2015 KIA PICANTO brakes

551
Driving your vehicle
Following distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the vehi-
cle ahead as you would when driving
your vehicle without a trailer. This can
help you avoid situations that require
heavy braking and sudden turns.
Passing
You’ll need more passing distance up
ahead when you’re towing a trailer. And,
because of the increased vehicle length,
you’ll need to go much farther beyond the
passed vehicle before you can return to
your lane.
Backing up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel
with one hand. Then, to move the trailer
to the left, just move your hand to the left.
To move the trailer to the right, move your
hand to the right. Always back up slowly
and, if possible, have someone guide
you.
Making turns
When you’re turning with a trailer, make
wider turns than normal. Do this so your
trailer won’t strike soft shoulders, curbs,
road signs, trees, or other objects. Avoid
jerky or sudden maneuvers. Signal well
in advance.
Turn signals when towing a trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has
to have a different turn signal flasher and
extra wiring. The green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash whenever you
signal a turn or lane change. Properly
connected, the trailer lights will also flash
to alert other drivers you’re about to turn,
change lanes, or stop.
When towing a trailer, the green arrows
on your instrument panel will flash for
turns even if the bulbs on the trailer are
burned out. Thus, you may think drivers
behind you are seeing your signals
when, in fact, they are not. It’s important
to check occasionally to be sure the trail-
er bulbs are still working. You must also
check the lights every time you discon-
nect and then reconnect the wires.
Do not connect a trailer lighting system
directly to your vehicle’s lighting system.
Use only an approved trailer wiring har-
ness.
An authorized Kia dealer can assist you
in installing the wiring harness.
Driving on grades
Reduce the speed and shift to a lower
gear before you start down a long or
steep downgrade. If you don’t shift down,
you might have to use your brakes so
much that they would get hot and no
longer operate efficiently.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and
reduce your speed to around 45 mph (70km/h) to reduce the possibility of engine
and transaxle overheating.
If your trailer weighs more than the max-
imum trailer weight without trailer brakes
and you have an automatic transaxle,
you should drive in D (Drive) when tow-
ing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle in D (Drive) when
towing a trailer will minimize heat build up
and extend the life of your transaxle.
WARNING
Failure to use an approved trailer wiring harness could result in dam-
age to the vehicle electrical system
and/or personal injury.

Driving your vehicle
52
5
Parking on hills
Generally, if you have a trailer attached to
your vehicle, you should not park your
vehicle on a hill. People can be seriously
or fatally injured, and both your vehicle
and the trailer can be damaged if unex-
pectedly roll down hill.
However, if you ever have to park your
trailer on a hill, here's how to do it:
1. Pull the vehicle into the parking space.
Turn the steering wheel in the direction
of the curb (right if headed down hill,left if headed up hill).
2. If the vehicle has a manual transaxle, place the car in neutral. If the vehicle
has an automatic transaxle, place the
car in P (Park).
3. Set the parking brake and shut off the vehicle.
4. Place chocks under the trailer wheels on the down hill side of the wheels. 5. Start the vehicle, hold the brakes, shift
to neutral, release the parking brake
and slowly release the brakes until the
trailer chocks absorb the load.
6. Reapply the brakes, reapply the park- ing brake and shift the vehicle to R
(Reverse) for manual transaxle or P
(Park) for automatic transaxle.
7. Shut off the vehicle and release the vehicle brakes but leave the parking
brake set.
WARNING - Parking brake
It can be dangerous to get out of
your vehicle if the parking brake is
not firmly set.
If you have left the engine running,
the vehicle can move suddenly. You
or others could be seriously or
fatally injured.
CAUTION
When towing a trailer on steep grades (in excess of 6%) pay
close attention to the enginecoolant temperature gauge toensure the engine does not over- heat. If the needle of the coolant
temperature gauge moves acrossthe dial towards “H (or 130°C / 260°F)” (HOT), pull over and stop
as soon as it is safe to do so, andallow the engine to idle until itcools down. You may proceedonce the engine has cooled suffi-
ciently.
You must decide the driving speed depending on trailerweight and uphill grade to reducethe possibility of engine and
transaxle overheating.
WARNING - Parking on a
hill
Parking your vehicle on a hill with a
trailer attached could cause seri-
ous injury or death, should the trail-
er break loose.

