2021 KIA NIRO HYBRID EV maintenance

Features of your vehicle
158 4
Climate control air filter
(if equipped)
The climate control air filter installed
behind the glove box filters the dust
or other pollutants that come into the
vehicle from the outside through the
heating and air conditioning system.
If dust or other pollutants accumulate
in the filter over a period of time, the
air flow from the air vents may
decrease, resulting in moisture accu-
mulation on the inside of the wind-
shield even when the outside (fresh)
air position is selected. If this hap-
pens, have the climate control air fil-
ter replaced by an authorized Kia
dealer.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
• Replace the filter according to the
Maintenance Schedule.
If the vehicle is being driven in
severe conditions such as dusty or
rough roads, more frequent air
conditioner filter inspections and
changes are required.
• When the air flow rate suddenly
decreases, the system should be
checked at an authorized Kia
dealer.
1LDA5047
Outside air
Recirculated
air
Climate control
air filterBlower
Evaporator
coreHeater core
ODEP089004L
CAUTION - AC Repair
It is important that the correct
type and amount of oil and
refrigerant is used, otherwise
damage to the vehicle may
occur. To prevent damage, the
air conditioning system in your
vehicle should only be serviced
by trained and certified techni-
cians.

55
Driving your vehicle
Before entering vehicle
• Be sure that all windows, outside
mirror(s), and outside lights are
clean.
Check the condition of the tires.
Check under the vehicle for any
sign of leaks.
Be sure there are no obstacles
behind you if you intend to back up.
Necessary inspections
Fluid levels, such as engine oil,
engine coolant, brake fluid, and
washer fluid should be checked on a
regular basis, at the exact interval
depending on the fluid. Further
details are provided in chapter 7,
“Maintenance”.
Before starting
Close and lock all doors.
Position the seat so that all con-
trols are easily reached.
Buckle your seat belt.
Adjust the inside and outside
rearview mirrors.
Be sure that all lights work.
Check all gauges.
Check the operation of warning
lights when the ignition switch or
ENGINE START/STOP button is in
the ON position.
Release the parking brake and
make sure the brake warning light
goes out.
For safe operation, be sure you are
familiar with your vehicle and its
equipment.
BEFORE DRIVING
WARNING - Distracted
driving
Focus on the road while driving.
The driver's primary responsi-
bility is in the safe and legal
operation of the vehicle. Any
handled devices, other equip-
ment or vehicle systems that
distract the driver should not be
used during vehicle operation.

Driving your vehicle
142 5
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 kilometers (miles) you can get
from a liter (gallon) 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 a
moderate 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 8. If you drive your vehicle
in severe conditions, more frequent
maintenance is required (see
chapter 8 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

Driving your vehicle
150 5
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 8. 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 8. The level of charge in
your battery can be checked by an
authorized Kia dealer or a service
station.
Change to "winter weight" oil
if necessary
In some climates it is recommended
that a lower viscosity "winter weight"
oil be used during cold weather. See
chapter 9 for recommendations. If
you aren't sure what weight oil you
should use, consult an authorized
Kia dealer.
Check spark plugs and ignition
system
Inspect your spark plugs as
described in chapter 8 and replace
them if necessary. Also check all
ignition wiring and components to be
sure they are not cracked, worn or
damaged in any way.
To keep locks from freezing
To keep the locks from freezing,
squirt an approved de-icer fluid or
glycerine into the key opening. If a
lock is covered with ice, squirt it with
an approved de-icing fluid to remove
the ice. If the lock is frozen internally,
you may be able to thaw it out by
using a heated key. Handle the heat-
ed key with care to avoid injury.
Use approved window washer
anti-freeze in system
To keep the water in the window
washer system from freezing, add an
approved window washer anti-freeze
solution in accordance with instruc-
tions on the container. Window wash-
er anti-freeze is available from an
authorized Kia dealer and most auto
parts outlets. Do not use engine
coolant or other types of anti-freeze
as these may damage the paint fin-
ish.

What to do in an emergency
Road warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
• Hazard warning flasher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
In case of an emergency while driving . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
• If the engine stalls at a crossroad or crossing. . . . . . . 6-3
• If you have a flat tire while driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
• If the engine stalls while driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
If the engine will not start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
• If engine doesn't turn over or turns over slowly . . . . 6-4
• If engine turns over normally but does not start . . . . 6-4
Emergency starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
• Before Jump Starting (For Hybrid) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
• Method to disconnect the (-) cable for regular
maintenance (For Hybrid) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
• Jump starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
• Push-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10
If the engine overheats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) . . . . . 6-13
• Check tire pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-13
• Low tire pressure telltale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-15
• Low tire pressure position telltale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-15
• Changing a tire with TPMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-17
If you have a flat tire (with spare tire) . . . . . . . . . 6-19
• Jack and tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-19
• Removing and storing the spare tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-20
• Changing tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-20
If you have a flat tire (with Tire Mobility Kit) . . 6-28
• Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-29
• Notes on the safe use of the Tire Mobility Kit . . . . . 6-30
• Components of the Tire Mobility Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-32
• Using the Tire Mobility Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-33
• Distributing the sealant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-35
• Checking the tire inflation pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-36
• Technical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-38
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-39
• Towing service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-39
• Removable towing hook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-40
• Emergency towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-41
If An Accident Occurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-446

