
Features of your vehicle
158
3
Air conditioning system opera-
tion tips
If the vehicle has been parked in direct
sunlight during hot weather, open the
windows for a short time to let the hot
air inside the vehicle escape.
To help reduce moisture inside of win- dows on rainy humid days, decrease
the humidity inside the vehicle by oper-
ating the air conditioning system.
During air conditioning system opera- tion, you may occasionally notice a
slight change in engine speed as the
air conditioning compressor cycles on.
This is a normal system operation
characteristic.
Use the air conditioning system every month if only for a few minutes to
ensure maximum system perform-
ance.
When using the air conditioning sys- tem, you may notice clear water drip-
ping (or even puddling) on the ground
under the passenger side of the vehi-
cle. This is a normal system operation
characteristic.
Operating the air conditioning system in the recirculated air position does
provide maximum cooling, however,
continual operation in this mode may
cause the air inside the vehicle to
become stale.
Checking the amount of air con-
ditioner refrigerant and compres-
sor lubricant
When the amount of refrigerant is low,
the performance of the air conditioning is
reduced. Overfilling also has a bad influ-
ence on the air conditioning system.
Therefore, if abnormal operation is
found, have the system inspected by an
authorized Kia dealer.
CAUTION
When using the air conditioning system, monitor the temperaturegauge closely while driving uphills or in heavy traffic when out-side temperatures are high. Airconditioning system operationmay cause engine overheating.Continue to use the blower fanbut turn the air conditioning sys- tem off if the temperature gaugeindicates engine overheating.
When opening the windows in humid weather air conditioningmay create water droplets insidethe vehicle. Since excessivewater droplets may cause dam-age to electrical equipment, airconditioning should only be runwith the windows closed.
CAUTION
When the performance of the airconditioning system is reduced it is important that the correct type andamount of oil and refrigerant is used. Otherwise, damage to thecompressor and abnormal system operation may occur.
CAUTION
The air conditioning system shouldbe serviced by an authorized Kia dealer. Improper service may causeserious injury.

Features of your vehicle
172
3
Air conditioning system opera-
tion tips
If the vehicle has been parked in direct
sunlight during hot weather, open the
windows for a short time to let the hot
air inside the vehicle escape.
To help reduce moisture inside of win- dows on rainy humid days, decrease
the humidity inside the vehicle by oper-
ating the air conditioning system.
During air conditioning system opera- tion, you may occasionally notice a
slight change in engine speed as the
air conditioning compressor cycles on.
This is a normal system operation
characteristic.
Use the air conditioning system every month if only for a few minutes to
ensure maximum system perform-
ance.
When using the air conditioning sys- tem, you may notice clear water drip-
ping (or even puddling) on the ground
under the passenger side of the vehi-
cle. This is a normal system operation
characteristic. Operating the air conditioning system
in the recirculated air position does
provide maximum cooling, however,
continual operation in this mode may
cause the air inside the vehicle to
become stale.
Checking the amount of air con-
ditioner refrigerant and compres-
sor lubricant
When the amount of refrigerant is low,
the performance of the air conditioning is
reduced. Overfilling also has a bad influ-
ence on the air conditioning system.
Therefore, if abnormal operation is
found, have the system inspected by an
authorized Kia dealer.
CAUTION
The air conditioning system shouldbe serviced by an authorized Kiadealer. Improper service may cause serious injury.
CAUTION
When the performance of the airconditioning system is reduced it isimportant that the correct type andamount of oil and refrigerant is used. Otherwise, damage to thecompressor and abnormal system operation may occur.

