2021 KIA NIRO HYBRID EV key

513
Driving your vehicle
✽ ✽

NOTICE
If you leave the ENGINE START/
STOP button in the ACC or ON
position for a long time, the battery
will discharge.
Starting the hybrid system✽ ✽
NOTICE
• The hybrid system will start by
pressing the Engine Start/Stop
button, only when the smart key is
in the vehicle.
• Even when the smart key is in the
vehicle, if it is far away from the
driver, the hybrid system may not
start.
• When the Engine Start/Stop but-
ton is in the ACC or ON position,
and any door is open, the system
checks for the smart key. When
the smart key is not in the vehicle,
the “ ” indicator will blink and
the warning “Key not in vehicle”
will come on. When all doors are
closed, the chime will also sound
for about 5 seconds. Keep the
smart key in the vehicle when in
the ACC position or if the hybrid
system is ON.
WARNING- Starting
vehicle
Never press the ENGINE
START/STOP button while the
vehicle is in motion except in an
emergency. This would result in
loss of directional control and
braking function, which could
cause an accident.
WARNING
Always wear appropriate
shoes when operating your
vehicle. Unsuitable shoes,
such as high heels, ski boots,
sandals, flip-flops, etc., may
interfere with your ability to
use the brake and accelerator
pedals.
Do not start the vehicle with the
accelerator pedal depressed.
The vehicle can move and
lead to an accident.

Driving your vehicle
14 5
1. Always carry the smart key with
you.
2. Make sure the parking brake is
applied.
3. Make sure the shift lever is in P
(Park).
4. Depress the brake pedal.
5. Press the Engine Start/Stop but-
ton. If the hybrid system starts, the
“ ” indicator will come on.✽ ✽
NOTICE
• Do not wait for the engine to warm
up while the vehicle remains sta-
tionary.
Start driving at moderate engine
speeds. (Steep accelerating and
decelerating should be avoided.)
• Always start the vehicle with your
foot on the brake pedal. Do not
depress the accelerator while
starting the vehicle. Do not race
the engine while warming it up.
• If ambient temperature is low, the
“ ” indicator may remain illu-
minated longer than the normal
amount of time.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
To prevent damage to the vehicle:
• If the “ ” indicator turns off
while you are in motion, do not
attempt to move the shift lever to
the P (Park) position.
If traffic and road conditions per-
mit, you may put the shift lever in
the N (Neutral) position while the
vehicle is still moving and press
the Engine Start/Stop button in an
attempt to restart the hybrid sys-
tem.
• Do not push or tow your vehicle to
start the hybrid system.

515
Driving your vehicle
If the battery is weak or the smart
key does not work correctly, you
can start the engine by pressing
the engine start/stop button with
the smart key.
The side with the lock button
should contact the engine
start/stop button directly.
When you press the engine
start/stop button directly with the
smart key, the smart key should
contact the button at a right angle. When the stop lamp fuse is blown,
you can't start the engine normally.
Replace the fuse with a new one. If
it is not possible, you can start the
engine by pressing the ENGINE
START/STOP button for 10 sec-
onds while it is in the ACC posi-
tion. The engine can start without
depressing the brake pedal. But for
your safety always depress the
brake pedal before starting the
engine.
Do not press the ENGINE START/
STOP button for more than 10 sec-
onds except when the stop lamp fuse
is blown.
WARNING - Unintended
vehicle movement
Never leave the smart key in the
vehicle with children or vehicle
occupants who are unfamiliar
with the vehicle operation.
Pushing the ENGINE
START/STOP button while the
smart key is in the vehicle may
result in unintended engine
activation and/or unintended
vehicle movement.
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Driving your vehicle
20 5
N (Neutral)
The wheels and transmission are not
engaged.- Parking in N (Neutral) gear
Follow below steps when parking
and you want the vehicle to move
when pushed.
1.After parking your vehicle, step on
the brake pedal and move the shift
lever to [P] with the ignition switch or
ENGINE START/STOP button in
[ON] or while the engine is running.
2.If the parking brake is applied
unlock the parking brake.
- For EPB (Electronic Parking
Brake) equipped vehicles, push
the brake pedal with the ignition
switch or ENGINE START/STOP
button in [ON] or while the engine
is running to disengage the park-
ing brake. If [AUTO HOLD] func-
tion is used while driving (If
[AUTO HOLD] indicator is on in
the cluster), press [AUTO HOLD]
switch and [AUTO HOLD] func-
tion should be turn off.3.While pressing the brake pedal,
turn the ignition switch or ENGINE
START/STOP button [OFF].
- For smart key equipped vehicles,
the ignition switch or ENGINE
START/STOP button can be
moved to [OFF] only when the
shift lever is in [P].
4.Change the gear shift lever to [N]
(Neutral) while pressing the brake
pedal and pushing [SHIFT LOCK
RELEASE] button or inserting,
pressing down a tool (e.g. flathead
screw-driver) into the [SHIFT LOCK
RELEASE] access hole at the same
time. Then, the vehicle will move
when external force is applied.
WARNING
Do not shift into gear unless
your foot is firmly on the brake
pedal. Shifting into gear when
the engine is running at high
speed can cause the vehicle to
move very rapidly. You could
lose control of the vehicle and
hit people or objects.
WARNING
Do not drive with the shift lever
in N (Neutral).
The engine brake may not work
and lead to an accident.

