2014 KIA Optima tow

Features of your vehicle
148
4
How vehicle audio works
AM and FM radio signals are broad-
cast from transmitter towers located
around your city. They are intercept-
ed by the radio antenna on your vehi-
cle. This signal is then processed by
the radio and sent to your vehicle
speakers.
However, in some cases the signal
coming to your vehicle may not be
strong and clear.
This can be due to factors, such as
the distance from the radio station,
closeness of other strong radio sta-
tions or the presence of buildings,
bridges or other large obstructions in
the area. AM broadcasts can be received at
greater distances than FM broad-
casts. This is because AM radio
waves are transmitted at low fre-
quencies. These long distance,low
frequency radio waves can follow the
curvature of the earth rather than
travelling straight. In addition, they
curve around obstructions resulting
in better signal coverage.
FM broadcasts are transmitted at
high frequencies and do not bend to
follow the earth's surface. Because
of this, FM broadcasts generally
begin to fade within short distances
from the station. Also, FM signals are
easily affected by buildings, moun-
tains, and obstructions. This can lead
to undesirable or unpleasant listen-
ing conditions which might lead you
to believe a problem exists with your
radio. The following conditions are
normal and do not indicate radio
trouble:
¢¢¢¢¢¢
JBM002
AM reception
¢¢¢
JBM001
FM reception
JBM003
FM radio station

Driving your vehicle
65
Illuminated ignition switch
(if equipped)
Whenever a front door is opened, the
ignition switch will illuminate for your
convenience, provided the ignition
switch is not in the ON position. The
light will go off immediately when the
ignition switch is turned on. It will
also go off after about 30 seconds
after the door is closed.
Ignition switch position
LOCK
The steering wheel locks to protect
against theft. The ignition key can be
removed only in the LOCK position.
When turning the ignition switch to
the LOCK position, push the key
inward at the ACC position and turn
the key toward the LOCK position.
The anti-theft steering column lock is
not a substitute for the parking brake.Before leaving the driver’s seat,
always make sure the shift lever is
engaged in P (Park) for the automat-
ic transaxle, set the parking brake
fully and shut the engine off.
ACC (Accessory)
The steering wheel is unlocked and
electrical accessories are operative.
If difficulty is experienced turning the
ignition switch to the ACC position,
turn the key while turning the steer-
ing wheel right and left to release the
tension.
ON
The warning lights can be checked
before the engine is started. This is
the normal running position after the
engine is started.
Do not leave the ignition switch ON if
the engine is not running to preventbattery discharge.
OTF050001
KEY POSITIONS
OTF054002

Driving your vehicle
50
5
Hazardous driving conditions
When hazardous driving conditions
are encountered such as water,
snow, ice, mud, sand, or similar haz-
ards, follow these suggestions:
Drive cautiously and allow extra
distance for braking.
Avoid sudden braking or steering.
When braking with non-ABS brakes pump the brake pedal with
a light up-and-down motion until
the vehicle is stopped. Do not pump the brake pedal on a
vehicle equipped with ABS.
If stalled in snow, mud, or sand,
use second gear. Accelerate slow-
ly to avoid spinning the drive
wheels.
Use sand, rock salt, or other non- slip material under the drive
wheels to provide traction when
stalled in ice, snow, or mud.
Rocking the vehicle
If it is necessary to rock the vehicle
to free it from snow, sand, or mud,
first turn the steering wheel right and
left to clear the area around your
front wheels. Then, shift back and
forth between R (Reverse) and any
forward gear in vehicles equipped
with an automatic transaxle. Do not
race the engine, and spin the wheels
as little as possible. If you are still
stuck after a few tries, have the vehi-
cle pulled out by a tow vehicle to
avoid engine overheating and possi-
ble damage to the transaxle.
The ESC system should be turned
OFF prior to rocking the vehicle.
SPECIAL DRIVING CONDITIONS
WARNING - Downshifting
Do not downshift with an auto-
matic transaxle while driving on
slippery surfaces. The sudden
change in tire speed could
cause the tires to skid and
result in an accident.
CAUTION - Vehicle rocking
Prolonged rocking may causeengine overheating, transaxledamage or failure, and tire dam-age.

