2015 KIA Sportage Owner's Manual

Driving your vehicle
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5
This mode is used for climbing or descending sharp grades,
off-road driving, driving on sandy and muddy roads, etc., to
maximize traction.
This mode automatically begins to deactivate at speeds above 30 km/h (19 mph) and is shifted to 4WD AUTO mode
at speed above 40 km/h (25 mph). If the vehicle decelerates
to speeds below approximate 40 km/h (25 mph), however,
the transfer mode is shifted into 4WD LOCK mode again.
4WD AUTO
(4WD LOCK is
deactivated) (Indicator light is
not illuminated)
Four Wheel Drive (4WD) transfer mode selection
Transfer mode Selection button Indicator light Description
When driving in 4WD AUTO mode, the vehicle operates sim-
ilar to conventional 2WD vehicles under normal operating
conditions. However, if the system determines that there is a
need for the 4WD mode, the engine’s driving power is dis-
tributed to all four wheels automatically without driver inter-
vention.
When driving on normal roads and pavement, the vehicle moves similar to conventional 2WD vehicles.
4WD LOCK (Indicator light isilluminated)
When the 4WD LOCK mode is deactivated, a shock may be felt as the drive power is delivered entirely to the front
wheels. This shock is not a mechanical failure.
CAUTION- Normal road conditions
Do not drive on normal roads for prolonged periods of time with your vehicle locked in the 4WD mode.Driving on normal road with 4WD LOCK Mode (especially, when cornering) may cause mechanical noise orvibration which may damage your power train.

523
Driving your vehicle
For safe four-wheel drive oper-
ation
Do not try to drive in deep standingwater or mud since such conditions
can stall your engine and clog your
exhaust pipes. Do not drive down
steep hills since it requires extreme
skill to maintain control of the vehi-
cle.
When you are driving up or downhills drive as straight as possible.
Use extreme caution in going up or
down steep hills, since you may flip
your vehicle over depending on the
grade, terrain and water/mud con-
ditions.
HILL1HILL2
WARNING- Hills
Proceed with extreme caution
when driving down steep hills.
A slight change in the wheel
angle can destabilize the vehi-
cle. This can cause your vehicle
to suddenly roll without warn-
ing and without time for you to
regain control of your vehicle.

Driving your vehicle
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5
You must consciously take the
effort to learn how to corner in a
4WD vehicle. Do not rely on your
experience in conventional 2WD
vehicles in choosing safe cornering
speed in 4WD mode. For starters,
you must drive more slowly in
4WD.
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. Always hold the steering wheel
firmly when you are driving off-
road.
Make sure all passengers are wearing seat belts.
If you need to drive in the water, stop your vehicle, set your transfer
to the 4WD LOCK mode and drive
at less than 8 km/h (5 mph).
WARNING - Steeringwheel
Do not grab the inside of the
steering wheel when you are
driving off-road. You may hurt
your arm by a sudden steering
maneuver or from steering
wheel rebound due to impact
with objects on the ground.
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WARNING - 4WD
Reduce speed when you turn
corners. The center of gravity of
4WD vehicles is higher than
that of conventional 2WD vehi-
cles, making them more likely to
roll over when you turn corners
too fast.
WARNING- Wind danger
Drive slow in heavy winds. The
vehicle's higher center of gravi-
ty decreases your steering con-
trol capacity.

525
Driving your vehicle
✽
✽NOTICE
• Shorten your scheduled mainte-
nance interval if you drive in off-
road conditions such as sand, mud
or water (see “Maintenance under
severe usage conditions” in section
7). Always wash your vehicle thor-
oughly after off-road use, especial-
ly cleaning the bottom of the vehi-
cle.
• A full time four wheel drive vehi- cle cannot be towed by an ordi-
nary tow truck. Make sure that
the vehicle is placed on a flat bed
truck for moving.WARNING - Drivingthrough
water
Drive slowly. If you are driving
too fast in water, the water can
get into the engine compart-
ment and wet the ignition sys-
tem, causing your vehicle to
suddenly stop. If this happens
and your vehicle is in a tilted
position, your vehicle may roll
over.
CAUTION - Mud or snow
Do not run the engine continu-
ously at high rmps to free thevehicle from snow or mud. Doingso could damage the 4WD sys-tem in your vehicle.
WARNING- 4WD driving
Do not attempt quick steering
maneuvers or sharp turns in
4WD mode. Such maneuvers
increase the risk of rollover
accidents. Rollover accidents
are extremely violent and
unpredictable.

