2015 KIA Soul steering

549
Driving your vehicle
Remember, your vehicle does notrequire extended warm-up. After
the engine has started, allow the
engine to run for 10 to 20 seconds
prior to placing the vehicle in gear.
In very cold weather, however, give
your engine a slightly longer warm-
up period.
Don't "lug" or "over-rev" the engine. Lugging is driving too slowly in a
very high gear resulting in engine
bucking. If this happens, shift to a
lower gear. Over-revving is racing
the engine beyond its safe limit.
This can be avoided by shifting at
the recommended speed. Use your air conditioning sparingly.
The air conditioning system is
operated by engine power so your
fuel economy is reduced when you
use it.
Open windows at high speeds can reduce fuel economy.
Fuel economy is less in crosswinds and headwinds. To help offset
some of this loss, slow down when
driving in these conditions.
Keeping a vehicle in good operating
condition is important both for econ-
omy and safety. Therefore, have an
authorized Kia dealer perform
scheduled inspections and mainte-
nance.
WARNING - Engine off
during motion
Never turn the engine off to
coast down hills or anytime the
vehicle is in motion. The power
steering and power brakes will
not function properly without
the engine running. In addition,
turning off the ignition while
driving could engage the steer-
ing wheel lock resulting in loss
of vehicle steering. Keep the
engine on and downshift to an
appropriate gear for engine
braking effect.

Driving your vehicle
50
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, or other non- slip material under the drive
wheels to provide traction when
stalled in ice, snow, or mud.
Reducing the risk of a rollover
This multi-purpose passenger vehi-
cle is defined as a Crossover Utility
Vehicle (CUV). CUV’s have higher
ground clearance and a narrower
track to make them capable of per-
forming in a wide variety of off-road
applications. Specific design charac-
teristics give them a higher center of
gravity than ordinary vehicles. An
advantage of the higher ground
clearance is a better view of the
road, which allows you to anticipate
problems. They are not designed for
cornering at the same speeds as
conventional passenger vehicles,
any more than low-slung sports vehi-
cles are designed to perform satis-
factorily in off-road conditions. Due to
this risk, driver and passengers are
strongly recommended to buckle
their seat belts. In a rollover crash,
an unbelted person is more likely to
die than a person wearing a seat
belt. There are steps that a driver can
make to reduce the risk of a rollover.
If at all possible, avoid sharp turns or
abrupt maneuvers, do not load your
roof rack with heavy cargo, and
never modify your vehicle in any way.
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.

551
Driving your vehicle
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.CAUTION- Vehicle rocking
Prolonged rocking may causeengine overheating, transaxledamage or failure, and tire dam-age.
WARNING - Replacement
tires
Always use the size and type of
tires recommended in the tire
section of the manual.
Installation of variant tires can
affect the safety and perform-
ance of your vehicle.
CAUTION- Spinning tires
Do not spin the wheels, espe- cially at speeds more than 56km/h (35 mph). Spinning thewheels at high speeds when thevehicle is stationary couldcause a tire to overheat whichcould result in tire damage thatmay injure bystanders.

557
Driving your vehicle
Don’t let your parking brake
freeze
Under some conditions your parking
brake can freeze in the engaged
position. This is most likely to hap-
pen when there is an accumulation
of snow or ice around or near the
rear brakes or if the brakes are wet.
If there is a risk the parking brake
may freeze, apply it only temporarily
while you put the gear shift lever in P
(Park, automatic transaxle) or in first
or reverse gear (manual transaxle)
and block the rear wheels so the
vehicle cannot roll. Then release the
parking brake.
Don't let ice and snow accu-
mulate underneath
Under some conditions, snow and
ice can build up under the fenders
and interfere with the steering. When
driving in severe winter conditions
where this may happen, you should
periodically check underneath the
vehicle to be sure the movement of
the front wheels and the steering
components are not obstructed.
Carry emergency equipment
Depending on the severity of the
weather, you should carry appropri-
ate emergency equipment. Some of
the items you may want to carry
include tow straps or chains, flash-
light, emergency flares, sand, shov-
el, jumper cables, window scraper,
gloves, ground cloth, coveralls, blan-
ket, etc.We do not recommend using this
vehicle for trailer towing.
TRAILER TOWING

