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349
Safety features of your vehicle
Side air bag
❈The actual air bags in the vehicle may differ
from the illustration.
Your vehicle is equipped with a side
air bag in each front seat. The purpose of the air bag is to pro-
vide the vehicle's driver and/or the
front passenger with additional pro-
tection than that offered by the seat
belt alone.
The side air bags are designed to
deploy only during certain side-
impact collisions, depending on the
crash severity, angle, speed and
point of impact. The side air bags are
not designed to deploy in all side
impact situations.
The side air bag is supplemental to
the driver's and the passenger's seat
belt systems and is not a substitute
for them. Therefore your seat belts
must be worn at all times while the
vehicle is in operation.
For best protection from the side air
bag system and to avoid being
injured by the deploying side air bag,
both front seat occupants should sit
in an upright position with the seat
belt properly fastened. The driver's
hands should be placed on the steer-
ing wheel at the 9:00 and 3:00 posi-
tions. The passenger's arms and
hands should be placed on their laps.
WARNING - Unexpected
deployment
Avoid impact to the side air bag
sensor when the ignition switch
is ON to prevent unexpected
deployment of the side air bag.
OTD030035
OTD030036
Front
WARNING - Deployment
Do not install any accessories
including seat covers, on the
side or near the side air bag as
this may affect the deployment
of the side air bags.
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353
Safety features of your vehicle
❈The actual air bags in the vehicle may differ
from the illustration.
Side air bags
Side air bags (side and/or curtain air
bags) are designed to inflate when
an impact is detected by side colli-
sion sensors depending on the
strength, speed or angles of impact
resulting from a side impact collision. Although the front air bags (driver’s
and front passenger’s air bags) are
designed to inflate in frontal colli-
sions, they also may inflate in other
types of collisions if the front impact
sensors detect a sufficient frontal
force in another type of impact. Side
and curtain air bags are designed to
inflate in certain side impact colli-
sions. They may inflate in other type
of collisions where a side force is
detected by the sensors.
If the vehicle chassis is impacted by
bumps or objects on unimproved
roads or sidewalks, air bags may
deploy. Drive carefully on unim-
proved roads or on surfaces not
designed for vehicle traffic to prevent
unintended air bag deployment.
Air bag non-inflation conditions
In certain low-speed collisions the
air bags may not deploy. The air
bags are designed not to deploy in
such cases because they may not
provide benefits beyond the pro-
tection of the seat belts in such col-
lisions.
1JBA3516
OUN026090
1JBA3515
Page 151 of 479
481
Features of your vehicle
Warning lights
✽
✽NOTICE - Warning lights
Make sure that all warning lights
are OFF after starting the engine. If
any light is still ON, this indicates a
situation that needs attention.
Air bag Warning Light
This warning light illuminates:
Once you set the ignition switch or
Engine Start/Stop Button to the ON
position.
- It illuminates for approximately 6seconds and then goes off.
When there is a malfunction with the SRS.
In this case, have your vehicle
inspected by an authorized Kia
dealer.
Seat Belt Warning Light
This warning light informs the driver
that the seat belt is not fastened.
For more details, refer to the "Seat
Belts" in chapter 3.
WARNING AND INDICATOR LIGHTS
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485
Features of your vehicle
Charging SystemWarning Light
This warning light illuminates:
Once you set the ignition switch or Engine Start/Stop Button to the ON
position.
- It remains on until the engine isstarted.
When there is a malfunction with either the alternator or electrical
charging system.
If there is a malfunction with either
the alternator or electrical charging
system:
1. Drive carefully to the nearest safe location and stop your vehicle.
2. Turn the engine off and check the alternator drive belt for looseness
or breakage.
If the belt is adjusted properly,
there may be a problem in the
electrical charging system.
In this case, have your vehicle
inspected by an authorized Kia
dealer as soon as possible.
Engine Coolant Temperature WarningLight (if equipped)
This warning light illuminates:
When the engine coolant tempera- ture is above 120°C (248°F). This
means that the engine is overheat-
ed and may be damaged.
If your vehicle is overheated, refer
to "Overheating" in chapter 6.
Engine Oil Pressure
Warning Light
This warning light illuminates:
Once you set the ignition switch or Engine Start/Stop Button to the ON
position.
- It remains on until the engine isstarted.
When the engine oil pressure is low.
If the engine oil pressure is low:
1. Drive carefully to the nearest safe location and stop your vehicle.
2. Turn the engine off and check the engine oil level (For more details,
refer to "Engine Oil" in section 7). If
the level is low, add oil as required.
If the warning light remains on
after adding oil or if oil is not avail-
able, have your vehicle inspected
by an authorized Kia dealer as
soon as possible.
CAUTION - Engine
Overheating
Do not drive the vehicle when the Engine Coolant TemperatureWarning Light is illuminated orthe engine is overheated.Continuing to drive the vehiclewhile it is overheated may dam-age the engine.
Page 276 of 479

Driving your vehicle
45
Before entering vehicle
• Be sure that all windows, outsidemirror(s), and outside lights are
clean.
