2014 KIA Soul warning light

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.

Driving your vehicle
26
5
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 normally would. The
stopping distance, however, 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
necessary to maintain steering con-
trol on slippery surfaces.
BRAKE SYSTEM
(Continued)
Wet brakes may impair the
vehicle’s ability to safely slow
down; the vehicle may also
pull 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 fash-
ion after driving 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 - Brakes
Do not drive with your footresting on the brake pedal.
This will create abnormal high
brake temperatures, exces-
sive brake lining and pad
wear, and increased stopping
distances.
When descending a long or steep hill, shift to a lower gear
and avoid continuous applica-
tion of the brakes. Continuous
brake application will cause
the brakes to overheat and
could result in a temporary
loss of braking performance.
(Continued)

527
Driving your vehicle
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 dis-
tance, however, will be much greater
than normal.
Disc brakes wear indicator
When your brake pads are worn and
new pads are required, you will hear
a high-pitched warning sound from
your front brakes or rear brakes. You
may hear this sound come and go or
it may occur whenever you depress
the brake pedal.
Please remember that some driving
conditions or climates may cause a
brake squeal when you first apply (or
lightly apply) the brakes. This is nor-
mal and does not indicate a problem
with your brakes.WARNING - Brake wear
This brake wear warning sound
means your vehicle needs serv-
ice. If you ignore this audible
warning, you will eventually
lose braking performance,
which could lead to a serious
accident.
CAUTION
To avoid costly brake repairs,do not continue to drive withworn brake pads.
Always replace the front or rear brake pads as pairs.
WARNING- Parkingbrake
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 vehi-
cle, use great caution in apply-
ing the brake.
WARNING
Do not operate the parking
brake while the vehicle is mov-
ing except in an emergency sit-
uation. It could damage the
vehicle system and endanger
driving safety.

529
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
while the engine is running, there
may be a malfunction in the brake
system. Immediate attention is nec-
essary.If at all possible, cease driving the
vehicle immediately. If that is not pos-
sible, use extreme caution while
operating the vehicle and only con-
tinue to drive the vehicle until you
can reach a safe location or repair
shop.
WARNING
To prevent unintentional
movement when stopped and
leaving the vehicle, do not use
the shift lever instead of the
parking brake. Set the parking
brake AND make sure the shift
lever is securely positioned in
1st (First) gear or R (Reverse)
for manual transaxle
equipped vehicles and in P
(Park) for automatic transaxle
equipped vehicles.
Never allow anyone who is unfamiliar with the vehicle to
touch the parking brake. If the
parking brake is released
unintentionally, serious injury
may occur.
All vehicles should always have the parking brake fully
engaged when parking to
avoid inadvertent movement
of the vehicle which can injure
occupants or pedestrians.
W-75

531
Driving your vehicle
✽
✽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 anti-lock brake
system is functioning properly.
Even with the anti-lock brake sys-
tem, your vehicle still requires suf-
ficient stopping distance. Always
maintain a safe distance from the
vehicle in front of you.
Always slow down when cornering. The anti-lock brake system cannot
prevent accidents resulting from
excessive speeds.
On loose or uneven road surfaces, operation of the anti-lock brake
system may result in a longer stop-
ping distance than for vehicles
equipped with a conventional
brake system.
CAUTION
If the ABS warning light is on and stays on, you may have aproblem with the ABS. In thiscase, however, your regularbrakes will work normally.
The ABS warning light will stay on for approximately 3 sec-onds after the ignition switchis ON. During that time, theABS will go through self-diag-nosis and the light will go off ifeverything is normal. If thelight stays on, you may have aproblem with your ABS.Contact an authorized Kiadealer as soon as possible.
W-78
CAUTION
When you drive on a road hav-
ing poor traction, such as anicy road, and have operatedyour brakes continuously, theABS will be active continuous-ly and the ABS warning lightmay illuminate. Pull your vehi-cle over to a safe place andstop the engine.
Restart the engine. If the ABS warning light goes off, thenyour ABS system is normal.Otherwise, you may have aproblem with the ABS.Contact an authorized Kiadealer as soon as possible.

Driving your vehicle
32
5
✽
✽
NOTICE
When you jump start your vehicle
because of a drained battery, the
engine may not run as smoothly and
the ABS warning light may turn on
at the same time. This happens
because of low battery voltage. It
does not mean your ABS has mal-
functioned.
• Do not pump your brakes!
• Have the battery recharged before
driving the vehicle.
Electronic stability control
(ESC)
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.
OPS053013
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 surfaces
can 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.

Driving your vehicle
34
5
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 (ESC OFF indicator light
(ESC OFF ) illuminates). At this
state, the engine control function
does not operate. It means the trac-
tion control function does not oper-
ate. Brake control function only oper-
ates.
If your vehicle is equipped with clus-
ter type B, a message also will
appear on the LCD display.
To cancel ESC operation, press the
ESC OFF button (ESC OFF ) for
more than 3 seconds. ESC OFF indi-
cator light (ESC OFF ) illuminates
and ESC OFF warning chime will
sound. At this state, the engine con-
trol function and brake control func-
tion do not operate. It means the car
stability control function does not
operate any more.
If your vehicle is equipped with clus-
ter type B, a message also will
appear on the LCD display.
OPS053022OPS053023

535
Driving your vehicle
Indicator light
When ignition switch is turned to ON,
the indicator light illuminates, then
goes off if the ESC system is operat-
ing normally.
The ESC indicator light blinks when-
ever ESC is operating or illuminates
when ESC fails to operate.
The ESC OFF indicator light comes
on when the ESC is turned off with
the button.
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.CAUTION
Driving with varying tire orwheel sizes may cause the ESCsystem to malfunction. Whenreplacing tires, make sure theyare the same size as your origi-nal tires.
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.WARNING
The Electronic Stability Control
system is only a driving aid; use
precautions 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.
■ ESC indicator light
■ ESC OFF indicator light