2021 KIA NIRO ignition

Driving your vehicle
20 5
If the vehicle continues to be driv-
en and the clutch temperatures
reach the maximum temperature
limit, the " Transmission Hot! Park
with engine on" warning will be dis-
played. When this occurs, the
clutch is disabled until the clutch
cools to normal temperatures.
The warning will display a time to
wait for the transmission to cool.
If this occurs, pull over to a safe
location, stop the vehicle with the
engine running, apply the brakes,
shift the vehicle to P (Park), and
allow the transmission to cool.
When the message "Trans cooled.
Resume driving.“ appears, you can
continue to drive your vehicle.
When possible, drive the vehicle
smoothly.
If any of the warning messages in
the LCD display continue to blink, for
your safety, we recommend having
the system checked by an authorized
Kia dealer.Transmission ranges
The indicator in the instrument clus-
ter displays the shift lever position
when the ignition switch or ENGINE
START/STOP button is in the ON
position.P (Park)
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into P (Park).
To shift from P (Park), you must
depress firmly on the brake pedal
and make sure your foot is off the
accelerator pedal.
The shift lever must be in P (Park)
before turning the engine off.
WARNING
Shifting into P (Park) while the
vehicle is in motion may
cause you to lose control of
the vehicle.
After the vehicle has stopped,
always make sure the shift
lever is in P (Park), apply the
parking brake, and turn the
engine off.
Do not use the P (Park) position
in place of the parking brake.

521
Driving your vehicle
R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward.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.
CAUTION
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into or out of R
(Reverse); you may damage the
transmission if you shift into R
(Reverse) while the vehicle is in
motion.
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.

Driving your vehicle
22 5
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 - Parking In
Neutral
With the exception of parking
in neutral gear, always park the
vehicle in [P] (Park) for safety
and apply the parking brake.
Before parking in [N] (Neutral)
gear, make sure the parking
ground is level and flat. Do not
park in [N] gear on any slopes
or gradients. If parked and left
in [N], the vehicle may move
and cause serious damage or
injury.
After the ignition switch or
ENGINE START/STOP button
has been turned off, the
Electronic Parking Brake can-
not be disengaged.
(Continued)(Continued)
For EPB (Electronic Parking
Brake) equipped vehicles with
[AUTO HOLD] function used
while driving, if the ignition
switch or ENGINE
START/STOP button has been
turned [OFF], the Electronic
Parking Brake will be engaged
automatically. Therefore,
[AUTO HOLD] function should
be turned off before the igni-
tion button is turned off.

525
Driving your vehicle
Shift lock system
For your safety, the dual clutch trans-
mission has a shift lock system which
prevents shifting the transaxle from P
(Park) into R (Reverse) unless the
brake pedal is depressed.
To shift the transaxle from P (Park)
into R (Reverse):
1. Depress and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine or turn the ignition
switch or ENGINE START/STOP
button to the ON position.
3. Move the shift lever.
If the brake pedal is repeatedly
depressed and released with the shift
lever in the P (Park) position, a chat-
tering noise & vibration near the shift
lever may be heard. This is a normal
condition.Shift-lock override
If the shift lever cannot be moved
from the P (Park) position into R
(Reverse) position with the brake
pedal depressed, continue depress-
ing the brake, then do the following:
1. Place the ignition switch or
ENGINE START/STOP button in
the LOCK/OFF position.
2. Apply the parking brake.
3. Carefully remove the cap (1) cov-
ering the shift-lock release access
hole.
4. Insert a tool (e.g. flathead screw-
driver) into the access hole and
press down on the tool.WARNING - Shifting from
park
Always fully depress the brake
pedal before and while shifting
out of the P (park) position into
another position to avoid inad-
vertent motion of the vehicle
which could injure persons in or
around the vehicle.
ODEP059013L

Driving your vehicle
26 5
5. Move the shift lever.
6. Remove the tool from the shiftlock
override access hole then install
the cap.
7. We recommend that the system
be inspected by an authorized Kia
dealer.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.

