2015 KIA Soul ignition

57
Driving your vehicle
START
Turn the ignition switch to the START
position to start the engine. The
engine will crank until you release
the key; then it returns to the ON
position. The brake warning light can
be checked in this position.The anti-theft steering column lock (if
equipped) is not a substitute for the
parking brake. Before leaving the dri-
ver’s seat, always make sure the shift
lever is engaged in 1st gear for the
manual transaxle or P (Park) for
automatic transaxle, set the parking
brake fully and shut the engine off.
Unexpected and sudden vehicle
movement may occur if these pre-
cautions are not taken.
Starting the engine
1.Make sure the parking brake is
applied.
2. Manual Transaxle - Depress the
clutch pedal fully and shift the
transaxle into Neutral. Keep the
clutch pedal and brake pedal
depressed while turning the igni-
tion switch to the start position.
Automatic Transaxle - Place the
transaxle shift lever in P (Park).
Depress the brake pedal fully.
You can also start the engine when
the shift lever is in the N (Neutral)
position.
WARNING - Ignition switch
Never turn the ignition switch to
LOCK or ACC while the vehicle
is moving. This would result in
loss of directional control and
braking function, which could
cause an accident.
WARNING -Proper
footwear
Always wear appropriate shoes
when operating your vehicle.
Unsuitable shoes (high heels,
ski boots,etc.) may interfere
with your ability to use the
brake and accelerator pedal.

Driving your vehicle
85
3.Turn the ignition switch to STARTand hold it there until the engine
starts (a maximum of 10 seconds),
then release the key.
It should be started withoutdepressing the accelerator.
4.Do not wait for the engine to warm up while the vehicle remains sta-
tionary.
Start driving at moderate engine
speeds. (Steep accelerating and
decelerating should be avoided.) Do not engage the starter for more
than 10 seconds. If the engine stalls
or fails to start, wait 5 to 10 seconds
before re-engaging the starter.
Improper use of the starter may
damage it.
CAUTION - Starter
If the engine stalls while you are
in motion, do not attempt tomove the shift lever to the P(Park) position. If traffic androad conditions permit, you mayput the shift lever in the N(Neutral) position while thevehicle is still moving and turnthe ignition switch to the STARTposition in an attempt to restartthe engine.
WARNING- Steering
wheel
Never reach for any controls
through the steering wheel
while the vehicle is in motion.
The presence of your hand or
arm in this area could cause a
loss of vehicle control.

Driving your vehicle
14
5
Manual transaxle operation
The manual transaxle has 6 for-
ward gears.
This shift pattern is imprinted on
the shift knob. The transaxle is fully
synchronized in all forward gears
so shifting to either a higher or a
lower gear is easily accomplished.
Press the clutch pedal down fully while shifting, then release it slow-
ly.
If your vehicle is equipped with an
ignition lock switch, the engine will
not start when starting the engine
without depressing the clutch
pedal. (if equipped)
The gearshift lever must be returned to the neutral position
before shifting into R (Reverse).
The ring (1) located immediately
below the shift knob must be pulled
upward while moving the shift lever
to the R (Reverse) position. (if
equipped)
Make sure the vehicle is complete-
ly stopped before shifting into R(Reverse).
Never operate the engine with thetachometer (rpm) in the red zone.
MANUAL TRANSAXLE (IF EQUIPPED)
CAUTION - Downshifting
Do not downshift more than 2gears or downshift the gearwhen the engine is running athigh speed (5,000 RPM or high-er). Such a downshifting maydamage the engine.
OJD053058
The ring (1) must be pushed while
moving the shift lever. The shift lever can be moved without
pushing the ring (1).

Driving your vehicle
18
5
For smooth operation, depress the
brake pedal and the lock release but-ton when shifting from N (Neutral) toa forward or reverse gear.
When stopped on an incline, do not
hold the vehicle with the engine
power. Use the service brake or the
parking brake.
Transaxle ranges
The indicator in the instrument clus-
ter displays the shift lever position
when the ignition switch is in the ON
position.
P (Park)
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into P (Park). This
position locks the transaxle and pre-
vents the drive wheels from rotating.
Shifting into P (Park) while the vehi-
cle is in motion will cause the drive
wheels to lock which will cause you
to lose control of the vehicle.
WARNING- Leaving the
vehicle
Before leaving the driver’s seat,
always make sure the shift lever
is in the P (Park) position; then
set the parking brake fully and
shut the engine off. Do not use
the P position in place of the
parking brake. Always make
sure the shift lever is latched in
the P position and set the park-
ing brake fully. Unexpected and
sudden vehicle movement can
occur if these precautions are
not followed.
CAUTION-Transaxle
To avoid damage to your transaxle, do not accelerate theengine in R (Reverse) or any for-ward gear position with thebrakes on. The transaxle may bedamaged if you shift into P(Park) while the vehicle is inmotion.

