33
Safety features of your vehicle
ONLY use your mobile devicewhen allowed by laws and when
conditions permit safe use. NEVER
text or email while driving. Most
states have laws prohibiting drivers
from texting. Some states and
cities also prohibit drivers from
using handheld phones.
NEVER let the use of a mobile device distract you from driving.
You have a responsibility to your
passengers and others on the road
to always drive safely, with your
hands on the wheel as well as your
eyes and attention on the road.Control your speed
Excessive speed is a major factor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed, the greater the
risk, but serious injuries can also
occur at lower speeds. Never drive
faster than is safe for current condi-
tions, regardless of the maximum
speed posted.
Keep your vehicle in safe con-
dition
Having a tire blowout or a mechani-
cal failure can be extremely haz-
ardous. To reduce the possibility of
such problems, check your tire pres-
sures and condition frequently, and
perform all regularly scheduled
maintenance.
527
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.
5161
Driving your vehicle
Your vehicle's fuel economy depends
mainly on your style of driving, where
you drive and when you drive.
Each of these factors affects how
many miles (kilometers) you can get
from a gallon (liter) of fuel. To operate
your vehicle as economically as pos-
sible, use the following driving sug-
gestions to help save money in both
fuel and repairs:
Drive smoothly. Accelerate at amoderate rate. Don't make "jack-
rabbit" starts or full-throttle shifts
and maintain a steady cruising
speed. Don't race between stop-
lights. Try to adjust your speed to
the traffic so you don't have to
change speeds unnecessarily.
Avoid heavy traffic whenever pos-
sible. Always maintain a safe dis-
tance from other vehicles so you
can avoid unnecessary braking.
This also reduces brake wear.
Drive at a moderate speed. The faster you drive, the more fuel your
vehicle uses. Driving at a moderate
speed, especially on the highway,
is one of the most effective ways to
reduce fuel consumption. Don't "ride" the brake pedal. This
can increase fuel consumption and
also increase wear on these com-
ponents. In addition, driving with
your foot resting on the brake pedal
may cause the brakes to overheat,
which reduces their effectiveness
and may lead to more serious con-
sequences.
Take care of your tires. Keep them inflated to the recommended pres-
sure. Incorrect inflation, either too
much or too little, results in unnec-
essary tire wear. Check the tire
pressures at least once a month.
Be sure that the wheels are aligned correctly. Improper align-
ment can result from hitting curbs
or driving too fast over irregular
surfaces. Poor alignment causes
faster tire wear and may also result
in other problems as well as
greater fuel consumption. Keep your vehicle in good condi-
tion. For better fuel economy and
reduced maintenance costs, main-
tain your vehicle in accordance
with the maintenance schedule in
chapter 7. If you drive your vehicle
in severe conditions, more frequent
maintenance is required (see
chapter 7 for details).
Keep your vehicle clean. For maxi- mum service, your vehicle should
be kept clean and free of corrosive
materials. It is especially important
that mud, dirt, ice, etc. not be
allowed to accumulate on the
underside of the vehicle. This extra
weight can result in increased fuel
consumption and also contribute to
corrosion.
Travel lightly. Don't carry unneces- sary weight in your vehicle. Weight
reduces fuel economy.
Don't let the engine idle longer than necessary. If you are waiting
(and not in traffic), turn off your
engine and restart only when
you're ready to go.
ECONOMICAL OPERATION
5169
Driving your vehicle
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.
Chain installation
When installing AutoSock (fabric
snow chain), follow the manufactur-
er's instructions and mount them as
tightly as possible. Drive slowly (less
than 20 mph (30 km/h)) with chains
installed. If you hear the chains con-
tacting the body or chassis, stop and
tighten them. If they still make con-
tact, slow down until the noise stops.
Remove the AutoSock (fabric snow
chain) 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
triangular emergency warning device
behind the vehicle if available.
Always place the vehicle in P (Park),
apply the parking brake and turn off
the engine 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.Use high quality ethylene gly-
col coolant
Your vehicle is delivered with high
quality ethylene glycol coolant in the
cooling system. It is the only type of
coolant that should be used because
it helps prevent corrosion in the cool-
ing system, lubricates the water
pump and prevents freezing. Be sure
to replace or replenish your coolant
in accordance with the maintenance
schedule in Chapter 7. Before winter,
have your coolant tested to assure
that its freezing point is sufficient for
the temperatures 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 Chapter 7. The level of charge in
your battery can be checked by an
authorized K900 Kia dealer or a
service station.
