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511
Driving your vehicle
Starting the engine with a
smart key (if equipped)
1.Carry the smart key or leave itinside the vehicle.
2.Make sure the parking brake is firmly applied
3.Place the transaxle shift lever in P (Park).
4.Press the ENGINE START/STOP button while depressing the brake
pedal.
5.In extremely cold weather (below 0°F / -18°C) or after the vehicle has
not been operated for several days,
let the engine warm up without
depressing the accelerator. Whether the engine is cold or warm,
it should be started without depress-
ing the accelerator.
Even if the smart key is in the vehi-
cle, but is far away from you, the
engine may not start.
When the ENGINE START/STOP button is in the ACC position or
above, if any door is opened, the
system checks for the smart key. If
the smart key is not in the vehi-
cle,the “ ” or “ ” indicator will
blink or the warning "Key not in
vehicle" will illuminate on the LCD
display. And if all doors are closed,
the chime will sound for 5 seconds.
The indicator or warning will turn
off while the vehicle is moving.
Always have the smart key with
you.
The engine will start only when the
smart key is in the vehicle.
KEY
OUT
WARNING - Unintended
vehicle movement
Never leave the smart key in the
vehicle with children or vehicle
occupants who are unfamiliar
with the vehicle operation.
Pushing the ENGINE START/
STOP button while the smart
key is in the vehicle may result
in unintended engine activation
and/or unintended vehicle
movement.
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Driving your vehicle
12
5
If the battery is weak or the smart
key does not work correctly, you
can start the engine by pressing
the engine start/stop button with
the smart key.
When the stop lamp fuse is blown, you can not start the engine nor-
mally. Replace the fuse with a new
one. If it is not possible, you can
start the engine by pressing the
ENGINE START/STOP button for
10 seconds while it is in the ACC
position. The engine can start with-
out depressing the brake pedal.
But for your safety always depress
the brake pedal before starting the
engine. Do not press the ENGINE START/
STOP button for more than 10 sec-
onds except when the stop lamp fuse
is blown.
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513
Driving your vehicle
Manual transaxle operation
The manual transaxle has 6 forward
gears.
This shift pattern is imprinted on the
shift knob. The transaxle is fully syn-
chronized in all forward gears so
shifting to either a higher or a lower
gear is easily accomplished.
Depress the clutch pedal down fully
while shifting, then release it slowly.
If your vehicle is equipped with an
ignition lock switch, the engine will
not start when starting the engine
without depressing the clutch pedal.
The shift lever must be returned to
the neutral position before shifting
into R (Reverse). The button (1)
located below the shift knob must be
pulled upward while moving the shift
lever to the R (Reverse) position.
Make sure the vehicle is completelystopped before shifting into R(Reverse).
Never operate the engine with thetachometer (rpm) in the red zone.
MANUAL TRANSAXLE (IF EQUIPPED)
CAUTION - Downshifting
Do not downshift more than 2gears or downshift the gearwhen the engine is running athigh speed (5,000 RPM or high-er). Such downshifting maydamage the engine.
OYDDDR2101
The shift lever can be moved without-
pressing the button.
The button (1) should be pressed when
moving the shift lever into reverse.
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Driving your vehicle
14
5
During cold weather, shifting may
be difficult until the transaxle lubri-
cant is warmed up. This is normal
and not harmful to the transaxle.
If you've come to a complete stop and it's hard to shift into 1st or R
(Reverse), leave the shift lever at
neutral position and release the
clutch. Depress the clutch pedal
and then shift into 1st or R
(Reverse) gear position.Using the clutch
The clutch should be depressed all
the way to the floor before shifting,
then released slowly. The clutch
pedal should always be fully
released while driving. Do not rest
your foot on the clutch pedal while
driving. This can cause unnecessary
wear. Do not partially engage the
clutch to hold the vehicle on an
incline. This causes unnecessary
wear. Use the foot brake or parking
brake to hold the vehicle on an
incline. Do not operate the clutch
pedal rapidly and repeatedly.
Downshifting
When you must slow down in heavy
traffic or while driving up steep hills,
downshift before the engine starts to
labor. Downshifting reduces the
chance of stalling and gives better
acceleration when you need to
increase your speed again. When the
vehicle is traveling down steep hills,
downshifting helps maintain safe
speed and prolongs brake life.
CAUTION - Prematurewear
Do not use the shift lever as a
handrest during driving, as thiscan result in premature wear ofthe transaxle shift forks.
