Driving your vehicle
104
5
Fuel, engine coolant and engine
oil
High speed travel consumes more
fuel than urban motoring. Do not for-
get to check both engine coolant andengine oil.
Drive belt
A loose or damaged drive belt may
result in overheating of the engine.
WARNING
Underinflated or overinflated tires can cause poor handling,
loss of vehicle control, and
sudden tire failure leading to
accidents, injuries, and even
death. Always check the tires
for proper inflation before
driving. For proper tire pres-
sures, refer to section 8,“Tires and wheels”.
Driving on tires with no or insufficient tread is danger-
ous. Worn-out tires can result
in loss of vehicle control, col-
lisions, injury, and even death.
Worn-out tires should be
replaced as soon as possible
and should never be used for
driving. Always check the tire
tread before driving your vehi-
cle. For further information
and tread limits, refer to sec-
tion 7, “Tires and wheels”.
5105
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 vehi-
cle may be adversely affected.
OKH055096K
Driving your vehicle
106
5
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 snow
tires is recommended instead of snow
chains. Do not mount tire chains on
vehicles equipped with aluminum
wheels; snow chains may cause dam-
age to the wheels. If snow chains
must be used, use the AutoSock ®
(fabric snow chain). Damage to your
vehicle caused by improper snow
chain use is not covered by your vehi-
cle manufacturers warranty.
Install the AutoSock ®
(fabric snow
chain) only on the rear tires. ❈
AutoSock ®
is a Registered trade-
mark of AutoSock ®
. Chain installation
When installing the AutoSock
®
(fab-
ric snow chain), follow the manufac-
turer's instructions and mount them
as tightly as you can. Drive slowly
with the AutoSock ®
(fabric snow
chain) installed. If you hear the
AutoSock ®
(fabric snow chain) con-
tacting the body or chassis, stop and
tighten them. If they still make con-
tact, slow down until it stops.
Remove the AutoSock ®
(fabric snow
chain) as soon as you begin driving
on cleared roads.
CAUTION
Make sure the AutoSock®(fab-
ric snow chain) are the correct size and type for your tires.Incorrect snow chains cancause damage to the vehiclebody and suspension and may not be covered by your vehiclemanufacturer warranty.
Always check the AutoSock
®
(fabric snow chain) installation for proper mounting after driv- ing approximately 0.5 to 1 km(0.3 to 0.6 miles) to ensuresafe mounting. Retighten orremount the AutoSock
®(fabric
snow chain) if they are loose.
OKH055098K
WARNING - Mounting
chains
When mounting the AutoSock ®
(fabric snow chain), park the
vehicle on level ground away
from traffic. Turn on the vehicle
Hazard Warning flashers and
place a triangular emergency
warning device behind the vehi-
cle if available. Always place the
vehicle in P (Park), apply theparking brake and turn off the
engine before installing the
AutoSock ®
(fabric snow chain).
Change to "winter weight" oil
if necessary In some climates it is recommended
that a lower viscosity "winter weight"
oil be used during cold weather. See
section 8 for recommendations. If
you aren't sure what weight oil you
should use, we recommend that you
consult an authorized Kia dealer.
Check spark plugs and igni- tion system
Inspect your spark plugs as described in section 7 and replace them if neces-
sary. Also check all ignition wiring and
components to be sure they are not
cracked, worn or damaged in any way.
To keep locks from freezing
To keep the locks from freezing,
squirt an approved de-icer fluid or
glycerine into the key opening. If a
lock is covered with ice, squirt it with
an approved de-icing fluid to remove
the ice. If the lock is frozen internally,
you may be able to thaw it out by
using a heated key. Handle the heat-
ed key with care to avoid injury.Use approved window washer
anti-freeze in system
To keep the water in the window
washer system from freezing, add an
approved window washer anti-freeze
solution in accordance with instruc-
tions on the container. Window wash-
er anti-freeze is available from an
authorized Kia dealer and most auto
parts outlets. Do not use engine
coolant or other types of anti-freeze
as these may damage the paint finish.
Don't let your parking brake
freeze
Under some conditions your parking
brake can freeze in the engaged
position. This is most likely 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 the parking brake may
freeze, apply it only temporarily while
you put the shift lever in P 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
vehicle to be sure the movement of
the front wheels and the steering
components 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 tire chains, tow straps or
chains, flashlight, emergency flares,
sand, shovel, jumper cables, window
scraper, gloves, ground cloth, cover-
alls, blanket, etc.
