Driving your vehicle
22
5
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.
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.
BRAKE SYSTEM
WARNING- Parking brake
Avoid applying the parking
brake to stop the vehicle while it
is moving except in an emer-
gency situation. 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 caution in
applying the brake.
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.
CAUTION- Brake pedal
Do not drive with your foot rest- ing on the brake pedal. This willcreate abnormally high braketemperatures which can causeexcessive brake lining and padwear.
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Driving your vehicle
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 (if
equipped). You may hear this sound
come and go or it may occur when-
ever 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.
Parking brake
Applying the parking brake
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 recommend-
ed that when parking the vehicle on
a gradient, the shift lever should be
positioned in the appropriate low
gear for manual transaxle vehicles or
in the P (Park) position for automatic
transaxle vehicles.CAUTION- Replace brakepads
Do not continue to drive withworn brake pads. Continuing todrive with worn brake pads candamage the braking system andresult in costly brake repairs.
WARNING- Brake wear
Do not ignore high pitched wear
sounds from your brakes. 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
24
5
Releasing the parking brake
To release the parking brake, first
apply the foot brake and pull up the
parking brake lever slightly.
Secondly, press the release button
(1) and lower the parking brake lever
(2) while holding the button.
CAUTION- Parking brake
Driving with the parking brake
applied will cause excessivebrake pad (or lining) and brakerotor wear.
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WARNING- Parking brake
use
Never allow a passenger to touch the parking brake. If the
parking brake is released
unintentionally, serious injury
may occur.
All vehicles should always have the parking brake fully
engaged when parking to
avoid inadvertent movement
of the vehicle which can injure
occupants or pedestrians.
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Driving your vehicle
Check the brake warning light by
turning the ignition switch ON (do not
start the engine). This light will illumi-
nate 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, stop 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.
Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
ABS (or ESC) will not prevent acci-
dents due to improper or dangerous
driving maneuvers. Even though
vehicle control is improved during
emergency braking, always maintain
a safe distance between you and
objects ahead. Vehicle speeds
should always be reduced during
extreme road conditions.
The vehicle should be driven at
reduced speeds in the following cir-
cumstances:
When driving on rough, gravel or
snow-covered roads
When driving on roads where the road surface is pitted or has differ-
ent surface heights.
Driving in these conditions increases
the stopping distance for your vehi-
cle.
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533
Driving your vehicle
Good braking practices
Check to be sure the parking brakeis not engaged and that the park-
ing brake indicator light is out
before driving away.
Driving through water may get the brakes wet. They can also get wet
when the vehicle is washed. Wet
brakes can be dangerous! Your
vehicle will not stop as quickly if the
brakes are wet. Wet brakes may
cause the vehicle to pull to one
side.
To dry the brakes, apply the brakes
lightly until the braking action
returns to normal, taking care to
keep the vehicle under control at
all times. If the braking action does
not return to normal, stop as soon
as it is safe to do so and call an
authorized Kia dealer for assis-
tance.
Don't coast down hills with the vehicle out of gear. This is extreme-
ly hazardous. Keep the vehicle in
gear at all times, use the brakes to
slow down, then shift to a lower
gear so that engine braking will
help you maintain a safe speed. Don't "ride" the brake pedal.
Resting your foot on the brake
pedal while driving can be danger-
ous because the brakes might
overheat and lose their effective-
ness. It also increases the wear of
the brake components.
If a tire goes flat while you are driv- ing, apply the brakes gently and
keep the vehicle pointed straight
ahead while you slow down. When
you are moving slowly enough for it
to be safe to do so, pull off the road
and stop in a safe place.
If your vehicle is equipped with an automatic transaxle, don't let your
vehicle creep forward. To avoid
creeping forward, keep your foot
firmly on the brake pedal when the
vehicle is stopped.WARNING- Tire/Wheel
size
When replacing tires and
wheels, make sure they are the
same size as the original tires
and wheels installed. Driving
with varying tire or wheel sizes
may affect the vehicle's han-
dling.
Driving your vehicle
34
5
Be cautious when parking on a hill.
Firmly engage the parking brake
and place the shift lever in P (auto-
matic transaxle) or in first or
reverse gear (manual transaxle). If
your vehicle is facing downhill, turn
the front wheels into the curb to
help keep the vehicle from rolling. If
your vehicle is facing uphill, turn
the front wheels away from the
curb to help keep the vehicle from
rolling. If there is no curb or if it is
required by other conditions to
keep the vehicle from rolling, block
the wheels.
Under some conditions your park- ing brake can freeze in the
engaged position. This is most like-
ly to happen 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
that the parking brake may freeze,
apply it only temporarily while you
put the shift lever in P (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. Do not hold the vehicle on the
upgrade with the accelerator
pedal. This can cause the transaxle
to overheat. Always use the brake
pedal or parking brake.
549
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 shift lever in P
(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
car to be sure the movement of the
front wheels and the steering com-
ponents is 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, a
shovel, jumper cables, a window
scraper, gloves, ground cloth, cover-
alls, a blanket, etc.
TRAILER TOWING
We do not recommend using this
vehicle for trailer towing.
63
What to do in an emergency
In an emergency situation while the
vehicle is in motion, you are able to
turn the engine off and to the ACC
position by pressing the ENGINE
START/STOP button for more than 2
seconds or 3 times successively
within 3 seconds. If the vehicle is still
moving, you can restart the engine
without depressing the brake pedal
by pressing the ENGINE
START/STOP button with the shift
lever in the N (Neutral) position
(if smart key equipped).If the engine stalls at a cross-
road or crossing
If the engine stalls at a crossroad or
crossing, set the shift lever in the N
(Neutral) position and then push the
vehicle to a safe place.
If you have a flat tire while
driving
If a tire goes flat while you are driv-
ing:
1.Take your foot off the acceleratorpedal and let the vehicle slow
down while driving straight ahead.
Do not apply the brakes immedi-
ately or attempt to pull off the road
as this may cause a loss of control.
When the vehicle has slowed down
to such a speed that it is safe to do
so, brake carefully and pull off the
road. Drive off the road as far as
possible and park on a firm level
ground. If you are on a divided
highway, do not park in the median
area between the two traffic lanes. 2.When the vehicle is stopped, turn
on your emergency hazard flash-
ers, set the parking brake and put
the transaxle in P (automatic
transaxle) or reverse (manual
transaxle).
3.Have all passengers get out of the vehicle. Be sure they all get out on
the side of the vehicle that is away
from traffic.
4.When changing a flat tire, follow the instruction provided later in this
section.
If engine stalls while driving
1.Reduce your speed gradually,keeping a straight line. Move cau-
tiously off the road to a safe place.
2.Turn on your emergency flashers.
3.Try to start the engine again. If your vehicle will not start, contact an
authorized Kia dealer or seek other
qualified assistance.
IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY WHILE DRIVING