2020 KIA OPTIMA Owners Manual

Driving your vehicle
12
5
Automatic transmission opera-
tion
The automatic transmission has 6
forward speeds and one reverse
speed. The individual speeds are
selected automatically, depending on
the position of the shift lever.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
The first few shifts on a new vehicle,
if the battery has been disconnected,
may be somewhat abrupt. This is a
normal condition, and the shifting
sequence will adjust after shifts are
cycled a few times by the TCM
(Transmission Control Module) or
PCM (Powertrain Control Module).
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
OJF055012
+ +
+ +


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


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

513
Driving your vehicle
For smooth operation, depress thebrake pedal and the lock release but-ton when shifting from N (Neutral) toa forward or reverse gear.
When stopped on an incline, do not
hold the vehicle with the engine
power. Use the service brake or the
parking brake.
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.
P (Park)
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into P (Park). This
position locks the transmission and
prevents the drive wheels from rotat-
ing.
Shifting into P (Park) while the vehi-
cle is in motion will cause the drive
wheels to lock which will cause you
to lose control of the vehicle.
To shift from P (Park), you must
depress firmly on the brake pedal
and make sure your foot is off the
accelerator pedal.
If you have done all of the above
and still cannot shift the lever out of
P (Park), see "Shift-lock override" in
this chapter.
The shift lever must be in P (Park)
before turning the hybrid system off.
WARNING- Leaving
Vehicle
Before leaving the driver’s seat,
always make sure the shift lever
is in the P (Park) position; then
set the parking brake fully and
shut the engine off. Do not use
the P position in place of the
parking brake. Always make
sure the shift lever is locked in
the P position and set the park-
ing brake fully. Unexpected and
sudden vehicle movement can
occur if these precautions are
not followed.
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.

Driving your vehicle
14
5
R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward. N (Neutral)
The wheels and transmission are not
engaged. The vehicle will roll freely
even on the slightest incline unless
the parking brake or service brakes
are applied.
- Parking in N (Neutral) gear
Follow the steps below when parking
and you want the vehicle to move
when pushed.
1. After parking your vehicle, step on
the brake pedal and move the
transmission shift lever to P (Park)
with the ignition button in ON or
while the engine is running.
2. If the parking brake is applied, unlock the parking brake.
- For EPB (Electronic Parking Brake) equipped vehicles, push
the brake pedal with the ignition
button in [ON] or while the
engine is running to disengage
the parking brake. If AUTO
HOLD function is used while
driving (If AUTO HOLD indicator
is on in the cluster), press AUTO
HOLD switch and AUTO HOLD
function will turn off. 3. While depressing the brake pedal,
turn the ignition button OFF.
- For smart key equipped vehicles, the ignition switch can be moved
to OFF only when the shift lever
is in P (Park).
4. Change the gear shift lever to N (Neutral) while pressing the brake
pedal and pushing [SHIFT LOCK
RELEASE] button or inserting a
tool (e.g. flathead screw-driver)
into the [SHIFT LOCK RELEASE]
access hole at the same time.
Then, the vehicle will move when
external force is applied.
CAUTION- Shifting
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, except when “Rockingthe vehicle” explained in thischapter.

515
Driving your vehicle
✽ ✽NOTICE
• After the ignition switch has been
turned off, the electronic parking
brake cannot be disengaged.
• For EPB (Electronic Parking Brake) equipped vehicles with
AUTO HOLD function used while
driving, if the ignition button has
been turned OFF, the electronic
parking brake will be engaged
automatically. Therefore, AUTO
HOLD function should be turned
off before the ignition button is
turned off.
D (Drive)
This is the normal forward driving
position. The transmission will auto-
matically shift through a 6-gear
sequence, providing the best fuel
economy and power.
For extra power when passing anoth-
er vehicle or climbing grades,
depress the accelerator fully, at
which time the transmission will
automatically downshift to the next
lower gear.
WARNING - Parking in
Neutral
With the exception of parking in neutral gear, always park the
vehicle in [P] (Park) for safety
and apply the parking brake.
Before parking in [N] (Neutral) gear, first make sure the park-
ing ground is level and flat. Do
not park in [N] gear on any
slopes or gradients. If parked
and left in [N], the vehicle may
move and cause serious dam-
age or injury.
CAUTION- Starter
If the engine stalls while thevehicle is in motion, do notattempt to move the shift leverto the P (Park) position. If thetraffic and road conditions per-mit, you may put the shift leverin the N (Neutral) position whilethe vehicle is still moving andpress the ENGINE START/STOPbutton in an attempt to restartthe engine.

