2021 KIA NIRO HYBRID EV brakes

Driving your vehicle
144 5
Hazardous driving conditions
When hazardous driving conditions
are encountered such as water,
snow, ice, mud, sand, or similar haz-
ards, follow these suggestions:
Drive cautiously and allow extra
distance for braking.
Avoid sudden braking or steering.
When braking with non-ABS
brakes pump the brake pedal with
a light up-and-down motion until
the vehicle is stopped.
Do not pump the brake pedal on a
vehicle equipped with ABS. If stalled in snow, mud, or sand,
use the second gear. Accelerate
slowly to avoid spinning the drive
wheels.
Use sand, rock salt, or other non-
slip material under the drive
wheels to provide traction when
stalled in ice, snow, or mud.
Reducing the risk of a rollover
This multi-purpose passenger vehi-
cle is defined as a Sports Utility
Vehicle (SUV). Utility vehicles have a
significantly higher rollover rate than
other types of vehicles. SUV's have
higher ground clearance and a nar-
rower track to make them capable of
performing in a wide variety of off-
road applications. Specific design
characteristics give them a higher
center of gravity than ordinary vehi-
cles. An advantage of the higher
ground clearance is a better view of
the road, which allows you to antici-
pate problems. They are not
designed for cornering at the same
speeds as conventional passenger
vehicles, any more than low-slung
sports vehicles are designed to per-
form satisfactorily in off-road condi-
tions. Due to this risk, driver and pas-
sengers are strongly recommended
to buckle their seat belts. In a rollover
crash, an unbelted person is signifi-
cantly more likely to die than a per-
son wearing a seat belt. There are
steps that a driver can make to
reduce the risk of a rollover.
SPECIAL DRIVING CONDITIONS
WARNING- Downshifting
Do not downshift with a dual
clutch transmission while driv-
ing on slippery surfaces. The
sudden change in tire speed
could cause the tires to skid
and result in an accident.

5147
Driving your vehicle
Driving at night
Because night driving presents more
hazards than driving in the daylight,
here are some important tips to
remember:
Slow down and keep more dis-
tance between you and other vehi-
cles, as it may be more difficult to
see at night, especially in areas
where there may not be any street
lights.
Adjust your mirrors to reduce the
glare from other driver's head-
lights.
Keep your headlights clean and
properly aimed. (On vehicles not
equipped with the automatic head-
light aiming feature.) Dirty or
improperly aimed headlights will
make it much more difficult to see
at night.
Avoid staring directly at the head-
lights of oncoming vehicles. You
could be temporarily blinded, and it
will take several seconds for your
eyes to readjust to the darkness.
Driving in the rain
Rain and wet roads can make driving
dangerous, especially if you’re not
prepared for the slick pavement.
Here are a few things to consider
when driving in the rain: A heavy rainfall will make it harder
to see and will increase the dis-
tance needed to stop your vehicle,
so slow down.
Keep your windshield wiping
equipment in good shape. Replace
your windshield wiper blades when
they show signs of streaking or
missing areas on the windshield.
If your tires are not in good condi-
tion, making a quick stop on wet
pavement can cause a skid and
possibly lead to an accident. Be
sure your tires are in good shape.
Turn on your headlights to make it
easier for others to see you.
Driving too fast through large pud-
dles can affect your brakes. If you
must go through puddles, try to
drive through them slowly.
If you believe you may have gotten
your brakes wet, apply them lightly
while driving until normal braking
operation returns.

