2018 KIA NIRO road sign

633
Driving your vehicle
VSM operation
When the VSM is in operation, ESC
indicator light ( ) blinks.
When the vehicle stability manage-
ment is operating properly, you can
feel a slight pulsation in the vehicle
and/or abnormal steering responses
(EPS- Electronic Power Steering).
This is only the effect of brake and
EPS control and indicates nothing
unusual.
The VSM does not operate when:
Driving on a sloping road such as agradient or incline
Driving in reverse
ESC OFF indicator light ( ) remains on the instrument cluster
EPS indicator light remains on the instrument cluster
VSM operation off
If you press the ESC OFF button to
turn off the ESC, the VSM will also
cancel and the ESC OFF indicator
light ( ) illuminates.
To turn on the VSM, press the button
again. The ESC OFF indicator light
goes out.
Malfunction indicator
The VSM can be deactivated even if
you don’t cancel the VSM operation
by pressing the ESC OFF button. It
indicates that a malfunction has
been detected somewhere in the
Electric Power Steering system or
VSM system. If the ESC indicator
light ( ) or EPS warning light
remains on, take your vehicle to an
authorized Kia dealer and have the
system checked.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
• The VSM is designed to function
above approximately 13 mph (22
km/h) on curves.
• The VSM is designed to function above approximately 6 mph (10
km/h) when a vehicle is braking on
a split-mu surface. A split-mu sur-
face is made of two surfaces which
have different friction forces.

Driving your vehicle
34
6
The Vehicle Stability Management
system is not a substitute for safe
driving practices but a supplemen-
tary function only. It is the responsi-
bility of the driver to always check
the speed and the distance to the
vehicle ahead. Always hold the
steering wheel firmly while driving.
Your vehicle is designed to activate according to the driver’s intention,
even with installed VSM. Always fol-
low all the normal precautions for
driving at safe speeds for the condi-
tions – including driving in clement
weather and on a slippery road.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
For maximum protection, always
wear your seat belt. No system, no
matter how advanced, can compen-
sate for all driver error and/or driv-
ing conditions. Always drive respon-
sibly.
Hill-start assist control (HAC)
A vehicle has the tendency to roll
back on a steep hill when it starts to
go after stopping. The Hill-start
Assist Control (HAC) prevents the
vehicle from rolling back by applying
the brakes automatically for about 2
seconds. The brakes are released
when the accelerator pedal is
depressed or after about 2 seconds.
The HAC is activated only for about 2
seconds, so when the vehicle is
starting off always depress the accel-
erator pedal.
Good braking practices
Check to be sure the parking brake
is not engaged and the parking
brake indicator light is out before
driving away.
Driving through water may get the brakes wet. They can also get wet
when the vehicle is washed. Wet
brakes can be dangerous! Your
vehicle will not stop as quickly if the
brakes are wet. Wet brakes may
cause the vehicle to pull to one side.
To dry the brakes, apply the brakes
lightly until the braking action
returns to normal, taking care to
keep the vehicle under control at all
times. If the braking action does not
return to normal, stop as soon as it
is safe to do so and call an author-
ized Kia dealer for assistance.
Don't coast down hills with the vehicle out of gear. This is extreme-
ly hazardous. Keep the vehicle in
gear at all times, use the brakes to
slow down, then shift to a lower
gear so that engine braking will
help you maintain a safe speed.
WARNING- Maintaining
Brake Pressure on Incline
HAC does not replace the need
to apply brakes while stopped on
an incline. While stopped, make
sure you maintain brake pres-
sure sufficient to prevent your
vehicle from rolling backward
and causing an accident. Don’t
release the brake pedal until you
are ready to accelerate forward.

647
Driving your vehicle
The cruise control system allows you
to program the vehicle to maintain a
constant speed without depressing
the accelerator pedal.
This system is designed to function
above approximately 20 mph (30
km/h).
If the cruise control is left on,
(CRUISE indicator light in the instru-
ment cluster illuminated) the cruise
control can be switched on acciden-
tally. Keep the cruise control system
off (CRUISE indicator light OFF)
when the cruise control is not in use,
to avoid inadvertently setting a speed.Use the cruise control system only
when traveling on open highways in
good weather.
Do not use the cruise control when
driving in heavy or varying traffic, or
on slippery (rainy, icy or snow-cov-
ered) or winding roads or over 6%
up-hill or down-hill roads.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
• During normal cruise control oper-
ation, when the SET switch is acti-
vated or reactivated after applying
the brakes, the cruise control will
energize after approximately 3 sec-
onds. This delay is normal.
• To activate cruise control, depress the brake pedal at least once after
turning the engine start/stop but-
ton to the ON position or starting
the engine. This is to check if the
brake switch which is important
part to cancel cruise control is in
normal condition.
CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM
WARNING - Misuse of
Cruise Control
Do not use cruise control if the
traffic situation does not allow
you to drive safely at a constant
speed and with sufficient dis-
tance to the vehicle in front.
ODE056018