Driving your vehicle
24
Before entering vehicle:
• Be sure that all windows, outside mir-ror(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
Section 6, Maintenance.
Before starting
Close and lock all doors.
Position the seat so that all controls areeasily reached.
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 out.
For safe operation, be sure you are famil-
iar with your vehicle and its equipment.
BEFORE DRIVING
(Continued)
You are much more likely to have a
serious accident if you drink or take
drugs and drive.
If you are drinking or taking drugs,
don’t drive. Do not ride with a driv-
er who has been drinking or taking
drugs. Choose a designated driver
or call a cab.
WARNING- Driving under
the influence of alcohol or
drugs
Drinking and driving is dangerous.
Drunk driving is the number one
contributor to the highway death
toll each year. Even a small amount
of alcohol will affect your reflexes,
perceptions and judgement. Driving
while under the influence of drugs
is as dangerous or more dangerous
than driving drunk.
(Continued)
WARNING
Driving while distracted can result
in a loss of vehicle control, that may
lead to an accident, severe person-
al injury, and death. The driver’s
primary responsibility is in the safe
and legal operation of a vehicle, and
use of any handheld devices, other
equipment, or vehicle systems
which take the driver’s eyes, atten-
tion and focus away from the safe
operation of a vehicle or which are
not permissible by law should
never be used during operation of
the vehicle.
WARNING
When you make a sudden stop orturn the steering wheel rapidly,
loose objects may drop on the
floor and it could interfere with
the operation of the foot pedals,
possibly causing an accident.
Keep all things in the vehicle
safely stored.
If you do not focus on driving, it may cause an accident. Be care-
ful when operating what may dis-
turb driving such as audio or
heater. It is the responsibility of
the driver to always drive safely.

43
Driving your vehicle
Illuminated ignition switch
(if equipped)
Whenever front door is opened, the igni-
tion switch will be illuminated 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 or go off after about 10 sec-
onds when the door is closed.
Ignition switch and anti-theft
steering column lock
Ignition switch position
LOCKThe 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.
ACC (Accessory)
The steering wheel is unlocked and elec-
trical accessories are operative.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 prevent battery discharge.
START
Turn the ignition key to the START posi-
tion to start the engine. The engine will
crank until you release the key; then it
returns to the ON position. The brake
warning lamp can be checked in this
position.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
If difficulty is experienced turning the
ignition switch to the ACC position, turn
the key while turning the steering wheel
right and left to release the tension.
KEY POSITIONS
1VQA30171VQA3018
WARNING
When you intend to park or stop the
vehicle with the engine on, be care-
ful not to depress the accelerator
pedal for a long period of time. It
may overheat the engine or exhaust
system and cause fire.

411
Driving your vehicle
The cruise control system allows you to
program the vehicle to maintain a con-
stant speed without resting your foot on
the accelerator pedal. This system is
designed to function above approximate-
ly 40 km/h (24 mph).
✽ ✽NOTICE
To activate cruise control, depress the
brake pedal at least once after turning the
ignition switch to the ON position or
starting the engine. This is to check if the
brake switch which is important part to
cancel cruise control is in normal condi-
tion.
To set cruise control speed:
1. Pull 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 (24 mph). 3. Push the COAST/SET switch, and
release it at the desired speed. The SET
indicator light in the instrument cluster
will illuminate. Release the accelerator
at the same time. The desired speed will
automatically be maintained.
The SET function cannot be activated untilapproximately 2 seconds after the CRUISE ON-OFF button has beenengaged.
On a steep grade, the vehicle maymomentarily slow down while going down-hill.
CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM (IF EQUIPPED)
WARNING- Cruise control
Do not use the cruise control feature
under the following conditions:
Heavy or unsteady traffic
Slippery or winding roads
Situations that involve varying
speeds
WARNING
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 cruise control is
not in use.
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CAUTION
Driving while distracted is dangerous
and should be avoided. Driversshould remain attentive to driving andalways exercise caution when usingthe steering wheel mounted controlswhile driving.

