2018 KIA SORENTO maintenance

525
Driving your vehicle
✽ ✽NOTICE
• Shorten your scheduled mainte-
nance interval if you drive in off-
road conditions such as sand, mud
or water (see “Maintenance under
severe usage conditions” in section
7). Always wash your vehicle thor-
oughly after off-road use, especial-
ly cleaning the bottom of the vehi-
cle.
• A full time all wheel drive vehicle cannot be towed by an ordinary
tow truck. Make sure that the
vehicle is placed on a flat bed
truck for moving.
Do not use a tire and wheel package
with a different size and type from
the one originally installed on your
vehicle. It can affect the safety and
performance of your vehicle, which
could lead to steering failure or
rollover causing 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 equip your vehicle with any
tire/wheel combination not recom-
mended by Kia for off-road driving,
ou should not use thesetires for high
way driving.
CAUTION - Mud or snow
Do not run the engine continu-
ously at high RPMs to free thevehicle from snow or mud. Doingso could damage the AWD sys-tem in your vehicle.
WARNING- AWD driving
Do not attempt quick steering
maneuvers or sharp turns in
AWD mode. Such maneuvers
increase the risk of rollover
accidents. Rollover accidents
are extremely violent and
unpredictable.WARNING -Driving
through water
Drive slowly. If you are driving
too fast in water, the water can
get into the engine compartment
and wet the ignition system,
causing your vehicle to sudden-
ly stop. If this happens and your
vehicle is in a tilted position,
your vehicle may roll over.

597
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
section 7. If you drive your vehicle
in severe conditions, more frequent
maintenance is required (see sec-
tion 7 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
106
5
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 section 7. 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 section 7. 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
section 8 for recommendations. If
you aren't sure what weight oil you
should use, consult an authorized
Kia dealer.
Check spark plugs and igni-
tion system
Inspect your spark plugs as
described in section 7 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.
To keep locks from freezing
To keep the locks from freezing,
squirt an approved de-icer fluid or
glycerine into the key opening. If a
lock is covered with ice, squirt it with
an approved de-icing fluid to remove
the ice. If the lock is frozen internally,
you may be able to thaw it out by
using a heated key. Handle the heat-
ed key with care to avoid injury.
Use approved window washer
anti-freeze in system
To keep the water in the window
washer system from freezing, add an
approved window washer anti-freeze
solution in accordance with instruc-
tions on the container. Window wash-
er anti-freeze is available from an
authorized Kia dealer and most auto
parts outlets. Do not use engine
coolant or other types of anti-freeze
as these may damage the paint fin-
ish.

5113
Driving your vehicle
When you are ready to leave after
parking on a hill
1. With the automatic transaxle in P(Park), apply your brakes and hold
the brake pedal down while you:

and

2. Slowly remove your foot from the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.Maintenance when trailer tow-
ing
Your vehicle will need service more
often when you regularly pull a trail-
er. Important items to pay particular
attention to include engine oil, auto-
matic transaxle fluid, axle lubricant
and cooling system fluid. Brake con-
dition is another important item to
frequently check. Each item is cov-
ered in this manual, and the Index
will help you find them quickly. If
you’re trailering, it’s a good idea to
review these sections before you
start your trip.
Don’t forget to also maintain your
trailer and hitch. Follow the mainte-
nance schedule that accompanied
your trailer and check it periodically.
Preferably, conduct the check at the
start of each day’s driving. Most
importantly, all hitch nuts and bolts
should be tight. When towing check transaxle fluid
more frequently.
CAUTION - Air condition
Do not use the A/C while usingyour vehicle to tow uphill. Dueto higher load during trailerusage, overheating might occuron hot days or during uphilldriving.

Maintenance
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Maintenance services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
• Owner’s responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
• Owner maintenance precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Owner maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
• Owner maintenance schedule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Scheduled maintenance service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
Explanation of scheduled maintenance items . . . 7-29
Engine oil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-33
• Checking the engine oil level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-34
• Changing the engine oil and filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-35
Engine coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-36
• Checking the coolant level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-36
• Changing the coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-38
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-39
• Checking the brake fluid level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-39
Washer fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-40
• Checking the washer fluid level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-40
Parking brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-41
• Checking the parking brake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-41
Air cleaner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-42
• Filter replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-42
Climate control air filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-44
• Filter inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-44
Wiper blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-46
• Blade inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-46
• Blade replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-46
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-\
49
• For best battery service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-49
• Battery recharging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-50
• Recharging battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-51
• Reset items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-51\
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-52
• Tire care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
7-52
• Recommended cold tire inflation pressures . . . . . . . 7-52
• Tire pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-53
• Checking tire inflation pressure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-53
• Tire rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-54
• Wheel alignment and tire balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-55
• Tire replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-56
• Wheel replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-57
• Tire traction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-57
• Tire maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-57
• Tire sidewall labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-57
• All season tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-64
• Summer tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-64
• Snow tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-\
64
• Radial-ply tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-64
• Low aspect ratio tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-65
7

73
Maintenance
ENGINE COMPARTMENT
OUM074100L
■ ■Gasoline Engine (Theta II 2.4L) - GDI
❈The actual engine room in the vehicle may differ from the illustration. 1. Engine coolant reservoir
2. Engine oil filler cap
3. Brake fluid reservoir
4. Air cleaner
5. Fuse box
6. Positive battery terminal
7. Negative battery terminal
8. Radiator cap
9. Engine oil dipstick
10. Windshield washer fluid reservoir

Maintenance
47
OUM074115L
■ ■Gasoline Engine (Theta II 2.0L) – T-GDI❈ The actual engine compartment in the vehicle may differ from the illustration. 1. Engine coolant reservoir
2. Engine oil filler cap
3. Brake fluid reservoir
4. Air cleaner
5. Fuse box
6. Positive battery terminal
7. Negative battery terminal
8. Engine oil dipstick
9. Radiator cap
10. Windshield washer fluid reservoir

75
Maintenance
OUMA074001
1. Engine coolant reservoir
2. Engine oil filler cap
3. Brake fluid reservoir
4. Air cleaner
5. Fuse box
6. Positive battery terminal
7. Negative battery terminal
8. Engine oil dipstick
9. Windshield washer fluid reservoir
10. Radiator cap
■ ■Gasoline engine (Lambda II 3.3L) – GDI❈ The actual engine compartment in the vehicle may differ from the illustration.