553
Driving your vehicle
When you are ready to leave after park-
ing on a hill
1. With the manual transaxle in Neutralor automatic transaxle in P (Park),
apply your brakes and hold the brake
pedal down while you:

and

2. Slowly remove your foot from the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks. Maintenance when trailer towing
Your vehicle will need service more often
when you regularly pull a trailer.
Important items to pay particular atten-tion to include engine oil, automatic
transaxle fluid, axle lubricant and cooling
system fluid. Brake condition is another
important item to frequently check. Each
item is covered in this manual, and the
Index will help you find them quickly. If
you’re trailering, it’s a good idea to review
these sections before you start your trip.
Don’t forget to also maintain your trailer
and hitch. Follow the maintenance
schedule that accompanied your trailer
and check it periodically. Preferably, con-
duct the check at the start of each day’s
driving. Most importantly, all hitch nutsand bolts should be tight.CAUTION
Due to higher load during trailer
usage, overheating might occur
in hot days or during uphill driv- ing. If the coolant gauge indicatesover-heating, switch off the A/Cand stop the vehicle in a safe area
to cool down the engine.
When towing, check the transaxle fluid more frequently.
If your vehicle is not equipped with an air conditioner, you
should install a condenser fan toimprove engine performancewhen towing a trailer.

555
Driving your vehicle
Weight of the trailer
What is the maximum safe weight of a
trailer? It should never weigh more than
the maximum trailer weight with trailer
brakes. But even that can be too heavy.
It depends on how you plan to use your
trailer. For example, speed, altitude, road
grades, outside temperature and how
often your vehicle is used to pull a trailer
are all important. The ideal trailer weight
can also depend on any special equip-
ment that you have on your vehicle.
Weight of the trailer tongue
The tongue load of any trailer is an
important weight to measure because it
affects the total gross vehicle weight
(GVW) of your vehicle. This weight
includes the curb weight of the vehicle,
any cargo you may carry in it, and the
people who will be riding in the vehicle.
And if you tow a trailer, you must add the
tongue load to the GVW because your
vehicle will also be carrying that weight.The trailer tongue should weigh a maxi-
mum of 10% of the total loaded trailer
weight, within the limits of the maximum
trailer tongue load permissible. After
you've loaded your trailer, weigh the trail-
er and then the tongue, separately, to
see if the weights are proper. If they
aren’t, you may be able to correct them
simply by moving some items around in
the trailer.
C190E01JM
Tongue Load Total Trailer Weight
WARNING -
Trailer
Never load a trailer with more weight in the rear than in the
front. The front should be loaded
with approximately 60% of the
total trailer load; the rear should
be loaded with approximately 40%of the total trailer load.
Never exceed the maximum weight limits of the trailer or trail-
er towing equipment. Improper
loading can result in damage to
your vehicle and/or personal
injury. Check weights and loading
at a commercial scale or highway
patrol office equipped with scales.
An improperly loaded trailer can cause loss of vehicle control.C190E02JM
Gross Axle WeightGross Vehicle Weight

63
What to do in an emergency
IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY WHILE DRIVING
If the engine stalls at a crossroad
or crossing
If the engine stalls at a crossroad or crossing, set the shift lever in the N
(Neutral) position and then push the
vehicle to a safe place.
If your vehicle has a manual transaxle not equipped with a ignition lock
switch, the vehicle can move forward
by shifting to the 2 (second) or 3 (third)
gear and then turning the starter with-out depressing the clutch pedal. If you have a flat tire while driving
If a tire goes flat while you are driving:
1. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal
and let the car slow down while driving
straight ahead. Do not apply the brakesimmediately or attempt to pull off the
road as this may cause a loss of con-
trol. When the car has slowed to such
a speed that it is safe to do so, brake
carefully and pull off the road. Drive off
the road as far as possible and park on
firm, level ground. If you are on a divid-
ed highway, do not park in the median
area between the two traffic lanes.
2. When the vehicle is stopped, turn on your emergency hazard flashers, set
the parking brake and put the shift
lever in P (Park).
3. Have all passengers get out of the car. Be sure they all get out on the side of
the car that is away from traffic.
4. When changing a flat tire, follow the instruction provided later in this section. If engine stalls while driving
1. Reduce your speed gradually, keeping
a straight line. Move cautiously off the
road to a safe place.
2. Turn on your emergency flashers.
3. Try to start the engine again. If your vehicle does not start, we recommend
that you consult an authorized Kia
dealer.

