2019 KIA SOUL EV suspension

Driving your vehicle
46
5
Tire chains
Since the sidewalls of radial tires are
thinner, they can be damaged by
mounting some types of snow chains
on them. Therefore, the use of snow
tires is recommended instead of
snow chains. Do not mount tire
chains on vehicles equipped with
aluminum wheels; snow chains may
cause damage to the wheels. If snow
chains must be used, use wire-type
chains with a thickness of less than
0.59 in (15 mm). Damage to your
vehicle caused by improper snow
chain use is not covered by your
vehicle manufacturers warranty. When using tire chains, install them
on the front tires only.
Chain installation
When installing chains, follow the
manufacturer's instructions and
mount them as tightly as you can.
Drive slowly with chains installed. If
you hear the chains contacting the
body or chassis, stop and tighten
them. If they still make contact, slow
down until it stops. Remove the
chains as soon as you begin driving
on cleared roads.
When mounting snow chains, park
the vehicle on level ground away from
traffic. Turn on the vehicle Hazard
Warning flashers and place a triangu-
lar emergency warning device behind
the vehicle if available. Always place
the vehicle in P (Park), apply the
parking brake and turn off the vehicle
before installing snow chains.
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.
OPSE058263N
CAUTION- Snow chains
Make sure the snow chains arethe correct size and type foryour tires. Incorrect snowchains can cause damage to thevehicle body and suspensionand may not be covered by yourvehicle manufacturer warranty.

547
Driving your vehicle
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 7. 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 7. The level of charge in
your battery can be checked by an
authorized Kia dealer or a service
station.
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 coolant or
other types of anti-freeze as these
may damage the paint finish.
Don’t let your parking brake
freeze
Under some conditions your parking
brake can freeze in the engaged
position. This is most likely to happen
when there is an accumulation of
snow or ice around or near the rear
brakes or if the brakes are wet. If
there is a risk the parking brake may
freeze, apply it only temporarily while
you put the gear shift lever in P
(Park, automatic transaxle) or in first
or reverse gear (manual transaxle)
and block the rear wheels so the
vehicle cannot roll. Then release the
parking brake.
CAUTION- Snow chains
Chains that are the wrong sizeor improperly installed candamage your vehicle's brakelines, suspension, body andwheels.
Stop driving and retighten the chains any time you hear themhitting the vehicle.

Maintenance
47
(Continued)
• Wash the undercarriage of yourvehicle regularly during the win-
ter and whenever your vehicle has
been exposed to such salts or
chemicals.
• Do a thorough washing of the undercarriage at the end of the
winter.
• Use professional service techni- cians or governmental inspection
stations to annually inspect for
corrosion.
• Immediately seek an inspection of your vehicle if you become visual-
ly aware of corrosion flaking or
scaling or if you become aware of
a change in vehicle performance,
such as soft or spongy brakes, flu-
ids leaking, impairment of direc-
tional control, suspension noises
or rattling metal straps.
NHTSA further advises that after
a vehicle is 7 years old, it is essen-
tial that you take these indicated
maintenance steps to ensure that
you protect yourself from unsafe
corrosion conditions.Owner maintenance precau-
tions
Improper or incomplete service may
result in problems. This section gives
instructions only for the maintenance
items that are easy to perform.
As explained earlier in this section,
several procedures can be done only
by an authorized Kia dealer with spe-
cial tools.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
Improper owner maintenance dur-
ing the warranty period may affect
warranty coverage. For details, read
the separate Warranty & Consumer
Information manual provided with
the vehicle. If you're unsure about
any servicing or maintenance proce-
dure, have it done by an authorized
Kia dealer.
WARNING- Maintenance
work
Do not wear jewelry or loose
clothing while working under
the hood of your vehicle with
ready ( ) mode. These items
can become entangled in mov-
ing parts, if you must run the
vehicle in the ready ( ) mode
while working under the hood,
make certain that you remove
all jewelry (especially rings,
bracelets, watches, and neck-
laces) and all neckties, scarves,
and similar loose clothing
before getting near cooling
fans.

Maintenance
10
7
NORMAL MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE
R : Replace
I : Inspect and if necessary, adjust, correct, clean or replace
Number of months or driving distance, whichever comes first
Months1224364860728496
Milesx1,0001020304050607080
Kmx1,000153045607590105120
Brake lines, hoses and connectionsInspect at first, 7,500 miles (12,000 km) or 6 months
after that, every 15,000 miles (24,000 km) or 12 months
Brake pedalInspect at first, 7,500 miles (12,000 km) or 6 months
after that, every 15,000 miles (24,000 km) or 12 months
Brake fluidInspect at first, 7,500 miles (12,000 km) or 6 months
after that, every 15,000 miles (24,000 km) or 12 months
Steering gear rack, linkage and bootsInspect at first, 7,500 miles (12,000 km) or 6 months
after that, every 15,000miles (24,000 km) or 12 months
Suspension ball jointsInspect at first, 7,500 miles (12,000 km) or 6 months
after that, every 15,000 miles (24,000 km) or 12 months
Tire (pressure & tread wear)
Check low or under-inflation of tire (Every time before driving)
Check the inflation pressures of all tires including the spare (At least mo\
nthly) Rotate tires - including tire pressure and tread wear (Every 6,500 miles (10,000 km) or 6 months)
12V Battery conditionInspect at first, 7,500 miles (12,000 km) or 6 months
after that, every 15,000 miles (24,000 km) or 12 months
MAINTENANCE INTERVALS
MAINTENANCE
ITEM

