2021 KIA NIRO HYBRID EV Owners Manual

551
Driving your vehicle
Malfunction indicator
The VSM can be deactivated even if
you don’t cancel the VSM operation
by pressing the ESC OFF button. It
indicates that a malfunction has
been detected somewhere in the
Electric Power Steering system or
VSM system. If the ESC indicator
light ( ) or EPS warning light
remains on, take your vehicle to an
authorized Kia dealer and have the
system checked.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
• The VSM is designed to function
above approximately 22 km/h (13
mph) on curves.
• The VSM is designed to function
above approximately 10 km/h (6
mph) when a vehicle is braking on
a split-mu surface. A split-mu sur-
face is made of two surfaces which
have different friction forces.
The Vehicle Stability Management
system is not a substitute for safe
driving practices but a supplemen-
tary function only. It is the responsi-
bility of the driver to always check
the speed and the distance to the
vehicle ahead. Always hold the
steering wheel firmly while driving.
Your vehicle is designed to activate
according to the driver’s intention,
even with installed VSM. Always fol-
low all the normal precautions for
driving at safe speeds for the condi-
tions – including driving in inclement
weather and on a slippery road.Hill-start Assist Control (HAC)
A vehicle has the tendency to roll
back on a steep hill when it starts to
go after stopping. The Hill-start
Assist Control (HAC) prevents the
vehicle from rolling back by applying
the brakes automatically for about 2
seconds. The brakes are released
when the accelerator pedal is
depressed or after about 2 seconds.
The HAC is activated only for about 2
seconds, so when the vehicle is
starting off always depress the accel-
erator pedal.
WARNING
For maximum protection,
always wear your seat belt. No
system, no matter how
advanced, can compensate for
all driver error and/or driving
conditions. Always drive
responsibly.
WARNING- Maintaining
Brake Pressure on Incline
HAC does not replace the need
to apply brakes while stopped on
an incline. While stopped, make
sure you maintain brake pres-
sure sufficient to prevent your
vehicle from rolling backward
and causing an accident. Don’t
release the brake pedal until you
are ready to accelerate forward.

Driving your vehicle
52 5
Good braking practices
Check to be sure the parking brake
is not engaged and the parking
brake indicator light is out before
driving away.
Driving through water may get the
brakes wet. They can also get wet
when the vehicle is washed. Wet
brakes can be dangerous! Your
vehicle will not stop as quickly if the
brakes are wet. Wet brakes may
cause the vehicle to pull to one side.
To dry the brakes, apply the brakes
lightly until the braking action
returns to normal, taking care to
keep the vehicle under control at all
times. If the braking action does not
return to normal, stop as soon as it
is safe to do so and call an author-
ized Kia dealer for assistance.
Don't coast down hills with the
vehicle out of gear. This is extreme-
ly hazardous. Keep the vehicle in
gear at all times, use the brakes to
slow down, then shift to a lower
gear so that engine braking will
help you maintain a safe speed. Don't "ride" the brake pedal.
Resting your foot on the brake
pedal while driving can be danger-
ous because the brakes might
overheat and lose their effective-
ness. It also increases the wear of
the brake components.
If a tire goes flat while you are driv-
ing, apply the brakes gently and
keep the vehicle pointed straight
ahead while you slow down. When
you are moving slowly enough for it
to be safe to do so, pull off the road
and stop in a safe place.
If your vehicle is equipped with a
dual clutch transmission, don't let
your vehicle creep forward. To
avoid creeping forward, keep your
foot firmly on the brake pedal when
the vehicle is stopped.
Be cautious when parking on a hill.
Firmly engage the parking brake
and place the shift lever in P (Dual
clutch transmission). If your vehicle
is facing downhill, turn the front
wheels into the curb to help keep
the vehicle from rolling.If your vehicle is facing uphill, turn
the front wheels away from the
curb to help keep the vehicle from
rolling. If there is no curb or if it is
required by other conditions to
keep the vehicle from rolling, block
the wheels.
Under some conditions your park-
ing brake can freeze in the
engaged position. This is most like-
ly 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
that the parking brake may freeze,
apply it only temporarily while you
put the shift lever in P (Dual clutch
transmission) and block the rear
wheels so the vehicle cannot roll.
Then release the parking brake.
Do not hold the vehicle on an
incline with the accelerator pedal.
This can cause the transaxle to
overheat. Always use the brake
pedal or parking brake.