Driving your vehicle
72
6
Limitations condition
Driver's Attention
The driver must be cautious in the
below situations for the system may
not assist the driver and may not
work properly.
- Curved roads, tollgates, etc.
- The surrounding of the sensor cover
is dirty with rain, snow, mud, etc.
- The rear bumper near the sensor is covered or obstructed with foreign
matter such as a sticker, bumper
guard, bicycle racks, etc.
- The rear bumper is damaged or the sensor is out of place.
- The height of the vehicle has signif- icantly changed such as when the
liftgate is loaded with heavy
objects, abnormal tire pressure etc.
- Due to bad weather such as heavy rain or snow. - A fixed object is near such as a
guardrail, etc.
- A substantial amount of metallic objects such as a construction
area.
- A large vehicle is nearby such as a bus or truck.
- A motorcycle or bicycle is near.
- A flat trailer is near.
- If two vehicles near each other accelerate together.
- When another vehicle passes by at a high rate of speed.
- When changing lanes.
- When going down or up a steep, uneven road.
- When another vehicle drives very close the back bumper/liftgate.
- When a trailer or carrier is installed. - When the temperature of the rear
bumper is very high or low.
- When bike racks, etc. cover the sensor.
- When reversing from a parking space with pillars or metal struc-
tures.
- When you are reversing and if the detected vehicle is simultaneously
reversing.
- If there are small objects like shop- ping carts and baby carriages.
- If there is a vehicle with decreased ride height (lowered).
- When the vehicle is close to anoth- er vehicle.
- When driving through a narrow road with many plants.
- When driving on wet surface.
- When driving in a wide area with not many constructions and cars
(desert, suburb, field)

679
Driving your vehicle
✽
✽NOTICE
The steering wheel may feel heavier
when the steering wheel is assisted
by the system than when it is not.
The system will be cancelled when:
You change lanes with the turn sig-
nal.
- Using the turn signal to change lanes.
- If you change lanes without the turn signal on, the steering wheel
might be controlled.
LKAS can transit to steering assist mode when the car is near to mid-
dle of the lane after system on or
the lane was changed. LKAS can
not assist steering if the vehicle fol-
lows lane marker too close contin-
uously before transition to steering
assist mode.
The control of ESC (Electronic Stability Control) or VSM (Vehicle
Stability Management) is activated.
The steering will not be assisted when your drive fast on a sharp
curve.
The steering will not be assisted when vehicle speed is below 40
mph (64 km/h) and over 110 mph
(177 km/h).
The steering will not be assisted when you change lanes fast. The steering will not be assisted
when you brake suddenly.
The steering will not be assisted when the lane is very wide or nar-
row.
The steering will not be assisted when only one side lane marker is
detected.
There are more than two lane markers such as a construction
area.
Radius of a curve is too small.
When you turn steering wheel sud- denly, the LKAS will be disabled
temporarily.
Driving on a steep slope or hill.
WARNING
The driver is responsible for accurate steering.
Even though the steering is assisted by the system, the
driver may control the steer-
ing wheel.
Turn off the system and drive the vehicle in below situa-
tions.
- In bad weather
- In bad road condition
- When the steering wheelneeds to be controlled by the
driver frequently.

Driving your vehicle
80
6
DRIVER’S ATTENTION
The driver must be cautious in the
below situations may not work
properly when recognition of the
lane marker is poor or limited :
  When lane and road condition is
poor
- It is difficult to distinguish the lane marker from road when the
lane marker is covered with dust
or sand.
- It is difficult to distinguish the color of the lane marker from
road.
- There is something looks like a lane marker.
- The lane marker is indistinct or damaged.
- The number of lanes increases/ decreases or the lane lines are
crossing (Driving through a toll
plaza/toll gate, merged/divided
lane).
- There are more than two lane markers. - The lane marker is very thick or
thin.
- The lane marker is not visible due to snow, rain, stain, a puddle
or other factors.
- A shadow is on the lane marker because of a median strip,
guardrail, noise barriers and
others.
- When the lane markers are com- plicated or a structure substi-
tutes for the lines such as a
construction area.
- There are crosswalk signs or other symbols on the road.
- The lane suddenly disappears such as at the intersection.
- The lane marker in a tunnel is covered with dirt or oil and etc . 
When external condition is inter-
vened
- The brightness of outside changes suddenly when enter-
ing/existing a tunnel or passing
under a bridge.
- The headlamps are not on at night or in a tunnel, or light level
is low.
- There is a boundary structure in the roadway.
- The light of street, sun, oncom- ing vehicle and so on reflects
from the water on the road.
- When light shines brightly in the reverse direction you drive.
- The distance from the vehicle ahead is very short or the vehi-
cle ahead drives hiding the lane
line.
- You drive on a steep grade or a sharp curve.
- The vehicle vibrates heavily.
- The temperature near inside mir- ror is very high due to direct sun
light and etc.

689
Driving your vehicle
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 extradistance 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 the second gear. Accelerate
slowly 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). Utility vehicles have a
significantly higher rollover rate than
other types of vehicles. SUV's have
higher ground clearance and a nar-
rower 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 vehi-
cles. An advantage of the higher
ground clearance is a better view of
the road, which allows you to antici-
pate 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 signifi-
cantly more likely to die than a per-
son 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 a dual
clutch transmission while driv-
ing on slippery surfaces. The
sudden change in tire speed
could cause the tires to skid
and result in an accident.

Driving your vehicle
90
6
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.
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, which
could lead to steering failure or
rollover and serious injury.
When replacing the tires, be
sure to equip all four tires with
the 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/wheel
combination not recommended
by Kia for off road driving, you
should not use these tires for
highway driving.
WARNING - Rollover
Reduce speed when you turn
corners. The center of gravity of
AWD vehicles is higher than
that of conventional FWD vehi-
cles, making them more likely to
roll over when you turn corners
too fast.
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.
(Continued)
(Continued)
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.