2014 KIA Soul Owner's Manual

Driving your vehicle
10
5
Illuminated ENGINE
START/STOP button
Whenever the front door is opened,
the ENGINE START/STOP button
will illuminate for your convenience.
The light will go off after about 30
seconds when the door is closed.
When all entrances are closed, if you
lock the vehicle by using the trans-
mitter or the smart key, the light will
go off immediately.
ENGINE START/STOP button
position
OFF
• With manual transaxle
To turn off the engine (START/RUN
position) or vehicle power (ON posi-
tion), stop the vehicle then press the
engine start/stop button.
• With automatic transaxle
To turn off the engine (START/RUN
position) or vehicle power (ON posi-
tion), press the ENGINE
START/STOP button with the shift
lever in the P (Park) position. When
you press the ENGINE
START/STOP button without the shift
lever in the P (Park) position, the
ENGINE START/STOP button will
not change to the OFF position but to
the ACC position.
ENGINE START/STOP BUTTON (IF EQUIPPED)
OPS053003
CAUTION
You are able to turn off the
engine (START/RUN) or vehiclepower (ON), only when the vehi-cle is not in motion. In an emer-gency situation while the vehi-cle is in motion, you are able toturn the engine off and to theACC position by pressing theENGINE START/STOP button formore than 2 seconds or 3 timessuccessively within 3 seconds.If the vehicle is still moving, youcan restart the engine withoutdepressing the brake pedal bypressing the ENGINESTART/STOP button with theshift lever in the N (Neutral)position.
Not illuminated

511
Driving your vehicle
ACC(Accessory)
• With manual transaxle
Press the engine start/stop button
when the button is in the OFF posi-
tion without depressing the clutch
pedal.
• With automatic transaxle
Press the ENGINE START/STOP
button while it is in the OFF position
without depressing the brake pedal.
If the ENGINE START/STOP button
is in the ACC position for more than
1 hour, the button is turned off auto-
matically to prevent battery dis-
charge.
ON
• With manual transaxle
Press the engine start/stop button
when the button is in the ACC posi-
tion without depressing the clutch
pedal.
• With automatic transaxle
Press the ENGINE START/STOP
button while it is in the ACC position
without depressing the brake pedal.
The warning lights can be checked
before the engine is started. Do not
leave the ENGINE START/STOP
button in the ON position for a long
time. The battery may discharge,
because the engine is not running.
START/RUN
• With manual transaxle
To start the engine, depress the
clutch pedal and brake pedal, then
press the engine start/stop button
with the shift lever in the N (Neutral)
position.
• With automatic transaxle
To start the engine, depress the
brake pedal and press the ENGINE
START/ STOP button with the shift
lever in the P (Park) or the N
(Neutral) position. For your safety,
start the engine with the shift lever in
the P (Park) position.
AmberRedish orangeNot illuminated

Driving your vehicle
12
5
✽
✽

NOTICE
If you press the ENGINE
START/STOP button without
depressing the clutch pedal for man-
ual transaxle vehicles or without
depressing the brake pedal for auto-
matic transaxle vehicles, the engine
will not start and the ENGINE
START/STOP button changes as fol-
low:
OFF ➔ ➔


ACC ➔
➔
ON ➔
➔
OFF or ACC
✽
✽

NOTICE
If you leave the ENGINE START/
STOP button in the ACC or ON
position for a long time, the battery
will discharge.
WARNING
Never press the ENGINE
START/STOP button while the
vehicle is in motion except in
an emergency. If the engine
stops while the vehicle is in
motion, this would result in
loss of directional control and
braking function, which could
cause an accident.
Before leaving the driver's seat, always make sure the
shift lever is engaged in P
(Park), set the parking brake
fully and shut the engine off.
Unexpected and sudden vehi-
cle movement may occur if
these precautions are not
taken.
(Continued)
(Continued)
Never reach for the ENGINESTART/STOP button or any
other controls through the
steering wheel while the vehi-
cle is in motion. The presence
of your hand or arm in the
area could cause loss of vehi-
cle control, an accident and
serious bodily injury or death.
Do not place any movable objects around the driver's
seat as they may move while
driving, interfere with the driv-
er and lead to an accident.

