631
Driving your vehicle
✽✽NOTICE
Do not drive in water if the level is higher than the bottom of the vehi-
cle.
Check your brake condition once you are out of mud or water. Press
the brake pedal several times as
you move slowly until you feel nor-
mal braking forces return.
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 chapter
8). Always wash your vehicle thor-
oughly after off road use, especially
cleaning the bottom of the vehicle.
Since the driving torque is always applied to the 4 wheels the per-
formance of the 4WD vehicle is
greatly affected by the condition of
the tires. Be sure to equip the vehi-
cle with four tires of the same size
and type.
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.Reducing the risk of a rollover
This multi-purpose passenger vehicle
is defined as a Sports Utility Vehicle
(SUV). SUV’s have higher ground
clearance and a narrower track to
make them capable of performing in a
wide variety of off-road applications.
Specific design characteristics 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 vehicles are designed to per-
form satisfactorily in off-road condi-
tions. Due to this risk, driver and pas-sengers 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.CAUTION - Mud or snow
If one of the front or rear wheels
begins to spin in mud, snow,etc. the vehicle can sometimes be driven out by depressing theaccelerator pedal further; how-ever avoid running the engine continuously at high rpmbecause doing so could dam-age the 4WD system.
Driving your vehicle
32
6
WARNING - Rollover
As with other Sports Utility
Vehicle (SUV), failure to operate
this vehicle correctly may result
in loss of control, an accident or
vehicle rollover.
Utility vehicles have a signifi- cantly higher rollover rate
than other types of vehicles.
Specific design characteris- tics (higher ground clearance,
narrower track, etc.) give this
vehicle a higher center of
gravity than ordinary vehicles.
A SUV is not designed for cor- nering at the same speeds as
conventional vehicles.
Avoid sharp turns or abrupt maneuvers.
In a rollover crash, an unbelt- ed person is significantly
more likely to die than a per-
son wearing a seat belt. Make
sure everyone in the vehicle is
properly buckled up.WARNING
Your vehicle is equipped with
tires designed to provide safe
ride and handling capability. Do
not use a size and type of tire
and wheel that is different from
the one that is originally
installed on your vehicle. It can
affect the safety and perform-
ance of your vehicle, whichcould lead to steering failure or
rollover and serious injury.
When replacing the tires, be
sure to equip all four tires withthe tire and wheel of the same
size, type, tread, brand and
load-carrying capacity. If you
nevertheless decide to equip
your vehicle with any tire/wheelcombination not recommended
by Kia for off road driving, you
should not use these tires for
highway driving.WARNING - Jacked
vehicle
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.
Driving your vehicle
44
6
ESC OFF usage
When driving
ESC should be turned on for daily
driving whenever possible.
To turn ESC off while driving, press the ESC OFF button while driving
on a flat road surface.
✽✽ NOTICE
When operating the vehicle on a dynamometer, ensure that the ESC
is turned off by pressing the ESC
OFF button for more than 3 sec-
onds (ESC OFF light illuminated).
If the ESC is left on, it may prevent
the vehicle speed from increasing,
and result in false diagnosis.
Turning the ESC off does not affect ABS or brake system operation.
WARNING
Never press the ESC OFF but- ton while ESC is operating (ESC
indicator light blinks). If ESC is turned off while ESC is
operating, the vehicle may slip
out of control.
CAUTION
Driving with varying tire or wheel sizes may cause the ESC systemto malfunction. When replacing tires, make sure they are thesame size as your original tires.
WARNING
The Electronic Stability Control
system is only a driving aid; use
precautions for safe driving by
slowing down on curved,
snowy, or icy roads. Drive slow-
ly and don’t attempt to acceler-
ate whenever the ESC indicator
light is blinking, or when the
road surface is slippery.
675
Driving your vehicle
WINTER DRIVING
Severe weather conditions in the
winter result in greater wear and
other problems. To minimize the
problems of winter driving, you
should follow these suggestions: Snowy or Icy conditions
To drive your vehicle in deep snow, it
may be necessary to use snow tires
or to install tire chains on your tires.
If snow tires are needed, it is neces-
sary to select tires equivalent in size
and type of the original equipment
tires. Failure to do so may adversely
affect the safety and handling of your
vehicle. Furthermore, speeding,
rapid acceleration, sudden brake
applications, and sharp turns are
potentially very hazardous practices.
During deceleration, use engine
braking to the fullest extent. Sudden
brake applications on snowy or icy
roads may cause skids to occur. You
need to keep sufficient distance
between the vehicle in operation in
front and your vehicle. Also, apply
the brake gently. It should be notedthat installing tire chains on the tire
will provide a greater driving force,
but will not prevent side skids.
✽✽
NOTICE
Tire chains are not legal in all coun-
tries. Check the country laws before
fitting tire chains.
Snow tires
If you mount snow tires on your vehi-
cle, make sure they are radial tires of
the same size and load range as the
original tires. Mount snow tires on all
four wheels to balance your vehicle’s
handling in all weather conditions.
Keep in mind that the traction provid-
ed by snow tires on dry roads may
not be as high as your vehicle's orig-
inal equipment tires. You should drive
cautiously even when the roads are
clear. Check with the tire dealer for
maximum speed recommendations.
Do not install studded tires without first checking local, state and munic-ipal regulations for possible restric-tions against their use.
WARNING - Snow tire
size
Snow tires should be equivalent
in size and type to the vehicle's
standard tires. Otherwise, the
safety and handling of your
vehicle may be adversely affect-ed.
