2020 KIA OPTIMA warning light

Driving your vehicle
24
5
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. Start the engine.
2. Fasten the driver's seat belt.
3. Close the driver's door, engine hood and trunk.
4. Depress the accelerator pedal while the shift lever is in R (Rear),
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 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 Kia dealer.
EPB (electronic parking brake) may
be automatically applied when:
The EPB is overheated
Requested by other systems
The hybrid system is turned off
with the EPB applied
✽ ✽ NOTICE
For EPB equipped vehicles with the
AUTO HOLD function used while
driving, if the ignition button has
been turned OFF, the EPB will be
engaged automatically. Therefore,
the AUTO HOLD function should
be turned off before the ignition but-
ton is turned OFF.
CAUTION
Do not drive your vehicle with
the EPB applied. It may causeexcessive brake pad and brakerotor wear.

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Driving your vehicle
EPB malfunction indicator (if equipped)
This warning light illuminates if the
engine start/stop button is changed
to the ON position and goes off in
approximately 3 seconds if the sys-
tem is operating normally.
If the EPB malfunction indicator
remains on, comes on while driving,
or does not come on when the igni-
tion switch or the engine start/stop
button is changed to the ON position,
this indicates that the EPB may have
malfunctioned. If this occurs, have your vehicle
checked by an authorized Kia dealer
as soon as possible.
The EPB malfunction indicator may
illuminate when the ESC indicator
comes on to indicate that the ESC is
not working properly, but it does not
indicate a malfunction of the EPB.
The EPB warning light may illumi-
nate if the EPB switch operates
abnormally. Shut the engine off
and turn it on again after a few min-
utes. The warning light will go off
and the EPB switch will operate
normally. However, if the EPB
warning light is still on, have the
system checked by an authorized
Kia dealer.
If the parking brake warning light does not illuminate or blinks even
though the EPB switch was pulled
up, the EPB is not applied.
If the parking brake warning light blinks when the EPB warning light
is on, press the switch, then pull it
up. Once more press it back to its
original position and pull it back up.
If the EPB warning does not go off,
have the system checked by an
authorized Kia dealer.
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Driving your vehicle
28
5
Emergency braking
If there is a problem with the brake
pedal while driving, emergency brak-
ing is possible by pulling up and
holding the EPB switch. Braking is
possible only while you are holding
the EPB switch.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
During emergency braking by the
EPB, the parking brake warning
light will illuminate to indicate that
the system is operating.
If you notice a continuous noise or
burning smell when the EPB is used
for emergency braking, have your
vehicle checked by an authorized Kia
dealer.
When the EPB (electronic parking
brake) is not released
If the EPB does not release normal-
ly, take your vehicle to an authorized
Kia dealer by loading the vehicle on
a flatbed tow truck and have the sys-
tem checked.
WARNING
Do not operate the electronic
parking brake while the vehicle is
moving except in an emergency
situation. Applying the electronic
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
electronic parking brake to stop
the vehicle, use great caution in
applying the brake.

531
Driving your vehicle
(Continued)In these cases, the brake warning
light comes on, the AUTO HOLD
indicator changes from green to
white, and a warning sounds and a
message will appear to inform you
that EPB has been automatically
engaged. Before driving off again,
press foot brake pedal, check the
surrounding area near your vehi-
cle and release parking brake
manually with the EPB switch.
• If the AUTO HOLD indicator lights up yellow, the Auto Hold is
not working properly. Take your
vehicle to an authorized Kia deal-
er and have the system checked.If there is a malfunction with the dri-
ver’s door or engine hood open detec-
tion system, the Auto Hold may not
work properly.
Take your vehicle to an authorized Kia
dealer and have the system checked.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
A click or electric brake motor
whine sound may be heard while
operating or releasing the EPB, but
these conditions are normal and
indicate that the EPB is functioning
properly.
Warning messages
When the EPB is applied from Auto
Hold, a warning will sound and a
message will appear.
WARNING
To reduce the risk of an acci-
dent, do not activate Auto Hold
while driving downhill, backing
up or parking your vehicle.
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Driving your vehicle
34
5
The ABS warning light will stay on for
approximately 3 seconds after the
engine start/stop button 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
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537
Driving your vehicle
ESC off state 1
To turn off the traction control func-
tion to ESC operation and only oper-
ate the brake control function, press
the ESC OFF button (ESC OFF )
for less than 3 seconds (ESC OFF
indicator light (ESC OFF ) will illu-
minate). At this state, only the brake
control function will operate.
To turn off the traction control func-
tion and the brake control function of
the ESC operation, press the ESC
OFF button (ESC OFF ) for more
than 3 seconds. ESC OFF indicator
light (ESC OFF ) will illuminate and
ESC OFF warning chime will sound.
At this state, the car stability control
function does not operate any more.
Indicator light
When ignition switch is turned to ON,
the indicator light illuminates, then
goes off if the ESC system is operat-
ing normally.
The ESC indicator light blinks when-
ever ESC is operating or illuminates
when ESC fails to operate.
The ESC OFF indicator light comes
on when the ESC is turned off with
the button.
■
ESC indicator light
■ ESC OFF indicator light
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Driving your vehicle
38
5
ESC OFF usage
When driving
ESC should be turned on for daily
driving whenever possible.
To turn ESC off while driving, press the ESC OFF button while driving
on a flat road surface.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
• When operating the vehicle on a
dynamometer, ensure that the
ESC is turned off (ESC OFF light
illuminated). If the ESC is left on,
it may prevent the vehicle speed
from increasing, and result in false
diagnosis.
• Turning the ESC off does not affect ABS or brake system opera-
tion.WARNING- Electronic sta-
bility control
Drive carefully even though your
vehicle has Electronic Stability
Control. It can only assist you in
maintaining control under cer-
tain circumstances.
WARNING- Operating ESC
Never press the ESC OFF but-
ton while ESC is operating (ESC
indicator light blinks).
If ESC is turned off while ESC is
operating, the vehicle may slip
out of control.

539
Driving your vehicle
Vehicle stability management
(VSM)
This system provides further
enhancements to vehicle stability
and steering responses when a vehi-
cle is driving on a slippery road or a
vehicle detects changes in coeffi-
cient of friction between right wheels
and left wheels when braking.
VSM operation
When the VSM is in operation, ESC
indicator light ( ) blinks.
When the vehicle stability manage-
ment is operating properly, you can
feel a slight pulsation in the vehicle
and/or abnormal steering responses
(EPS- Electronic Power Steering).
This is only the effect of brake and
EPS control and indicates nothing
unusual.
The VSM does not operate when:
Driving on a sloping road such as agradient or incline
Driving in reverse
ESC OFF indicator light ( ) remains on the instrument cluster
EPS indicator light remains on the instrument cluster
VSM operation off
If you press the ESC OFF button to
turn off the ESC, the VSM will also
cancel and the ESC OFF indicator
light ( ) illuminates.
To turn on the VSM, press the button
again. The ESC OFF indicator light
goes out.
WARNING- Tire/
Wheel size
When replacing tires and wheels,
make sure they are the same size
as the original tires and wheels
installed. Driving with varying
tire or wheel sizes may diminish
any supplemental safety benefits
of the VSM system.WARNING- Vehicle stabili-
ty management
Drive carefully even though
your vehicle has vehicle stabili-
ty management. It can only
assist you in maintaining con-
trol of the vehicle under certain
circumstances.