2019 KIA SOUL Owners Manual

631
Driving your vehicle
Transmission ranges
The indicator in the instrument clus-
ter displays the shift lever position
when the ignition switch is in the ON
position.
P (Park)
If you have done all of the above and
still cannot shift the lever out of P
(Park), see “Shift-Lock Release” in
this chapter.
WARNING
Shifting into P (Park) while thevehicle is in motion may
cause you to lose control of
the vehicle.
After the vehicle has stopped, always make sure the shift
lever is in P (Park), apply the
parking brake, and turn the
engine off.
When parking on an incline, block the wheels to prevent
the vehicle from rolling down.
For safety, always engage the parking brake with the shift
lever in the P (Park) position
except for the case of emer-
gency parking.
Do not use the P (Park) posi- tion in place of the parking
brake.
CAUTION
-
Holding the Vehicle Using
Accelerator Pedal
Do not attempt to hold yourvehicle on a hill by applying theaccelerator pedal. This cancause your clutch and transmis-sion to be damaged as a resultof overheating.

Driving your vehicle
32
6
R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward.
N (Neutral)
The wheels and transmission are not
engaged.
Use N (Neutral) if you need to restart
a stalled engine, or if it is necessary
to stop with the engine ON. Shift into
P (Park) if you need to leave your
vehicle for any reason.
Always depress the brake pedal
when you are shifting from N
(Neutral) to another gear. D (Drive)
This is the normal driving position.
The transmission will automatically
shift through a seven-gear
sequence, providing the best fuel
economy and power.
For extra power when passing anoth-
er vehicle or driving uphill depress
the accelerator pedal further until
you feel the transmission downshift
to a lower gear.
The DRIVE MODE switch, located
on the shift lever console, allows the
driver to switch from NORMAL mode
to SPORT or ECO mode. (if
equipped)
For more information, refer to “Drive
Mode Integrated Control System”
later in this chapter.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
Always ensure vehicle is stationary,
at a complete stop, before selecting
D (Drive).
WARNING
The transmission will auto-
matically shift through a
seven-gear sequence, provid-
ing the best fuel economy and
power.
For extra power when passing
another vehicle or driving
uphill depress the accelerator
pedal further until you feel the
transmission downshift to a
lower gear.
Do not drive with the shift lever in N (Neutral).
The vehicle will not exhibit
engine braking in N (Neutral).
CAUTION
Always come to a complete stopbefore shifting into or out of R(Reverse); you may damage thetransmission if you shift into R(Reverse) while the vehicle is inmotion.

633
Driving your vehicle
Sports mode
Whether the vehicle is stationary or
in motion, sports mode is selected by
pushing the shift lever from the D
(Drive) position into the manual gate.
To return to D (Drive) range opera-
tion, push the shift lever back into the
main gate.
In Sports Mode, moving the shift
lever backwards and forwards will
allow you to select the desired range
of gears for the current driving condi-
tions.+ (Up) : Push the lever forward once
to shift up one gear.
- (Down) : Pull the lever backwards once to shift down one
gear.
✽ ✽NOTICE
• Only the seven forward gears can
be selected. To reverse or park the
vehicle, move the shift lever to the
R (Reverse) or P (Park) position as
required.
• Downshifts are made automatical- ly when the vehicle slows down.
When the vehicle stops, 1st gear is
automatically selected.
• When the engine rpm approaches the red zone the transmission will
upshift automatically.
• If the driver presses the lever to + (Up) or - (Down) position, the trans-
mission may not make the request-
ed gear change if the next gear is
outside of the allowable engine rpm
range. The driver must execute
upshifts in accordance with road
conditions, taking care to keep the
engine rpms below the red zone.
OPS053009
Sports mode
+ +
+ +


( (
( (
U U
U U
P P
P P
) )
) )
- -
- -


( (
( (
D D
D D
O O
O O
W W
W W
N N
N N
) )
) )

Driving your vehicle
34
6
Shift lock system (if equipped)
For your safety, the Dual clutch trans-
mission has a shift lock system
which prevents shifting the transaxle
from P (Park) into R (Reverse)
unless the brake pedal is depressed.
To shift the transaxle from P (Park) or
N (Neutral) into R (Reverse):
1. Depress and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine or turn the ignition
switch to the ON position.
3. Move the shift lever.
If the brake pedal is repeatedly
depressed and released with the shift
lever in the P (Park) position, a chat-
tering noise near the shift lever may
be heard. This is a normal condition. Shift-lock override
If the shift lever cannot be moved
from the P (Park) position into R
(Reverse) position with the brake
pedal depressed, continue depress-
ing the brake, then do the following:
1. Carefully remove the cap covering
the shift-lock override access hole.
2. Insert a screwdriver into the access hole and press down on
the screwdriver.
3. Move the shift lever.
4. Have your vehicle inspected by an authorized Kia dealer immediately. Ignition key interlock system
(if equipped)
The ignition key cannot be removed
unless the shift lever is in the P
(Park) position.
Parking
Always come to a complete stop and
continue to depress the brake pedal.
Move the shift lever into the P (Park)
position, apply the parking brake,
and place the ignition switch in the
LOCK/OFF position. Take the Key
with you when exiting the vehicle.
WARNING
Always fully depress the brake
pedal before and while shifting
out of the P (Park) position into
another position to avoid inad-
vertent motion of the vehicle
which could injure persons in
or around the car.
OPS053010

