2017 KIA Soul EV Owner's Manual

Driving your vehicle
12
5
N (Neutral)
The wheels and gear are not
engaged. The vehicle will roll freely
even on the slightest incline unless
the parking brake or service brakes
are applied.
D (Drive)
This is the normal forward driving
position. The gear will automatically
shift providing the best energy econ-
omy and power.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into D (Drive).
B (Regenerative brake): maximum
regenerative braking mode
Use it when you desire to use regen-
erative braking.
It is useful when you drive on a long
downhill on a highway, mountain
trails, or a slope.
❈ If you use regenerative braking,
you can achieve the same effect
as engine brake of a combustion
engine. - Parking in N (Neutral) gear
Follow below steps when parking
and you want the vehicle to move
when pushed.
1. After stopping your vehicle,
depress the brake pedal and move
the shift lever to [P] with the
POWER button in [ON] or while
vehicle is in the ready ( ) mode.
2. If the parking brake is applied, release the parking brake.
❈ For EPB (Electronic Parking
Brake) equipped vehicles, depress
the brake pedal and press the EPB
(Electronic Parking Brake) switch,
while the POWER button is in [ON]
or vehicle is in the ready ( )
mode to release the parking brake.

513
Driving your vehicle
3. Push the EPB (Electronic ParkingBrake) switch while depressing the
brake pedal, and turn the POWER
button [OFF].
❈ If the POWER button is moved to
[OFF] when the shift lever is in [P],
the parking brake will apply auto-
matically. For [N] gear parking, if
the POWER button is turned
[OFF] while pressing the EPB
(Electronic Parking Brake) switch,
the parking brake will not lock.
❈ For smart key equipped vehicles,
the POWER button can be moved
to [OFF] only when the shift lever
is in [P]. 4. To unlock the transaxle shift lock
system, remove the [SHIFT LOCK
RELEASE] cap with care. Insert a
screwdriver into the shift-lock
override access hole and press
down. While depressing the
screwdriver, you can move the
shift lever to [N] (Neutral) gear.
5. After depressing the brake pedal and pushing the shift lever button,
move the shift lever to [N]. Then,
the vehicle will move when pushed.
✽ ✽NOTICE
After the POWER button has been
turned off, the EPB (Electronic
Parking Brake) cannot be released.
OPSE056006OPSE056020
WARNING
With the exception of parking
in neutral gear, always park
the vehicle in [P] (Park) for
safety and apply the parking
brake.
Before parking in [N] (Neutral) gear, make sure the parking
ground is level and flat. Do not
park in [N] gear on any slopes
or gradients.
If parked and left in [N], the
vehicle may move and cause
serious damage or injury.

Driving your vehicle
14
5
Shift lock system
For your safety, the reduction gear
has a shift lock system which pre-
vents shifting the gear from P (Park)
into R (Reverse) unless the brake
pedal is depressed.
To shift the gear from P (Park) into R
(Reverse):
1. Depress and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the vehicle or turn the
POWER button to the ON posi-
tion.
3. Move the shift lever.
If the brake pedal is repeatedly
depressed and released with the shift
lever in the P (Park) position, a chat-
tering noise near the shift lever may
be heard. It is a normal condition. 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. Move the shift lever.
4. Have your vehicle inspected by an authorized Kia dealer immediately.
While the charging cable is con- nected, you cannot use the shift
lever for safety reasons.WARNING- Shifting from
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.
OPSE044263L

515
Driving your vehicle
Good driving practices
Never move the gear shift leverfrom P (Park) to any other position
with the accelerator pedal
depressed.
Never move the gear shift lever into P (Park) when the vehicle is in
motion.
Slow down before shifting to a lower gear. Otherwise, the lower
gear may not be engaged.
Always use the parking brake. Do not depend on placing the shift
lever in P (Park) to keep the vehicle
from moving.
Optimum vehicle performance and economy is obtained by smoothly
depressing and releasing the
accelerator pedal.
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.

