2020 KIA SPORTAGE Trailer towing

4119
Features of your vehicle
6. Wireless transmitters or mobilephones are within range of the
sensor.
7. The sensor is covered with snow.
8. Trailer towing The detecting range may decrease
when:
1. The sensor is covered with foreign
matter such as snow or water.
(The sensing range will return to
normal when removed.)
2. Outside air temperature is extremely hot or cold.
The following objects may not be
recognized by the sensor:
1. Sharp or slim objects such as ropes, chains or small poles.
2. Objects which tend to absorb the sensor frequency such as clothes,
sound absorbent material or snow.
3. Undetectable objects smaller than 1 m (40 in.) in height and narrower
than 14 cm (6 in.) in diameter.Parking distance warning-
reverse precautions
The parking distance warning-reverse may not sound consistent-
ly depending on the speed and
shapes of the objects detected.
The parking distance warning- reverse may malfunction if the vehi-
cle bumper height or sensor instal-
lation has been modified or dam-
aged. Any non-factory installed
equipment or accessories may also
interfere with the sensor perform-
ance.
The sensor may not recognize objects less than 30 cm (11 in.)
from the sensor, or it may sense an
incorrect distance. Use caution.
When the sensor is frozen or cov- ered with snow, dirt, or water, the
sensor may be inoperative until the
material is removed using a soft
cloth.
To prevent damage, do not push, scratch or strike the sensor.

5
Winter driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-149
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-149
. . . . . . . . . 5-150
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-150
. . . . . . 5-150

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-151
. 5-151
. . . . . . . . . . . . 5-151
. . . 5-151
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-151
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-152
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
5-153
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-153
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-153
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-154
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-157
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-158
Vehicle load limit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-160
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-160
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-164
Vehicle weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-165

Driving your vehicle
152
5
If you are considering towing with
your vehicle, you should first check
with your state's Department of
Motor Vehicles to determine the legal
requirements.
Since laws vary the requirements for
towing trailers, cars, or other types of
vehicles or apparatus may differ. Ask
an authorized Kia dealer for further
details before towing.
You may require an additional wiring
harness connector to install a trailer
hitch. Please contact an authorized
Kia dealer for more details. Your vehicle can tow a trailer. To
identify what the vehicle trailering
capacity is for your vehicle, you
should read the information in
“Weight of the trailer” that appears
later in this section.Remember that trailering is different
than just driving your vehicle by itself.
Trailering means changes in han-
dling, durability, and fuel economy.
Successful, safe trailering requires
correct equipment, and it has to be
used properly.
This section contains many time-
tested, important trailering tips and
safety rules. Many of these are
important for your safety and that of
your passengers. Please read this
section carefully before you pull a
trailer.
Load-pulling components such as
the engine, transmission, wheel
assemblies, and tires are forced to
work harder against the load of the
added weight. The engine is required
to operate at relatively higher speeds
and under greater loads. This addi-
tional burden generates extra heat.
The trailer also adds considerably to
wind resistance, increasing the
pulling requirements.
TRAILER TOWING
CAUTION - Trailer
installation
Follow instructions in this sec-tion when pulling a trailer.Pulling a trailer improperly candamage your vehicle and resultin costly repairs not covered byyour warranty.
WARNING- Towing a
trailer
Always check your towing
equipment to confirm correct
equipment size and installation
before use. Using incompatible
or incorrectly installed trailer
equipment can affect the vehi-
cle operation and endanger you
and your passengers.
WARNING- Weight
limits
Before towing, make sure the
total trailer weight, GCW (gross
combination weight), GVW
(gross vehicle weight), GAW
(gross axle weight) and trailer
tongue load are all within the
limits.

Driving your vehicle
154
5
Driving with a trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain
amount of experience. Before setting
out for the open road, you must get
to know your trailer. Acquaint your-
self with the feel of handling and
braking with the added weight of the
trailer. And always keep in mind that
the vehicle you are driving is now a
good deal longer and not nearly so
responsive as your vehicle is by
itself.
Before you start, check the trailer
hitch and platform, safety chains,
electrical connector(s), lights, tires
and mirror adjustment. If the trailer
has electric brakes, start your vehicle
and trailer moving and then apply the
trailer brake controller by hand to be
sure the brakes are working. This lets
you check your electrical connection
at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally
to be sure that the load is secure,
and that the lights and any trailer
brakes are still working.
Following distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the
vehicle ahead as you would when
driving your vehicle without a trailer.
This can help you avoid situations
that require heavy braking and sud-
den turns.
Passing
You’ll need more passing distance
up ahead when you’re towing a trail-
er. And, because of the increased
vehicle length, you’ll need to go
much farther beyond the passed
vehicle before you can return to your
lane. Due to the added load to the
engine when going uphill the vehicle
may also take longer to pass than it
would on flat ground.
Backing up
Hold the bottom of the steering
wheel with one hand. Then, to move
the trailer to the left, just move your
hand to the left. To move the trailer to
the right, move your hand to the
right. Always back up slowly and, if
possible, have someone guide you.
Making turns
When you’re turning with a trailer,
make wider turns than normal. Do
this so your trailer won’t strike soft
shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees,
or other objects near the edge of the
road. Avoid jerky or sudden maneu-
vers. Signal well in advance before
turning or lane changes.

