6109
Driving your vehicle
Driving off-road
Drive carefully off-road because your
vehicle may be damaged by rocks or
roots of trees. Become familiar with
the off-road conditions where you
are going to drive before you begin
driving.
Highway driving
Tires
Adjust the tire inflation pressures to
specification. Low tire inflation pres-
sures will result in overheating and
possible failure of the tires.
Avoid using worn or damaged tires
which may result in reduced traction
or tire failure.
Never exceed the maximum tire
inflation pressure shown on the tires.
Fuel, engine coolant and engineoil
High speed travel consumes more
fuel than urban motoring. Do not for-
get to check both the engine coolant
and engine oil.
Drive belt
A loose or damaged drive belt may
result in overheating of the engine.
WARNING- Under/over inflated tires
Always check the tires for proper
inflation before driving.
Underinflated or overinflated
tires can cause poor handling,
loss of vehicle control, and sud-
den tire failure leading to acci-
dents, injuries, and even death.
For proper tire pressures, refer to
“Tires and wheels” in section 9.
WARNING- Tire tread
Always check the tire tread
before driving your vehicle.
Worn-out tires can result in loss
of vehicle control. Worn-out tires
should be replaced as soon as
possible. For further information
and tread limits, refer to "Tires
and wheels" in section 8.
Driving your vehicle
110
6
Severe weather conditions in the
winter result in greater wear and
other problems. To minimize the
problems of winter driving, you
should follow these suggestions:
Snowy or icy conditions
To drive your vehicle in deep snow, it
may be necessary to use snow tires
or to install tire chains on your tires.
If snow tires are needed, it is neces-
sary to select tires equivalent in size
and type of the original equipment
tires. Failure to do so may adversely
affect the safety and handling of your
vehicle. Furthermore, speeding,
rapid acceleration, sudden brake
applications, and sharp turns are
potentially very hazardous practices.
During deceleration, use engine
braking to the fullest extent. Sudden
brake applications on snowy or icy
roads may cause skids to occur. You
need to keep sufficient distance
between the vehicle in operation in
front of your vehicle. Also, apply the
brake gently. It should be noted that
installing tire chains on the tire will
provide a greater driving force, but
will not prevent side skids.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
Tire chains are not legal in all states.
Check state laws before fitting tire
chains.
Snow tires
If you mount snow tires on your vehi-
cle, make sure they are radial tires of
the same size and load range as the
original tires. Mount snow tires on all
four wheels to balance your vehicle’s
handling in all weather conditions.
Keep in mind that the traction provid-
ed by snow tires on dry roads may
not be as high as your vehicle's orig-
inal equipment tires. You should drive
cautiously even when the roads are
clear. Check with the tire dealer for
maximum speed recommendations.
Do not install studded tires without
first checking local, state and munic-ipal regulations for possible restric-tions against their use.
WINTER DRIVING
1VQA3005
WARNING- Snow tire size
Snow tires should be equivalent
in size and type to the vehicle's
standard tires. Otherwise, the
safety and handling of your vehi-
cle may be adversely affected.
Driving your vehicle
112
6
Use high quality ethylene gly-
col coolant
Your vehicle is delivered with high qual-
ity ethylene glycol coolant in the cool-
ing system. It is the only type of coolant
that should be used because it helps
prevent corrosion in the cooling sys-
tem, lubricates the water pump and
prevents freezing. Be sure to replace
or replenish your coolant in accor-
dance with the maintenance schedule
in section 8. Before winter, have your
coolant tested to assure that its freez-
ing point is sufficient for the tempera-
tures 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 8. The level of charge in your
battery can be checked by an author-
ized 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 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 section 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.
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 finish.
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.
73
What to do in an emergency
If the engine stalls at a cross-
road or crossing
If the engine stalls at a crossroad or
crossing, set the shift lever in the N
(Neutral) position and then push the
vehicle to a safe place.
If you have a flat tire while
driving
If a tire goes flat while you are driv-
ing:
1.Take your foot off the acceleratorpedal and let the vehicle slow
down while driving straight ahead.
Do not apply the brakes immedi-
ately or attempt to pull off the road
as this may cause a loss of control.
When the vehicle has slowed to
such a speed that it is safe to do
so, brake carefully and pull off the
road. Drive off the road as far as
possible and park on a firm level
ground. If you are on a divided
highway, do not park in the median
area between the two traffic lanes. 2.When the vehicle is stopped, turn
on your emergency hazard flash-
ers, set the parking brake and put
the transaxle in P (Park, automatic
transaxle) or reverse (manual
transaxle).
3.Have all passengers get out of the vehicle. Be sure they all get out on
the side of the vehicle that is away
from traffic.
4.When changing a flat tire, follow the instruction provided later in this
section.
If the engine stalls while driv-
ing
1.Reduce your speed gradually,keeping a straight line. Move cau-
tiously off the road to a safe place.
2.Turn on your emergency flashers.
3.Try to start the engine again. If your vehicle will not start, contact an
authorized Kia dealer or seek other
qualified assistance.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
If there was a check engine light and
loss of power or stall and if safe to do
so to wait at least 10 seconds to
restart the vehicle after it stalls. This
may reset the car so it will no longer
run at low power (limp home) condi-
tion.
IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY WHILE DRIVING
What to do in an emergency
47
IF THE ENGINE WILL NOT START
If engine doesn't turn over or
turns over slowly
1.If your vehicle has an automatictransaxle, be sure the shift lever is
in N (Neutral) or P (Park) and the
emergency brake is set.