67
What to do in an emergency
External power source using 12V
battery
(Except the use of dash cameras)
The use of external power acces-
sories may reduce performance and
function of the vehicle. Especially,
the use of dash cameras may cause
a shut off the power of the vehicle
prior to the dash camera’s automatic
shut-down.
If the power of the car is shut off,
start the vehicle as explained above
(refer to “Over discharge of 12V bat-
tery”).
Method to disconnect the (-)
cable for regular maintenance
(For Hybrid)When the vehicle is under regular
maintenance, make sure to separate
the (-) cable inside the luggage room
before maintenance.
Procedures to separate the (-) cable
is as below :
Fold the rear left side seat.
Using the key or (-) screwdriver,
remove the service cover (A) on
the luggage trim.
Separate the (-) cable (B).
Reassemble in the reverse order of
disassembly.
ODE036021
ODE046170N
ODE046171N

What to do in an emergency
14 6
Each tire, including the spare (if pro-
vided), should be checked monthly
when cold and inflated to the inflation
pressure recommended by the vehi-
cle manufacturer on the vehicle plac-
ard or tire inflation pressure label. (If
your vehicle has tires of a different
size than the size indicated on the
vehicle placard or tire inflation pres-
sure label, you should determine the
proper tire inflation pressure for
those tires.)
As an added safety feature, your
vehicle has been equipped with a tire
pressure monitoring system (TPMS)
that illuminates a low tire pressure
telltale when one or more of your
tires is significantly under-inflated.
Accordingly, when the low tire pres-
sure telltale illuminates, you should
stop and check your tires as soon as
possible, and inflate them to the
proper pressure. Driving on a signifi-
cantly under-inflated tire causes the
tire to overheat and can lead to tire
failure. Under-inflation also reduces
fuel efficiency and tire tread life, and
may affect the vehicle’s handling and
stopping ability.Please note that the TPMS is not a
substitute for proper tire maintenance,
and it is the driver’s responsibility to
maintain correct tire pressure, even if
under-inflation has not reached the
level to trigger illumination of the
TPMS low tire pressure telltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped
with a TPMS malfunction indicator to
indicate when the system is not
operating properly. The TPMS mal-
function indicator is combined with
the low tire pressure telltale. When
the system detects a malfunction,
the telltale will flash for approximate-
ly one minute and then remain con-
tinuously illuminated. This sequence
will continue upon subsequent vehi-
cle start-ups as long as the malfunc-
tion exists. When the malfunction
indicator is illuminated, the system
may not be able to detect or signal
low tire pressure as intended. TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a variety
of reasons, including the installation
of replacement or alternate tires or
wheels on the vehicle that prevent
the TPMS from functioning properly.Always check the TPMS malfunction
telltale after replacing one or more
tires or wheels on your vehicle to
ensure that the replacement or alter-
nate tires and wheels allow the TPMS
to continue to function properly.

Maintenance
7
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4
Maintenance services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
• Owner’s responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
• Owner maintenance precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Owner maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
• Owner maintenance schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Scheduled maintenance service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Explanation of scheduled maintenance items . . . 7-15
Checking fluid levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Engine oil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
• Checking the engine oil level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
• Changing the engine oil and filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
• Checking the coolant level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
• Engine coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-22
• Inverter coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-22
• Recommended coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-23
• Changing the coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-25
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-26
• Checking the brake fluid level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-26
Engine clutch actuator fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-28
• Checking the engine clutch actuator fluid level . . . . 7-28
Washer fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-30
• Checking the washer fluid level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-30
Parking brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-31
• Checking the parking brake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-31
Air cleaner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-32
• Filter replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-32
Climate control air filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-34
• Filter inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-34
Wiper blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-36
• Blade inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-36
• Blade replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-36
Battery (Plug-in Hybrid) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-39
• For best battery service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-39
• Recharging the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-40
• Reset items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-41
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-42
• Tire care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-42
• Recommended cold tire inflation pressures . . . . . . . 7-42
• Tire pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-43
• Checking tire inflation pressure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-43
• Tire rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-44
• Wheel alignment and tire balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-45
• Tire replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-46
• Wheel replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-46
• Tire traction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-47
• Tire maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-47
• Tire sidewall labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-47