Driving your vehicle
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5
Full-time 4WD vehicles must be
tested on a special four wheel
chassis dynamometer.
A full-time 4WD vehicle should not be tested on a 2WD roll tester. If a
2WD roll tester must be used, per-
form the following: 1.Check the tire pressures recom-
mended for your vehicle.
2.Place the front wheels on the roll tester for a speedometer test as
shown in the illustration.
3.Release the parking brake.
4.Place the rear wheels on the tem- porary free roller as shown in the
illustration.
WARNING - Jackedvehicle
While the full-time 4WD vehicle
is being raised on a jack, never
start the engine or cause the
tires to rotate.
There is the danger that rotating
tires touching the ground could
cause the vehicle to go off the
jack and to jump forward.
OXM059025
Roll tester (speedometer)
Temporary free roller

527
Driving your vehicle
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Power brakes
Your vehicle has power-assisted
brakes that adjust automatically
through normal usage.
In the event that the power-assisted
brakes lose power because of a
stalled engine or some other reason,
you can still stop your vehicle by
applying greater force to the brake
pedal than you normally would. The
stopping distance, however, will be
longer.
When the engine is not running, the
reserve brake power is partially
depleted each time the brake pedal
is applied. Do not pump the brake
pedal when the power assist has
been interrupted.
Pump the brake pedal only when
necessary to maintain steering con-
trol on slippery surfaces.Wet brakes may impair the vehicle’s
ability to safely slow down; the vehi-
cle may also pull to one side when
the brakes are applied. Applying the
brakes lightly will indicate whether
they have been affected in this way.
To dry the brakes, apply them lightly
while maintaining a safe forward
speed until brake performance
returns to normal.
BRAKE SYSTEM
WARNING- Steep hill
braking
Avoid continuous application of
the brakes when descending a
long or steep hill by shifting to a
lower gear. Continuous brake
application will cause the
brakes to overheat and could
result in a temporary loss of
braking performance.
WARNING- Brake pedal
Do not drive with your foot rest-
ing on the brake pedal. This will
create abnormally high brake
temperatures which can cause
excessive brake lining and pad
wear.

Driving your vehicle
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5
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In the event of brake failure
If service brakes fail to operate while
the vehicle is in motion, you can
make an emergency stop with the
parking brake. The stopping dis-
tance, however, will be much greater
than normal.
E070102AHM
Disc brakes wear indicator
When your brake pads are worn and
new pads are required, you will hear
a high-pitched warning sound from
your front brakes or rear brakes. You
may hear this sound come and go or
it may occur whenever you depress
the brake pedal.
Please remember that some driving
conditions or climates may cause a
brake squeal when you first apply (or
lightly apply) the brakes. This is nor-
mal and does not indicate a problem
with your brakes.
Always replace the front or rear
brake pads as pairs.
WARNING - Parking
brake
Do not ignore high pinched wear
sounds from your brakes.
Applying the parking brake while
the vehicle is moving at normal
speeds can cause a sudden loss
of control of the vehicle. If you
must use the parking brake to
stop the vehicle, use great cau-
tion in applying the brake.
CAUTION- Replace brake pads
Do not continue to drive with
worn brake pads. Continuing todrive with worn brake pads candamage the braking system andresult in costly brake repairs.
WARNING - Brake wear
Avoid applying the parking
brake to stop the vehicle while it
is moving except in an emer-
gency situation. If you ignore
this audible warning, you will
eventually lose braking per-
formance, which could lead to a
serious accident.

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Driving your vehicle
Parking brake
Applying the parking brake
Foot type
To engage the parking brake, first
apply the foot brake and then
depress the parking brake pedal
down as far as possible.
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Hand type
To engage the parking brake, first
apply the foot brake and then without
pressing the release button in, pull
the parking brake lever up as far as
possible.
In addition it is recommended that
when parking the vehicle on a gradi-
ent, the shift lever should be posi-
tioned in the appropriate low gear on
manual transaxle vehicles.Releasing the parking brake
Foot type
To release the parking brake,
depress the parking brake pedal a
second time while applying the foot
brake. The pedal will automatically
extend to the fully released position.
CAUTION - Parking brake
Driving with the parking brakeapplied will cause excessivebrake pad and brake rotor wear.
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