553
Driving your vehicle
FCA system is to reduce or to avoid
accident risk. It recognizes the dis-
tance from the vehicle ahead, the
pedestrian or the cyclist through the
sensors (i.e. front view camera and
front radar), and, if necessary, warns
the driver of accident risk with the
warning message or the warning
alarms and apply emergency brak-
ing.
❈FCA stands for Forward Collision-
Avoidance Assist.
❈Sensor fusion (front view camera
+ front radar) FCA system oper-
ates for the vehicle ahead, the
pedestrian or the cyclist in front.System setting and activation
Forward safety
The driver can activate FCA system
by placing the ignition switch or
ENGINE START/STOP button to the
ON position and by selecting:
“User Settings →Driver Assistance
→Forward Safety”
- If you select “Active Assist”, FCA
system activates. FCA produces
warning messages and warning
alarms in accordance with the col-
lision risk levels. Also, it controls
the brakes in accordance with the
collision risk levels.
- If you select “Warning Only”, FCA
system activates and produces
only warning alarms in accordance
with the collision risk levels. You
should control the brake directly
because FCA system do not con-
trol the brake.
- If you select “Off ”, FCA system
deactivates,
FORWARD COLLISION-AVOIDANCE ASSIST (FCA) (SENSOR FUSION) (IF EQUIPPED)
WARNING
Take the following precautions
when using Forward Collision-
Avoidance Assist system:
This system is only a supple-
mental system and it is not
intended to, nor does it replace
the need for the extreme care
and attention of the driver. The
sensing range and objects
detectable by the sensors are
limited. Pay attention to the
road conditions at all times.
NEVER drive too fast in accor-
dance with the road condi-
tions or while cornering.
Always drive cautiously to
prevent unexpected and sud-
den situations from occur-
ring. FCA system does not
stop the vehicle completely
and is only intended to help
mitigate an imminent colli-
sion.

Driving your vehicle
54 5
The warning light illumi-
nates on the LCD display,
when you cancel FCA sys-
tem. The driver can moni-
tor the FCA ON/OFF status on the
LCD display. Also, the warning light
illuminates when the ESC (Electronic
Stability Control) is turned off. When
the warning light remains ON with
FCA activated, have your vehicle
inspected by an authorized Kia deal-
er.Warning Timing
The driver can select the initial warn-
ing activation time on the LCD dis-
play.
Go to the “User Settings → Driver
Assistance →Warning Timing →
Normal/Later”The options for the initial Forward
Collision Warning includes the fol-
lowing:
- Normal:
When this condition is selected, the
initial Forward Collision Warning sys-
tem is activated normally. This setting
allows for a nominal amount of dis-
tance between the vehicle ahead
before the initial warning occurs.
- Later:
When this condition is selected, the
initial Forward Collision Warning sys-
tem is activated later than normal.
This setting reduces the amount of
distance between the vehicle ahead,
the pedestrian or the cyclist before
the initial warning occurs.
Select 'Later' when traffic is light and
when driving speed is slow.
If the vehicle in front puts on a burst
of speed, the driver can notice the
warning alarm is early even though
the later option is selected.
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555
Driving your vehicle
✽ ✽
NOTICE
If you change the warning timing,
the warning timing of other systems
may change. Always be aware of
warning timing before changing the
warning timing.
Prerequisite for activation
FCA system gets ready to be activat-
ed, when the “Active assist” or
“Warning only” under the Forward
Safety is selected on the LCD dis-
play, and when the following prereq-
uisites are satisfied.
- The ESC is activated.
- The driving speed is over 8 km/h (5
mph). (However, FCA is activated
within certain driving speed.)
- When recognizing the vehicle or
the pedestrian or the cyclist in
front. (However, FCA does not acti-
vate according to conditions in
front and vehicle systems, but it
notices only certain warnings.)
- FCA does not operate properly or it
only produces a warning alarms in
accordance with the driving or
vehicle condition.
- If the warning only under the
Forward Safety is selected, FCA
produces only warning alarms in
accordance with the collision risk
levels.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
FCA may not operate properly
according to the frontal situation,
the direction of pedestrian or cyclist
and speed.