2.Check the battery connections to be sure they are clean and tight.
3.Turn on the interior light. If the light dims or goes out when you operate
the starter, the battery is dis-
charged.
4.Check the starter connections to be sure they are securely tight-
ened.
5.Do not push or pull the vehicle to start it. See instructions for "Jump
starting".
If engine turns over normally
but does not start
1.Check the fuel level.
2.With the ignition switch in theLOCK position, check all connec-
tors at the ignition coils and spark
plugs. Reconnect any that may be
disconnected or loose.
3.Check the fuel line in the engine compartment.
4.If the engine still does not start, call an authorized Kia dealer or seek
other qualified assistance.
WARNING- Push/pull
start
Do not push or pull the vehicle
to start it. Push or pull starting
may cause the catalytic con-
verter to overload and create a
fire hazard.
77
What to do in an emergency
✽
✽NOTICE
Make sure to connect one end of the
jumper cable to the negative termi-
nal of the booster battery, and the
other end to a metalic point, far
away from the battery.
5.Start the engine of the vehicle with
the booster battery and let it run at
2,000 rpm, then start the engine of
the vehicle with the discharged
battery.
If the cause of your battery discharg-ing is not apparent, you should haveyour vehicle checked by an author-ized Kia dealer.
Push-starting
Vehicles equipped with automatic
transaxle lock system cannot be
push-started.
Follow the directions in this section
for jump-starting.
WARNING- Tow starting
vehicle
Never tow a vehicle to start it
because the sudden surge for-
ward when the engine starts
could cause a collision with the
tow vehicle.
What to do in an emergency
87
IF THE ENGINE OVERHEATS
If your temperature gauge indicates
overheating, you experience a loss
of power, or hear loud pinging or
knocking, the engine will probably be
too hot. If this happens, you should:
1.Pull off the road and stop as soonas it is safe to do so.
2.Place the shift lever in P (Park, automatic transaxle) or Neutral
(manual transaxle) and set the
parking brake. If the air condition-
ing is on, turn it off.
3.If engine coolant is running out under the vehicle or steam is com-
ing out from underneath the hood,
stop the engine. Do not open the
hood until the coolant has stopped
running or the steaming has
stopped. If there is no visible loss
of engine coolant and no steam,
leave the engine running and
check to be sure the engine cool-
ing fan is operating. If the fan is not
running, turn the engine off. 4.Check to see if the water pump
drive belt is missing. If it is not
missing, check to see that it is
tight. If the drive belt seems to be
satisfactory, check for coolant leak-
ing from the radiator, hoses or
under the vehicle. (If the air condi-
tioning had been in use, it is nor-
mal for cold water to be draining
from it when you stop).
5.If the water pump drive belt is bro- ken or engine coolant is leaking
out, stop the engine immediately
and call the nearest authorized Kia
dealer for assistance. 6.If you cannot find the cause of the
overheating, wait until the engine
temperature has returned to nor-
mal. Then, if coolant has been lost,
carefully add coolant to the reser-
voir to bring the fluid level in the
reservoir up to the halfway mark.
7.Proceed with caution, keeping alert for further signs of overheat-
ing. If overheating happens again,
call an authorized Kia dealer for
assistance.
Serious loss of coolant indicates
there is a leak in the cooling system
and this should be checked as soon
as possible by an authorized Kia
dealer.
WARNING - Under the hood
While the engine is running, keep hair,
hands and clothing
away from moving
parts such as the fan
and drive belts to pre-
vent injury.
WARNING - Radiator cap
Do not remove the
radiator cap when the
engine is hot. This
may result in coolant
being blown out of
the opening and
cause serious burns.
What to do in an emergency
10
7
Your vehicle has also been equipped
with a TPMS malfunction indicator to
indicate when the system is not oper-
ating properly. The TPMS malfunction
indicator is combined with the low tire
pressure telltale. When the system
detects a malfunction, the telltale will
flash for approximately one minute
and then remain continuously illumi-
nated. This sequence will continue
upon subsequent vehicle start-ups as
long as the malfunction exists. When
the malfunction indicator is illuminat-
ed, the system may not be able to
detect or signal low tire pressure as
intended. TPMS malfunctions may
occur for a variety of reasons, includ-
ing the installation of replacement or
alternate tires or wheels on the vehi-
cle that prevent the TPMS from func-
tioning properly. Always check the
TPMS malfunction telltale after
replacing one or more tires or wheels
on your vehicle to ensure that the
replacement or alternate tires and
wheels allow the TPMS to continue to
function properly.✽ ✽
NOTICE
If the TPMS, Low Tire Pressure
indicator do not illuminate for 3 sec-
onds when the ignition switch is
turned to the ON position or engine
is running, or if they remain illumi-
nated after coming on for approxi-
mately 3 seconds, take your vehicle
to your nearest authorized Kia deal-
er and have the system checked.
Low tire pressure tell-
tale
When the tire pressure monitoring
system warning indicators are illumi-
nated, one or more of your tires is
significantly under-inflated.
If the telltale illuminates, immediately
reduce your speed, avoid hard cor-
nering and anticipate increased stop-
ping distances. You should stop and
check your tires as soon as possible.
Inflate the tires to the proper pres-
sure as indicated on the vehicle’s
placard or tire inflation pressure label
located on the driver’s side center pil-
lar outer panel. If you cannot reach a
service station or if the tire cannot
hold the newly added air, replace the
low pressure tire with the spare tire.