Driving your vehicle
56
5
Don't let your parking brake
freeze
Under some conditions your parking
brake can freeze in the engaged
position. This is most likely to hap-
pen 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 the parking brake
may freeze, apply it only temporarily
while you put the shift lever in P
(automatic transaxle) and block the
rear wheels so the vehicle cannot
roll. Then release the parking brake.
Don't let ice and snow accu-
mulate underneath
Under some conditions, snow and
ice can build up under the fenders
and interfere with the steering. When
driving in severe winter conditions
where this may happen, you should
periodically check underneath the
car to be sure the movement of the
front wheels and the steering com-
ponents is not obstructed.
Carry emergency equipment
Depending on the severity of the
weather you should carry appropri-
ate emergency equipment. Some of
the items you may want to carry
include tow straps or chains, flash-
light, emergency flares, sand, a
shovel, jumper cables, a window
scraper, gloves, ground cloth, cover-
alls, a blanket, etc.
TRAILER TOWING
We do not recommend using this
vehicle for trailer towing.

Driving your vehicle
58
5
Seating capacity:
Total : 5 persons
(Front seat : 2 persons, Rear seat : 3 persons)
Seating capacity is the maximum
number of occupants including a
driver, your vehicle may carry.
However, the seating capacity may
be reduced based upon the weight of
all of the occupants, and the weight
of the cargo being carried or towed.
Do not overload the vehicle as there
is a limit to the total weight, or load
limit including occupants and cargo,
the vehicle can carry.
Towing capacity:
We do not recommend using this
vehicle for trailer towing.
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 trail-
er.
Steps For Determining Correct Load Limit -
1.Locate the statement "The com- bined weight of occupants and
cargo should never exceed XXX kg
or XXX lbs.'' on your vehicle's plac-
ard.
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 calcu-
lated 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 vehi-
cle.

What to do in an emergency
Road warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
• Hazard warning flasher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
In case of an emergency while driving . . . . . . . . . . 6-3

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
If the engine will not start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
. . . . 6-4
. . . . 6-4
Emergency starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
If the engine overheats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
If you have a flat tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10
. . . . . . . . . . . . 6-14
If you have a flat tire (with Tire Mobility Kit) . . 6-17
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-17
. . . . . 6-18
. . . . . . . . . . . . 6-19
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-20

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-22
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-\
23
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-23
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-24
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-24
6

What to do in an emergency
26
ROAD WARNING
Hazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher serves
as a warning to other drivers to exer-
cise extreme caution when
approaching, overtaking, or passing
your vehicle.It should be used whenever emer-
gency repairs are being made or
when the vehicle is stopped near the
edge of a roadway.
Depress the flasher switch with the
ignition 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 oper-
ates whether your vehicle is run-
ning 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 vehicle is being towed.
OTF064017

65
What to do in an emergency
EMERGENCY STARTING
Connect cables in numerical order
and disconnect in reverse order.
Jump starting
Jump starting can be dangerous if
done incorrectly. Therefore, to avoid
harm to yourself or damage to your
vehicle or battery, follow these jump
starting procedures. If in doubt, we
strongly recommend that you have a
competent technician or towing serv-
ice jump start your vehicle.
CAUTION - 12 volt battery
Use only a 12-volt jumper sys-tem. You can damage a 12-voltstarting motor, ignition system,and other electrical partsbeyond repair by use of a 24-volt power supply (either two12-volt batteries in series or a24-volt motor generator set).
WARNING - Battery
Keep all flames or sparks away
from the battery. The battery
produces hydrogen gas which
will explode if exposed to flame
or sparks.
WARNING- Battery
Never attempt to check the elec-
trolyte level of the battery as
this may cause the battery to
rupture or explode.
WARNING- Frozen batteries
Do not attempt to jump start the
vehicle if the discharged battery
is frozen or if the electrolyte
level is low as the battery may
rupture or explode.
WARNING- Sulfuric acid risk
When jump starting your vehi-
cle be careful not to get acid on
yourself, your clothing or on the
vehicle. Automobile batteries
contain sulfuric acid. This is
poisonous and highly corro-
sive.
1VQA4001
Discharged battery
Jumper Cables
Booster battery(-)
(+)
(+)(-)