619
What to do in an emergency
It is possible that some tires, espe-
cially with larger punctures or dam-
age to the sidewall, cannot be sealed
completely.
Air pressure loss in the tire may
adversely affect tire performance.
For this reason, you should avoid
abrupt steering or other driving
maneuvers, especially if the vehicle
is heavily loaded or if a trailer is in
use.
The Tire Mobility Kit is not designed
or intended as a permanent tire
repair method and is to be used for
one tire only.
This instruction shows you step by
step how to temporarily seal the
puncture simply and reliably.
Read the section "Notes on the safe
use of the Tire Mobility Kit".Notes on the suggested use of
the Tire Mobility Kit
Park your car at the side of theroad so that you can work with the
Tire Mobility Kit away from moving
traffic.
To be sure your vehicle will not move, even when you're on fairly
level ground, always set your park-
ing brake.
Only use the Tire Mobility Kit for sealing/inflation passenger car
tires. Only punctured areas located
within the tread region of the tire
can be sealed using the tire mobil-
ity kit.
Do not use on motorcycles, bicy- cles or any other type of tires.
When the tire and wheel are dam- aged, do not use Tire Mobility Kit
for your safety.
Use of the Tire Mobility Kit may not be effective for tire damage larger
than approximately 6 mm (0.24 in).
Please contact the nearest Kia
dealership if the tire cannot be
made roadworthy with the Tire
Mobility Kit. Do not use the Tire Mobility Kit if a
tire is severely damaged by driving
run flat or with insufficient air pres-
sure.
Do not remove any foreign objects such as nails or screws that have
penetrated the tire.
Provided the car is outdoors, leave the engine running. Otherwise
operating the compressor may
eventually drain the car battery.
Never leave the Tire Mobility Kit unattended while it is being used.
Do not leave the compressor run- ning for more than 10 min. at a time
or it may overheat.
Do not use the Tire Mobility Kit if the ambient temperature is below -
-30°C (22°F).

621
What to do in an emergency
Using the Tire Mobility Kit
1. Detach the speed restriction label(0) from the sealant bottle (1), and
place it in a highly visible place
inside the vehicle such as on the
steering wheel to remind the driv-
er not to drive too fast.
2. Screw connection hose (9) onto the connector of the sealant bottle.
3. Ensure that screw cap (8) is closed.
4. Unscrew the valve cap from the valve of the defective wheel and
screw filling hose (2) of the sealant
bottle onto the valve.
5. Insert the sealant bottle into the housing (4) of the compressor so
that the bottle is upright. 6. Ensure that the compressor is
switched off, position 0. 7.Plug the compressor power cord
into the front passenger side power
outlet of the vehicle.
OPS063008OPS043204
WARNING
Only use the front passenger
side power outlet when con-
necting the power cord.

627
What to do in an emergency
3.Install the towing hook by turning itclockwise into the hole until it is
fully secured.
4.Remove the towing hook and install the cover after use.
Emergency towing
If towing is necessary, we recom-
mend you to have it done by an
authorized Kia dealer or a com-
mercial tow truck service. If towing service is not available in an
emergency, your vehicle may be
temporarily towed using a cable or
chain secured to the emergency tow-
ing hook under the front (or 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 distance 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
vehicle out of mud, sand or other
conditions 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 communicate with each other fre-
quently.
OPS063010OPS063010
OPS063012
Front
Rear (if equipped)

What to do in an emergency
28
6
Attach a towing strap to the tow
hook.
Using a portion of the vehicle other than the tow hooks for towing may
damage the body of your vehicle.
Only use a cable or chain specifi- cally intended for use in towing
vehicles. Securely fasten the cable
or chain to the towing hook provid-
ed.
Before emergency towing, check that the hook is not broken or dam-
aged.
Fasten the towing cable or chain securely to the hook.
Do not jerk the hook. Apply it steadily and with even force.
To avoid damaging the hook, do not pull from the side or at a verti-
cal angle. Always pull straight
ahead. Use a towing strap less than 5 m
(16 feet) 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 loose during towing.Emergency towing precautions
Turn the ignition switch to ACC sothe steering wheel isn’t locked.
Place the transaxle shift lever in N (Neutral).
Release the parking bake.
Press the brake pedal with more force than usual since you will have
reduced brake performance.
More steering effort will be required because the power steer-
ing system will be disabled.
If you are driving down a long hill, the brakes may overheat and brake
performance will be reduced. Stop
often and let the brakes cool off.
If the car is being towed with all four wheels on the ground, it can
be towed only from the front. Be
sure that the transaxle is in neutral.
Be sure the steering is unlocked by
placing the ignition switch in the
ACC position. A driver must be in
the towed vehicle to operate the
steering and brakes.
OPA067014