635
Driving your vehicle
Good driving practices
Never move the shift lever from P(Park) or N (Neutral) to any other
position with the accelerator pedal
depressed.
Never move the shift lever into P (Park) when the vehicle is in motion.
Be sure the car is completely stopped before you attempt to shift
into R (Reverse) or D (Drive).
Never take the car out of gear and coast down a hill. This may be
extremely hazardous. Always leave
the car in gear when moving.
Do not "ride" the brakes. This can cause them to overheat and mal-
function. Instead, when you are
driving down a long hill, slow down
and shift to a lower gear. When you
do this, engine braking will help
slow the car.
Slow down before shifting to a lower gear. Otherwise, the lower
gear may not be engaged.
Always use the parking brake. Do not depend on placing the
transaxle in P (Park) to keep the
car from moving. Exercise extreme caution when
driving on a slippery surface. Be
especially careful when braking,
accelerating or shifting gears. On a
slippery surface, an abrupt change
in vehicle speed can cause the
drive wheels to lose traction and
the vehicle to go out of control.
Optimum vehicle performance and economy is obtained by smoothly
depressing and releasing the
accelerator pedal.WARNING
When you stay in the vehicle
with the engine running, be
careful not to depress the accel-
erator pedal for a long period of
time. The engine or exhaust
system may overheat and start
a fire.
The exhaust gas and the
exhaust system are very hot.
Keep away from the exhaust
system components.
Do not stop or park over flam-
mable materials, such as dry
grass, paper or leaves. They
may ignite and cause a fire.

Driving your vehicle
36
6
Kickdown Mechanism
(if equipped)
Use the kickdown mechanism for
maximum acceleration. Depress the
accelerator pedal beyond the pres-
sure point. The transaxle will shift to
a lower gear depending on the
engine speed.
Moving up a steep grade from astanding start
To move up a steep grade from a
standing start, depress the brake
pedal, shift the shift lever to D(Drive).
Select the appropriate gear depend-
ing on load weight and steepness of
the grade, and release the parking
brake. Depress the accelerator grad-
ually while releasing the brake pedal.
WARNING
To reduce the risk of SERIOUS
INJURY or DEATH:
ALWAYS wear your seatbelt. In a collision, an unbelted
occupant is significantly more
likely to be seriously injured
or killed than a properly belt-
ed occupant.
Avoid high speeds when cor- nering or turning.
Do not make quick steering wheel movements, such as
sharp lane changes or fast,
sharp turns.
The risk of rollover is greatly increased if you lose control
of your vehicle at highway
speeds.
Loss of control often occurs if two or more wheels drop off
the roadway and the driver
over steers to reenter the
roadway.
(Continued)
(Continued)
In the event your vehicleleaves the roadway, do not
steer sharply. Instead, slow
down before pulling back into
the travel lanes.
Kia recommends you follow all posted speed limits.
WARNING
If your vehicle becomes stuck in
snow, mud, sand, etc., then you
may attempt to rock the vehicle
free by moving it forward and
backward. Do not attempt this
procedure if people or objects
are anywhere near the vehicle.
During the rocking operation the
vehicle may suddenly move for-
ward or backward as it becomes
unstuck, causing injury or dam-
age to nearby people or objects.

637
Driving your vehicle
Power brakes
Your vehicle has power-assisted
brakes that adjust automatically
through normal usage.
In the event that the power-assisted
brakes lose power because of a
stalled engine or some other reason,
you can still stop your vehicle by
applying greater force to the brake
pedal than you normally would. The
stopping distance, however, will be
longer.
When the engine is not running, the
reserve brake power is partially
depleted each time the brake pedal
is applied. Do not pump the brake
pedal when the power assist has
been interrupted.
Pump the brake pedal only when
necessary to maintain steering con-
trol on slippery surfaces.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.
BRAKE SYSTEM
WARNING- Steep hill
braking
Avoid continuous application of
the brakes when descending a
long or steep hill by shifting to a
lower gear. Continuous brake
application will cause the
brakes to overheat and could
result in a temporary loss of
braking performance.
CAUTION- Brake Pedal
Do not drive with your foot rest- ing on the brake pedal. This willcreate abnormally high braketemperatures which can causeexcessive brake lining and padwear.

Driving your vehicle
38
6
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
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 vehi-
cle, use great caution in apply-
ing the brake.CAUTION- Parking brake
Driving with the parking brake
applied will cause excessivebrake pad (or lining) and brakerotor wear.
WARNING- Brake wear
Do not ignore high pitched
whining sounds from your
brakes. If you ignore this audi-
ble warning, you will eventually
lose braking performance,
which could lead to a serious
accident.