Driving your vehicle
98
5
Hazardous driving conditions
When hazardous driving conditions
are encountered such as water,
snow, ice, mud, sand, or similar haz-
ards, follow these suggestions:
Drive cautiously and allow extra
distance for braking.
Avoid sudden braking or steering.
When braking with non-ABS brakes pump the brake pedal with
a light up-and-down motion until
the vehicle is stopped.
Do not pump the brake pedal on a
vehicle equipped with ABS. If stalled in snow, mud, or sand,
use second gear. Accelerate slow-
ly to avoid spinning the drive
wheels.
Use sand, rock salt, or other non- slip material under the drive
wheels to provide traction when
stalled in ice, snow, or mud.
Reducing the risk of a rollover
This multi-purpose passenger vehi-
cle is defined as a Sports Utility
Vehicle (SUV). SUV’s have higher
ground clearance and a narrower
track to make them capable of per-
forming in a wide variety of off-road
applications. Specific design charac-
teristics 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 vehi-
cles are designed to perform satis-
factorily in off-road conditions. Utility
vehicles have a significantly higher
rollover rate than other types of vehi-
cles. 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.
SPECIAL DRIVING CONDITIONS
WARNING- Downshifting
Do not downshift with an auto-
matic transaxle while driving on
slippery surfaces. The sudden
change in tire speed could
cause the tires to skid and
result in an accident.
Driving your vehicle
106
5
If you are considering towing with
your vehicle, you should first check
with your country's Department of
Motor Vehicles to determine their
legal requirements.
Since laws vary the requirements for
towing trailers, cars, or other types of
vehicles or apparatus may differ. Ask
an authorized Kia dealer for further
details before towing.
You may require an additional wiring
harness connector to install a trailer
hitch. Please contact an authorized
Kia dealer for more details. Your vehicle can tow a trailer.* To
identify what the vehicle trailering
capacity is for your vehicle, you
should read the information in
“Weight of the trailer” that appears
later in this section.Remember that trailering is different
than just driving your vehicle by itself.
Trailering means changes in han-
dling, durability, and fuel economy.
Successful, safe trailering requires
correct equipment, and it has to be
used properly.
This section contains many time-
tested, important trailering tips and
safety rules. Many of these are
important for your safety and that of
your passengers. Please read this
section carefully before you pull a
trailer.
Load-pulling components such as
the engine, transaxle, wheel assem-
blies, and tires are forced to work
harder against the load of the added
weight. The engine is required to
operate at relatively higher speeds
and under greater loads. This addi-
tional burden generates extra heat.
The trailer also adds considerably to
wind resistance, increasing the
pulling requirements.
TRAILER TOWING
CAUTION - Trailer
installation
Follow instructions in this sec-tion when pulling a trailer.Pulling a trailer improperly candamage your vehicle and resultin costly repairs not covered byyour warranty.
WARNING- Towing a trailer
Always check your towing
equipment to confirm correct
equipment size and installation
before use. Using incompatible
or incorrectly installed trailer
equipment can effect the vehi-
cle operation and endanger you
and your passengers.
WARNING- Weight limits
Before towing, make sure the
total trailer weight, GCW (gross
combination weight), GVW
(gross vehicle weight), GAW
(gross axle weight) and trailer
tongue load are all within the
limits.
Driving your vehicle
108
5
Driving with a trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain
amount of experience. Before setting
out for the open road, you must get to
know your trailer. Acquaint yourself
with the feel of handling and braking
with the added weight of the trailer.
And always keep in mind that the
vehicle you are driving is now a good
deal longer and not nearly so respon-
sive as your vehicle is by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer
hitch and platform, safety chains,
electrical connector(s), lights, tires
and mirror adjustment. If the trailer
has electric brakes, start your vehicle
and trailer moving and then apply the
trailer brake controller by hand to be
sure the brakes are working. This lets
you check your electrical connection
at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally
to be sure that the load is secure,
and that the lights and any trailer
brakes are still working.
Following distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the
vehicle ahead as you would when
driving your vehicle without a trailer.
This can help you avoid situations
that require heavy braking and sud-
den turns.
Passing
You’ll need more passing distance
up ahead when you’re towing a trail-
er. And, because of the increased
vehicle length, you’ll need to go
much farther beyond the passed
vehicle before you can return to your
lane. Due to the added load to the
engine when going uphill the vehicle
may also take longer to pass than it
would on flat ground.
Backing up
Hold the bottom of the steering
wheel with one hand. Then, to move
the trailer to the left, just move your
hand to the left. To move the trailer to
the right, move your hand to the
right. Always back up slowly and, if
possible, have someone guide you.
Making turns
When you’re turning with a trailer,
make wider turns than normal. Do
this so your trailer won’t strike soft
shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees,
or other objects near the edge of the
road. Avoid jerky or sudden maneu-
vers. Signal well in advance before
turning or lane changes.
What to do in an emergency
86
IF YOU HAVE A FLAT TIRE
Jack and tools
The jack and wheel lug nut wrench
are stored in the luggage compart-
ment.