Driving your vehicle
148 5
Driving in flooded areas
Avoid driving through flooded areas
unless you are sure the water is no
higher than the bottom of the wheel
hub. Drive through any water slowly.
Allow adequate stopping distance
because brake performance may be
affected.
After driving through water, dry the
brakes by gently applying them sev-
eral times while the vehicle is moving
slowly.
Driving off-road
Drive carefully off-road because your
vehicle may be damaged by rocks or
roots of trees. Become familiar with
the off-road conditions where you
are going to drive before you begin
driving.
Highway driving
Tires
Adjust the tire inflation pressures to
specification. Low tire inflation pres-
sures will result in overheating and
possible failure of the tires.
Avoid using worn or damaged tires
which may result in reduced traction
or tire failure.
Never exceed the maximum tire
inflation pressure shown on the tires.
Fuel, engine coolant and engine oil
High speed travel consumes more
fuel than urban motoring. Do not for-
get to check both the engine coolant
and engine oil.
Drive belt
A loose or damaged drive belt may
result in overheating of the engine.
WARNING- Under/over
inflated tires
Always check the tires for proper
inflation before driving.
Underinflated or overinflated
tires can cause poor handling,
loss of vehicle control, and sud-
den tire failure leading to acci-
dents, injuries, and even death.
For proper tire pressures, refer to
“Tires and wheels” in chapter 9.
WARNING- Tire tread
Always check the tire tread
before driving your vehicle.
Worn-out tires can result in loss
of vehicle control. Worn-out tires
should be replaced as soon as
possible. For further information
and tread limits, refer to "Tires
and wheels" in chapter 8.

5151
Driving your vehicle
Don’t let your parking brake
freeze
Under some conditions your parking
brake can freeze in the engaged
position. This is most likely to happen
when there is an accumulation of
snow or ice around or near the rear
brakes or if the brakes are wet. If
there is a risk the parking brake may
freeze, apply it only temporarily while
you put the gear shift lever in P (Park,
Dual clutch transmission) and block
the rear wheels so the vehicle cannot
roll. Then release the parking brake.
Don't let ice and snow accu-
mulate underneath
Under some conditions, snow and
ice can build up under the fenders
and interfere with the steering. When
driving in severe winter conditions
where this may happen, you should
periodically check underneath the
vehicle to be sure the movement of
the front wheels and the steering
components are not obstructed.
Carry emergency equipment
Depending on the severity of the
weather, you should carry appropri-
ate emergency equipment. Some of
the items you may want to carry
include tow straps or chains, flash-
light, emergency flares, sand, shov-
el, jumper cables, window scraper,
gloves, ground cloth, coveralls, blan-
ket, etc.
TRAILER TOWING
We do not recommend using this
vehicle for trailer towing.

63
What to do in an emergency
If the engine stalls at a cross-
road or crossing
If the engine stalls at a crossroad or
crossing, set the shift lever in the N
(Neutral) position and then push the
vehicle to a safe place.
If you have a flat tire while
driving
If a tire goes flat while you are driv-
ing:
1. Take your foot off the accelerator
pedal and let the vehicle slow
down while driving straight ahead.
Do not apply the brakes immedi-
ately or attempt to pull off the road
as this may cause a loss of con-
trol. When the vehicle has slowed
to such a speed that it is safe to do
so, brake carefully and pull off the
road. Drive off the road as far as
possible and park on firm level
ground. If you are on a divided
highway, do not park in the median
area between the two traffic lanes.2. When the vehicle is stopped, turn
on your emergency hazard flash-
ers, set the parking brake and put
the transmission in P (Park).
3. Have all passengers get out of the
vehicle. Be sure they all get out on
the side of the vehicle that is away
from traffic.
4. When changing a flat tire, follow
the instruction provided later in
this section.
If the engine stalls while driv-
ing
1. Reduce your speed gradually,
keeping a straight line. Move cau-
tiously off the road to a safe place.
2. Turn on your emergency flashers.
3. Try to start the hybrid system
again. If your vehicle will not start,
contact an authorized Kia dealer
or seek other qualified assistance.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
If there was a check engine light and
loss of power or stall and if safe to do
so, wait at least 10 seconds to restart
the vehicle after it stalls. This may
reset the car so it will no longer run
at low power (limp home) condition.
IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY WHILE DRIVING