5155
Driving your vehicle
Turn signals when towing a trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle
has to have a different turn signal
flasher and extra wiring. The green
arrows on your instrument panel will
flash whenever you signal a turn or
lane change. Properly connected,
the trailer lights will also flash to alert
other drivers you’re about to turn,
change lanes, or stop.
When towing a trailer, the green
arrows on your instrument panel will
flash for turns even if the bulbs on
the trailer are burned out. Thus, you
may think drivers behind you are
seeing your signals when, in fact,
they are not. It’s important to check
occasionally to be sure the trailer
bulbs are still working. You must also
check the lights every time you dis-
connect and then reconnect the
wires.
Do not connect a trailer lighting sys-
tem directly to your vehicle’s lighting
system. Use only an approved trailer
wiring harness.
An authorized Kia dealer can assist
you in installing the wiring harness.
Driving on grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower
gear before you start down a long or
steep downgrade. If you don’t shift
down, you might have to use your
brakes so much that they would get
hot and no longer operate efficiently.
On a long uphill grade, shift down
and reduce your speed to around 70
km/h (45 mph) to reduce the possi-
bility of engine and transmission
overheating.
If your trailer weighs more than the
maximum trailer weight without trail-
er brakes and you have an automat-
ic transmission, you should drive in D
(Drive) when towing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle in D (Drive)
when towing a trailer will minimize
heat build up and extend the life of
your transmission.CAUTION
Always use an approved trailerwiring harness. Failure to usean approved trailer wiring har-ness could result in damage tothe vehicle electrical system.

Driving your vehicle
156
5
Towing up hill
When towing a trailer on steep
grades (in excess of 6%) pay close
attention to the engine coolant
temperature gauge to ensure the
engine does not overheat.
If the needle of the coolant temper-
ature gauge moves across the dial
towards “H” (HOT), pull over and
stop as soon as it is safe to do so,
and allow the engine to idle until it
cools down. You may proceed once
the engine has cooled sufficiently.
You must decide driving speed depending on trailer weight and
uphill grade to reduce the possibil-
ity of engine and transmission
overheating.
Parking on hills
Generally, if you have a trailer
attached to your vehicle, you should
not park your vehicle on a hill. People
can be seriously or fatally injured,
and both your vehicle and the trailer
can be damaged if they unexpected-
ly roll downhill.
However, if you ever have to park
your trailer on a hill, here's how to do
it:
1.Pull the vehicle into the parkingspace. Turn the steering wheel in
the direction of the curb (right if
headed downhill, left if headed up
hill).
2.If the vehicle has an automatic transmission, place the vehicle in P
(Park).
3.Set the parking brake and shut off the engine.
4.Place chocks under the trailer wheels on the down hill side of the
wheels. 5.Start the vehicle, hold the brakes,
shift to neutral, release the parking
brake and slowly release the
brakes until the trailer chocks
absorb the load.
6.Reapply the brakes, reapply the parking brake and shift the vehicle
to P (Park) for automatic transmis-
sion.
7.Shut off the vehicle and release the vehicle brakes but leave the park-
ing brake set.

5157
Driving your vehicle
When you are ready to leave after
parking on a hill
1. With the automatic transmission inP (Park), apply your brakes and
hold the brake pedal down while
you:

and

2. Slowly remove your foot from the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.Maintenance when trailer tow-
ing
Your vehicle will need service more
often when you regularly pull a trail-
er. Important items to pay particular
attention to include engine oil, auto-
matic transmission fluid, axle lubri-
cant and cooling system fluid. Brake
condition is another important item to
frequently check. Each item is cov-
ered in this manual, and the Index
will help you find them quickly. If
you’re trailering, it’s a good idea to
review these sections before you
start your trip.
Don’t forget to also maintain your
trailer and hitch. Follow the mainte-
nance schedule that accompanied
your trailer and check it periodically.
Preferably, conduct the check at the
start of each day’s driving. Most
importantly, all hitch nuts and bolts
should be tight. When towing check transmission
fluid more frequently.
CAUTION - Air condition
Do not use the A/C while usingyour vehicle to tow uphill. Dueto higher load during trailerusage, overheating might occuron hot days or during uphilldriving.

Driving your vehicle
158
5
If you do decide to pull a trailer
Here are some important points if
you decide to pull a trailer:
Consider using a sway control. You
can ask a hitch dealer about sway
control.
Do not do any towing with your vehicle during its first 2,000 km
(1,200 miles) in order to allow the
engine to properly break in. Failure
to heed this caution may result in
serious engine or transmission
damage.
When towing a trailer, be sure to consult an authorized Kia dealer
for further information on additional
requirements such as a towing kit,
etc.
Always drive your vehicle at a mod- erate speed (less than 100 km/h
(60 mph)).
On a long uphill grade, do not exceed 70 km/h (45 mph) or the
posted towing speed limit,
whichever is lower.
The chart contains important con- siderations that have to do with
weight: ItemTheta II 2.0L
T-GDI Theta II 2.4L
GDI
Maximum
trailer weight Without brake
System
748 kg
(1,650 lbs) 748 kg
(1,650 lbs)
With brake System
907 kg
(2,000 lbs) 907 kg
(2,000 lbs)
Maximum tongue weight
100 kg
(220 lbs) 100 kg
(220 lbs)
To identify what the vehicle trailering capacity is for your vehicle, you should
read the information in “Weight of the Trailer” that appears later in this sec-
tion. For North America