2014 KIA Soul ESP

537
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. It
indicates that a malfunction has
been detected somewhere in the
Electric Power Steering system or
VSM system. If the ESC indicator
light ( ) or EPS warning light
remains on, take your vehicle to an
authorized Kia dealer and have the
system checked.
✽ ✽NOTICE
• The VSM is designed to function
above approximately 13 mph (22
km/h) on curves.
• The VSM is designed to function above approximately 6 mph (10
km/h) 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)
A vehicle has the tendency to roll
back on a steep hill when it starts to
go after stopping. The Hill-start
Assist Control (HAC) prevents the
vehicle from rolling back by applying
the brakes automatically for about 2
seconds. The brakes are released
when the accelerator pedal is
depressed or after about 2 seconds.WARNING
The Vehicle Stability
Management system is not a
substitute for safe driving
practices but a supplemen-
tary function only. It is the
responsibility 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
installed VSM. Always follow
all the normal precautions for
driving at safe speeds for the
conditions – including driving
in clement weather and on a
slippery road.
Driving with varying tire or wheel sizes may cause the
VSM 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 always
depress the accelerator pedal.

551
Driving your vehicle
Your vehicle's fuel economy depends
mainly on your style of driving, where
you drive and when you drive.
Each of these factors affects how
many miles (kilometers) you can get
from a gallon (liter) of fuel. To operate
your vehicle as economically as pos-
sible, use the following driving sug-
gestions to help save money in both
fuel and repairs:
Drive smoothly. Accelerate at amoderate rate. Don't make "jack-
rabbit" starts or full-throttle shifts
and maintain a steady cruising
speed. Don't race between stop-
lights. Try to adjust your speed to
the traffic so you don't have to
change speeds unnecessarily.
Avoid heavy traffic whenever pos-
sible. Always maintain a safe dis-
tance from other vehicles so you
can avoid unnecessary braking.
This also reduces brake wear.
Drive at a moderate speed. The faster you drive, the more fuel your
vehicle uses. Driving at a moderate
speed, especially on the highway,
is one of the most effective ways to
reduce fuel consumption. Don't "ride" the brake or clutch
pedal. This can increase fuel con-
sumption and also increase wear
on these components. In addition,
driving with your foot resting on the
brake pedal may cause the brakes
to overheat, which reduces their
effectiveness and may lead to
more serious consequences.
Take care of your tires. Keep them inflated to the recommended pres-
sure. Incorrect inflation, either too
much or too little, results in unnec-
essary tire wear. Check the tire
pressures at least once a month.
Be sure that the wheels are aligned correctly. Improper align-
ment can result from hitting curbs
or driving too fast over irregular
surfaces. Poor alignment causes
faster tire wear and may also result
in other problems as well as
greater fuel consumption. Keep your vehicle in good condi-
tion. For better fuel economy and
reduced maintenance costs, main-
tain your vehicle in accordance
with the maintenance schedule in
section 7. If you drive your vehicle
in severe conditions, more frequent
maintenance is required (see sec-
tion 7 for details).
Keep your vehicle clean. For maxi- mum service, your vehicle should
be kept clean and free of corrosive
materials. It is especially important
that mud, dirt, ice, etc. not be
allowed to accumulate on the
underside of the vehicle. This extra
weight can result in increased fuel
consumption and also contribute to
corrosion.
Travel lightly. Don't carry unneces- sary weight in your vehicle. Weight
reduces fuel economy.
Don't let the engine idle longer than necessary. If you are waiting
(and not in traffic), turn off your
engine and restart only when
you're ready to go.
ECONOMICAL OPERATION

555
Driving your vehicle
✽
✽NOTICE
The ESC system should be turned
OFF prior to rocking the vehicle.
Smooth cornering
Avoid braking or gear changing in
corners, especially when roads are
wet. Ideally, corners should always
be taken under gentle acceleration. If
you follow these suggestions, tire
wear will be held to a minimum.
WARNING- Spinning
tires
Do not spin the wheels, espe-
cially at speeds more than 56
km/h (35 mph). Spinning the
wheels at high speeds when the
vehicle is stationary could
cause a tire to overheat which
could result in tire damage that
may injure bystanders.
OUN056051
WARNING
If your vehicle becomes stuck in
snow, mud, sand, etc., then you
may attempt to rock the vehicle
free by moving it forward and
backward. Do not attempt this
procedure if people or objects
are anywhere near the vehicle.
During the rocking operation
the vehicle may suddenly move
forward or backward as it
becomes unstuck, causing
injury or damage to nearby peo-
ple or objects.

Driving your vehicle
56
5
Driving at night
Because night driving presents more
hazards than driving in the daylight,
here are some important tips to
remember:
Slow down and keep more dis-
tance between you and other vehi-
cles, as it may be more difficult to
see at night, especially in areas
where there may not be any street
lights. Adjust your mirrors to reduce the
glare from other driver's head-
lights.
Keep your headlights clean and properly aimed. (On vehicles not
equipped with the automatic head-
light aiming feature.) Dirty or
improperly aimed headlights will
make it much more difficult to see
at night.
Avoid staring directly at the head- lights of oncoming vehicles. You
could be temporarily blinded, and it
will take several seconds for your
eyes to readjust to the darkness.
Driving in the rain
Rain and wet roads can make driving
dangerous, especially if you’re not
prepared for the slick pavement.
Here are a few things to consider
when driving in the rain:
A heavy rainfall will make it harderto see and will increase the dis-
tance needed to stop your vehicle,
so slow down.
Keep your windshield wiping equipment in good shape. Replace
your windshield wiper blades when
they show signs of streaking or
missing areas on the windshield.
1VQA3003OCM053010

