2020 KIA FORTE Owners Manual

543
Driving your vehicle
Moving up a steep grade from astanding start
To move up a steep grade from a
standing start, depress the brake
pedal, release the parking break,
and 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 service
brakes.
When accelerating from a stop on a
steep hill, the vehicle may have a
tendency to roll backwards.
Shifting the shift lever into 2
(Second Gear) will help prevent the
vehicle from rolling backwards.

Driving your vehicle
44
5
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 per-
formance.
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.

545
Driving your vehicle
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
Avoid applying the parking
brake to stop the vehicle while it
is moving, except in an emer-
gency situation. 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
vehicle, use great caution in
applying the brake.
WARNING- Brake wear
Do not ignore high pitched wear
sounds from your brakes. If you
ignore this audible warning, you
will eventually lose braking per-
formance, which could lead to a
serious accident.
CAUTION- Replace brake pads
Do not continue to drive withworn brake pads. Continuing todrive with worn brake pads candamage the braking system andresult in costly brake repairs.

Driving your vehicle
46
5
Rear drum brakes (if equipped)
Your rear drum brakes do not have
wear indicators. Therefore, have the
rear brake linings inspected if you
hear a rear brake rubbing noise. Also
have your rear brakes inspected
each time you change or rotate your
tires and when you have the front
brakes replaced.
Parking brake
Applying the parking brake
To engage the parking brake, first
apply the foot brake and then pull up
the parking brake lever as far as pos-
sible.
In addition it is recommended that
when parking the vehicle on a
incline, the shift lever should be in a
low gear on manual transmission
vehicles.
OBD058011
CAUTION
Driving with the parking brake
applied will cause excessivebrake pad and brake rotor wear.
Do not operate the parking brake while the vehicle ismoving, except in an emer-gency situation. It could dam-age the vehicle system andendanger driving safety.

547
Driving your vehicle
Releasing the parking brake
To release the parking brake, first
apply the foot brake and pull up the
parking brake lever slightly. Secondly
depress the release button (1) and
lower the parking brake lever (2)
while holding the button.
If the parking brake does not release
or does not release all the way, have
the system checked by a professional
workshop. Kia recommends to visit an
authorized Kia dealer/service partner. Be cautious when parking on a hill.
Firmly engage the parking brake
and place the shift lever in first or
reverse gear (manual transmis-
sion). If your vehicle is facing
downhill, turn the front wheels into
the curb to help keep the vehicle
from rolling. If your vehicle is facing
uphill, turn the front wheels away
from the curb to help keep the vehi-
cle from rolling. If there is no curb
or if it is required by other condi-
tions to keep the vehicle from
rolling, chock the wheels. Under some conditions, your park-
ing brake can freeze in the
engaged position. This is most like-
ly 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
that the parking brake may freeze,
apply it only temporarily while you
put the shift lever in first or reverse
gear (manual transmission) and
chock the rear wheels so the vehi-
cle cannot roll. Then release the
parking brake.
Do not hold the vehicle on an incline with the accelerator pedal.
This can cause the transmission to
overheat. Always use the brake
pedal or parking brake.
OBD058012

Driving your vehicle
48
5
Check the brake warning light by
turning the ignition switch ON (do not
start the engine). This light will be
illuminated when the parking brake is
applied with the ignition switch in the
START or ON position.
Before driving, be sure the parking
brake is fully released and the brake
warning light is off.
If the brake warning light remains on
after the parking brake is released
while engine is running, there may be
a malfunction in the brake system.
Immediate attention is necessary. If at all possible, cease driving the
vehicle immediately. If that is not pos-
sible, use extreme caution while
operating the vehicle and only con-
tinue to drive the vehicle until you
can reach a safe location or repair
shop.
WARNING
Never allow a passenger to
touch the parking brake. If the
parking brake is released
unintentionally, serious injury
may occur.
All vehicles should always have the parking brake fully
engaged when parking to
avoid inadvertent movement
of the vehicle, which can
injure occupants or pedestri-
ans.
W-75

549
Driving your vehicle
Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
ABS (or ESC) will not prevent acci-
dents due to improper or dangerous
driving maneuvers. Even though
ABS (or ESC) helps improve vehicle
control during emergency braking,
always maintain a safe distance
between you and objects ahead.
Vehicle speeds should always be
reduced during extreme road condi-
tions. The vehicle should be driven at
reduced speeds in the following cir-
cumstances:
When driving on rough, gravel orsnow-covered roads
When driving on roads where the road surface is pitted or has differ-
ent surface heights.
Driving in these conditions increases
the stopping distance for your vehicle. The ABS continuously senses the
speed of the wheels. If the wheels
are going to lock, the ABS system
repeatedly modulates the hydraulic
brake pressure to the wheels.
When you apply your brakes under
conditions which may lock the
wheels, you may hear a “tik-tik’’
sound from the brakes, or feel a cor-
responding sensation in the brake
pedal. This is normal and means
your ABS is active.
In order to obtain the maximum benefit
from your ABS in an emergency situa-
tion, do not attempt to modulate your
brake pressure and do not try to pump
your brakes. Press your brake pedal as
hard as possible to allow the ABS to
control the force being delivered to the
brakes.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
A click sound may be heard in the
engine compartment when the vehi-
cle begins to move after the engine is
started. These conditions are normal
and indicate that the anti-lock brake
system is functioning properly.
Even with the anti-lock brake sys-
tem, your vehicle still requires suf-
ficient stopping distance. Always
maintain a safe distance from the
vehicle in front of you.
Always slow down when cornering. The anti-lock brake system cannot
prevent accidents resulting from
excessive speeds.
On loose or uneven road surfaces, operation of the anti-lock brake
system may result in a longer stop-
ping distance than for vehicles
equipped with a conventional
brake system.

Driving your vehicle
50
5
The ABS warning light will stay on for
approximately 3 seconds after the
ignition switch is ON. During that
time, the ABS will go through self-
diagnosis and the light will go off if
everything is normal. If the light stays
on, you may have a problem with
your ABS. Contact an authorized Kia
dealer as soon as possible. When you drive on a road having
poor traction, such as an icy road,
and have operated your brakes
continuously, the ABS will be active
continuously and the ABS warning
light may illuminate. Pull your vehi-
cle over to a safe place and stop
the engine.
Restart the engine. If the ABS warning light goes off, then your
ABS system is normal. Otherwise,
you may have a problem with the
ABS. Contact an authorized Kia
dealer as soon as possible.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
When you jump start your vehicle
because of a drained battery, the
engine may not run as smoothly and
the ABS warning light may turn on at
the same time. This happens because
of low battery voltage. It does not
mean your ABS has malfunctioned.
• Do not pump your brakes!
• Have the battery recharged before
driving the vehicle.
Electronic stability control
(ESC)
The Electronic Stability control
(ESC) system is designed to stabi-
lize the vehicle during cornering
maneuvers. ESC checks where you
are steering and where the vehicle is
actually going. ESC applies the
brakes on individual wheels and
intervenes with the engine manage-
ment system to stabilize the vehicle.
W-78
OBD058013