2018 KIA NIRO PLUG-IN HYBRID service

491
Features of your vehicle
Stop vehicle to charge battery
This warning message illuminates
when the hybrid battery power
(SOC) level is low.
In this case, park the vehicle in a
safe location and wait until the hybrid
battery is charged.
Refuel to prevent Hybrid battery dam-
age
This warning message illuminates
when the fuel tank is nearly empty.
You should refill the fuel tank to pre-
vent hybrid battery damage.
Refill inverter coolant
This warning message illuminates
when the inverter coolant is nearly
empty.
You should refill the inverter coolant.Check brakes
This warning message illuminates
when the brake performance is low
or the regenerative brake does not
work properly due to a failure in the
brake system.
In this case, it may take longer for the
brake pedal to operate and the brak-
ing distance may become longer.
Stop vehicle and check brakes
This warning message is displayed
when a failure occurs in the brake
system.
In this case, park the vehicle in a
safe location and tow your vehicle to
the nearest professional workshop
and have the vehicle inspected. Kia
recommends to visit an authorized
Kia dealer/service partner.
Unplug vehicle to start (Plug-in hybrid)
The message is displayed when you
start the engine without unplugging
the charging cable. Unplug the
charging cable, and then start the
vehicle.
Remaining charge time
(Plug-in hybrid)
The message is displayed to notify
the remaining time to fully charge the
battery.
Shift to P to charge (Plug-in hybrid)
The message is displayed when the
charging connector is plugged with
the shift lever in R (Reverse), N
(Neutral) or D (Drive). Move the shift
lever to P (Park) and re-start the
charging process.

4143
Features of your vehicle
Checking the amount of air
conditioner refrigerant and
compressor lubricant
When the amount of refrigerant is
low, the performance of the air condi-
tioning is reduced. Overfilling also
has a negative impact on the air con-
ditioning system.
Therefore, if abnormal operation is
found, have the system inspected by
an authorized Kia dealer.
CAUTION
It is important that the correcttype and amount of oil andrefrigerant is used, otherwisedamage to the vehicle mayoccur. To prevent damage, theair conditioning system in yourvehicle should only be servicedby trained and certified techni-cians.
WARNING - Vehicles
equipped with R-1234yf
Because the refriger-
ant is mildly inflam-
mable and at very
high pressure, the air
conditioning system
should only be serv-
iced by trained and
certified technicians.
It is important that the correct
type and amount of oil and
refrigerant is used.
Otherwise, it may cause dam-
age to the vehicle and personal
injury.
WARNING
The oil and refrigerant in your
vehicle's air conditioning sys-
tem is under very high pres-
sure. If proper service proce-
dures are not followed an explo-
sion may result. To reduce the
risk of serious injury or death,
the air conditioning system in
your vehicle should only be
serviced by trained and certi-
fied technicians.

Audio system
58 Driving while distracted can result
in a loss of vehicle control that may
lead to an accident, severe person-
al injury, and death. The driver’s
primary responsibility is in the safe
and legal operation of a vehicle,
and use of any handheld devices,
other equipment, or vehicle sys-
tems which take the driver’s eyes,
attention and focus away from the
safe operation of a vehicle or which
are not permissible by law should
never be used during operation of
the vehicle.
Adjust the volume to levels that allow the driver to hear sounds
from outside of the vehicle. Driving
in a state where external sounds
cannot be heard may lead to acci-
dents. Pay attention to the volume setting
when turning the device on. A sud-
den output of extreme volume
upon turning the device on could
lead to hearing impairment. (Adjust
the volume to a suitable levels
before turning off the device.)
Turn on the car engine before using this device. Do not operate
the audio system for long periods
of time only with the ignition turned
on as such operations may lead to
battery discharge.
In case of product malfunction, please contact your place of pur-
chase or After Service center.
Placing the audio system within an electromagnetic environment may
result in noise interference.
CAUTION - LCD Monitor
Do not subject the device tosevere shock or impact. Directpressure onto the front side ofthe monitor may cause damageto the LCD.
CAUTION
When cleaning the device, make sure to turn off theaudio system and use a dryand smooth cloth.
Do not place beverages close to the audio system. Spillingbeverages may lead to systemmalfunction.
Never use rough materials, chemical cloths, or solvents(alcohol, benzene, thinners,etc.) as such materials maydamage the device panel orcause color/quality deteriora-tion.
Prevent caustic solutions such as perfume and cosmetic oilfrom contacting the dashboardbecause they may cause dam-age or discoloration.
WARNING - Driver
distraction
Operating the device while driv-
ing could lead to accidents due
to a lack of attention to external
surroundings. First park the
vehicle before operating the
device.

