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Driving your vehicle
Starting the engine with a
smart key
1.Carry the smart key or place itinside the vehicle.
2.Make sure the parking brake is firmly applied
3.Place the shift lever in P (Park). Depress the brake pedal fully.
You can also start the engine whenthe shift lever is in the N (Neutral)position.
4.Press the engine start/stop button while depressing the brake pedal.
5.Do not wait for the engine to warm up while the vehicle remains sta-
tionary.
Start driving at moderate engine
speeds. (Steep accelerating and
decelerating should be avoided.) Even if the smart key is in the vehi-
cle, if it is far away from you, the
engine may not start.
When the ENGINE START/STOP button is in the ACC or ON position
and any door is opened, the sys-
tem checks for the presence of the
smart key. If the smart key is not in
the vehicle, a message “key is not
in the vehicle” will appear on the
LCD display. And if all doors are
closed, the chime will sound for 5
seconds. The indicator or warning
will turn off while the vehicle is
moving. Always have the smart key
with you.
WARNING - Unintended
vehicle movement
Never leave the smart key in the
vehicle with children or vehicle
occupants who are unfamiliar
with the vehicle operation.
Pushing the engine start/stop
button while the smart key is in
the vehicle may result in unin-
tended engine activation and/or
unintended vehicle movement.
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Driving your vehicle
12
5
Transmission ranges
The indicator in the instrument clus-
ter displays the shift lever position
when the engine start/stop button is
in the ON position.
However, if the gear is in N (Neutral)
or P (Park), the position is displayed
on the instrument cluster when the
engine start/stop button is in the OFF
or ACC position.
P (Park)
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into P (Park).
To shift the gear from R (Reverse), N
(Neutral), D (Drive) or Manual mode
to P (Park), press the [P] button.
If you turn off the engine in D (Drive)
or R (Reverse), the shifting automat-
ically changes to P (Park).
When you park the vehicle, press the
[P] button while depressing the brake
pedal and then apply the parking
brake.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 engine
start/stop button in the OFF
position. Unexpected and sud-
den vehicle movement can
occur if these precautions are
not followed.
Do not use engine braking (rapidly shifting from a high
gear to lower gear) on slippery
roads. The vehicle may slip
causing an accident.
ORJ058006
CAUTION - Transmission
To avoid damage to your trans-mission, do not accelerate theengine in R (Reverse) or any for-ward gear position with thebrakes on. The transmissionmay be damaged if you shiftinto P (Park) while the vehicle isin motion.
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519
Driving your vehicle
Check shift lever
The warning message appears on
the LCD display when there is a mal-
function with one of the key trans-
mission components.
In this situation, have the vehicle
inspected by an authorized K900 Kia
dealer immediately.
Shifting conditions not met
The warning message appears on
the LCD display when engine RPM is
too high, or when driving speed is
too fast to shift the gear.
We recommend you decrease your
RPM level or slow down before shift-
ing the gear.
Press brake pedal to change gear
The warning message appears on
the LCD display when the brake
pedal is not depressed while shifting
the gear.
We recommend you depress the
brake pedal and then shift the gear.
ORJ058150LORJ058151LORJ058152L
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Driving your vehicle
26
5
Using All Wheel Drive (AWD)
The All Wheel Drive (AWD) System
delivers engine power to front and
rear wheels for maximum traction.
AWD is useful when extra traction is
required, such as when driving slip-
pery, muddy, wet, or snow-covered
roads.
If the system determines there is a
need for all wheel drive, the engine's
driving power is distributed to all four
wheels automatically.
ALL WHEEL DRIVE (AWD)
WARNING
If the AWD warning light ( )
stays on the instrument cluster,
your vehicle may have a mal-
function with the AWD system.
When the AWD warning light
( ) illuminates we recom-
mend that the vehicle be
checked by an authorized K900
Kia dealer as soon as possible.
WARNING
To reduce the risk of SERIOUS
INJURY or DEATH:
Do not drive in conditions that
exceed the vehicle's intended
design such as challenging
off-road conditions.
(Continued)
(Continued)
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 a rollover is great- ly increased if you lose con-
trol 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.
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Driving your vehicle
✽ ✽NOTICE
• Do not drive in water if the level is
higher than the bottom of the vehi-
cle. Use extreme caution when
approaching water as it may be
difficult or impossible to know the
depth of the water.
• Check your brake condition once you are out of mud or water.
Depress the brake pedal several
times as you move slowly until you
feel normal braking return.
• Shorten your scheduled mainte- nance interval if you drive in off-
road conditions such as sand, mud
or water (see "Maintenance Under
Severe Usage Conditions" in chap-
ter 7).