Driving your vehicle
34 5
Check the brake warning light by turn-
ing the ignition switch or ENGINE
START/STOP button ON (do not start
the engine). This light will be illuminat-
ed when the parking brake is applied
with the ignition switch or ENGINE
START/STOP button in the START or
ON position.
Before driving, be sure the parking
brake is fully released and the brake
warning light is off.
If the brake warning light remains on
after the parking brake is released
while the engine is running, there may
be a malfunction in the brake system.
Immediate attention is necessary.If at all possible, cease driving the
vehicle immediately. If that is not pos-
sible, use extreme caution while
operating the vehicle and only contin-
ue to drive the vehicle until you can
reach a safe location or repair shop.
WARNING - Parking brake
use
Never allow a passenger 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 parked to avoid
inadvertent movement of the
vehicles which can injure
occupants or pedestrians.
W-75

Driving your vehicle
36 5
To release EPB (Electronic Parking
Brake) automatically:
Shift lever in P (Park)
With the engine running depress
the brake pedal and shift out of P
(Park) to R (Reverse) or D (Drive).
Shift lever in N (Neutral)
With the engine running depress
the brake pedal and shift out of N
(Neutral) to R (Reverse) or D
(Drive).
Depress the accelerator pedal
slowly when the following condi-
tions are satisfied:
1. Start the engine.
2. Fasten the driver's seat belt.
3. Close the driver's door, engine
hood and liftgate.
4. The shift lever is in R (Rear), D
(Drive) or manual mode.
Make sure the brake warning light
goes off.✽ ✽
NOTICE
• For your safety, you can engage
the EPB even though the ignition
switch or ENGINE START/STOP
button is in the OFF position, but
you cannot release it.
• For your safety, depress the brake
pedal and release the parking
brake manually with the EPB
switch when you drive downhill or
when backing up the vehicle.
EPB (Electronic Parking Brake) may
be automatically applied when:
The EPB is overheated
Requested by other systems
The hybrid system is turned off
with the EPB applied
✽ ✽
NOTICE
• If Auto Hold is operating (Green
light), EPB is applied automatical-
ly when the hybrid system is
turned off.
• If Auto Hold is in ready position
(White light), EPB is applied auto-
matically after 1 second from the
hybrid system off timing. In this
case, if the EPB switch is pressed
within 1 second, the EPB will not
be applied.
CAUTION
If the parking brake warning
light is still on even though
the EPB has been released,
have the system checked by
an authorized Kia dealer.
Do not drive your vehicle with
the EPB applied. It may cause
excessive brake pad and
brake rotor wear.

539
Driving your vehicle
EPB malfunction indicator
(if equipped)
This warning light illuminates if the
ignition switch or ENGINE START/
STOP button is changed to the ON
position and goes off in approximately
3 seconds if the system is operation
normally.
If the EPB malfunction indicator
remains on, comes on while driving,
or does not come on when the igni-
tion switch or ENGINE START/STOP
button is changed to the ON position,
this indicates that the EPB may have
malfunctioned.If this occurs, have your vehicle
checked by an authorized Kia dealer
as soon as possible.
The EPB malfunction indicator may
illuminate when the ESC indicator
comes on to indicate that the ESC is
not working properly, but it does not
indicate a malfunction of the EPB.
ODEP059286
CAUTION
The EPB warning light may
illuminate if the EPB switch
operates abnormally. Shut the
engine off and turn it on again
after a few minutes. The warn-
ing light will go off and the
EPB switch will operate nor-
mally. However, if the EPB
warning light is still on, have
the system checked by an
authorized Kia dealer.
If the parking brake warning
light does not illuminate or
blinks even though the EPB
switch was pulled up, the EPB
is not applied.
(Continued)
(Continued)
If the parking brake warning
light blinks when the EPB
warning light is on, press the
switch, then pull it up. Once
more press it back to its origi-
nal position and pull it back
up. If the EPB warning does
not go off, have the system
checked by an authorized Kia
dealer.