5108
Driving your vehicle
What to do in an emergency
4
6
IF THE ENGINE WILL NOT START
If engine doesn't turn over or
turns over slowly
1. If your vehicle has an automatic transaxle, be sure the shift lever is
in N (Neutral) or P (Park) and the
emergency brake is set.
2. Check the battery connections to be sure they are clean and tight.
3. Turn on the interior light. If the light dims or goes out when you oper-
ate the starter, the battery is dis-charged.
4. Check the starter connections to be sure they are securely tightened.
5. Do not push or pull the vehicle to start it. See instructions for "Jump
starting". If engine turns over normally
but does not start
1. Check fuel level.
2. With the Engine Start/Stop button
in the LOCK /OFF position, check all connectors at the ignition coils
and spark plugs. Reconnect any
that may be disconnected or loose.
3. If the engine still does not start, we recommend that you call an
authorized Kia dealer.
WARNING
If the engine will not start, do
not push or pull the car to start
it. This could result in a collision
or cause other damage.
67
What to do in an emergency
11. Connect the jumper cables in theexact sequence shown in the
illustration. First connect one end
of a jumper cable to the positive
terminal of the jump start con-nector (1), then connect the other
end to the positive terminal on
the booster battery (2).
Proceed to connect one end of
the other jumper cable to the neg-
ative terminal of the booster bat-
tery (3), then the other end to the
negative terminal of the jump start
connector (4). Do not connect it to
or near any part that moves when
the engine is cranked.
Do not allow the jumper cables to
contact anything except the cor-
rect battery terminals or the cor-
rect ground. Do not lean over the
battery when making connections. 12. Start the engine of the vehicle
with the booster battery and let it
run at 2,000 rpm, then start the
engine of the vehicle with the dis-
charged battery.
If the cause of your battery discharg-
ing is not apparent, we recommendthat the system be checked by an authorized Kia dealer.
Push-starting
Vehicles equipped with automatic
transaxle cannot be push-started.
Follow the directions in this section
for jump-starting.
WARNING
Never tow a vehicle to start it
because the sudden surge for-
ward when the engine startscould cause a collision with the
tow vehicle.
CAUTION - Battery
cables
Do not connect the jumper cablefrom the negative terminal of thebooster battery to the negative terminal of the discharged bat-tery. This can cause the dis-charged battery to overheat andcrack, releasing battery acid.
Make sure to connect one end ofthe jumper cable to the negativeterminal of the booster battery,and the other end to a metalicpoint, far away from the battery.
What to do in an emergency
8
6
IF THE ENGINE OVERHEATS
If your temperature gauge indicates
overheating, you will experience a
loss of power, or hear loud pinging or
knocking, the engine is probably too
hot. If this happens, you should:
1. Pull off the road and stop as soon as it is safe to do so.
2. Place the shift lever in P (Park) and set the parking brake. If the air
conditioning is on, turn it off.
3. If engine coolant is running out under the car or steam is coming
out from the hood, stop the engine.Do not open the hood until the
coolant has stopped running or the
steaming has stopped. If there is no
visible loss of engine coolant and
no steam, leave the engine running
and check to be sure the engine
cooling fan is operating. If the fan is
not running, turn the engine off. 4. Check to see if the water pump
drive belt is missing. If it is not
missing, check to see that it is
tight. If the drive belt seems to be
satisfactory, check for coolant leak-
ing from the radiator, hoses or
under the car. (If the air condition-
ing had been in use, it is normal for
cold water to be draining from it
when you stop). 5. If the water pump drive belt is bro-
ken or engine coolant is leakingout, stop the engine immediately
and we recommend that you call
an authorized Kia dealer.
WARNING
While the engine is running,
keep hair, hands and clothing
away from moving parts suchas the fan and drive belts to pre-
vent injury.
WARNING
Do not remove the radiator cap
when the engine is hot. This can
allow coolant to blow out of theopening and cause serious
burns.
69
What to do in an emergency
6. If you cannot find the cause of theoverheating, wait until the engine
temperature has returned to nor-
mal. Then, if coolant has been lost,carefully add coolant to the reser-
voir to bring the fluid level in the
reservoir up to the halfway mark.
7. Proceed with caution, keeping alert for further signs of overheat-
ing. If overheating happens again,
we recommend that you call an
authorized Kia dealer.
CAUTION
Serious loss of coolant indi-
cates there is a leak in the cool-ing system and we recommendthat the system be checked byan authorized Kia dealer.
When the engine overheats from low engine coolant, sud-denly adding engine coolantmay cause cracks in theengine. To prevent damage, add engine coolant slowly insmall quantities.