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Driving your vehicle
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Manual transaxle operation
The manual transaxle has 6 forward
gears.
This shift pattern is imprinted on the
shift knob. The transaxle is fully syn-
chronized 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 slowly.
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 position. (if equipped)
Make sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before shifting into R(Reverse).
Never operate the engine with thetachometer (rpm) in the red zone.
During cold weather, shifting may be difficult until the transaxle lubri-
cant has warmed up. This is nor-
mal and not harmful to the
transaxle.
If you've come to a complete stop and it's hard to shift into 1st or R
(Reverse), put the shift lever in N
(Neutral) position and release the
clutch. Press the clutch pedal back
down, and then shift into 1st or R
(Reverse) gear position.
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.
OSL050008L
The shift lever can be moved without pulling
the R knob (1).
The R knob (1) must be pulled up while
moving the shift lever.
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Driving your vehicle
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Automatic transaxle operation
The automatic transaxle has 6 for-
ward speeds and one reverse speed.
The individual speeds are selected
automatically, depending on the
position of the shift lever.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
The first few shifts on a new vehicle,
if the battery has been disconnected,
may be somewhat abrupt. This is a
normal condition, and the shifting
sequence will adjust after shifts are
cycled a few times by the TCM
(Transaxle Control Module) or
PCM (Powertrain Control Module).
AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE (IF EQUIPPED)
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+ (UP)
Button
Shift lever
- (DOWN)
To shift, depress the brake pedal and press the button when the ignition switch
is in the ON position.
The shift lever can be shifted freely. Press the button when shifting.
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5
For smooth operation, depress the
brake pedal when shifting from N(Neutral) to a forward or reversegear.
When stopped on an incline, do not
hold the vehicle with the engine
power. Use the service brake or the
parking brake.
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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.
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Driving your vehicle
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.Depress the lock release button and 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. 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 covering
the shift-lock access hole (1).
2.Insert a screwdriver into the access hole and press down on
the screwdriver.
3.Depress the lock release button (2) and move the shift lever.
4.Have your vehicle inspected by an authorized Kia dealer immediately.
OSL053010L
WARNING- Shiftingfrom park
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.
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E060103AHM
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.
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Good driving practices
Never move the gear shift lever
from P (Park) or N (Neutral) to any
other position with the accelerator
pedal depressed.
Never move the gear shift lever into P (Park) when the vehicle is in
motion.
Be sure the vehicle is completely stopped before you attempt to shift
into R (Reverse) or D (Drive).
Always use the parking brake. Do not depend on placing the
transaxle in P (Park) to keep the
vehicle from moving.
Optimum vehicle performance and economy is obtained by smoothly
depressing and releasing the
accelerator pedal.
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Moving up a steep grade from a
standing start
To move up a steep grade from a
standing start, depress the brake
pedal, shift the shift lever to D
(Drive). Select the appropriate gear
depending on load weight and steep-
ness of the grade, and release the
parking brake. Depress the accelera-
tor gradually while releasing the
service brakes.
When accelerating from a stop on
a steep hill, the vehicle may have a
tendency to roll backwards.
Shifting the shift lever into 2
(Second Gear) will help prevent
the vehicle from rolling back-
wards.
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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.
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Hand type
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. 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.
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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.
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✽
✽
NOTICE
A click sound may be heard in the
engine compartment when the vehi-
cle begins to move after the engine is
started. These conditions are normal
and indicate that the anti-lock brake
system is functioning properly.
Even with the anti-lock brake sys-
tem, your vehicle still requires suf-
ficient stopping distance. Always
maintain a safe distance from the
vehicle in front of you.
Always slow down when cornering. The anti-lock brake system cannot
prevent accidents resulting from
excessive speeds.
On loose or uneven road surfaces, operation of the anti-lock brake
system may result in a longer stop-
ping distance than for vehicles
equipped with a conventional
brake system. 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 car
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.
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