2012 KIA Soul brake

Driving your vehicle
30
5
When you drive on a road having
poor traction, such as an icy road,
and have operated your brakes
continuously, the ABS will be active
continuously and the ABS warning
light may illuminate. Pull your car
over to a safe place and stop the
engine.
Restart the engine. If the ABS warning light goes off, then your
ABS is normal. Otherwise, you
may have a problem with the ABS.
Contact an authorized Kia dealer
as soon as possible.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
When you jump start your vehicle
because of a drained battery, the
engine may not run as smoothly and
the ABS warning light may turn on
at the same time. This happens
because of low battery voltage. It
does not mean your ABS has mal-
functioned.
• Do not pump your brakes!
• Have the battery recharged before
driving the vehicle.
Electronic stability control
(ESC)
The Electronic Stability control (ESC)
system is designed to stabilize the
vehicle during cornering maneuvers.
ESC checks where you are steering
and where the vehicle is actually
going. ESC applies the brakes on
individual wheels and intervenes with
the engine management system to
stabilize the vehicle. Electronic stability control (ESC) will
not prevent accidents. Excessive
speed in turns, abrupt maneuvers
and hydroplaning on wet surfaces
can still result in serious accidents.
Only a safe and attentive driver can
prevent accidents by avoiding
maneuvers that cause the vehicle to
lose traction. Even with ESC
installed, always follow all the normal
precautions for driving - including
driving at safe speeds for the condi-
tions.
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.
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531
Driving your vehicle
When you apply your brakes under
conditions which may lock the
wheels, you may hear a “tik-tik’’
sound from the brakes, or feel a cor-
responding sensation in the brake
pedal. This is normal and it means
your ESC is active.ESC operation
ESC ON conditionON, ESC and ESC OFF
indicator lights illuminate
for approximately 3 sec-
onds, then ESC is turned
on.
ton for at least half a sec-
ond after turning the igni-
tion ON to turn ESC off.
(ESC OFF indicator will
illuminate). To turn the
ESC on, press the ESC
OFF button (ESC OFF
indicator light will go off).
you may hear a slight tick-
ing sound. This is the ESC
performing an automatic
system self-check and
does not indicate a prob-
lem. When operating
When the ESC is in opera-
tion, the ESC indicator light
blinks.
Stability Control is operat-
ing properly, you can feel a
slight pulsation in the vehi-
cle. This is only the effect
of brake control and indi-
cates nothing unusual.
mud or driving on a slip-
pery road, pressing the
accelerator pedal may not
cause the engine rpm
(revolutions per minute) to
increase.
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533
Driving your vehicle
ESC OFF usage
When driving
It’s a good idea to keep the ESCturned on for daily driving whenev-
er possible.
To turn ESC off while driving, press the ESC OFF button while driving
on a flat road surface.
Hill-start assist control (HAC)
(if equipped)
Hill start Assist Control is a comfort
function. The main intend is to pre-
vent the vehicle from rolling back-
wards while driving off uphill on an
inclined surface. HAC holds the brak-
ing pressure builtup by driver during
stopping procedure for 2 seconds
after releasing brake pedal.
During the pressure-hold period, the
driver has enough time to press the
accelerator pedal to drive off.
The braking pressure is reduced as
soon as the system detects the dri-
ver’s intention to drive off. 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 acti-
vate when the ESC has malfunc-
tioned.
WARNING - OperatingESC
Never press the ESC OFF but-
ton while ESC is operating (ESC
indicator light blinks).
If ESC is turned off while ESC is
operating, the vehicle may slip
out of control.
WARNING - Rollingbackward
Drivers should pay close atten-
tion when activating the HAC.
The vehicle may roll backward
causing an accident due to
insufficient brake hold pres-
sure.

Driving your vehicle
34
5
Vehicle stability management
(VSM) (if equipped)
This system provides further
enhancements to vehicle stability
and steering responses when a vehi-
cle is driving on a slippery road or a
vehicle detected changes in coeffi-
cient of friction between right wheels
and left wheels when braking.
VSM operation
When the VSM is in operation, ESC
indicator light ( ) blinks.
When the vehicle stability manage-
ment is operating properly, you can
feel a slight pulsation in the vehicle.
This is only the effect of brake control
and indicates nothing unusual.
The VSM does not operate when:
Driving on bank road such as gra-
dient or incline
Driving rearward
ESC OFF indicator light ( ) remains on the instrument cluster
EPS indicator light remains on the instrument cluster
VSM operation off
If you press the ESC OFF button to
turn off the ESC, the VSM will also
cancel and the ESC OFF indicator
light ( ) illuminates.
To turn on the VSM, press the button
again. The ESC OFF indicator light
goes out.
Malfunction indicator
The VSM can be deactivated even if
you don’t cancel the VSM operation
by pressing the ESC OFF button. It
indicates that a malfunction has
been detected somewhere in the
Electric Power Steering system or
VSM system. If the ESC indicator
light ( ) or EPS warning light
remains on, take your vehicle to an
authorized Kia dealer and have the
system checked.
The VSM is designed to functionabove approximately 15 km/h (9
mph) on curves. The VSM is designed to function
above approximately 30 km/h (18
mph) when a vehicle is braking on
a split-mu road. The split-mu road
is made of surfaces which have dif-
ferent friction forces.
The Vehicle Stability Management system is not a substitute for safe
driving practices but a supplemen-
tary function only. It is the respon-
sibility of the driver to always check
the speed and the distance to the
vehicle ahead. Always hold the
steering wheel firmly while driving.
Your vehicle is designed to activate according to the driver’s intention,
even with installed VSM. Always
follow all the normal precautions
for driving at safe speeds for the
conditions – including driving
inclement weather and on a slip-
pery road.

