2015 KIA Soul EV traction control

Driving your vehicle
24
5
When you drive on a road having
poor traction, such as an icy road,
and have operated your brakes
continuously, the ABS will be active
continuously and the ABS warning
light may illuminate. Pull your vehi-
cle over to a safe place and turn off
the POWER button.
Restart the vehicle. If the ABS warning light goes off, then your
ABS system is normal. Otherwise,
you may have a problem with the
ABS. Contact an authorized Kia
dealer as soon as possible.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
When you jump start your vehicle
because of a drained battery, the
ABS warning light may turn on.
This happens because of low battery
voltage. It does not mean your ABS
has malfunctioned.
• 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 to stabi-
lize the vehicle. Electronic stability control (ESC) will
not prevent accidents. Excessive
speed in turns, abrupt maneuvers
and hydroplaning on wet surfaces
can still result in serious accidents.
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
precautions for driving - including
driving at safe speeds for the condi-
tions.
OPSE054011

525
Driving your vehicle
The Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
system is an electronic system
designed to help the driver maintain
vehicle control under adverse condi-
tions. It is not a substitute for safe driv-
ing practices. Factors including speed,
road conditions and driver steering
input can all affect whether ESC will be
effective in preventing a loss of control.
It is still your responsibility to drive and
corner at reasonable speeds and to
leave a sufficient margin of safety.
When you apply your brakes under
conditions which may lock the wheels,
you may hear a “tik-tik’’ sound from the
brakes, or feel a corresponding sensa-
tion in the brake pedal. This is normal
and it means your ESC is active.
✽ ✽NOTICE
A click sound may be heard in the
motor compartment when the vehi-
cle begins to move after the vehicle is
started. These conditions are normal
and indicate that the Electronic
Stability Control System is function-
ing properly.
ESC operation
ESC ON condition
When the POWER buttonis turned ON, ESC and
ESC OFF indicator lights
illuminate for approximately
3 seconds, then ESC is
turned on.
ton for at least half a sec-
ond after turning the igni-
tion ON to turn ESC off.
(ESC OFF indicator will
illuminate). To turn the
ESC on, press the ESC
OFF button (ESC OFF
indicator light will go off).
you may hear a slight tick-
ing sound. This is the ESC
performing an automatic
system self-check and does
not indicate a problem. When operating
When the ESC is in opera-
tion, the ESC indicator light
blinks.
Stability Control is operat-
ing properly, you can feel a
slight pulsation in the vehi-
cle. This is only the effect
of brake control and indi-
cates nothing unusual.
-
WARNING
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.

543
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.
WARNING- Under/overinflated 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 informa-
tion and tread limits, refer to
"Tires and wheels" in section 7.

Maintenance
38
7
Wheel replacement
When replacing the metal wheels for
any reason, make sure the new
wheels are equivalent to the original
factory units in diameter, rim width
and offset.
A wheel that is not the correct size
may adversely affect wheel and bear-
ing life, braking and stopping abilities,
handling characteristics, ground
clearance, body-to-tire clearance,
snow chain clearance, speedometer
and odometer calibration, headlight
aim and bumper height.
Tire traction
Tire traction can be reduced if you
drive on worn tires, tires that are
improperly inflated or on slippery
road surfaces. Tires should be
replaced when tread wear indicators
appear. Slow down whenever there
is rain, snow or ice on the road to
reduce the possibility of losing con-
trol of the vehicle.
Tire maintenance
In addition to proper inflation, correct
wheel alignment helps to decrease
tire wear. If you find a tire is worn
unevenly, have your dealer check the
wheel alignment.
When you have new tires installed,
make sure they are balanced. This
will increase vehicle ride comfort and
tire life. Additionally, a tire should
always be rebalanced if it is removed
from the wheel.
Tire sidewall labeling
This information identifies and
describes the fundamental charac-
teristics of the tire and also provides
the tire identification number (TIN)
for safety standard certification. The
TIN can be used to identify the tire in
case of a recall.
1. Manufacturer or brand name
Manufacturer or Brand name is
shown.
CAUTION- Wheels
Wheels that do not meet Kia
specifications may fit poorlyand result in damage to thevehicle or unusual handling andpoor vehicle control.
I030B04JM
1
1
2
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5,6
7

