speeds should always be reduced
during extreme road conditions.
The braking distance for vehicles
equipped with an anti-lock braking
system (or Electronic Stability
Control System) may be longer
than for those without it in the fol-
lowing road conditions.
During these conditions the vehicle
should be driven at reduced
speeds:
 Rough, gravel or snow-covered
roads.
(Continued)
(Continued)
 On roads where the road surfaceis pitted or has different surface
height.
The safety features of an ABS (or
ESC) equipped vehicle should not
be tested by high speed driving or
cornering. This could endanger the
safety of yourself or others.
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Driving your vehicle
The ABS continuously senses the speed
of the wheels. If the wheels are going to
lock, the ABS system repeatedly modu-
lates the hydraulic brake pressure to the
wheels.
When you apply your brakes under con-
ditions which may lock the wheels, you
may hear a “tik-tik’’ sound from the
brakes, or feel a corresponding sensation
in the brake pedal. This is normal and it
means your ABS is active.
In order to obtain the maximum benefit
from your ABS in an emergency situa-
tion, do not attempt to modulate your
brake pressure and do not try to pump
your brakes. Press your brake pedal as
hard as possible or as hard as the situa-
tion allows the ABS to control the force
being delivered to the brakes.
✽ ✽NOTICEA click sound may be heard in the
engine compartment when the vehicle
begins to move after the engine is start-
ed. These conditions are normal and
indicate that the anti-lock brake system
is functioning properly. Even with the anti-lock brake system,
your vehicle still requires sufficient
stopping distance. Always maintain a
safe distance from the vehicle in front
of you.
 Always slow down when cornering. The anti-lock brake system cannot pre-
vent accidents resulting from exces-
sive speeds.
 On loose or uneven road surfaces, operation of the anti-lock brake system
may result in a longer stopping dis-
tance than for vehicles equipped with a
conventional brake system.
CAUTION
 If the ABS warning light is on and
stays on, you may have a problemwith the ABS. In this case, howev-er, your regular brakes will worknormally.
 The ABS warning light will stay on for approximately 3 seconds afterthe ignition switch is ON. Duringthat time, the ABS will go throughself-diagnosis and the light will gooff if everything is normal. If thelight stays on, you may have aproblem with your ABS. Contactan authorized KIA dealer as soonas possible.
W-78
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Driving your vehicle
The Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
system is an electronic system designed
to help the driver maintain vehicle control
under adverse conditions. It is not a
substitute for safe driving practices.
Factors including speed, road conditions
and driver steering input can all affect
whether ESC will be effective in
preventing a loss of control. It is still your
responsibility to drive and corner at
reasonable speeds and to leave a
sufficient margin of safety.
When you apply your brakes under con-
ditions which may lock the wheels, you
may hear a “tik-tik’’ sound from the
brakes, or feel a corresponding sensation
in the brake pedal. This is normal and it
means your ESC is active.✽ ✽NOTICEA click sound may be heard in the
engine compartment when the vehicle
begins to move after the engine is start-
ed. These conditions are normal and
indicate that the Electronic Stability
Control System is functioning properly.
E070501AUN-EUESC operationESC ON condition
 When the ignition is turned ON, ESC
and ESC OFF indicator lights illuminate
for approximately 3 seconds, then ESC
is turned on.
 Press the ESC OFF button for at least half a second after turning the ignition
ON to turn ESC off. (ESC OFF indica-
tor will illuminate). To turn the ESC on,
press the ESC OFF button (ESC OFF
indicator light will go off).
 When starting the engine, you may hear a slight ticking sound. This is the
ESC performing an automatic system
self-check and does not indicate a
problem. When operating
When the ESC is in operation,
ESC indicator light blinks.
 When the Electronic StabilityControl is operating properly,
you can feel a slight pulsation
in the vehicle. This is only the
effect of brake control and
indicates nothing unusual.
 When moving out of the mud or slippery road, pressing the
accelerator pedal may not
cause the engine rpm (revo-
lutions per minute) to
increase.
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Driving your vehicle34
5
CAUTION
Driving with varying tire or wheel
sizes may cause the ESC system tomalfunction. When replacing tires, make sure they are the same size asyour original tires.
WARNING
The Electronic Stability Control sys-
tem is only a driving aid; use pre-
cautions for safe driving by slowing
down on curved, snowy, or icy
roads. Drive slowly and don’t
attempt to accelerate whenever the
ESC indicator light is blinking, or
when the road surface is slippery.
E070502AUN-EUESC operation offESC OFF state
 To cancel ESC operation,press the ESC OFF button
(ESC OFF indicator light illu-
minates).
 If the ignition switch is turned to LOCK position when ESC
is off, ESC remains off. Upon
restarting the engine, the
ESC will automatically turn
on again.
E070503AAM-EUIndicator lightWhen the ignition switch is turned ON,
the indicator light illuminates, then goes
off if ESC system is operating normally.
The ESC indicator light blinks whenever
ESC is operating and illuminates when
ESC fails to operate.
The ESC OFF indicator light comes on
when the ESC is turned off with the but-
ton.■ ESC indicator light
■ ESC OFF indicator light
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Driving your vehicle
E070504AAM-EUESC OFF usageWhen driving
 It’s a good idea to keep the ESC turnedon for daily driving whenever possible.
 To turn ESC off while driving, press the ESC OFF button while driving on a flat
road surface.✽ ✽ NOTICE• When operating the vehicle on a
dynamometer, ensure that the ESC is
turned off (ESC OFF light illuminat-
ed). If the ESC is left on, it may pre-
vent the vehicle speed from increas-
ing, and result in false diagnosis.
• Turning the ESC off does not affect ABS or brake system operation.
Hill-start assist control (HAC)
(if equipped) A vehicle has the tendency to roll back
on a steep hill when it starts to go after
stopping. The Hill-start Assist Control
(HAC) prevents the vehicle from rolling
back by applying the brakes automatical-
ly for about 2 seconds. The brakes are
released when the accelerator pedal is
depressed or after about 2 seconds.✽ ✽ NOTICE• The HAC does not operate when the
transaxle shift lever is in the P (Park)
or N (Neutral) position.
• The HAC activates even though the ESC is off but it does not activate
when the ESC has malfunctioned.
Downhill brake control (DBC)
(if equipped)The Downhill Brake Control (DBC) sup-
ports the driver driving down a steep hill
without the driver depressing the brake
pedal. It slows down the vehicle under 8
km/h (5 mph) and lets the driver concen-
trate on steering the vehicle.
DBC defaults to the OFF position when-
ever the ignition is turned on.
The DBC can be turned on or off by
pushing the button.
WARNING
Never press the ESC OFF button
while ESC is operating (ESC indica-
tor light blinks).
If ESC is turned off while ESC is
operating, the vehicle may slip out
of control.
WARNING
The HAC is activated only for about
2 seconds, so when the vehicle is
starting off always depress the
accelerator pedal.
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