2018 KIA FORTE Gear shift

Features of your vehicle
36
4
Opening the hood
1. Pull the release lever to unlatch
the hood. The hood should pop
open slightly.
Open the hood after turning off the
engine on a flat surface, shifting the
shift lever to the P(Park) position for
automatic transaxle and to the
1st(First) gear or R(Reverse) for
manual transaxle, and setting the
parking brake. 2. Go to the front of the vehicle, raise
the hood slightly, push the second-
ary latch (1) left side and lift the
hood (2).
3. Raise the hood. It will raise com- pletely by itself after it has been
raised about halfway.
Closing the hood
1. Before closing the hood, check thefollowing:
partment must be correctly
installed.
bustible material must be
removed from the engine com-
partment.
2. Return the support rod to its clip to prevent it from rattling.
3. Lower the hood until it is about 30 cm above the closed position and
let it drop. Make sure that it locks
into place.
4. Check that the hood has engaged properly. If the hood can be raised
slightly, it is not properly engaged.
Open it again and close it with a lit-
tle more force.
HOOD
OYDDCO2020
OYDM046008
WARNING- Fire risk
Do not leave gloves, rags or any
other combustible material in the
engine compartment. Doing so
may cause a heat-induced fire.
YDM CAN (ENG) 4a.QXP 5/12/2017 3:30 PM Page 36

461
Features of your vehicle
Transaxle Shift Indicator
Automatic Transaxle ShiftIndicator (if equipped)
This indicator displays which auto-
matic transaxle shift lever is selected.
Reverse : R
Neutral : N

Sports Mode : 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Manual transaxle shift
indicator (if equipped)
This indicator informs you which
gear is desired while driving to save
fuel.
For example
: Indicates that shifting up to the3rd gear is desired (currently
the shift lever is in the 2nd
gear).
: Indicates that shifting down to the 3rd gear is desired (current-
ly the shift lever is in the 4th
gear).
✽ ✽ NOTICE
When the system is not working
properly, up & down arrow indica-
tor and Gear are not displayed.
OYD046244L/OYD046245L
OYD046246L
■Type A■Type B
■ Type C
YDM CAN (ENG) 4a.QXP 5/12/2017 3:31 PM Page 61

481
Features of your vehicle
Parking Brake & BrakeFluid Warning Light
This warning light illuminates:
Once you set the ignition switch or Engine Start/Stop Button to the ON
position.
- It illuminates for approximately 3seconds
- It remains on if the parking brake is applied.
When the parking brake is applied.
When the brake fluid level in the reservoir is low.
- If the warning light illuminateswith the parking brake released, it
indicates the brake fluid level in
reservoir is low. If the brake fluid level in the reservoir
is low:
1.Drive carefully to the nearest safe
location and stop your vehicle.
2.With the engine stopped, check the brake fluid level immediately and
add fluid as required (For more
details, refer to "Brake Fluid" in
chapter 7).
Then check all brake components
for fluid leaks. If any leak on the
brake system is still found, the
warning light remains on, or the
brakes do not operate properly, do
not drive the vehicle.
In this case, have your vehicle
towed to an authorized Kia dealer
and inspected. Dual-diagonal braking system
Your vehicle is equipped with dual-
diagonal braking systems. This
means you still have braking on two
wheels even if one of the dual sys-
tems should fail.
With only one of the dual systems
working, more than normal pedal
travel and greater pedal pressure are
required to stop the vehicle.
Also, the vehicle will not stop in as
short a distance with only a portion
of the brake system working.
If the brakes fail while you are driv-
ing, shift to a lower gear for addition-
al engine braking and stop the vehi-
cle as soon as it is safe to do so.
YDM CAN (ENG) 4a.QXP 5/12/2017 3:32 PM Page 81

Driving your vehicle
65
Illuminated ignition switch
(if equipped)
Whenever a front door is opened, the
ignition switch will illuminate for your
convenience, provided the ignition
switch is not in the ON position. The
light will go off immediately when the
ignition switch is turned on. It will
also go off after about 30 seconds
after the door is closed.
Ignition switch position
LOCK
The steering wheel locks to protect
against theft. (If equipped)
The ignition key can be removed only
in the LOCK position. When turning
the ignition switch to the LOCK posi-
tion, push the key inward at the ACC
position and turn the key toward the
LOCK position.The anti-theft steering column lock is
not a substitute for the parking brake.
Before leaving the driver’s seat,
always make sure the shift lever is
engaged in 1st gear for the manual
transaxle or P (Park) for the auto-
matic transaxle, set the parking
brake fully and shut the engine off.
KEY POSITIONS
OYDDDR3001OYDDDR3002