741
Maintenance
4. Tire ply composition and mate-rial
The 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 inflationpressure
This 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 rating
This 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 grading
Quality 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
Tires degrade over time, even when
they are not being used. Regardless
of the remaining tread, we recom-
mend that tires be replaced after
approximately six (6) years of normal
service. Heat caused by hot climates
or frequent high loading conditions
can accelerate the aging process. 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.

Maintenance
42
7
Traction - AA, A, B & C
The traction grades, from highest to
lowest, are AA, A, B and C. Those
grades represent the tire’s ability to
stop on wet pavement as measured
under controlled conditions on spec-
ified government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete. A tire marked
C may have poor traction perform-
ance.
The traction grade assigned to this
tire is based on straight-ahead brak-
ing traction tests, and does not
include acceleration, cornering,
hydroplaning, or peak traction char-
acteristics. Temperature -A, B & C
The temperature grades are A (the
highest), B and C representing the
tire’s resistance to the generation of
heat and its ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlled condi-
tions on a specified indoor laboratory
test wheel.
Sustained high temperature can
cause the material of the tire to
degenerate and reduce tire life, and
excessive temperature can lead to
sudden tire failure. Grades B and A
represent higher levels of perform-
ance on the laboratory test wheel
than the minimum required by law.
Tire terminology and definitions
Air Pressure: The amount of air
inside the tire pressing outward on
the tire. Air pressure is expressed in
pounds per square inch (psi) or kilo-
pascal (kPa).
Accessory Weight: This means the
combined weight of optional acces-
sories. Some examples of optional
accessories are, automatic transaxle,
power seats, and air conditioning.
Aspect Ratio
: The relationship of a
tire's height to its width.
Belt: A rubber coated layer of cords
that is located between the plies and
the tread. Cords may be made from
steel or other reinforcing materials.
Bead: The tire bead contains steel
wires wrapped by steel cords that
hold the tire onto the rim.
Bias Ply Tire : A pneumatic tire in
which the plies are laid at alternate
angles less than 90 degrees to the
centerline of the tread.

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Index
Opening the tailgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9 Changing a tire with TPMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-12
Low tire pressure indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10
TPMS malfunction indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11
Tire specification and pressure label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-34 Checking tire inflation pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-35
Recommended cold tire inflation pressures . . . . . . . 7-34
Tire care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-34\
Tire maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-38
Tire replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-37
Tire rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-36
Tire sidewall labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-38
Tire traction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-38
Wheel alignment and tire balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-37
Wheel replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-38
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. 6-20 Emergency towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-22
Removable towing hook (front) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-21
Towing service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-20
Trailer Towing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-46
Trip computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-55 Energy consumption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-55
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-55
Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
4-58
Trip A/B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-56\
Vehicle certification label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7
Vehicle Data Collection and Event Data Recorders . . . . 1-2
Vehicle identification number (VIN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7
Vehicle load limit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-47
Certification label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-50
Tire and loading information label. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-47
Vehicle weight glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-51 Base curb weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-51
Cargo weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-51
GAW (Gross axle weight) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-51
GAWR (Gross axle weight rating) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-51
GVW (Gross vehicle weight). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-51
GVWR (Gross vehicle weight rating) . . . . . . . . . . . 5-51
Vehicle curb weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-51
Warning and indicator lights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-59 Indicator Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-66
Warning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-59
Washer fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-24 Checking the washer fluid level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-24
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-\
17 Power windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-18
Windshield defrosting and defogging. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-102 Automatic climate control system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-102V
W