2015 KIA Sorento ESP

Driving your vehicle68
5Driving with a trailer Towing a trailer requires a certain
amount of experience. Before setting
out for the open road, you must get
to know your trailer. Acquaint your-
self with the feel of handling and
braking with the added weight of the
trailer. And always keep in mind that
the vehicle you are driving is now a
good deal longer and not nearly so
responsive as your vehicle is by
itself.
Before you start, check the trailer
hitch and platform, safety chains,
electrical connector(s), lights, tires
and mirror adjustment. If the trailer
has electric brakes, start your vehicle
and trailer moving and then apply the
trailer brake controller by hand to be
sure the brakes are working. This lets
you check your electrical connection
at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally
to be sure that the load is secure,
and that the lights and any trailer
brakes are still working.
Following distance Stay at least twice as far behind the
vehicle ahead as you would when
driving your vehicle without a trailer.
This can help you avoid situations
that require heavy braking and sud-
den turns.Passing You’ll need more passing distance
up ahead when you’re towing a trail-
er. 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. Due to the added load to the
engine when going uphill the vehicle
may also take longer to pass than it
would on flat ground.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 near the edge of the
road. Avoid jerky or sudden maneu-
vers. Signal well in advance before
turning or lane changes.
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What to do in an emergency16
6When using a compact spare tire,
observe the following precautions:
 Under no circumstances should
you 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.
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MaintenanceEngine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Maintenance services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5• Owner’s responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
• Owner maintenance precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6Owner maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7• Owner maintenance schedule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7Scheduled maintenance service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Explanation of scheduled maintenance items . . . 7-27
Engine oil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-31• Checking the engine oil level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-31
• Changing the engine oil and filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-32Engine coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-33• Checking the coolant level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-33
• Changing the coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-35Brake/clutch fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-36• Checking the brake/clutch fluid level . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-36Washer fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-37• Checking the washer fluid level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-37Parking brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-38• Checking the parking brake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-38Air cleaner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-39• Filter replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-39
Climate control air filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-41• Filter inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-41Wiper blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-43• Blade inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-43
• Blade replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-43Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-\
47• For best battery service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-47
• Battery recharging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-48
• Reset items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-49\
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-50• Tire care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
7-50
• Recommended cold tire inflation pressures . . . . . . . 7-50
• Checking tire inflation pressure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-51
• Tire rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-52
• Wheel alignment and tire balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-53
• Tire replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-54
• Wheel replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-55
• Tire traction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-55
• Tire maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-55
• Tire sidewall labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-56
7
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75
Maintenance
MAINTENANCE SERVICESYou 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 ✽ ✽NOTICEMaintenance 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.
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Maintenance67Owner maintenance precau-
tions Improper or incomplete service may
result in problems. This section gives
instructions only for the maintenance
items that are easy to perform.
As explained earlier in this section,
several procedures can be done only
by an authorized Kia dealer with spe-
cial tools.✽ ✽NOTICEImproper owner maintenance dur-
ing the warranty period may affect
warranty coverage. For details, read
the separate Warranty & Consumer
Information manual provided with
the vehicle. If you're unsure about
any servicing or maintenance proce-
dure, have it done by an authorized
Kia dealer.
WARNING
-
Maintenance work
 Performing maintenance work
on a vehicle can be danger-
ous. You can be seriously
injured while performing some
maintenance procedures. If
you lack sufficient knowledge
and experience or the proper
tools and equipment to do the
work, have it done by an
authorized Kia dealer.
 Working under the hood with the engine running is danger-
ous. It becomes even more
dangerous when you wear
jewelry or loose clothing.
These can become entangled
in moving parts and result in
injury. Therefore, if you must
run the engine while working
under the hood, make certain
that you remove all jewelry
(especially rings, bracelets,
watches, and necklaces) and
all neckties, scarves, and sim-
ilar loose clothing before get-
ting near the engine or cooling
fans.
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757
Maintenance
Tire speed ratings
The chart below lists many of the dif-
ferent speed ratings currently being
used for passenger vehicle tires. The
speed rating is part of the tire size
designation on the sidewall of the
tire. This symbol corresponds to that
tire's designed maximum safe oper-
ating speed.
