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Electronic Stability Control (ESC) (If equipped) The Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system is designed to stabi-
lize 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 manage-
ment system to stabilize the vehicle. The Electronic Stability Control(ESC) system is an electronic sys-
tem designed to help the driver main-
tain vehicle control under adverse
conditions. It is not a substitute for
safe driving practices. Factors includ-
ing speed, road conditions and driv-
er steering input can all affect
whether ESC will be effective in pre-
venting 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
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.
OKH052043
WARNING
Never drive too fast according
to the road conditions or too
quickly when cornering.
Electronic Stability Control
(ESC) will not prevent acci-
dents. Excessive speed in
turns, abrupt maneuvers and
hydroplaning on wet surfacescan still result in serious acci-
dents. 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 precau-
tions for driving - including driv-
ing at safe speeds for the condi-tions.
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✽✽NOTICE
A click sound may be heard in the
engine compartment when the vehi-
cle begins to move after the engine is
started. These conditions are normal
and indicate that the Electronic
Stability Control System is func-
tioning properly. ESC operation
ESC ON condition ON, ESC and ESC OFF indicator lights illuminate
for approximately 3 sec-
onds, then ESC is turnedon.
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 theESC on, press the ESC
OFF button (ESC OFFindicator light will go off).
you may hear a slight tick-
ing sound. This is the ESC
performing an automatic
system self-check anddoes 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 slippery road,
pressing the accelerator
pedal may not cause the
engine rpm (revolutions
per minute) to increase.
-
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ESC operation off
ESC OFF state
This car has 2 kinds of ESC
off states. If the engine stops when
ESC is off, ESC remains off.
Upon restarting the engine,the ESC will automatically
turn on again. ESC off state 1
To cancel ESC operation, press the ESC OFF button
(ESC OFF ) shortly (ESCOFF indicator light (ESC
OFF ) illuminates). At this
state, the engine control
function does not operate. It
means the traction control
function does not operate.
Brake control function only
operates.
ESC off state 2
To cancel ESC operation, press the ESC OFF button
(ESC OFF ) for more than 3
seconds. ESC OFF indicator
light (ESC OFF ) illuminates
and ESC OFF warning chime
will sound. At this state, theengine control function and
brake control function do not
operate. It means the car sta-bility control function does not
operate any more.
Indicator light
When ignition switch is turned to the ON position, the indicator light illumi-
nates, then goes off if the ESC sys-
tem is operating normally.
The ESC indicator light blinks when-
ever ESC is operating or illuminates
when ESC fails to operate. ESC OFF indicator light comes on
when the ESC is turned off with the
button.
■ ESC indicator light
■ ESC OFF indicator light
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Driving your vehicle
ESC OFF usage
When driving
ESC should be turned on for dailydriving 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
illuminated). If the ESP is left on,
it may prevent the vehicle speed
from increasing, and result in false
diagnosis.
Turning the ESC off does not affect ABS or brake system opera-
tion. CAUTION
Driving with varying tire or
wheel sizes may cause the ESCsystem to malfunction. When replacing tires, make sure theyare the same size as your origi-nal tires.
WARNING
The Electronic Stability Control
is only a driving aid; use pre-
cautions for safe driving by
slowing down on curved,
snowy, or icy roads. Drive slow-
ly and don’t attempt to acceler-
ate whenever the ESC indicator
light is blinking, or when the
road surface is slippery.
WARNING
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.
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Vehicle stability management (VSM)
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 operating:
ESC (Electronic Stability Control)
( ) light will blink.
The steering wheel may be con- trolled.
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 (Electronic Power Steering) 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 alsocancel and the ESC OFF indicator
light ( ) illuminates.
To turn on the VSM, press the button
again. The ESC OFF indicator lightgoes out.
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Driving your vehicle
Malfunction indicator
The VSM can be deactivated even if
you don’t cancel the VSM operation
by pressing the ESC OFF button. Itindicates that a malfunction has
been detected somewhere in the
EPS (Electronic Power Steering)
system or VSM system. If the ESC
indicator light ( ) or EPS warning
light remains on, we recommend that
you contact an authorized Kia dealer.
✽✽NOTICE
The VSM is designed to function above 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.
Hill-start assist control (HAC) (if equipped)
A vehicle has the tendency to slip
back on a steep hill when it starts to
go after stopping. The Hill-start
Assist Control (HAC) prevents the
vehicle from slipping back by operat-
ing the brakes automatically for
about 2 seconds. The brakes are
released when the accelerator pedalis depressed or after about 2 sec-
onds.WARNING
The Vehicle Stability Management system is not a
substitute for safe driving
practices but a supplemen-
tary function only. It is theresponsibility of the driver to
always check the speed and
the distance to the vehicle
ahead. Always hold the steer-
ing wheel firmly while driving.
Your vehicle is designed to activate according to the dri-
ver’s intention, even with the
VSM installed. Always follow
all the normal precautions for
driving at safe speeds for the
conditions – including driving
in inclement weather and on a
slippery road.
Driving with varying tire or wheel sizes may cause theVSM system to malfunction.
When replacing tires, make
sure they are the same size as
your original tires.
WARNING
The HAC is activated only for
about 2 seconds, so when the
vehicle is starting off alwaysdepress the accelerator pedal.
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✽✽
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 acti-
vate when the ESC has malfunc-
tioned. Good braking practices After parking the vehicle, check to
be sure the parking brake is not
engaged and that 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 car is washed. Wet
brakes can be dangerous! Your car
will not stop as quickly if the brakes
are wet. Wet brakes may cause the
car 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 car 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.
Do not coast down hills with the car out of gear. This is extremely haz-
ardous. Keep the car 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.
WARNING
Whenever leaving vehicle or parking, always set the park-
ing brake as far as possible
and fully engage the vehicle'stransmission into the park
position. Vehicles not fully
engaged in park with the park-
ing brake set are at risk for
moving inadvertently and
injuring yourself or others.
All vehicles should always have the parking brake fully
engaged when parking to
avoid inadvertent movement
of the car which can injureoccupants or pedestrians.
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Do not "ride" the brake pedal.Resting your foot on the brake
pedal while driving can be danger-ous because it can result in the
brakes overheating and losing their
effectiveness. 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 car 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.
If your car is equipped with an automatic transmission, don't let
your car creep forward. To avoid
creeping forward, keep your foot
firmly on the brake pedal when thecar is stopped. Be cautious when parking on a hill.
Firmly engage the parking brake
and place the shift lever in P
(Park). If your car is facing down-
hill, turn the front wheels into the
curb to help keep the car from
rolling. If your car is facing uphill,
turn the front wheels away from the
curb to help keep the car from
rolling. If there is no curb or if it is
required by other conditions to
keep the car 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 (Park) and
block the rear wheels so the car
cannot roll. Then release the park-
ing brake. Do not hold the vehicle on the
upgrade with the accelerator
pedal. This can cause the trans-
mission to overheat. Always use
the brake pedal or parking brake.