Maintenance
12
7
SEVERE DRIVING CONDITIONS
A : Repeatedly driving short distance of less than 8 km (5
miles) in normal temperature or less than 16 km (10 miles)
in freezing temperature.
B : Extensive low speed driving for long distances.
C : Driving on rough, dusty, muddy, unpaved, graveled or salt- spread roads.
D : Driving in areas using salt or other corrosive materials or in very cold weather E : Driving in heavy dust condition
F : Driving in heavy traffic area
G : Driving on uphill, downhill, or mountain roads.
H : Towing a trailer or using a camper on roof rack.
I : Driving for patrol car, taxi, commercial car or vehicle towing.
J : Driving in very cold weather.
K : Driving over 106 mph (170 km/h).
L : Frequently driving in stop-and-go conditions.
Maintenance itemMaintenance
operationMaintenance intervalsDriving
condition
Steering gear rack, linkage and bootsIInspect more frequently
depending on the conditionC, D, E, F, G, H, I, K
Front suspension ball jointsRReplace more frequently
depending on the conditionC, E, G

Maintenance
14
7
Brake fluid
Check the brake fluid level in the
brake fluid reservoir. The level should
be between “MIN” and “MAX” marks
on the side of the reservoir. Use only
hydraulic brake fluid conforming to
DOT 3 or DOT 4 specification.
Brake discs, pads, calipers
and rotors
Check the pads for excessive wear,
discs for run out and wear, and
calipers for fluid leakage.
Suspension mounting bolts
Check the suspension connections
for looseness or damage. Retighten
to the specified torque.
Steering gear box, linkage &
boots/lower arm ball joint
With the vehicle stopped and off,
check for excessive free-play in the
steering wheel.
Check the linkage for bends or dam-
age. Check the dust boots and ball
joints for deterioration, cracks, or
damage. Replace any damaged
parts.
Drive shafts and boots
Check the drive shafts, boots and
clamps for cracks, deterioration, or
damage. Replace any damaged
parts and, if necessary, repack the
grease.
Air conditioning refrigerant
Check the air conditioning lines and
connections for leakage and dam-
age.

769
Maintenance
Finish damage repair
Deep scratches or stone chips in the
painted surface must be repaired
promptly. Exposed metal will quickly
rust and may develop into a major
repair expense.
✽ ✽NOTICE
If your vehicle is damaged and
requires any metal repair or
replacement, be sure the body shop
applies anti-corrosion materials to
the parts repaired or replaced.
Bright-metal maintenance
To remove road tar and insects,
use a tar remover, not a scraper or
other sharp object.
To protect the surfaces of bright- metal parts from corrosion, apply a
coating of wax or chrome preser-
vative and rub to a high luster.
During winter weather or in coastal areas, cover the bright metal parts
with a heavier coating of wax or
preservative. If necessary, coat the
parts with non-corrosive petroleum
jelly or other protective compound.
Underbody maintenance
Road salt and other corrosive chemi-
cals are used in cold weather states to
melt snow and prevent ice accumula-
tion. If these chemicals are not regu-
larly removed, they will corrode the
vehicle underbody and over time dam-
age fuel lines, the fuel tank retention
system, the vehicle suspension, the
exhaust system, and even the body
frame. The National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration has warned all
vehicle owners of all brands of the
need to take the following steps: Wash the undercarriage of your
vehicle regularly during the winter
and whenever your vehicle has
been exposed to such salts or
chemicals.
Do a thorough washing of the undercarriage at the end of the
winter.
Use professional service techni- cians or governmental inspection
stations to annually inspect for cor-
rosion.
Immediately seek an inspection of your vehicle if you become visually
aware of corrosion flaking or scal-
ing or if you become aware of a
change in vehicle performance,
such as soft or spongy brakes, flu-
ids leaking, impairment of direc-
tional control, suspension noises
or rattling metal straps.
CAUTION- Drying vehicle
Wiping dust or dirt off the body with a dry cloth willscratch the finish.
Do not use steel wool, abra- sive cleaners, acid detergentsor strong detergents contain-ing high alkaline or causticagents on chrome-plated oranodized aluminum parts.This may result in damage tothe protective coating andcause discoloration or paintdeterioration.