2020 KIA FORTE transmission

Driving your vehicle
18
5
Manual transmission opera-
tionThe manual transmission has 6 for-
ward gears.
This shift pattern is imprinted on the
shift knob. The transmission is fully
synchronized in all forward gears so
shifting to either a higher or a lower
gear is easily accomplished.
Depress the clutch pedal down fully
while shifting, then release it slowly.
If your vehicle is equipped with an
ignition lock switch, the engine will
not start when starting the engine
without depressing the clutch pedal.
The shift lever must be returned to
the neutral position before shifting
into R (Reverse).
Push the button located immediately
below the shift knob and pull the
gearshift lever to the left sufficiently,
and then shift into the reverse (R)
gear position.
Make sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before shifting into R(Reverse).
Never operate the engine with thetachometer (rpm) in the red zone.
MANUAL TRANSMISSION (IF EQUIPPED)
CAUTION
When downshifting from fifth gear to fourth gear, cautionshould be taken not to inad-vertently press the shift leversideways in such a mannerthat the second gear isengaged. Such a drasticdownshift may cause theengine speed to increase tothe point that the tachometerwill enter the red-zone. Suchover-revving of the engine andtransmission may possiblycause engine damage.
Do not downshift more than 2 gears or downshift the gearwhen the engine is running athigh speed (5,000 RPM orhigher). Such a downshift maydamage the engine, clutch andthe transmission.
OYB056058
The button (1) should be pressed when
moving the shift lever into reverse.
The shift lever can be moved without
pulling the button (1).

519
Driving your vehicle
During cold weather, shifting maybe difficult until the transmission
lubricant is warmed up. This is nor-
mal and not harmful to the trans-
mission.
If you've come to a complete stop and it's hard to shift into the 1st or
R (Reverse), leave the shift lever at
the N (Neutral) position and
release the clutch. Press the clutch
pedal back down, and then shift
into the 1st or R (Reverse) gear
position.
WARNING
Before leaving the driver’sseat, always set the parking
brake fully and shut the
engine off. Then make sure the
transmission is shifted into
1st gear when the vehicle is
parked on a level or uphill
grade, and shifted into R
(Reverse) on a downhill grade.
Unexpected and sudden vehi-
cle movement can occur if
these precautions are not fol-
lowed in the order identified.
Do not use the engine brake (shifting from a high gear to
lower gear) rapidly on slip-
pery roads.
The vehicle may slip, causing
an accident.
CAUTION
To avoid premature clutch wear and damage, do notdrive with your foot resting onthe clutch pedal. Also, don’tuse the clutch to hold thevehicle stopped on an uphillgrade, while waiting for a traf-fic light, etc.
Do not use the shift lever as a handrest during driving, asthis can result in prematurewear of the transmission shiftforks.
To prevent possible damage to the clutch system, do notstart with the 2nd (second)gear engaged except whenyou start on a slippery road.

521
Driving your vehicle
Good driving practices
Never take the vehicle out of gearand coast down a hill. This is
extremely hazardous. Always leave
the vehicle in gear.
Don't "ride" the brakes. This can cause them to overheat and mal-
function. Instead, when you are driv-
ing down a long hill, shift to a lower
gear. When you do this, engine brak-
ing will help slow down the vehicle.
Slow down before shifting to a lower gear. This will help avoid
over-revving the engine, which can
cause damage.
Slow down when you encounter cross winds. This gives you much
better control of your vehicle.
Be sure the vehicle is completely stopped before you attempt to shift
into reverse. The transmission can
be damaged if you do not.WARNING
Always buckle-up! In a colli-sion, an unbelted occupant is
significantly more likely to be
seriously injured or killed than
a properly belted 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.
In the event your vehicle leaves the roadway, do not
steer sharply. Instead, slow
down before pulling back into
the travel lanes.
Never exceed posted speed limits.
WARNING
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
lose control.

Driving your vehicle
22
5
Dual clutch transmission oper-
ation
The dual clutch transmission has 7
forward speeds and one reverse
speed.
The individual speeds are selected
automatically in the D (Drive) posi-
tion.
DUAL CLUTCH TRANSMISSION (DCT) (IF EQUIPPED)
OBD058005
The shift lever can be shifted freely. Press the lock release button when shifting. Depress the brake pedal and the lock release button when shifting.
❈ To move the shift lever from/to P(Parking) or between R(Reverse) and D(Drive), you
must depress the brake pedal for the vehicle to stand still.