Check the condition of the tires.
Check under the vehicle for any sign of leaks.
Be sure there are no obstacles behind you if you intend to back up.
Necessary inspections
Fluid levels, such as engine oil,
engine coolant, brake fluid, and
washer fluid should be checked on a
regular basis, with the exact interval
depending on the fluid. Further
details are provided in chapter 7,
“Maintenance”.
Before starting
Close and lock all doors.
Position the seat so that all con-trols are easily reached.
Buckle your seat belt.
Adjust the inside and outside rearview mirrors.
Be sure that all lights work.
Check all gauges.
Check the operation of warning lights when the ignition switch is
turned to the ON position.
Release the parking brake and make sure the brake warning light
goes off.
For safe operation, be sure you are
familiar with your vehicle and its
equipment.
BEFORE DRIVING
WARNING - Distracted driving
Focus on the road while driving
The driver's primary responsi-
bility is in the safe and legal
operation of the vehicle. Use of
any hand held devices, other
equipment or vehicle systems
that distract the driver should
not be used during vehicle
operation.
WARNING - Check sur- rounding
Always check the surrounding
areas near your vehicle for peo-
ple, especially children, before
putting a vehicle into D (Drive)
or R (Reverse).
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553
Driving your vehicle
Driving off-road
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.
Highway driving
Tires
Adjust the tire inflation pressures to
specification. Low tire inflation pres-
sures will result in overheating and
possible failure of the tires.
Avoid using worn or damaged tires
which may result in reduced traction
or tire failure.
Never exceed the maximum tire
inflation pressure shown on the tires.
Fuel, engine coolant and engineoil
High speed travel consumes more
fuel than urban motoring. Do not for-
get to check both the engine coolant
and engine oil.
Drive belt
A loose or damaged drive belt may
overheat the engine.
WARNING - Tire tread
Always check the tire tread
before driving your vehicle.
Worn-out tires can result in loss
of vehicle control. Worn-out
tires should be replaced as
soon as possible. For further
information and tread limits,
refer to "Tires and wheels" in
chapter 7.
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What to do in an emergency
86
IF THE ENGINE OVERHEATS
If your temperature gauge indicates
overheating, you will experience a
loss of power, or hear loud pinging or
knocking, the engine is probably too
hot. If this happens, you should:
1.Pull off the road and stop as soonas it is safe to do so.
2.Place the shift lever in P (automat- ic transaxle) and set the parking
brake. If the air conditioning is on,
turn it off.
3.If engine coolant is running out under the vehicle or steam is com-
ing out from underneath the hood,
stop the engine. Do not open the
hood until the coolant has stopped
running or the steaming has
stopped. If there is no visible loss
of engine coolant and no steam,
leave the engine running and
check to be sure the engine cool-
ing fan is operating. If the fan is not
running, turn the engine off. 4.Check to see if the water pump
drive belt is missing. If it is not
missing, check to see that it is
tight. If the drive belt seems to be
satisfactory, check for coolant leak-
ing from the radiator, hoses or
under the vehicle. (If the air condi-
tioning had been in use, it is nor-
mal for cold water to be draining
from it when you stop).
5.If the water pump drive belt is bro- ken or engine coolant leaks, stop
the engine immediately and call
the nearest authorized Kia dealer
for assistance. 6.If you cannot find the cause of the
overheating, wait until the engine
temperature has returned to nor-
mal. Then, if coolant has been lost,
carefully add coolant to the reser-
voir to bring the fluid level in the
reservoir up to the halfway mark.
7.Proceed with caution, keeping alert for further signs of overheat-
ing. If overheating happens again,
call an authorized Kia dealer for
assistance.
Serious loss of coolant indicates
there is a leak in the cooling system
and this should be checked as soon
as possible by an authorized Kia
dealer.
WARNING - Under the hood
While the engine is running,
keep hair, hands and clothing
away from moving parts such
as the fan and drive belts.
WARNING - Radiator cap
Do not remove the radiator cap
when the engine is hot. This can
allow coolant to be blown out of
the opening and cause serious
burns.
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77
Maintenance
At least monthly:
Check the coolant level in theengine coolant reservoir.
Check the operation of all exterior lights, including the stoplights, turn
signals and hazard warning flash-
ers.
Check the inflation pressures of all tires including the spare.
At least twice a year
(i.e., every Spring and Fall) :
Check the radiator, heater and air conditioning hoses for leaks or
damage.
Check the windshield washer spray and wiper operation. Clean
the wiper blades with clean cloth
dampened with washer fluid.
Check the headlight alignment.
Check the muffler, exhaust pipes, shields and clamps.
Check the lap/shoulder belts for wear and function.
Check for worn tires and loose wheel lug nuts.
At least once a year :
Clean the body and door drainholes.
Lubricate the door hinges and check the hood hinges.
Lubricate the door and hood locks and latches.
Lubricate the door rubber weather- strips.
Check the air conditioning system.
Check the power steering fluid level.
Inspect and lubricate automatic transaxle linkage and controls.
Clean the battery and terminals.
Check the brake fluid level.