Driving your vehicle
16
5
Manual mode
Whether the vehicle is stationary or
in motion, manual 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 manual mode, moving the shift
lever backwards and forwards will
allow you to make gearshifts rapidly. Up (+) : Push the lever forward once
to shift up one gear.
Down (-) : Pull the lever backwards once to shift down one
gear.
In manual mode, the driver must execute upshifts in accordance
with road conditions, taking care to
keep the engine speed below the
red zone.
In manual mode, only the 6 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.
In manual mode, downshifts are made automatically when the vehi-
cle slows down. When the vehicle
stops, 1st gear is automatically
selected. In manual mode, when the engine
rpm approaches the red zone, shift
points are varied to upshift auto-
matically.
To maintain the required levels of vehicle performance and safety,
the system may not execute cer-
tain gearshifts when the shift lever
is operated.
When driving on a slippery road, push the shift lever forward into the
+(up) position. This causes the
transmission to shift into the 2nd
gear which is better for smooth
driving on a slippery road. Push
the shift lever to the -(down) side to
shift back to the 1st gear.
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Manual
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
) )
) )

517
Driving your vehicle
Shift lock system
For your safety, the automatic trans-
mission has a shift lock system
which prevents shifting the transmis-
sion from P (Park) into R (Reverse)
unless the brake pedal is depressed.
To shift the transmission from P
(Park) into R (Reverse):
1. Depress and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the hybrid system or turn theignition 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
chattering noise & vibration near the
shift lever may be heard. It is a nor-
mal 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. Place the engine start/stop button
in the OFF position.
2. Apply the parking brake.
3. Carefully remove the cap (1) cov- ering the shift-lock release access
hole.
4. Insert a tool (e.g. flathead screw- driver) into the access hole and
press down on the tool.WARNING- Shifting from
park
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 vehicle.
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Driving your vehicle
18
5
5. Move the shift lever.
6. Remove the tool from the shiftlock
override access hole then install
the cap.
7. Have your vehicle inspected by an authorized Kia dealer.
If your vehicle is equipped with
ENGINE START/STOP button, the
button will not change to the OFF
position unless the shift lever is in the
P (Park) position.Good driving practices
Never move the gear shift lever from P (Park) to any other position with
the accelerator pedal depressed.
Never move the gear shift lever into P (Park) when the vehicle is in
motion.
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 trans-
mission in P (Park) to keep the
vehicle from moving.
Optimum vehicle performance and economy is obtained by smoothly
depressing and releasing the
accelerator pedal.
Moving up a steep grade from a
standing 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
depending on load weight and steep-
ness of the grade, and release the
parking brake. Depress the accelera-
tor gradually 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 back-
wards.

519
Driving your vehicle
Power brakes
Your vehicle has power-assisted
brakes that adjust automatically
through normal usage.
If the hybrid system is not on or is
turned off while driving, the power
assist for the brakes will not work.
You can still stop your vehicle by
applying greater force to the brake
pedal than typical. The stopping dis-
tance, however, will be longer than
with power brakes.
When the hybrid system is not on,
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.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
Do not depress the brake pedal con-
tinuously without the " " indica-
tor ON. The battery may be dis-
charged.
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.
WARNING- HEV driving down hill
Do not turn off the Hybrid sys-
tem while going down a hill. The
brake booster may not work
sufficiently and the braking dis-
tance may be longer.
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.