• Make sure that AWD vehicle is towed by a flatbed tow truck.
For safe AWD operation
Before driving
Make sure all passengers are
wearing seat belts.
Sit upright and closer to the steer- ing wheel than usual. Adjust the
steering wheel to a position com-
fortable for you to drive.
Driving on snow-covered or icy roads
Start off slowly by applying the accelerator pedal gently.
Use snow tires or tire chains.
Keep sufficient distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front
of you.
Use engine braking during deceler- ation.
Avoid speeding, rapid acceleration, sudden brake applications, and
sharp turns to prevent skids. Driving in sand or mud
Maintain slow and constant speed.
Use tire chains driving in mud if
necessary.
Keep sufficient distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front
of you.
Reduce vehicle speed and always check the road condition.
Avoid speeding, rapid acceleration, sudden brake applications, and
sharp turns to prevent getting
stuck.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
When the vehicle is stuck in snow,
sand or mud, place a non-slip mate-
rial under the drive wheels to pro-
vide traction OR slowly spin the
wheels in forward and reverse direc-
tions which causes a rocking motion
that may free the vehicle. See the
Section "Rocking the Vehicle" for
more details. However, avoid run-
ning the engine continuously at high
rpm, which could damage the AWD
system.
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Driving your vehicle
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5
✽ ✽
NOTICE
• When using Snow Tires, mount
them on all four wheels.
• When using Tire Chains, install them on all four tires. However, if
you only have two tire chains,
install them on the rear tires. In
this situation, do not drive more
than a short distance to prevent
damage to the AWD system.
• If tire chains must be used, use an AutoSock (fabric snow chain) and
install the tire chain after review-
ing the instructions provided with
the tire chains.
❈ ❈ For more information on Snow
Tires and Tire Chains, refer to
"Winter Driving" in this chapter.
Driving up or down hills
Driving uphill
- Before starting off, check if it ispossible to drive uphill.
- Drive as straight as possible.
Driving downhill - Do not change gear while drivingdownhill. Select gear before driv-
ing downhill.
- Drive slowly using engine braking while driving downhill.
- Drive as straight as possible.Emergency precautions
Tires
When replacing the tires, be sure to
equip all four tires with the tire and
wheel of the same size, type, tread,
brand and load-carrying capacity.
In case of emergency such as tire
puncture, repair it using the TMK
(Tire Mobility Kit) for temporary use.
Afterwards, have the tire be inspect-
ed by an authorized K900 Kia dealer.WARNING
Exercise extreme caution driv-
ing up or down steep hills. The
vehicle's tires could lose trac-
tion depending on the grade,
terrain and water/mud condi-
tions.
WARNING
Do not use tires and wheels of a
different size and type than the
ones originally installed on your
vehicle. It can affect the safety
and performance of your vehi-
cle, which could lead to
increased steering difficulty or
rollover, causing serious injury.
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Driving your vehicle
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 the engine is running, there
may be a malfunction in the brake
system. Immediate attention is nec-
essary.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.
Electronic parking brake (EPB)
Applying the parking brake
To apply the EPB (electronic parking
brake):
1. Depress the brake pedal.
2. Pull up the EPB switch.
Make sure the warning light comes
on.
ORJ058017
W-75
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535
Driving your vehicle
To release EPB (electronic parking
brake) automatically:
Shift lever in P (Park)With the engine running depress
the brake pedal and shift out of P
(Park) to R (Reverse) or D (Drive).
Shift lever in N (Neutral) With the engine running depress
the brake pedal and shift out of N
(Neutral) to R (Reverse) or D
(Drive).
Automatic Transmission 1. Close the driver's door, engine hood and trunk.
2. Fasten the driver's seat belt.
3. Start the engine.
4. Depress the accelerator pedal while the shift lever is in R
(Reverse), D (Drive) or Sports
mode.
Make sure the brake warning light
goes off.✽ ✽ NOTICE
• For your safety, you can engage
the EPB even though the ignition
switch or engine stop/start button
is in the OFF position, but you
cannot release it.
• For your safety, depress the brake pedal and release the parking
brake manually with the EPB
switch when you drive downhill or
when backing up the vehicle.
Do not follow the above procedure
when driving on a flat level ground.
The vehicle may suddenly move for-
ward.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
If the parking brake warning light is
still on even though the EPB has
been released, have the system
checked by an authorized K900 Kia
dealer.
CAUTION
Do not drive your vehicle with
the EPB applied. It may causeexcessive brake pad and brakerotor wear.