615
What to do in an emergency
When using a compact spare tire,
observe the following precautions:
Under no circumstances shouldyou exceed 80 km/h (50 mph); a
higher speed could damage the
tire.
Ensure that you drive slowly enough for the road conditions to
avoid all hazards. Any road hazard,
such as a pothole or debris, could
seriously damage the compact
spare.
Any continuous road use of this tire could result in tire failure, loss of
vehicle control, and possible per-
sonal injury.
Do not exceed the vehicle’s maxi- mum load rating or the load-carry-
ing capacity shown on the sidewall
of the compact spare tire. Avoid driving over obstacles. The
compact spare tire diameter is
smaller than the diameter of a con-
ventional tire and reduces the
ground clearance approximately
25 mm (1 inch), which could result
in damage to the vehicle.
Do not take this vehicle through an automatic vehicle wash while the
compact spare tire is installed.
Do not use the compact spare tire on any other vehicle because this
tire has been designed especially
for your vehicle.
The compact spare tire’s tread life is shorter than a regular tire.
Inspect your compact spare tire
regularly and replace worn com-
pact spare tires with the same size
and design, mounted on the same
wheel. The compact spare tire should not
be used on any other wheels, nor
should standard tires, snow tires,
wheel covers or trim rings be used
with the compact spare wheel. If
such use is attempted, damage to
these items or other vehicle com-
ponents may occur.
Do not use more than one compact spare tire at a time.
Do not tow a trailer while the com- pact spare tire is installed.

What to do in an emergency
18
6
It is possible that some tires, espe-
cially with larger punctures or dam-
age to the sidewall, cannot be sealed
completely.
Air pressure loss in the tire may
adversely affect tire performance.
For this reason, you should avoid
abrupt steering or other driving
maneuvers, especially if the vehicle
is heavily loaded or if a trailer is in
use.
The Tire Mobility Kit is not designed
or intended as a permanent tire
repair method and is to be used for
one tire only.
This instruction shows you step by
step how to temporarily seal the
puncture simply and reliably.
Read the section "Notes on the safe
use of the Tire Mobility Kit".Notes on the suggested use of
the Tire Mobility Kit
Park your car at the side of the
road so that you can work with the
Tire Mobility Kit away from moving
traffic.
To be sure your vehicle will not move, even when you're on fairly
level ground, always set your park-
ing brake.
Only use the Tire Mobility Kit for sealing/inflation passenger car
tires. Only punctured areas located
within the tread region of the tire
can be sealed using the tire mobil-
ity kit.
Do not use on motorcycles, bicy- cles or any other type of tires.
When the tire and wheel are dam- aged, do not use Tire Mobility Kit
for your safety.
Use of the Tire Mobility Kit may not be effective for tire damage larger
than approximately 6 mm (0.24 in).
Please contact the nearest Kia
dealership if the tire cannot be
made roadworthy with the Tire
Mobility Kit. Do not use the Tire Mobility Kit if a
tire is severely damaged by driving
run flat or with insufficient air pres-
sure.
Do not remove any foreign objects such as nails or screws that have
penetrated the tire.
Provided the car is outdoors, leave the engine running. Otherwise
operating the compressor may
eventually drain the car battery.
Never leave the Tire Mobility Kit unattended while it is being used.
Do not leave the compressor run- ning for more than 10 min. at a time
or it may overheat.
Do not use the Tire Mobility Kit if the ambient temperature is below -
-30°C (22°F).

Maintenance
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Maintenance services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
• Owner’s responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Owner maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7

Scheduled maintenance service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Explanation of scheduled maintenance items . . . 7-23
Engine oil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-27
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-27
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-28
Engine coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-29
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-29
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-31
Brake/clutch fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-32
. . . . . . . . . . . . 7-32
Washer fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-34
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-34
Parking brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-35

Air cleaner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-36
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-36
Climate control air filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-38
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-38
Wiper blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-40
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-40
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-40
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-\
44
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-44
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-45
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-46\
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-47
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
7-47
. . . . . . . 7-47

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-49
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-50
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-51
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-52
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-52
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-52
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-53
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
7-62

Light bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-75
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-76
. . . . . . . . . . . . 7-82
. . . . . . . . 7-83
. . . . . . . 7-85
7

75
Maintenance
MAINTENANCE SERVICES
You should exercise the utmost care
to prevent damage to your vehicle
and injury to yourself whenever per-
forming any maintenance or inspec-
tion procedures.
Should you have any doubts con-
cerning the inspection or servicing of
your vehicle, we strongly recom-
mend that you have an authorized
Kia dealer perform this work.
An authorized Kia dealer has factory
trained technicians and genuine Kia
parts to service your vehicle proper-
ly. For expert advice and quality serv-
ice, see an authorized Kia dealer.
Inadequate, incomplete or insuffi-
cient servicing may result in opera-
tional problems with your vehicle that
could lead to vehicle damage, an
accident, or personal injury.Owner’s responsibility
✽ ✽NOTICE
Maintenance Service and Record
Retention are the owner's responsi-
bility.
You should retain documents that
show proper maintenance has been
performed on your vehicle in accor-
dance with the scheduled mainte-
nance service charts shown on the
following pages. You need this infor-
mation to establish your compliance
with the servicing and maintenance
requirements of your vehicle war-
ranties.
Detailed warranty information is pro-
vided in your Warranty & Consumer
Information manual.
Repairs and adjustments required as
a result of improper maintenance or
a lack of required maintenance are
not covered. We recommend you have your vehi-
cle maintained and repaired by an
authorized Kia dealer. An authorized
Kia dealer meets Kia’s high service
quality standards and receives tech-
nical support from Kia in order to pro-
vide you with a high level of service
satisfaction.