Driving your vehicle
56 5
FCA warning message and
system control
FCA system produces warning mes-
sages and warning alarms in accor-
dance with the collision risk levels of
followings like vehicle’s sudden brak-
ing in front or lack of vehicle to vehi-
cle distance or collision to pedestri-
ans or cyclist. Also, it controls the
brakes in accordance with the colli-
sion risk levels.
The driver can select the initial warn-
ing activation time in the User set-
tings in the LCD display. The
options for the initial Forward
Collision Warning include Normal or
Late initial warning time.
Collision Warning (1st warning)
The warning message appears on
the LCD display with the warning
alarms.
The Vehicle may slow down slightly
- It will operate if the vehicle speed
is greater than 8 km/h (5 mph)
and less than or equal to 180
km/h (110 mph) on a forward
vehicle. (Depending on the condi-
tion of the vehicle ahead and the
environment surrounding it, the
possible maximum operating
speed may be reduced.)
WARNING
Completely stop the vehicle in
a safe location before operat-
ing the switch on the steering
wheel to activate/deactivate
FCA system.
FCA system automatically
activates upon placing the
ignition switch to the ON posi-
tion. The driver can deactivate
FCA system by canceling the
system setting on the LCD
display or Infotainment
System screen.
FCA system automatically
deactivates upon canceling
the ESC. When the ESC is
canceled, FCA system cannot
be activated on the LCD dis-
play or Infotainment System
screen.
FCA system warning light will
illuminate, which is normal.
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Driving your vehicle
- For pedestrians and cyclists, the
vehicle speed is greater than or
equal to 8 km/h (5 mph) and less
than 70 km/h (45 mph).
(Depending on the condition of
pedestrians and bike riders and
the surrounding environment the
possible maximum operating
speed may be reduced.)
FCA system controls the brakes
within certain limit to release shock
from the collision.
- If you select “Warning Only”, FCA
system activates and produces
only warning alarms in accor-
dance with the collision risk lev-
els. You should control the brake
directly because FCA system do
not control the brake.Emergency braking (2nd warning)
The warning message appears on
the LCD display with the warning
alarms.
The brake control is maximized
just before a collision, reducing
impact when it strikes a forward
vehicle.
- It will operate if the vehicle speed
is greater than 8 km/h (5 mph)
and less than or equal to 80 km/h
(50 mph) on a forward vehicle.
(Depending on the condition of
the vehicle ahead and the envi-
ronment surrounding it, the possi-
ble maximum operating speed
may be reduced.)- For pedestrians and cyclists, the
vehicle speed is greater than or
equal to 8 km/h (5 mph) and less
than 70 km/h (45 mph).
(Depending on the condition of
pedestrians and bike riders and
the surrounding environment the
possible maximum operating
speed may be reduced.)
FCA system controls the brakes
within certain limit to release shock
from the collision.
FCA system controls the maximum
brakes just before the collision.
- If you select “Warning Only”,
FCA system activates and pro-
duces only warning alarms in
accordance with the collision risk
levels. You should control the
brake directly because FCA sys-
tem do not control the brake.
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Driving your vehicle
58 5
Brake operation
In an urgent situation, the braking
system enters into the ready status
for prompt reaction to assist the driv-
er in depressing the brake pedal.
FCA system provides additional
braking power for optimum braking
performance, when the driver
depresses the brake pedal.
The braking control is automatical-
ly deactivated, when the driver
sharply depresses the accelerator
pedal, or when the driver abruptly
operates the steering wheel.
The braking control is automatical-
ly canceled, when risk factors dis-
appear.
Detecting sensors (front view
camera/front radar)
The sensors are that detecting the
distance to vehicles ahead, pedestri-
an or cyclist.
CAUTION
The driver should always pay
great caution to vehicle opera-
tion, even though there is no
warning message or warning
alarm.
WARNING
FCA system cannot avoid all
collisions. FCA system might
not completely stop the vehicle
before a collision, due to ambi-
ent, weather and road condi-
tions. The driver has the
responsibility to drive safely
and control the vehicle.
WARNING
FCA system operates in accor-
dance with certain risk factors,
such as the distance from the
vehicle/passer-by in front, the
speed of the vehicle/passer-by in
front, and the driver's vehicle
operation.
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