Driving your vehicle
16
5
Power brakes
Your vehicle's brake system is
power-assisted by the electric
hydraulic pump.
In the event the brakes lose power
because of a brake control system
malfunction, unstable power supply
or some other reason, you can still
stop your vehicle by applying greater
force to the brake pedal than you
normally would. The stopping dis-
tance, however will be longer. Please
have the system checked as soon as
possible.
If the brake pedal does not return to
its normal position when released,
there may be a malfunction in the
brake system. Take your vehicle to
an authorized Kia dealer and have
the system checked. 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.
Always test your brakes in this fash-
ion after driving through deep water.
To dry the brakes, apply them lightly
while maintaining a safe forward
speed until brake performance
returns to normal.
BRAKE SYSTEM
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 per-
formance.WARNING
Do not turn off the vehicle while
going down a hill. The brake
booster may not work suffi-
ciently and the braking distance
may be longer.
CAUTION
Do not depress the brake pedal continuously without READY( ) status. The battery may bedischarged.
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.

517
Driving your vehicle
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.
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. You
may hear this sound come and go or
it may occur whenever 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.
WARNING- Parkingbrake
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 vehi-
cle, use great caution in apply-
ing the brake.
WARNING- Brake wear
Do not ignore high pitched
whining sounds from your
brakes. If you ignore this audi-
ble warning, you will eventually
lose braking performance,
which could lead to a serious
accident.

Driving your vehicle
18
5
Electronic parking brake (EPB)
Applying the parking brake
To apply the EPB (electronic parking
brake):
1. Depress the brake pedal.
2. Pull up the EPB switch.
Make sure the warning light
comes on. After parking the vehicle, if the igni-
tion button is turned OFF when the
transmission shift lever is in Park,
the electronic parking brake will
lock automatically. For neutral park-
ing and prevention of freezing in
winter, press down on the electron-
ic parking brake switch and turn the
ignition button OFF. Then, the brake
will not lock automatically.
During wintry season, the electron- ic parking brake may freeze. Avoid
gradients when parking the vehicle
and park on safe and level ground.
When the EPB has to be used,
block the wheel to prevent unin-
tended movement.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
A click or electric brake motor
whine sound may be heard while
operating or releasing the EPB, but
these conditions are normal and
indicate that the EPB is functioning
properly.
OPSE054008N
WARNING
Always shift your vehicle to the
Park gear prior to exiting your
vehicle. Failure to shift to Park
could result in your vehicle
rolling away unoccupied and
causing an accident.

519
Driving your vehicle
Releasing the parking brake
To release the EPB (electronic parking
brake), press the EPB switch in the
following condition:
Have the POWER button in the ONposition.
Depress the brake pedal.
Make sure the brake warning light goes off. To release EPB (electronic parking
brake) automatically:
Shift lever in P (Park)
With the vehicle is in the ready
( ) mode depress the brake
pedal and shift out of P (Park) to R
(Reverse) or D (Drive).
Shift lever in N (Neutral) With the vehicle is in the ready
( ) mode depress the brake
pedal and shift out of N (Neutral) to
R (Reverse) or D (Drive).
1. The vehicle is in the ready ( ) mode.
2. Fasten the driver's seat belt.
3. Close the driver's door, tailgate.
4. Depress the accelerator pedal while the shift lever is in R(Rear)
with trunk closed, D (Drive).
Make sure the brake warning light goes off.
✽ ✽NOTICE
• You can engage the EPB even
though the POWER button is in
the OFF position, but you cannot
release it.
• Depress the brake pedal and release the parking brake manual-
ly with the EPB switch when you
drive downhill or when backing
up the vehicle.
Do not follow the above procedure
when driving on a flat level ground.
The vehicle may suddenly move for-
ward.
OPSE054009N
CAUTION
Do not drive your vehicle with the EPB applied. It may causeexcessive brake pad and brakerotor wear.