2020 KIA SPORTAGE Start engine

Driving your vehicle
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5
With the shift lever in the D position
The paddle shifter will operate when
the vehicle speed is more than
6.2mph(10km/h).
Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once
to shift up or down one gear and the
system changes from automatic
mode to manual mode.
When the vehicle speed is lower than
6.2mph(10km/h), if you depress the
accelerator pedal for more than 5
seconds or if you shift the shift lever
from D (Drive) to manual mode and
shift it from manual mode to D (Drive)
again, the system changes from
manual mode to automatic mode.
With the shift lever in the manual mode
Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once
to shift up or down one gear.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
If you pull the [+] and [-] paddle
shifters at the same time, you cannot
shift the gear.
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 engine or turn the ignition
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.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
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 ignition switch in theLOCK/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. 5. Move the shift lever.
6. Remove the tool from the shiftlock
override access hole then install
the cap.
7. We recommend that the system be inspected by an authorized Kia
dealer.
Ignition key interlock system
The ignition key cannot be removed
unless the shift lever is in the P
(Park) position. Even if the ignition
switch is in the LOCK position, the
key cannot be removed.
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.
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Driving your vehicle
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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.
✽ ✽ NOTICE- Kickdown
Mechanism
Use the kickdown mechanism for
maximum acceleration. Depress the
accelerator pedal beyond the pres-
sure point. The automatic transmis-
sion will shift to a lower gear
depending on the engine speed.
Driving up a steep grade from astanding start
To drive 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.

Driving your vehicle
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5
Full-time AWD vehicles must be
tested on a special four wheel
chassis dynamometer.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
Never engage the parking brake
while performing these tests.
A full-time AWD vehicle should not
be tested on a FWD roll tester. If a
FWD roll tester must be used, per-
form the following: 1. Check the tire pressures recom-
mended for your vehicle.
2. Place the front wheels on the roll tester for a speedometer test as
shown in the illustration.
3. Release the parking brake.
4. Place the rear wheels on the tem- porary free roller as shown in the
illustration.
✽ ✽NOTICE
When lifting up the vehicle, do not
operate front and rear wheel sepa-
rately. All four wheels should be
operated.
✽ ✽NOTICE
If you need to operate the front
wheel and rear wheel when lifting
up the vehicle, you should release
the parking brake.
WARNING - Jacked
vehicle
While the full-time AWD vehicle
is being raised on a jack, never
start the engine or cause the
tires to rotate.
There is the danger that rotating
tires touching the ground could
cause the vehicle to go off the
jack and to jump forward.
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WARNING- Dynamometer testing
Keep away from the front of the
vehicle while the vehicle is in
gear on the dynamometer. This
is very dangerous as the vehi-
cle can jump forward and cause
serious injury or death.

Driving your vehicle
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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 the engine is running, there
may be a malfunction in the brake
system. Contact an authorized Kia
dealer as soon as possible. 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)
(if equipped)
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.
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Driving your vehicle
Also, the EPB is applied automatical-
ly if the Auto Hold button is on when
the engine is turned off. However, if
you press the EPB switch after the
engine is turned off, the EPB will not
be Applied.
✽ ✽NOTICE
On a steep incline or when pulling a
trailer, if the vehicle does not remain
at a standstill, do as follows:
1. Apply the EPB.
2. Pull up the EPB switch for more
than 3 seconds.
Do not operate the parking brake/
EPB while the vehicle is moving
except in an emergency situation.
✽ ✽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.
Releasing the parking brake
To release the EPB (electronic parking
brake), press the EPB switch while
doing the following:
Have the ignition switch or engine
start/stop button in the ON posi-
tion.
Depress the brake pedal.
The shift lever must be in P (Park).
Make sure the brake warning light
goes off.
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Driving your vehicle
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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 tailgate.
4. Depress the accelerator pedal while the shift lever is in R (Rear),
D (Drive) or manual 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 Kia dealer.
EPB (electronic parking brake) may
be automatically applied when:
The EPB is overheated
Requested by other systems
✽ ✽NOTICE
For EPB (Electronic Parking Brake)
equipped vehicles with 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 operation 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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