What to do in an emergency
18 6
You may not be able to identify a low
tire by simply looking at it. Always
use a good quality tire pressure
gauge to measure the tire's inflation
pressure. Please note that a tire that
is hot (from being driven) will have a
higher pressure measurement than a
tire that is cold (from sitting station-
ary for at least 3 hours and driven
less than 1.6 km (1 mile) during that
3 hour period).
Allow the tire to cool before measur-
ing the inflation pressure. Always be
sure the tire is cold before inflating to
the recommended pressure.
A cold tire means the vehicle has
been sitting for 3 hours and driven for
less than 1.6 km (1 mile) in that 3
hour period.
Never use tire sealant if your vehicle
is equipped with a Tire Pressure
Monitoring System. The liquid
sealant can damage the tire pres-
sure sensors. The TPMS cannot alert you to
severe and sudden tire damage
caused by external factors such as
nails or road debris.
If you feel any vehicle instability,
immediately take your foot off the
accelerator, apply the brakes grad-
ually and with light force, and slow-
ly move to a safe position off the
road.
✽ ✽
NOTICE - Protecting TPMS
Tampering with, modifying, or dis-
abling the Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (TPMS) components may
interfere with the system's ability to
warn the driver of low tire pressure
conditions and/or TPMS malfunc-
tions. Tampering with, modifying,
or disabling the Tire Pressure
Monitoring System (TPMS) compo-
nents may void the warranty for
that portion of the vehicle.
This device complies with
Industry Canada licence-exempt
RSS standard(s).
Operation is subject to the following
conditions:
1. This device may not cause inter-
ference, and
2. This device must accept any inter-
ference, including interference that
may cause undesired operation of
the device.
3. Changes or modifications not
expressly approved by the party
responsible for compliance could
void the user's authority to operate
the device.

3. Install the towing hook by turning it
clockwise into the hole until it is
fully secured.
4. Remove the towing hook and
install the cover after use.Emergency towing
If towing is necessary, have it
done by an authorized Kia dealer
or a commercial tow truck service.If towing service is not available in an
emergency, your vehicle may be
temporarily towed using a cable or
chain secured to the emergency tow-
ing hook under the front (or rear) of
the vehicle. Use extreme caution
when towing the vehicle. A driver
must be in the vehicle to steer it and
operate the brakes.
Towing in this manner may be done
only on hard-surfaced roads for a
short distance and at low speed.
Also, the wheels, axles, power train,
steering and brakes must all be in
good condition.
Do not use the tow hooks to pull a
vehicle out of mud, sand or other
conditions from which the vehicle
cannot be driven out under its own
power.
Avoid towing a vehicle heavier than
the vehicle doing the towing.
The drivers of both vehicles should
communicate with each other fre-
quently.
ODEP069016
ODEP069017
■Front
■ Rear
What to do in an emergency
41 6

Emergency towing precautions
Turn the ignition switch to ACC so
the steering wheel isn’t locked.
Place the transmission shift lever in
N (Neutral).
Release the parking bake.
Press the brake pedal with more
force than normal since you will
have reduced brake performance.
More steering effort will be
required because the power steer-
ing system will be disabled.
If you are driving down a long hill,
the brakes may overheat and brake
performance will be reduced. Stop
often and let the brakes cool off.
The vehicle should be towed at a
speed of 25 km/h (15 mph) or less
within the distance of 20 km (12
miles). If the car is being towed with all
four wheels on the ground, it can
be towed only from the front. Be
sure that the transmission is in N
(Neutral). Be sure the steering is
unlocked by placing the ignition
switch in the ACC position. A driver
must be in the towed vehicle to
operate the steering and brakes.
CAUTION - Dual clutch
transmission
To avoid serious damage to the
dual clutch transmission, limit
the vehicle speed to 15 km/h
(10 mph) and drive less than
1.5 km (1 mile) when towing.
Before towing, check the dual
clutch transmission for fluid
leaks under your vehicle. If the
dual clutch transmission fluid
is leaking, flatbed equipment
or a towing dolly must be
used.
What to do in an emergency
43 6