Driving your vehicle
14
4
Power brakes
Your vehicle has power-assisted brakes
that adjust automatically through normal
usage.
In the event that the power-assisted
brakes lose power because of a stalled
engine or some other reason, you can
still stop your vehicle by applying greater
force to the brake pedal than you nor-
mally would. The stopping distance, how-
ever, will be longer.
When the engine is not running, the
reserve brake power is partially depleted
each time the brake pedal is applied. Do
not pump the brake pedal when the
power assist has been interrupted.
Pump the brake pedal only when neces-
sary to maintain steering control on slip-
pery surfaces.
In the event of brake failure
If service brakes fail to operate while the
vehicle is in motion, you can make an
emergency stop with the parking brake.
The stopping distance, however, will be
much greater than normal.
BRAKE SYSTEM
(Continued)
When descending a long or steep
hill, shift to a lower gear and
avoid continuous application of
the brakes. Continuous brake
application will cause the brakes
to overheat and could result in a
temporary loss of braking per-
formance.
Wet brakes may result in the vehi- cle not slowing down at the usual
rate and pulling to one side when
the brakes are applied. Applying
the brakes lightly will indicate
whether they have been affected
in this way. Always test your
brakes in this fashion after driv-
ing through deep water. To dry the
brakes, apply them lightly while
maintaining a safe forward speed
until brake performance returns
to normal.
Always, confirm the position of the brake and accelerator pedal
before driving. If you don't check
the position of the accelerator
and brake pedal before driving,
you may depress the accelerator
instead of the brake pedal. It may
cause a serious accident.
WARNING- Parking brake
Applying the parking brake while
the vehicle is moving at normal
speeds can cause a sudden loss of
control of the vehicle. If you must
use the parking brake to stop the
vehicle, use great caution in apply-
ing the brake.
WARNING- Brakes
Do not drive with your foot rest-ing on the brake pedal. This will
create abnormal high brake tem-
peratures, excessive brake lining
and pad wear, and increased
stopping distances.
(Continued)

417
Driving your vehicle
Check the brake warning light by turning
the ignition switch ON (do not start the
engine). This light will be illuminated
when the parking brake is applied with
the ignition switch in the START or ON
position.
Before driving, be sure the parking brake
is fully released and the brake warning
light is off.
If the brake warning light remains on
after the parking brake is released, there
may be a malfunction in the brake sys-
tem. Immediate attention is necessary.
If at all possible, cease driving the vehi-
cle immediately. If that is not possible,
use extreme caution while operating the
vehicle and only continue to drive the
vehicle until you can reach a safe loca-
tion or repair shop.
Anti-lock brake system (ABS) The ABS continuously senses the speed
of the wheels. If the wheels are going to
lock, the ABS system repeatedly modu-
lates the hydraulic brake pressure to the
wheels.
When you apply your brakes under con-
ditions which may lock the wheels, you
may hear a “tik-tik’’ sound from the
brakes, or feel a corresponding sensation
in the brake pedal. This is normal and it
means your ABS is active.
In order to obtain the maximum benefit
from your ABS in an emergency situa-
tion, do not attempt to modulate your
brake pressure and do not try to pump
your brakes. Press your brake pedal as
hard as possible or as hard as the situa-
tion warrants and allow the ABS to con-
trol the force being delivered to the
brakes.
W-75
WARNING- ABS
Your ABS is not a substitute for
good driving judgement. You can
still have an accident. In fact, your
ABS will probably not be able to
prevent an accident in the following
driving conditions:
Dangerous driving, such asneglecting safety precautions,
speeding, or driving too close to
the vehicle in front of you.
Driving at high speed in situa- tions providing considerably less
traction, such as wet conditions
where hydroplaning could occur.
Driving too fast on poor road sur- faces. The ABS is designed to
improve maximum braking effec-
tiveness on typical highways and
roads in good condition. On poor
road surfaces in poor condition,
the ABS may actually reduce
braking effectiveness.

419
Driving your vehicle
The Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
monitors information from various vehicle
sensors and then compares the driver's
commands with the actual behavior of the
vehicle. If an unstable condition occurs - a
sudden evasive movement for example -
ESC intervenes within fractions of a
second via the engine computer and
brake system and attempts to stabilize
the vehicle.
ESC operation
ESC ON condition
ON, ESC and ESC OFF indi-
cator lights illuminate for
approximately 3 seconds,
then ESC is turned on.
for at least half a second after
turning the ignition 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 ticking
sound. This is the ESC per-
forming an automatic system
self-check and does not indi-
cate a problem.
When operating
When the ESC is in operation,
ESC indicator light blinks.
Control is operating properly,
you can feel a slight pulsation
in the vehicle. This is only the
effect of brake control and indi-
cates nothing unusual.
or slippery road, pressing the
accelerator pedal may not
cause the engine rpm (revo-
lutions per minute) to
increase.
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL
-ESC
❈ The location of the ESC OFF button may
be changed depending on your model.
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