Audio system
29
5
✽
✽
NOTICE
• When the incoming call screen is
displayed, audio mode and the set-
tings screen cannot be shown.
Only call volume control is sup-
ported.
• Some Bluetooth
®Wireless Technology
devices may not support the call
reject function.
• Some Bluetooth
®Wireless Technology
devices may not support the phone
number display function.
Operation during calls
Incoming call with Bluetooth®
Wireless Technology connected ➟
Select [Accept].
(1) Call duration: Call duration display.
(2) Caller name: If the caller number is in your contacts, the corresponding
name is displayed.
(3) Incoming phone number: Incoming phone number is displayed.
(4) Keypad: Number keypad for Automatic Response Service input
is displayed.
(5) Private: Call is transferred to a cell phone.
(6) Outgoing Volume: Adjust outgo- ing voice volume.
(7) End: End call.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
• Some Bluetooth®Wireless Technology
devices may not support the
Private function.
• The outgoing voice volume may vary depending on the type of
Bluetooth
®Wireless Technology
device. If the outgoing voice vol-
ume is too high or low, adjust the
Microphone Outgoing Volume.
Favorites
Press the [PHONE] button on the
audio system ➟ Select [Favorites] ➟
Favorites list displayed.
(1) Favorites list: A list of paired favorite is displayed. Connect a
call when selected.

Driving your vehicle
16
6
To hold the vehicle on a hill use the
foot brake or the parking brake. If
the vehicle is held by applying the
accelerator pedal on a hill the
clutch and transmission will be
overheated resulting in damage.
At this time, a warning message
(“Steep grade! Press brake pedal”)
will appear on the LCD display.
If the clutch becomes overheated by excessive use of the clutch to
hold on a hill, you may notice a
shudder feeling and a blinking dis-
play on the instrument cluster.
When this occurs, the clutch is dis-
abled until the clutch cools to nor-
mal temperatures. If this occurs,
pull over to a safe location, shift
into P (Park) and apply the foot
brake for a certain time on the LCD
warning until it disappears.
If the LCD warning is active, the foot brake must be applied.
Ignoring the warnings can lead to damage to the transmission. If the display continues to blink, for
your safety, we recommend that you
contact an authorized Kia dealer.
Under certain conditions such as repeated launch on steep grades,
the clutch in the transmission could
overheat.
When the clutch is overheated, the
safe protection mode engages. If
the safe protection mode engages,
the gear position indicator on the
cluster blinks with a chime sound.
At this time, a warning message
(“Transmission temp. is high! Stop
safely”, “Trans hot! Park with engine
on”, “Trans Cooling. Remain parked
for 00 min.”, “Trans Cooled. Resume
driving”) will appear on the LCD dis-
play and driving may not be smooth.
If you ignore this warning, the driv-
ing condition may become worse.
To return the normal driving condi-
tion, stop the vehicle and apply the
foot brake for a few minutes before
driving off. Gear shifts may be more notice-
able than a conventional automatic
transmission. This is a normal
characteristic of this type of dual
clutch transmission.
During the first 1,500 km (1,000 miles), you may feel that the vehi-
cle may not be smooth when accel-
erating at low speed. During this
break-in period, the shift quality
and performance of your new vehi-
cle is continuously optimized.
Always come to a complete stop before shifting into D (Drive) or R
(Reverse).
Do not put the shift lever in N (Neutral) while driving.
CAUTION
To avoid damage to your transaxle, do not try to accel-erate in R (Reverse) or any for-ward gear position with thebrakes on.
When stopped on slope, do not hold the vehicle withaccelerator pedal. Use theservice brake or the parkingbrake.

Driving your vehicle
24
6
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.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
Do not depress the brake pedal con-
tinuously without the “ ” indica-
tor ON. The battery may be dis-
charged.
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- Parking
brake
Avoid applying the parking
brake to stop the vehicle while it
is moving except in an emer-
gency situation. 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
vehicle, use great caution in
applying the brake.
CAUTION- Replace brake pads
Do not continue to drive withworn brake pads. Continuing todrive with worn brake pads candamage the braking system andresult in costly brake repairs.