523
Driving your vehicle
The Dual Clutch Transmissiongives the driving feel of a manual
transmission, yet provides the
ease of a fully automatic transmis-
sion. Unlike a traditional automatic
transmission, the gear shifting can
be felt (and heard) on the dual
clutch transmission
- Think of it as an automaticallyshifting manual transmission.
- Shift into Drive mode and get fully automatic shifting, similar to a con-
ventional automatic transmission.
Dual clutch transmission adopts a dry-type dual clutch, which is dif-
ferent from the torque converter of
a automatic transmission, and
shows better acceleration perform-
ance during driving, but the initial
launch might be little bit slower
than an Automatic Transmission.
The dry-type clutch transfers torque and provides a direct driving feeling
which may feel different from a con-
ventional automatic transmission
with a torque converter. This may be
more noticeable when starting from
a stop or low vehicle speed. When rapidly accelerating at low
vehicle speed, the engine may rev
at a higher rpm depending on vehi-
cle drive condition.
For a smooth launching uphill, press down the accelerator pedal
smoothly depending on the current
conditions.
If you release your foot from the accelerator pedal at low vehicle
speed, you may feel strong engine
braking, which is similar to a man-
ual transmission.
When driving downhill, you may use Sports Mode to downshift to a
lower gear in order to control your
speed without using the brake
pedal excessively.
When you turn the engine on and off, you may hear clicking sounds
as the system goes through a self
test. This is a normal sound for the
Dual Clutch Transmission.
WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious
injury or death:
ALWAYS check the surround-ing areas near your vehicle for
people, especially children,
before shifting a vehicle into
D (Drive) or R (Reverse).
Before leaving the driver’s seat, always make sure the
shift lever is in the P (Park)
position, then set the parking
brake, and place the ignition
switch in the LOCK/OFF posi-
tion. Unexpected and sudden
vehicle movement can occur
if these precautions are not
followed.
Do not use engine braking (shifting from a high gear to
lower gear) rapidly on slip-
pery roads. The vehicle may
slip causing an accident.

Driving your vehicle
24
5
LCD display for transmission
temperature and warning mes-
sage
Transmission temperature Gauge
Select trip computer mode on the
LCD display and move to the trans-
mission temperature screen to see
the temperature of the dual clutch
transmission.
WARNING
In the case of a transmission
failure, the vehicle may not
move and the position indicator
(D, R) will blink on the cluster. In
this situation, have the system
checked by a professional
workshop. Kia recommends to
visit an authorized Kia
dealer/service partner.
OBDM059141L
OBDM059142L
■ Type A
■Type B
OBDM059147L
OBDM059148L
■Type A
■Type B

525
Driving your vehicle
Try to drive so that the temperaturegauge does not indicate a high
temperature/overheating. When
the transmission is overheated, the
warning message will display on
the LCD. Follow the displayed mes-
sage.
The transmission temperature is displayed in three colors (white,
orange and red) as the tempera-
ture increases (if equipped with the
color type cluster). The tempera-
ture gauge is displayed in one
color (white) if equipped with the
mono type cluster.
An orange temperature gauge is dis-played right before the warning
message appears on the LCD dis-
play. (if equipped)
Normal (below marking 10)
In order to maintain the optimalgear shift performance, drive so that
the temperature gauge is below the
point (below marking10) .✽ ✽
NOTICE
The transmission temperature may
increase rapidly if clutch slip occurs
excessively due to repeated stop-
and-go driving on steep grades and
when Hill Hold is maintained for a
long time. In order to prevent exces-
sive temperature increase, use the
brake during low speed driving or
when stopping the vehicle on a hill.
CAUTION
An increased or high tempera-
ture on the transmission tem-perature gauge can appearwhen the vehicle is on an inclineand stopped for a long timeusing the accelerator pedal andwithout depressing the brakepedal.
OBDM059141L
OBDM059142L
■ Type A
■Type B

527
Driving your vehicle
The DCT warning alarm sounds,
the warning message is displayed
on the cluster and the temperature
gauge disappears from the cluster.
Follow the displayed warning
message.
To check the temperature status of the dual clutch when overheated,
move to the temperature gauge
screen by selecting the trip com-
puter mode. Then, you can check
the temperature status of the dual
clutch.DCT warning messages
This warning message is displayed
when the vehicle is driven slowly on
a grade and the vehicle detects that
the brake pedal is not applied. Steep grade
Driving up hills or on steep grades:
To hold the vehicle on an incline,
use the foot brake or the parking
brake.
When in stop-and-go traffic on an incline, keep some distance ahead
before moving the vehicle forward.
Then hold the vehicle on the incline
with the foot brake.
If the vehicle is held on a hill by applying the accelerator pedal or
by creeping with the brake pedal
dis-engaged, the clutch and trans-
mission may overheat which can
result in damage. In this situation, a
warning message will appear on
the LCD display.
If the LCD warning is active, the foot brake must be applied.
Ignoring the warnings can lead to damage to the transmission.
OBDM059149L
OBDM059150L
■ Type A
■Type B