WARNING - Incline parking
Before leaving the driver’s seat,
always set the parking brake
fully and shut the engine off.
Then make sure the transaxle is
shifted into 1st gear when the
vehicle is parked on a level or
uphill grade, and shifted into R
(Reverse) on a downhill grade.
Unexpected and sudden vehicle
movement can occur if these
precautions are not followed in
the order identified.
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515
Driving your vehicle
Good driving practices
Never take the vehicle out of gearand coast down a hill. This is
extremely hazardous. Always leave
the vehicle in gear.
Don't "ride" the brakes. This can cause them to overheat and mal-
function. Instead, when you are
driving down a long hill, shift to a
lower gear. When you do this,
engine braking will help slow down
the vehicle.
Slow down before shifting to a lower gear. This will help avoid
over-revving the engine, which can
cause damage.
Slow down when you encounter cross winds. This gives you much
better control of your vehicle.
Be sure the vehicle is completely stopped before you attempt to shift
into R (Reverse). The transaxle can
be damaged if you do not. 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.
Always buckle-up! In a collision, an unbelted occupant is signifi-
cantly more likely to be seriously
injured or killed than a properly
belted occupant.
Never exceed posted speed limits.
WARNING - Vehicle handling
Avoid high speeds when cor-
nering or turning. High speed
cornering and turning increas-
es the risk of vehicle rollover
due to loss of vehicle control.
Rollover accidents are extreme-
ly violent and unpredictable.
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517
Driving your vehicle
For smooth operation, depress thebrake pedal when shifting from N(Neutral) to a forward or reversegear.
When stopped on an upgrade, do not
hold the vehicle with engine power.
Use the service brake or the parking
brake.
Transaxle ranges
The indicator light in the instrument
cluster displays the shift lever posi-
tion when the ignition switch is in the
ON position.
P (Park)
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into P (Park). This
position locks the transaxle and pre-
vents the front wheels from rotating.
Shifting into P (Park) while the vehi-
cle is in motion will cause the drive
wheels to lock which will cause you
to lose control of the vehicle.CAUTION - Transaxle
To avoid damage to yourtransaxle, do not accelerate theengine in R (Reverse) or any for-ward gear position with thebrakes on. The transaxle may bedamaged if you shift into P(Park) while the vehicle is inmotion.
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519
Driving your vehicle
Up (+) : Push the lever forwardonce to shift up one gear.
Down (-) : Pull the lever backwards once to shift down one
gear.
In sports mode, the driver must execute 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 vehi-
cle 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 auto-
matically. To maintain the required levels of
vehicle performance and safety,
the system may not execute cer-
tain gearshifts when the shift lever
is operated.
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.Paddle shifter (if equipped)
The paddle shifter is available when
the shift lever is in the D position or
the sport mode.
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![KIA Forte 2014 2.G Owners Manual Driving your vehicle
20
5
With the shift lever in the D position
The paddle shifter can operate when
the vehicle speed is more than 6.2
mph.
Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once
to shift up or dow KIA Forte 2014 2.G Owners Manual Driving your vehicle
20
5
With the shift lever in the D position
The paddle shifter can operate when
the vehicle speed is more than 6.2
mph.
Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once
to shift up or dow](/manual-img/2/2951/w960_2951-287.png)
Driving your vehicle
20
5
With the shift lever in the D position
The paddle shifter can operate when
the vehicle speed is more than 6.2
mph.
Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once
to shift up or down one gear and the
system changes from automatic
mode to manual mode.
If the vehicle speed is lower than 6.2
mph, if you depress the accelerator
pedal for more than 7 seconds or if
you shift the shift lever from D to
sports mode and shift it from sports
mode to D again, the system change
from manual mode to automatic
mode.
With the shift lever in the sports mode
Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once
to shift up or down one gear.
If you pull the [+] and [-] paddle
shifters at the same time, you can't
shift the gear.Shift lock system (if equipped)
For your safety, the automatic
transaxle has a shift lock system
which prevents shifting the transaxle
out of P (Park) unless the brake
pedal is depressed.
To shift the transaxle from P (Park)
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. This is a normal con-
dition. Shift-lock override
(with smart key system)
If the shift lever cannot be moved
from the P (Park) position into the R
(Reverse) position with the brake
pedal depressed, continue depress-
ing 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 - Shiftingfrom park
Always fully depress the brake
pedal before and while shifting
out of the P (Park) position into
another position to avoid inad-
vertent motion of the vehicle.
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