Remove the panel indicated in the
illustration.
(1) Jack handle
(2) Jack
(3) Wheel lug nut wrench
(4) Socket
Jacking instructions
The jack is provided for emergency
tire changing only.
To prevent the jack from “rattling”
while the vehicle is in motion, store it
properly.
Follow jacking instructions to reduce
the possibility of personal injury. Always move the vehicle complete-
ly off the road and onto the shoul-
der before trying to change a tire.
The jack should be used on a firm
level ground. If you cannot find a
firm, level place off the road, call a
towing service company for assis-
tance.
Be sure to use the correct front and rear jacking positions on the vehi-
cle; never use the bumpers or any
other part of the vehicle for jack
support.
Do not allow anyone to remain in the vehicle while it is on the jack.
Make sure any children present are in a secure place away from
the road and from the vehicle to be
raised with the jack.
WARNING- Changingtires
Never attempt vehicle repairs in
the traffic lanes of a public road
or highway.
OUM064003
WARNING- Tire Jack
Do not place any portion of your
body under a vehicle that is
only supported by a jack since
the vehicle can easily roll off the
jack. Use vehicle support
stands.
611
What to do in an emergency
Changing tires
1. Park on a level surface and applythe parking brake firmly.
2. Place the transaxle shift lever in P (Park) with automatic transaxle.
3. Activate the hazard warning flash- ers. 4. Remove the wheel lug nut wrench,
jack and spare tire from the vehi-
cle.
5. Block both the front and rear of the wheel that is diagonally opposite
from the jack position. To prevent vehicle movement while
changing a tire, always set the
parking brake fully, and always
block the wheel diagonally oppo-
site the wheel being changed.
We recommend that the wheels of the vehicle be blocked, and that no
person remain in a vehicle that is
being jacked.
OUMA064035
OUMA064034
What to do in an emergency
14
6
Then position the wrench as shown
in the drawing and tighten the wheel
nuts. Be sure the socket is seated
completely over the nut. Do not stand
on the wrench handle or use an
extension pipe over the wrench han-
dle. Go around the wheel tightening
every nut following the numerical
sequence shown in the image until
they are all tight. Then double-check
each nut for tightness. After changing
wheels, have an authorized Kia deal-
er tighten the wheel nuts to their
proper torque as soon as possible.
Wheel nut tightening torque:
11~13 kgf·m (65~79 lbf·ft) If you have a tire gauge, remove the
valve cap and check the air pressure.
If the pressure is lower than recom-
mended, drive slowly to the nearest
service station and inflate to the cor-
rect pressure. If it is too high, adjust
it until it is correct. Always reinstall
the valve cap after checking or
adjusting the tire pressure. If the cap
is not replaced, dust and dirt may get
into the tire valve and air may leak
from the tire. If you lose a valve cap,
buy another and install it as soon as
possible.
After you have changed the wheels,
always secure the flat tire in its place
and return the jack and tools to their
proper storage locations.
Note that most lug nuts do not have
metric threads. Be sure to use
extreme care in checking for thread
style before installing aftermarket lug
nuts or wheels. If in doubt, consult an
authorized Kia dealer.
CAUTION- Reusing lug
nuts
Make certain during wheelremoval that the same nuts thatwere removed are reinstalled -or, if replaced, that nuts withmetric threads and the samechamfer configuration are used.Your vehicle has metric threadson the wheel studs and nuts.Installation of a non-metricthread nut on a metric stud willnot secure the wheel to the hubproperly and will damage thestud so that it must be replaced.
OUM064011
Maintenance
87
OWNER MAINTENANCE
The following lists are vehicle checks
and inspections that should be per-
formed by the owner or an author-
ized Kia dealer at the frequencies
indicated to help ensure safe,
dependable operation of your vehi-
cle.
Any adverse conditions should be
brought to the attention of your deal-
er as soon as possible.
These Owner Maintenance Checks
are generally not covered by war-
ranties and you may be charged for
labor, parts and lubricants used.Owner maintenance schedule
When you stop for fuel:
Check the engine oil level.
Check the coolant level in thecoolant reservoir.
Check the windshield washer fluid level.
Look for low or under-inflated tires.
While operating your vehicle:
Note any changes in the sound of the exhaust or any smell of
exhaust fumes in the vehicle.
Check for vibrations in the steering wheel. Notice any increased steer-
ing effort or looseness in the steer-
ing wheel, or change in its straight-
ahead position.
Notice if your vehicle constantly turns slightly or “pulls” to one side
when traveling on smooth, level
road.
When stopping, listen and check for unusual sounds, pulling to one
side, increased brake pedal travel
or “hard-to-push” brake pedal.
If any slipping or changes in the operation of your transaxle occurs,
check the transaxle fluid level.
Check the automatic transaxle P (Park) function.
Check the parking brake.
Check for fluid leaks under your vehicle (water dripping from the air
conditioning system during or after
use is normal).
WARNING - Hot coolant
Be careful when checking your
engine coolant level when the
engine is hot. Scalding hot
coolant and steam may blow
out under pressure.