Driving your vehicle
76
6
Tire chains
Since the sidewalls of radial tires are
thinner, they can be damaged by
mounting some types of snow chains
on them. Therefore, the use of snowtires is recommended instead of
snow chains. Do not mount tire
chains on vehicles equipped with
aluminum wheels; snow chains may
cause damage to the wheels. If snow
chains must be used, use wire-type
chains with a thickness of less than
15 mm (0.59 in). Damage to your
vehicle caused by improper snow
chain use is not covered by your
vehicle manufacturers warranty. When using tire chains, install them
on the rear tires only.
OHM058032
CAUTION
Make sure the snow chains
are the correct size and typefor your tires. Incorrect snow chains can cause damage tothe vehicle body and suspen-sion and may not be covered by your vehicle manufacturerwarranty. Also, the snow chainconnecting hooks may be damaged from contactingvehicle components causingthe snow chains to come loose from the tire. Make surethe snow chains are SAEclass "S" certified.
Always check chain installa- tion for proper mounting afterdriving approximately 0.5 to 1km (0.3 to 0.6 miles) to ensuresafe mounting. Retighten or remount the chains if they areloose.
677
Driving your vehicle
Chain installation
When installing chains, follow the
manufacturer's instructions and
mount them as tightly as you can.
Drive slowly with chains installed. If
you hear the chains contacting the
body or chassis, stop and tighten
them. If they still make contact, slow
down until it stops. Remove the
chains as soon as you begin driving
on cleared roads.CAUTION
Chains that are the wrong sizeor improperly installed candamage your vehicle's brake lines, suspension, body andwheels.
Stop driving and retighten the chains any time you hear themhitting the vehicle.
WARNING - Tire chains
The use of chains may adversely affect vehicle han- dling.
Do not exceed 30 km/h (20 mph) or the chain manufactur-
er’s recommended speed
limit, whichever is lower.
Drive carefully and avoid bumps, holes, sharp turns,
and other road hazards, which
may cause the vehicle to
bounce.
Avoid sharp turns or locked- wheel braking.
WARNING - Mounting
chains
When mounting snow chains,
park the vehicle on level ground
away from traffic. Turn on the
vehicle Hazard Warning flashersand place a triangular emer-
gency warning device behind
the vehicle if available. Always
place the vehicle in P (Park),
apply the parking brake and
turn off the engine before
installing snow chains.
What to do in an emergency
10
7
Each tire, including the spare (if pro-
vided), should be checked monthlywhen cold and inflated to the inflation
pressure recommended by the vehi-
cle manufacturer on the vehicle plac-ard or tire inflation pressure label.
(If your vehicle has tires of a different
size than the size indicated on the
vehicle placard or tire inflation pres-
sure label, you should determine the
proper tire inflation pressure for
those tires.)
As an added safety feature, your vehi- cle has been equipped with a tire pres-
sure monitoring system (TPMS) that
illuminates a low tire pressure telltale
when one or more of your tires is sig-
nificantly under-inflated. Accordingly,
when the low tire pressure telltale illu-
minates, you should stop and check
your tires as soon as possible, and
inflate them to the proper pressure.
Driving on a significantly under-inflat-
ed tire causes the tire to overheat and
can lead to tire failure. Under-inflationalso reduces fuel efficiency and tire
tread life, and may affect the vehicle’s
handling and stopping ability. Please note that the TPMS is not a
substitute for proper tire maintenance,
and it is the driver’s responsibility to
maintain correct tire pressure, even ifunder-inflation has not reached the
level to trigger illumination of the
TPMS low tire pressure telltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped
with a TPMS malfunction indicator toindicate when the system is not oper-
ating properly. The TPMS malfunction
indicator is combined with the low tire
pressure telltale. When the systemdetects a malfunction, the telltale will
flash for approximately 1 minute and
then remain continuously illuminated.
This sequence will continue upon
subsequent vehicle start-ups as long
as the malfunction exists. When theTPMS malfunction indicator remains
illuminated after blinking for approxi-
mately 1 minute, the system may not
be able to detect or signal low tirepressure as intended.
TPMS malfunctions may occur for a
variety of reasons, including theinstallation of replacement or alter-
nate tires or wheels on the vehicle
that prevent the TPMS from function-
ing properly. Always check the TPMSmalfunction telltale after replacing
one or more tires or wheels on your
vehicle to ensure that the replace-
ment or alternate tires and wheels
allow the TPMS to continue to func-
tion properly.
723
What to do in an emergency
To prevent the jack, jack handle,
wheel lug nut wrench and spare tire
from rattling while the vehicle is in
motion, store them properly.
Important - use of compact sparetire (if equipped)
Your vehicle is equipped with a com-
pact spare tire. This compact spare
tire takes up less space than a regu-
lar-size tire. This tire is smaller than a
conventional tire and is designed for
temporary use only.
The compact spare should be inflat-
ed to 420 kPa (60 psi).
✽✽NOTICE
Check the inflation pressure after
installing the spare tire. Adjust it to
the specified pressure, as necessary.
CAUTION
You should drive carefully when the compact spare is inuse. The compact spareshould be replaced by theproper conventional tire and rim at the first opportunity.
The operation of this vehicle is not recommended withmore than one compact sparetire in use at the same time.
WARNING - Wheel studs
If the studs are damaged, they
may lose their ability to retain
the wheel. This could lead to theloss of the wheel and a collisionresulting in serious injuries.
WARNING - Inadequate
spare tire pressure
Check the inflation pressures
as soon as possible after
installing the spare tire. Adjust
it to the specified pressure, if
necessary. Refer to “Tires and
wheels” in chapter 9.
WARNING
The compact spare tire is for
emergency use only. Do not
operate your vehicle on thiscompact spare at the speed
over 80 km/h (50 mph). The orig-inal tire should be repaired or
replaced as soon as possible to
avoid failure of the spare possi-
bly leading to personal injury ordeath.