3. Checking tire life (TIN : TireIdentification Number) Any tires that are over 6 years old,
based on the manufacturing date,
(including the spare tire) should be
replaced by new ones. You can find
the manufacturing date on the tire
sidewall (possibly on the inside of the
wheel), displaying the DOT Code.
The DOT Code is a series of num-
bers on a tire consisting of numbers
and English letters. The manufactur-
ing date is designated by the last four
digits (characters) of the DOT code.
DOT : XXXX XXXX OOOO
The front part of the DOT means a
plant code number, tire size and
tread pattern and the last four num-
bers indicate week and year manu-
factured.
For example:
DOT XXXX XXXX 1613 represents
that the tire was produced in the 16th
week of 2013.
WARNING - Tire age
Tires degrade over time, even
when they are not being used.
Regardless of the remaining
tread, we recommend that tires
be replaced after approximately
six (6) years of normal service.
Heat caused by hot climates or
frequent high loading condi-
tions can accelerate the aging
process. Failure to follow this
warning can result in sudden
tire failure, which could lead to
a loss of control and an acci-
dent involving serious injury or
death.
S 180 km/h (112 mph)
T 190 km/h (118 mph)
H 210 km/h (130 mph) V 240 km/h (149 mph)Z 240 km/h (Above 149 mph)
Maximum Speed
Speed
Rating
Symbol
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Maintenance58
74. Tire ply composition and mate-
rialThe number of layers or plies of rub-
ber-coated fabric in the tire. Tire
manufacturers also must indicate the
materials in the tire, which include
steel, nylon, polyester, and others.
The letter "R" means radial ply con-
struction; the letter "D" means diago-
nal or bias ply construction; and the
letter "B" means belted-bias ply con-
struction.5. Maximum permissible inflationpressureThis number is the greatest amount
of air pressure that should be put in
the tire. Do not exceed the maximum
permissible inflation pressure. Refer
to the Tire and Loading Information
label for recommended inflation
pressure.
6. Maximum load ratingThis number indicates the maximum
load in kilograms and pounds that
can be carried by the tire. When
replacing the tires on the vehicle,
always use a tire that has the same
load rating as the factory installed
tire.7. Uniform tire quality gradingQuality grades can be found where
applicable on the tire sidewall
between tread shoulder and maxi-
mum section width.
For example:
TREADWEAR 200
TRACTION AA
TEMPERATURE A Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a compara-
tive rating based on the wear rate of
the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified govern-
ment test course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one-and-a-
half times (1½) as well on the gov-
ernment course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires
depends upon the actual conditions
of their use, however, and may
depart significantly from the norm
due to variations in driving habits,
service practices and differences in
road characteristics and climate.
These grades are molded on the
side-walls of passenger vehicle tires.
The tires available as standard or
optional equipment on your vehicle
may vary with respect to grade.
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Maintenance74
7APPEARANCE CAREExterior careExterior general caution It is very important to follow the label
directions when using any chemical
cleaner or polish. Read all warning
and caution statements that appear
on the label.
Finish maintenanceWashing
To help protect your vehicle’s finish
from rust and deterioration, wash it
thoroughly and frequently at least
once a month with lukewarm or cold
water.
If you use your vehicle for off-road
driving, you should wash it after each
off-road trip. Pay special attention to
the removal of any accumulation of
salt, dirt, mud, and other foreign
materials. Make sure the drain holes
in the lower edges of the doors and
rocker panels are kept clear and
clean.
Insects, tar, tree sap, bird droppings,
industrial pollution and similar
deposits can damage your vehicle’s
finish if not removed immediately.
Even prompt washing with plain
water may not completely remove all
these deposits. A mild soap, safe for
use on painted surfaces, may be
used.
After washing, rinse the vehicle thor-
oughly with lukewarm or cold water.
Do not allow soap to dry on the fin-
ish.
CAUTION
 Do not use strong soap, chem-
ical detergents or hot water,and do not wash the vehicle indirect sunlight or when thebody of the vehicle is warm.
 Be careful when washing the side windows of your vehicle.Especailly, with high-pressurewater. Water may leak throughthe windows and wet the inte-rior.
 To prevent damage to the plastic parts and lamps, donot clean with chemical sol-vents or strong detergents.
WARNING -
Wet brakes
After washing the vehicle, test
the brakes while driving slowly
to see if they have been affected
by water. If braking performance
is impaired, dry the brakes by
applying them lightly while
maintaining a slow forward
speed.
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