525
Driving your vehicle
Ignition key interlock system
(if equipped)
The ignition key cannot be removed
unless the shift lever is in the P
(Park) position.
ENGINE START/STOP button inter-
lock system (if equipped)
The ENGINE START/STOP button
will not change to the OFF position
unless the shift lever is in the P
(Park) position.Good driving practices
Never move the shift lever from P
(Park) or N (Neutral) to any other
position with the accelerator pedal
depressed.
Never move the shift lever into P
(Park) when the vehicle is in motion.
Be sure the car is completely
stopped before you attempt to shift
into R (Reverse) or D (Drive).
Never take the car out of gear and
coast down a hill. This may be
extremely hazardous. Always leave
the car in gear when moving.
Do not "ride" the brakes. This can
cause them to overheat and mal-
function. Instead, when you are
driving down a long hill, slow down
and shift to a lower gear. When you
do this, engine braking will help
slow the car.
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
transaxle in P (Park) to keep the
car from moving.
Exercise extreme caution when
driving on a slippery surface. Be
especially careful when braking,
accelerating or shifting gears. On a
slippery surface, an abrupt change
in vehicle speed can cause the
drive wheels to lose traction and
the vehicle to go out of control.
Optimum vehicle performance and
economy is obtained by smoothly
depressing and releasing the
accelerator pedal.
CAUTION
- Holding the Vehicle Using
Accelerator Pedal
Do not attempt to hold your
vehicle on a hill by applying the
accelerator pedal. This can
cause your clutch and transmis-
sion to be damaged as a result
of overheating.

Driving your vehicle
36 5
System warning
If you try to drive off depressing the
accelerator pedal with the EPB
applied, but doesn't release auto-
matically, a warning will sound and
a message will appear.
If the driver's seat belt is not fastened
and the door, hood and liftgate is
opened, a warning will sound and a
message will appear.
If there is a problem with the vehi-
cle, a warning may sound and a
message may appear.
If the above situation occurs,
depress the brake pedal and release
EPB by pressing the EPB switch.
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WARNING
To prevent unintentional
movement when stopped and
leaving the vehicle, do not use
the shift lever in place of the
parking brake. Set the parking
brake and make sure the shift
lever is securely positioned in
P (Park).
Never allow anyone who is
unfamiliar with the vehicle to
touch the parking brake. If the
parking brake is released
unintentionally, serious injury
may occur.
All vehicles should always
have the parking brake fully
engaged when parking to
avoid inadvertent movement
of the car which can injure
occupants or pedestrians.
CAUTION
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.
When leaving your keys with a
parking lot attendant or valet,
make sure to inform him/her
how to operate the EPB.
The EPB may malfunction if
you drive with the EPB applied.
When you automatically
release EPB by depressing
the accelerator pedal, depress
it slowly.

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.

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.
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