687
Driving your vehicle
Your vehicle's fuel economy depends
mainly on your style of driving, where
you drive and when you drive.
Each of these factors affects how
many miles (kilometers) you can get
from a gallon (liter) of fuel. To operate
your vehicle as economically as pos-
sible, use the following driving sug-
gestions to help save money in both
fuel and repairs:
Drive smoothly. Accelerate at amoderate rate. Don't make "jack-
rabbit" starts or full-throttle shifts
and maintain a steady cruising
speed. Don't race between stop-
lights. Try to adjust your speed to
the traffic so you don't have to
change speeds unnecessarily.
Avoid heavy traffic whenever pos- sible. Always maintain a safe dis-
tance from other vehicles so you
can avoid unnecessary braking.
This also reduces brake wear.
Drive at a moderate speed. The faster you drive, the more fuel your
vehicle uses. Driving at a moderate
speed, especially on the highway,
is one of the most effective ways to
reduce fuel consumption. Don't "ride" the brake pedal. This
can increase fuel consumption and
also increase wear on these com-
ponents. In addition, driving with
your foot resting on the brake pedal
may cause the brakes to overheat,
which reduces their effectiveness
and may lead to more serious con-
sequences.
Take care of your tires. Keep them inflated to the recommended pres-
sure. Incorrect inflation, either too
much or too little, results in unnec-
essary tire wear. Check the tire
pressures at least once a month.
Be sure that the wheels are aligned correctly. Improper align-
ment can result from hitting curbs
or driving too fast over irregular
surfaces. Poor alignment causes
faster tire wear and may also result
in other problems as well as
greater fuel consumption. Keep your vehicle in good condi-
tion. For better fuel economy and
reduced maintenance costs, main-
tain your vehicle in accordance
with the maintenance schedule in
chapter 8. If you drive your vehicle
in severe conditions, more frequent
maintenance is required (see
chapter 8 for details).
Keep your vehicle clean. For maxi- mum service, your vehicle should
be kept clean and free of corrosive
materials. It is especially important
that mud, dirt, ice, etc. not be
allowed to accumulate on the
underside of the vehicle. This extra
weight can result in increased fuel
consumption and also contribute to
corrosion.
Travel lightly. Don't carry unneces- sary weight in your vehicle. Weight
reduces fuel economy.
Don't let the engine idle longer than necessary. If you are waiting
(and not in traffic), turn off your
engine and restart only when
you're ready to go.
ECONOMICAL OPERATION

Driving your vehicle
96
6
The use of chains may adversely
affect vehicle handling.
Do not exceed 20 mph (30 km/h) or the chain manufacturer’s recom-
mended speed limit, whichever is
lower.
Drive carefully and avoid bumps, holes, sharp turns, and other road
hazards, which may cause the
vehicle to bounce.
Avoid sharp turns or locked-wheel braking.Use high quality ethylene gly-
col coolant
Your vehicle is delivered with high
quality ethylene glycol coolant in the
cooling system. It is the only type of
coolant that should be used because
it helps prevent corrosion in the cool-
ing system, lubricates the water
pump and prevents freezing. Be sure
to replace or replenish your coolant
in accordance with the maintenance
schedule in chapter 8. Before winter,
have your coolant tested to assure
that its freezing point is sufficient for
the temperatures anticipated during
the winter.
Check battery and cables
Winter puts additional burdens on
the battery system. Visually inspect
the battery and cables as described
in chapter 8. The level of charge in
your battery can be checked by an
authorized Kia dealer or a service
station.
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
chapter 9 for recommendations. If
you aren't sure what weight oil you
should use, consult an authorized
Kia dealer.
Check spark plugs and ignition
system
Inspect your spark plugs as
described in chapter 8 and replace
them if necessary. Also check all
ignition wiring and components to be
sure they are not cracked, worn or
damaged in any way.CAUTION- Snow chains
Chains that are the wrong size or improperly installed candamage your vehicle's brakelines, suspension, body andwheels.
Stop driving and retighten the chains any time you hear themhitting the vehicle.