Safety features of your vehicle
83
Seat warmer (if equipped)
The seat warmers are provided to
warm the front seats during cold
weather. With the ignition switch in
the ON position, push either of the
switches to warm the driver's seat or
the front passenger's seat.
During mild weather or under condi-
tions where the operation of the seat
warmer is not needed, keep the
switches in the OFF position.
With the seat warmer switch in the
ON position, the heating system in
the seat turns off or on automatically
depending on the seat temperature.
WARNING- Seat warmerburns
The seat warmer may cause
burns, even at low tempera-
tures, if used over a long period
of time. Never allow passen-
gers who may not be able to
take care of themselves to be
exposed to the risk of seat
heater burns. These include:
1. Infants, children, elderly or
disabled persons, or hospital
outpatients
2. Persons with sensitive skin or those that burn easily
3. Fatigued individuals
4. Intoxicated individuals
5. Individuals taking medication that can cause drowsiness or
sleepiness (sleeping pills,
cold tablets, etc.)
CAUTION - Seat damage
When cleaning the seats, donot use an organic solventsuch as paint thinner, ben-zene, alcohol and gasoline.Doing so may damage the sur-face of the heater or seats.
To prevent overheating the seat warmer, do not place any-thing on the seats that insu-lates against heat, such asblankets, cushions or seatcovers while the seat warmeris in operation.
Do not place heavy or sharp objects on seats equippedwith seat warmers. Damage tothe seat warming componentscould occur.
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447
Features of your vehicle
Engine coolant temperature gauge
This gauge shows the temperature
of the engine coolant when the igni-
tion switch is ON.
Do not continue driving with an over-
heated engine. If your vehicle over-
heats, refer to “If the engine over-
heats” in section 6.
If the gauge pointer moves beyond
the normal range area toward the “H”
position, it indicates overheating that
may damage the engine.
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge indicates the approx-
imate amount of fuel remaining in the
fuel tank. The fuel tank capacity is
given in section 8. The fuel gauge is
supplemented by a low fuel warning
light, which will illuminate when the
fuel tank is nearly empty.
On inclines or curves, the fuel gauge
pointer may fluctuate or the low fuel
warning light may come on earlier
than usual due to the movement of
fuel in the tank.
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CAUTION- Red zone
Do not operate the engine with-in the tachometer's RED ZONE.This may cause severe enginedamage.
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Features of your vehicle
94
4
Air conditioning (if equipped)
Kia Air Conditioning Systems are
filled with environmentally friendly
R-134a refrigerant.
1.Start the engine. Push the air con-
ditioning button.
2.Set the mode to the position.
3.Set the air intake control to the recirculated air position. However,
prolonged operation of the reticu-
lated air position will excessively
dry the air. In this case, change the
air position.
4.Adjust the fan speed control and temperature control to maintain
maximum comfort.
When maximum cooling is desired, set the temperature control to the
extreme left position, set the mode
control to the MAX A/C position,
then set the fan speed control to
the highest speed. Air conditioning system operation 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 the windows on rainy or humid
days, decrease the humidity inside
the vehicle by operating the air
conditioning system. During air conditioning system
operation, you may occasionally
notice a slight change in engine
speed as the air conditioning com-
pressor cycles. This is a normal
system operation characteristic.
Use the air conditioning system every month only for a few minutes
to ensure maximum system per-
formance.
When using the air conditioning system, you may notice clear water
dripping (or even puddling) on the
ground under the passenger side
of the vehicle. This is a normal sys-
tem operation characteristic.
Operating the air conditioning sys- tem in the recirculated air position
provides maximum cooling, how-
ever, continual operation in this
mode may cause the air inside the
vehicle to become stale.
During cooling operation, you may occasionally notice a misty air flow
because of rapid cooling and
humid air intake. This is a normal
system operation characteristic.CAUTION- ExcessiveAC
While using the air conditioning
system, monitor the tempera-ture gauge closely while drivingup hills or in heavy traffic whenoutside temperatures are high.Air conditioning system opera-tion may cause engine over-heating and potential enginedamage. Continue to use theblower fan but turn the air con-ditioning system off if the tem-perature gauge indicates engineoverheating.
Features of your vehicle
102
4
Cigarette lighter (if equipped)
For the cigarette lighter to work, the
ignition switch must be in the ACC or
ON position.
To use the cigarette lighter, push it all
the way into its socket. When the ele-
ment is heated, the lighter will pop
out to the “ready” position.
If it is necessary to replace the ciga-
rette lighter, use only a genuine Kia
replacement or its approved equiva-
lent. Do not hold the lighter in after it is
already heated because it will
overheat.
If the lighter does not pop out with- in 30 seconds, remove it to prevent
overheating.
Ashtray (if equipped)
To use the ashtray, open the cover.
To clean or empty the ashtray, pull it
out.
INTERIOR FEATURES
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CAUTION - Cigarettelighter
Do not insert accessories into
the cigarette lighter socket.Doing so can damage the lightersocket
WARNING - Ashtray use
Putting lit cigarettes or matches
in an ashtray with other com-
bustible materials may cause a
fire.