535
Driving your vehicle
Good braking practices
Check to be sure the parking brakeis not engaged and the parking
brake indicator light is out before
driving away.
Driving through water may get the brakes wet. They can also get wet
when the vehicle is washed. Wet
brakes can be dangerous! Your
vehicle will not stop as quickly if the
brakes are wet. Wet brakes may
cause the vehicle to pull to one
side.
To dry the brakes, apply the brakes
lightly until the braking action
returns to normal, taking care to
keep the vehicle under control at
all times. If the braking action does
not return to normal, stop as soon
as it is safe to do so and call an
authorized Kia dealer for assis-
tance. Don't coast down hills with the
vehicle out of gear. This is extreme-
ly hazardous. Keep the vehicle in
gear at all times, use the brakes to
slow down, then shift to a lower
gear so that engine braking will
help you maintain a safe speed.
Don't "ride" the brake pedal. Resting your foot on the brake
pedal while driving can be danger-
ous because the brakes might
overheat and lose their effective-
ness. It also increases the wear of
the brake components.
If a tire goes flat while you are driv- ing, apply the brakes gently and
keep the vehicle pointed straight
ahead while you slow down. When
you are moving slowly enough for it
to be safe to do so, pull off the road
and stop in a safe place.WARNING - Tire/wheelsizes
When replacing tires and
wheels, make sure they are the
same size as the original tires
and wheels installed. Driving
with varying tire or wheel sizes
may diminish any supplemental
safety benefits of the VSM sys-
tem.

Driving your vehicle
36
5
If your vehicle is equipped with an
automatic transaxle, don't let your
vehicle creep forward. To avoid
creeping forward, keep your foot
firmly on the brake pedal when the
vehicle is stopped.
Be cautious when parking on a hill. Firmly engage the parking brake
and place the shift lever in P (auto-
matic transaxle) or in first or
reverse gear (manual transaxle). If
your vehicle is facing downhill, turn
the front wheels into the curb to
help keep the vehicle from rolling. If
your vehicle is facing uphill, turn
the front wheels away from the
curb to help keep the vehicle from
rolling. If there is no curb or if it is
required by other conditions to
keep the vehicle from rolling, block
the wheels. Under some conditions your park-
ing brake can freeze in the
engaged position. This is most like-
ly 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
that the parking brake may freeze,
apply it only temporarily while you
put the shift lever in P (automatic
transaxle) or in first or reverse gear
(manual transaxle) and block the
rear wheels so the vehicle cannot
roll. Then release the parking
brake.
Do not hold the vehicle on the upgrade with the accelerator
pedal. This can cause the transaxle
to overheat. Always use the brake
pedal or parking brake.

537
Driving your vehicle
CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM (IF EQUIPPED)
The cruise control system allows you
to program the vehicle to maintain a
constant speed without pressing the
accelerator pedal.
This system is designed to function
above approximately 40 km/h (25
mph).
If the cruise control is left on(CRUISE indicator light in the
instrument cluster illuminated), the
cruise control can be switched on
accidentally. Keep the cruise con-
trol system off (CRUISE indicator
light OFF) when the cruise control
is not in use, to avoid inadvertently
setting a speed.
Use the cruise control system only when traveling on open highways
in good weather.
Do not use the cruise control when driving in heavy or varying traffic,
or on slippery (rainy, icy or snow-
covered) or winding roads or over
6% up-hill or down-hill roads.✽ ✽ NOTICE
During normal cruise control opera-
tion, when the SET switch is activat-
ed or reactivated after applying the
brakes, the cruise control will ener-
gize after approximately 3 seconds.
The delay is normal.
To set cruise control speed:
1. Push the CRUISE ON-OFF button
on the steering wheel, to turn the
system on. The CRUISE indicator
light in the instrument cluster will
illuminate.
2. Accelerate to the desired speed, which must be more than 40 km/h
(25 mph).
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WARNING - Misuse
cruise control
Do not use cruise control if the
traffic situation does not allow
you to drive safely at a constant
speed and with sufficient dis-
tance to the vehicle in front.

539
Driving your vehicle
To temporarily accelerate with
the cruise control on:
If you want to speed up temporarily
when the cruise control is on,
depress the accelerator pedal.
Increased speed will not interfere
with cruise control operation or
change the set speed.
To return to the set speed, take your
foot off the accelerator.
To cancel cruise control, do
one of the following:
Press the brake pedal.
Press the clutch pedal with a man-ual transaxle.
Shift into N (Neutral) with an auto- matic transaxle.
Push the CANCEL switch located on the steering wheel.
Decrease the vehicle speed lower than the memory speed by 20
km/h (12 mph).
Decrease the vehicle speed to less than approximately 40 km/h (25
mph).
Each of these actions will cancelcruise control operation (the SETindicator light in the instrument clus-ter will go off), but it will not turn thesystem off. If you wish to resumecruise control operation, push theRES + switch located on your steer-ing wheel. You will return to your pre-viously preset speed.
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