Driving your vehicle
20
5
Up (+) : Push the lever forward once
to shift up one gear.
Down (-) : Pull the lever backwards once to shift down one
gear.
In sports mode, the driver must execute upshifts in accordance
with road conditions, taking care to
keep the engine speed below the
red zone.
In sports mode, only the 6 forward gears can be selected. To reverse
or park the vehicle, move the shift
lever to the R (Reverse) or P (Park)
position as required.
In sports mode, downshifts are made automatically when the vehi-
cle slows down. When the vehicle
stops, 1st gear is automatically
selected.
In sports mode, when the engine rpm approaches the red zone shift
points are varied to upshift auto-
matically.
(Continued)(Continued)
To maintain the required levels of
vehicle performance and safety,
the system may not execute cer-
tain gearshifts when the shift lever
is operated.
When driving on a slippery road, push the shift lever forward into the
+(up) position. This causes the
transaxle to shift into the 2nd gear
which is better for smooth driving
on a slippery road. Push the shift
lever to the -(down) side to shift
back to the 1st gear.Shift lock system
For your safety, the automatic
transaxle has a shift lock system
which prevents shifting the transaxle
from P (Park) into R (Reverse)
unless the brake pedal is depressed.
To shift the transaxle from P (Park)
into R (Reverse):
1.Depress and hold the brake pedal.
2.Start the engine or turn the ignitionswitch to the ON position.
3.Move the shift lever.
If the brake pedal is repeatedly
depressed and released with the
shift lever in the P (Park) position, a
chattering noise near the shift lever
may be heard. It is a normal condi-
tion.

521
Driving your vehicle
Shift-lock override
If the shift lever cannot be moved
from the P (Park) position into R
(Reverse) position with the brake
pedal depressed, continue depress-
ing the brake, then do the following:
1.Carefully remove the cap coveringthe shift-lock access hole (1).
2.Insert a screwdriver into the access hole and press down on
the screwdriver.
3.Move the shift lever.
4.Have your vehicle inspected by an authorized Kia dealer immediately.
Ignition key interlock system
The ignition key cannot be removed
unless the shift lever is in the P
(Park) position. Even if the ignition
switch is in the LOCK position, the
key also cannot be removed.
If your vehicle is equipped with
ENGINE START/STOP button, the
button will not change to the OFF
position unless the shift lever is in the
P (Park) position.WARNING - Shifting from
part
Always fully depress the brake
pedal before and while shifting
out of the P (Park) position into
another position to avoid inad-
vertent motion of the vehicle
which could injure persons in
or around the vehicle.
OPS053010

Driving your vehicle
26
5
Check the brake warning light by
turning the ignition switch ON (do not
start the engine). This light will be
illuminated when the parking brake is
applied with the ignition switch in the
START or ON position.
Before driving, be sure the parking
brake is fully released and the brake
warning light is off.
If the brake warning light remains on
after the parking brake is released
while the engine is running, there
may be a malfunction in the brake
system. Immediate attention is nec-
essary. If at all possible, cease driving the
vehicle immediately. If that is not pos-
sible, use extreme caution while
operating the vehicle and only con-
tinue to drive the vehicle until you
can reach a safe location or repair
shop.
W-75
WARNING- Parking brake
use
All vehicles should always have
the parking brake fully engaged
when parking to avoid inadver-
tent movement of the vehicle
which can injure occupants or
pedestrians.

Driving your vehicle
28
5
The ABS warning light will stay on for
approximately 3 seconds after the
ignition switch is ON. During that
time, the ABS will go through self-
diagnosis and the light will go off if
everything is normal. If the light stays
on, you may have a problem with
your ABS. Contact an authorized Kia
dealer as soon as possible. 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 stop
the engine.
Restart the engine. 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
engine may not run as smoothly and
the ABS warning light may turn on
at the same time. This happens
because of low battery voltage. It
does not mean your ABS has mal-
functioned.
• Do not pump your brakes!
• Have the battery recharged before
driving the vehicle.
W-78