Driving your vehicle
48
5
Hazardous driving conditions
When hazardous driving conditions
are encountered such as water,
snow, ice, mud, sand, or similar haz-
ards, follow these suggestions:
Drive cautiously and allow extra
distance for braking.
Avoid sudden braking or steering.
When braking with non-ABS brakes pump the brake pedal with
a light up-and-down motion until
the vehicle is stopped. Do not pump the brake pedal on a
vehicle equipped with ABS.
If stalled in snow, mud, or sand,
use second gear. Accelerate slow-
ly to avoid spinning the drive
wheels.
Use sand, rock salt, tire chains, or other non-slip material under the
drive wheels to provide traction
when stalled in ice, snow, or mud.
Rocking the vehicle
If it is necessary to rock the vehicle
to free it from snow, sand, or mud,
first turn the steering wheel right and
left to clear the area around your
front wheels. Then, shift back and
forth between 1st (First) and R
(Reverse) in vehicles equipped with
a manual transaxle or R (Reverse)
and any forward gear in vehicles
equipped with an automatic
transaxle. Do not race the engine,
and spin the wheels as little as pos-
sible. If you are still stuck after a few
tries, have the vehicle pulled out by a
tow vehicle to avoid engine overheat-
ing and possible damage to the
transaxle.
The ESC system should be turned
OFF prior to rocking the vehicle.
SPECIAL DRIVING CONDITIONS
WARNING -
Downshifting
Do not downshift with an auto-
matic transaxle while driving on
slippery surfaces. The sudden
change in tire speed could
cause the tires to skid and
result in an accident.
CAUTION - Vehicle rocking
Prolonged rocking may cause
engine overheating, transaxledamage or failure, and tire dam-age.
551
Driving your vehicle
Driving off-road
Drive carefully off-road because your
vehicle may be damaged by rocks or
roots of trees. Become familiar with
the off-road conditions where you
are going to drive before you begin
driving.
Highway driving
Tires
Adjust the tire inflation pressures to
specification. Low tire inflation pres-
sures will result in overheating and
possible failure of the tires.
Avoid using worn or damaged tires
which may result in reduced traction
or tire failure.
Never exceed the maximum tire
inflation pressure shown on the tires.
Fuel, engine coolant and engineoil
High speed travel consumes more
fuel than urban motoring. Do not for-
get to check both the engine coolant
and engine oil.
Drive belt
A loose or damaged drive belt may
overheat the engine.
WARNING - Under/over inflated tires
Always check the tires for prop-
er inflation before driving.
Underinflated or overinflated
tires can cause poor handling,
loss of vehicle control, and sud-
den tire failure leading to acci-
dents, injuries, and even death.
For proper tire pressures, refer
to “Tires and wheels” in section
8.
WARNING - Tire tread
Always check the tire tread
before driving your vehicle.
Worn-out tires can result in loss
of vehicle control. Worn-out
tires should be replaced as
soon as possible. For further
information and tread limits,
refer to "Tires and wheels" in
section 7.
What to do in an emergency
86
IF THE ENGINE OVERHEATS
If your temperature gauge indicates
overheating, you will experience a
loss of power, or hear loud pinging or
knocking, the engine is probably too
hot. If this happens, you should:
1.Pull off the road and stop as soonas it is safe to do so.
2.Place the shift lever in P (automat- ic transaxle) or neutral (manual
transaxle) and set the parking
brake. If the air conditioning is on,
turn it off.
3.If engine coolant is running out under the vehicle or steam is com-
ing out from underneath the hood,
stop the engine. Do not open the
hood until the coolant has stopped
running or the steaming has
stopped. If there is no visible loss
of engine coolant and no steam,
leave the engine running and
check to be sure the engine cool-
ing fan is operating. If the fan is not
running, turn the engine off. 4.Check to see if the water pump
drive belt is missing. If it is not
missing, check to see that it is
tight. If the drive belt seems to be
satisfactory, check for coolant leak-
ing from the radiator, hoses or
under the vehicle. (If the air condi-
tioning had been in use, it is nor-
mal for cold water to be draining
from it when you stop).
5. If the water pump drive belt is bro- ken or engine coolant leaks, stop
the engine immediately and call
the nearest authorized Kia dealer
for assistance. 6.If you cannot find the cause of the
overheating, wait until the engine
temperature has returned to nor-
mal. Then, if coolant has been lost,
carefully add coolant to the reser-
voir to bring the fluid level in the
reservoir up to the halfway mark.
7.Proceed with caution, keeping alert for further signs of overheat-
ing. If overheating happens again,
call an authorized Kia dealer for
assistance.
Serious loss of coolant indicates
there is a leak in the cooling system
and this should be checked as soon
as possible by an authorized Kia
dealer.
WARNING - Under the hood
While the engine is running,
keep hair, hands and clothing
away from moving parts such
as the fan and drive belts.
WARNING - Radiatorcap
Do not remove the radiator cap
when the engine is hot. This can
allow coolant to be blown out of
the opening and cause serious
burns.