Driving your vehicle
14
5
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.
Depress 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.
The shift lever must be returned to
the neutral position before shifting
into R (Reverse). The button (1)
located below the shift knob must be
pulled upward while moving the shift
lever to the R (Reverse) position.
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 is warmed up. This is normal
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), leave the shift lever at
neutral position and release the
clutch. Depress the clutch pedal
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, clutch andthe transaxle.
OYDDDR2101
The shift lever can be moved without-
pressing the button.
The button (1) should be pressed when
moving the shift lever into reverse.

Driving your vehicle
16
5
Refrain from launching in 2nd gear.
Launching a vehicle in 2nd gear gen-
erates too much frictional heat to the
clutch disc which might cause dam-
age to the clutch cover and disc.Downshifting
When you must slow down in heavy
traffic or while driving up steep hills,
downshift before the engine starts to
labor. Downshifting reduces the
chance of stalling and gives better
acceleration when you need to
increase your speed again. When the
vehicle is traveling down steep hills,
downshifting helps maintain safe
speed and prolongs brake life.WARNING- Using the
clutch
Depress the clutch pedal as far as possible. Be aware not to
apply the pedal again before it
returns to the normal position.
If the pedal is repeatedly
depressed before returning to
its normal position, the clutch
system might be damaged.
Do not overload the vehicle. Starting or driving a vehicle in
this situation generates too
much frictional heat to the
clutch disk which might cause
damage to the clutch cover
and disk.
When starting the vehicle or driving backwards, releasing
the clutch pedal too soon
after shifting the lever might
turn off the engine and lead to
an accident.

517
Driving your vehicle
Good driving practices
Never take the vehicle out of gearand coast down a hill. This is
extremely hazardous. Always leave
the vehicle in gear.
Don't "ride" the brakes. This can cause them to overheat and mal-
function. Instead, when you are
driving down a long hill, shift to a
lower gear. When you do this,
engine braking will help slow down
the vehicle.
Slow down before shifting to a lower gear. This will help avoid
over-revving the engine, which can
cause damage.
Slow down when you encounter cross winds. This gives you much
better control of your vehicle.
Be sure the vehicle is completely stopped before you attempt to shift
into R (Reverse). The transaxle can
be damaged if you do not. Exercise extreme caution when
driving on a slippery surface. Be
especially careful when braking,
accelerating or shifting gears. On a
slippery surface, an abrupt change
in vehicle speed can cause the
drive wheels to lose traction and
the vehicle to go out of control.
Always buckle-up! In a collision, an unbelted occupant is significantly
more likely to be seriously injured
or killed than a properly belted
occupant.
Never exceed posted speed limits.
WARNING- Vehicle handling
Avoid high speeds when cor-
nering or turning. High speed
cornering and turning increas-
es the risk of vehicle rollover
due to loss of vehicle control.
Rollover accidents are extreme-
ly violent and unpredictable.

519
Driving your vehicle
For smooth operation, depress thebrake pedal when shifting from N(Neutral) to a forward or reversegear.When stopped on an upgrade, do not
hold the vehicle with engine power.
Use the service brake or the parking
brake.
Transaxle ranges
The indicator light in the instrument
cluster displays the shift lever posi-
tion 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 front 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. R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward.
N (Neutral)
The wheels and transaxle are not
engaged. The vehicle will roll freely
even on the slightest incline unless
the parking brake or service brakes
are applied.
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.
WARNING- Automatic
Transaxle
Before leaving the driver's seat,
always make sure the shift lever
is engaged in P (Park), set the
parking brake fully and shut the
engine off. Unexpected and
sudden vehicle movement may
occur if these precautions are
not followed.
CAUTION - Shifting
Always come to a complete stop before shifting into or out of R(Reverse); you may damage thetransaxle if you shift into R(Reverse) while the vehicle is inmotion, except when “Rockingthe Vehicle” explained in thissection.