Maintenance
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4
Maintenance services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
• Owner’s responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
• Owner maintenance precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Owner maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
• Owner maintenance schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Scheduled maintenance service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
Explanation of scheduled maintenance items . . . 7-17
• Engine oil and filter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
• Drive belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17\
• Fuel filter (for gasoline) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
• Fuel lines, fuel hoses and connections . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
• Vapor hose and fuel filler cap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
• Vacuum crankcase ventilation hoses . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
• Air cleaner filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
• Spark plugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
• Valve clearance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
• Cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
• Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. 7-18
• Automatic transmission fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
• Brake hoses and lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
• Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19\
• Parking brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
• Brake discs, pads, calipers and rotors. . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20• Exhaust pipe and muffler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
• Suspension mounting bolts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
• Steering gear box, linkage &
boots/lower arm ball joint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
• Drive shafts and boots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
• Air conditioning refrigerant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
Checking fluid levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
Engine oil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
• Checking the engine oil level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
• Changing the engine oil and filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-22
Engine coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-23
• Checking the coolant level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-23
• Changing the coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-25
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-26
• Checking the brake fluid level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-26
Washer fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-27
• Checking the washer fluid level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-27
Air cleaner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-28
• Replace the filter according to the Maintenance Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-\
28
Climate control air filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-29
• Filter inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-29
Wiper blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-31
• Blade inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-31
• Blade replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-31
7
75
Maintenance
MAINTENANCE SERVICES
You should exercise the utmost care
to prevent damage to your vehicle
and injury to yourself whenever per-
forming any maintenance or inspec-
tion procedures.
Should you have any doubts con-
cerning the inspection or servicing of
your vehicle, we strongly recom-
mend that you have an authorized
K900 Kia dealer perform this work.
An authorized K900 Kia dealer has
factory-trained technicians and gen-
uine Kia parts to service your vehicle
properly. For expert advice and qual-
ity service, see an authorized K900
Kia dealer.
Inadequate, incomplete or insuffi-
cient servicing may result in opera-
tional problems with your vehicle that
could lead to vehicle damage, an
accident, or bodily injury.Owner’s responsibility
✽ ✽NOTICE
Maintenance Service and Record
Retention are the owner's responsi-
bility.
You should retain documents that
show proper maintenance has been
performed on your vehicle in accor-
dance with the scheduled mainte-
nance service charts shown on the
following pages. You need this infor-
mation to establish your compliance
with the servicing and maintenance
requirements of your vehicle war-
ranties.
Detailed warranty information is
provided in your Warranty &
Consumer Information manual.
Repairs and adjustments required as
a result of improper maintenance or
a lack of required maintenance are
not covered by your vehicle war-
ranties.
We recommend you have your vehi-
cle maintained and repaired by an
authorized K900 Kia dealer. An
authorized K900 Kia dealer meets
Kia’s high service quality standards
and receives technical support from
Kia in order to provide you with a
high level of service satisfaction.
Maintenance
87
OWNER MAINTENANCE
The following lists are vehicle checks
and inspections that should be per-
formed by the owner or an author-
ized K900 Kia dealer at the frequen-
cies indicated to help ensure safe,
dependable operation of your vehi-
cle.
Any adverse conditions should be
brought to the attention of your deal-
er as soon as possible.
These Owner Maintenance Checks
are generally not covered by war-
ranties, and you may be charged for
labor, parts and lubricants used.Owner maintenance schedule
When you stop for fuel:
Check the engine oil level.
Check the coolant level in coolantreservoir.
Check the windshield washer fluid level.
Look for low or under-inflated tires.
While operating your vehicle:
Note any changes in the sound of the exhaust or any smell of
exhaust fumes in the vehicle.
Check for vibrations in the steering wheel. Notice any increased steer-
ing effort or looseness in the steer-
ing wheel, or change in its straight-
ahead position.
Notice if your vehicle constantly turns slightly or “pulls” to one side
when traveling on smooth, level
road.
When stopping, listen and check for unusual sounds, pulling to one
side, increased brake pedal travel
or “hard-to-push” brake pedal.
If any slipping or changes in the operation of your transmission
occurs, check the transmission
fluid level.
Check the automatic transmission P (Park) function.
Check the parking brake.
Check for fluid leaks under your vehicle (water dripping from the air
conditioning system during or after
use is normal).
WARNING- Hot coolant
Be careful when checking your
engine coolant level when the
engine is hot. Scalding hot
coolant and steam may blow
out under pressure.
Maintenance
10
7
SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE SERVICE
Follow the Normal Maintenance
Schedule if the vehicle is usually
operated where none of the following
conditions apply. If any of the following
conditions apply, follow the
Maintenance Under Severe Usage
Conditions.
Repeatedly driving short distances
of less than 5 miles (8 km) in nor-
mal temperature or less than 10
miles (16 km) in freezing tempera-
ture
Extensive engine idling or low speed driving for long distances
Driving on rough, dusty, muddy, unpaved, graveled or salt-spread
roads
Driving in areas using salt or other corrosive materials or in very cold
weather
Driving in heavy dust conditions
Driving in heavy traffic areas
Driving on uphill, downhill, or mountain roads repeatedly Towing a trailer or using a camper,
or roof rack
Driving as a patrol car, taxi, or other commercial use, or vehicle
towing
Driving over 106 mph (170 km/h)
Frequently driving in stop-and-go conditionsIf your vehicle is operated in any ofthe prior listed conditions, you shouldinspect, replace or refill more fre-quently, using the severe usagemaintenance schedule instead of thenormal usage maintenance sched-ule.