What to do in an emergency
28
6
You may not be able to identify a low
tire by simply looking at it. Alwaysuse a good quality tire pressuregauge to measure the tire's inflation
pressure. Please note that a tire that
is hot (from being driven) will have ahigher pressure measurement than atire that is cold.
A cold tire means the vehicle has
been sitting for 3 hours and driven forless than 1 mile (1.6 km) in that 3
hour period.
Allow the tire to cool before measur-
ing the inflation pressure. Always be
sure the tire is cold before inflating to
the recommended pressure.
CAUTION
We recommend that you use the
tire sealant approved by Kia ifyour vehicle is equipped with a Tire Pressure Monitoring System.The liquid sealant can damagethe tire pressure sensors.
WARNING - Protecting
TPMS
Tampering with, modifying, or
disabling the Tire PressureMonitoring System (TPMS) com-
ponents may interfere with thesystem's ability to warn the driv-
er of low tire pressure condi-
tions and/or TPMS malfunctions.
Tampering with, modifying, or
disabling the Tire PressureMonitoring System (TPMS) com-
ponents may void the warranty
for that portion of the vehicle.
WARNING - TPMS
The TPMS cannot alert you to severe and sudden tire dam-
age caused by external fac-
tors such as nails or roaddebris.
If you feel any vehicle instabil- ity, immediately take your foot
off the accelerator, apply the
brakes gradually and with
light force, and slowly move to
a safe position off the road.WARNING - For EUROPE
Do not modify the vehicle, it may interfere with the TPMS function.
The wheels on the market do not have a TPMS sensor.
For your safety, we recom-
mend that you use parts for
replacement from an author-
ized Kia dealer.
If you use the wheels on the market, use a TPMS sensor
approved by a Kia dealer. If
your vehicle is not equipped
with a TPMS sensor or TPMS
does not work properly, you
may fail the periodic vehicle
inspection conducted in your
country.
❈
❈ All vehicles sold in the
EUROPE market during below
period must be equipped withTPMS.
- New model vehicle : Nov. 1,
2012 ~
- Current model vehicle : Nov. 1, 2014~ (Based on vehicle registrations)

If towing service is not available in an
emergency, your vehicle may be tem-
porarily towed using a cable or chain
secured to the emergency towing hook
under the front/rear of the vehicle. Use
extreme caution when towing the vehicle.
A driver must be in the vehicle to steer it
and operate the brakes.
Towing in this manner may be done only
on hard-surfaced roads for a short dis-
tance and at low speeds. Also, the
wheels, axles, power train, steering and
brakes must all be in good condition.
Do not use the tow hooks to pull a vehi-cle out of mud, sand or other condi-
tions from which the vehicle cannot be
driven out under its own power.
Avoid towing a vehicle heavier than the vehicle doing the towing.
The drivers of both vehicles should com- municate with each other frequently. Before emergency towing, check that
the hook is not broken or damaged.
Fasten the towing cable or chain securely to the hook.
Do not jerk the hook. Apply steady and even force.
To avoid damaging the hook, do not pull from the side or at a vertical angle.
Always pull straight ahead.CAUTION
Attach a towing strap to the tow
hook.
Using a portion of the vehicle other than the tow hooks for tow-ing may damage the body of yourvehicle.
Use only a cable or chain specifi- cally intended for use in towingvehicles. Securely fasten thecable or chain to the towing hook provided.
WARNING
Use extreme caution when towing
the vehicle.
Avoid sudden starts or erratic driv- ing maneuvers which would place
excessive stress on the emer-
gency towing hook and towing
cable or chain. The hook and tow-
ing cable or chain may break and
cause serious injury or damage.
If the disabled vehicle is unable to be moved, do not forcibly con-
tinue the towing. We recommend
that you contact an authorized
Kia dealer or a commercial tow
truck service for assistance.
Tow the vehicle as straight ahead as possible.
Keep away from the vehicle dur- ing towing.
What to do in an emergency
31
6

Use a towing strap less than 5 m (16feet) long. Attach a white or red cloth (about 30 cm (12 inches) wide) in the
middle of the strap for easy visibility.
Drive carefully so that the towing strap is not loosened during towing.
Emergency towing precautions
Place the ignition switch in ACC so thesteering wheel isn’t locked.
Place the transaxle shift lever in N (Neutral).
Release the parking bake.
Press the brake pedal with more force than normal since you will have
reduced brake performance.
More steering effort will be required because the power steering system
will be disabled.
If you are driving down a long hill, the brakes may overheat and brake per-
formance will be reduced. Stop often
and let the brakes cool off.CAUTION - Automatic
transaxle
If the car is being towed with all four wheels on the ground, it can
be towed only from the front. Besure that the transaxle is in neu-tral. Be sure the steering isunlocked by placing the ignition
switch in the ACC position. A driv-er must be in the towed vehicle to operate the steering and brakes.
To avoid serious damage to the automatic transaxle, limit thevehicle speed to 15 km/h (10 mph) and drive less than 1.5 km (1 mile)when towing.
Before towing, check the level of the automatic transaxle fluid. If it isbelow the "HOT" range on the dip-stick, add fluid. If you cannot add fluid, a towing dolly must be used.
OPA067014
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What to do in an emergency