513
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. Manual Transaxle - Depress the
clutch pedal fully and shift the
transaxle into Neutral. Keep the
clutch pedal and brake pedal
depressed while starting the engine.
Automatic transaxle - Place the
transaxle shift lever in P (Park).
Depress the brake pedal fully.
You can also start the engine when the shift lever is in the N (Neutral)position.
4.Press the ENGINE START/STOP button while depressing the brake
pedal.
It should be started withoutdepressing the accelerator.
5.Do not wait for the engine to warm up while the vehicle remains sta-
tionary.
Start driving at moderate engine
speeds. (Steep accelerating and
decelerating should be avoided.) Even if the smart key is in the vehi-
cle, if it 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 vehicle,
a message "key is not in the vehi-
cle" will appear 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.
WARNING
The engine will start, only when
the smart key is in the vehicle.
Never allow children or any per-
son who is unfamiliar with the
vehicle to touch the ENGINE
START/STOP button or related
parts.
CAUTION
If the engine stalls while thevehicle is in motion, do notattempt to move the shift leverto the P (Park) position. If thetraffic and road conditions per-mit, you may put the shift leverin the N (Neutral) position whilethe vehicle is still moving andpress the ENGINE START/STOPbutton in an attempt to restartthe engine.

Driving your vehicle
14
5
✽
✽

NOTICE
• 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.
The side with the lock button
should contact the engine
start/stop button directly.
When you press the engine
start/stop button directly with the
smart key, the smart key should
contact the button at a right angle. (Continued)(Continued)
• When the stop lamp fuse is blown,
you can't start the engine normal-
ly. 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 without depressing the brake
pedal. But for your safety always
depress the brake pedal before
starting the engine.CAUTION
Do not press the ENGINE
START/ STOP button for morethan 10 seconds except whenthe stop lamp fuse is blown.
OPS053007

515
Driving your vehicle
Manual transaxle operation
The manual transaxle has 6 for-ward gears.
This shift pattern is imprinted on
the shift knob. The transaxle is fully
synchronized in all forward gears
so shifting to either a higher or a
lower gear is easily accomplished.
Press the clutch pedal down fully while shifting, then release it slow-
ly.
If your vehicle is equipped with an
ignition lock switch, the engine will
not start when starting the engine
without depressing the clutch
pedal. (if equipped)
The gearshift lever must be returned to the neutral position
before shifting into R (Reverse).
The ring (1) located immediately
below the shift knob must be pulled
upward while moving the shift lever
to the R (Reverse) position. (if
equipped)

Make sure the vehicle is complete- ly stopped before shifting into R(Reverse).
Never operate the engine with thetachometer (rpm) in the red zone.
MANUAL TRANSAXLE (IF EQUIPPED)
CAUTION
When downshifting from fifth gear to fourth gear, cautionshould be taken not to inad-vertently press the gear shiftlever sideways in such a man-ner that second gear isengaged. Such a drasticdownshift may cause theengine speed to increase tothe point that the tachometerwill enter the red-zone. Suchover-revving of the enginemay possibly cause enginedamage.
Do not downshift more than 2 gears or downshift the gearwhen the engine is running athigh speed (5,000 RPM orhigher). Such a downshiftingmay damage the engine.
OJD053058
The ring (1) must be pushed while
moving the shift lever. The shift lever can be moved without
pushing the ring (1).

Driving your vehicle
16
5
During cold weather, shifting may
be difficult until the transaxle lubri-
cant has warmed up. This is nor-
mal 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), put the shift lever in N
(Neutral) position and release the
clutch. Press the clutch pedal back
down, and then shift into 1st or R
(Reverse) gear position.Using the clutch
The clutch should be pressed 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 repeat-
edly.
CAUTION
To avoid premature clutch wear and damage, do notdrive with your foot resting onthe clutch pedal. Also, don’tuse the clutch to hold thevehicle stopped on an uphillgrade, while waiting for a traf-fic light, etc.
Do not use the shift lever as a handrest during driving, asthis can result in prematurewear of the transaxle shiftforks.
WARNING
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 sud-
den vehicle movement can
occur if these precautions are
not followed in the order iden-
tified.
If your vehicle has a manual transaxle not equipped with a
ignition lock switch, it may
move and cause a serious
accident when starting the
engine without depressing
the clutch pedal while the
parking brake is released and
the shift lever not in the N
(neutral) position.
CAUTION
When operating the clutchpedal, depress the clutch pedaldown fully. If you don’t depressthe clutch pedal fully, the clutchmay be damaged or noise mayoccur.

517
Driving your vehicle
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 again need to
increase your speed. When the vehi-
cle is traveling down steep hills,
downshifting helps maintain safe
speed and prolongs brake life.
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, slow down
and 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 reverse. The transaxle can be
damaged if you do not. To shift into
reverse, depress the clutch, move
the shift lever to neutral, then shift
to the reverse position. 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.