2021 KIA NIRO traction control

527
Driving your vehicle
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.
WARNING
If your vehicle becomes stuck in
snow, mud, sand, etc., then you
may attempt to rock the vehicle
free by moving it forward and
backward. Do not attempt this
procedure if people or objects
are anywhere near the vehicle.
During the rocking operation the
vehicle may suddenly move for-
ward of backward as it becomes
unstuck, causing injury or dam-
age to nearby people or objects.
WARNING
When driving uphill or downhill,
always shift to D (Drive) for driv-
ing forward or shift to R
(Reverse) for driving backwards,
and check the gear position
indicated on the cluster before
driving.
Driving in the opposite direction
of the selected gear can lead to
a dangerous situation by shut-
ting off the engine and affecting
the braking performance.

547
Driving your vehicle
✽ ✽
NOTICE
When you jump start your vehicle
because of a drained battery, the
engine may not run as smoothly and
the ABS warning light may turn on at
the same time. This happens because
of low battery voltage. It does not
mean your ABS has malfunctioned.
• Do not pump your brakes!
• Have the battery recharged before
driving the vehicle.
Electronic Stability Control
(ESC)
The Electronic Stability Control
(ESC) system is designed to stabi-
lize the vehicle during cornering
maneuvers. ESC checks where you
are steering and where the vehicle is
actually going. ESC applies the
brakes on individual wheels and
intervenes with the engine manage-
ment system to stabilize the vehicle.
Electronic stability control (ESC) will
not prevent accidents. Excessive
speed in turns, abrupt maneuvers
and hydroplaning on wet surfaces
can still result in serious accidents.Only a safe and attentive driver can
prevent accidents by avoiding
maneuvers that cause the vehicle to
lose traction. Even with ESC
installed, always follow all the normal
precautions for driving - including
driving at safe speeds for the condi-
tions.
ODEP059016
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.

549
Driving your vehicle
ESC operation off
ESC OFF state
This car has 2 kinds of ESC
off states.
If the engine stops when
ESC is off, ESC remains off.
Upon restarting the engine,
the ESC will automatically
turn on again.“Traction Control disabled”
ESC off state 1
To cancel ESC operation, press the
ESC OFF button (ESC OFF ) for
less than 3 seconds and the ESC
OFF indicator light (ESC OFF ) will
illuminate. At this state, the engine
control function does not operate. It
means the traction control function
does not operate. Only the brake con-
trol function will operate.
“Traction & Stability Control disabled”

To cancel ESC operation, press the
ESC OFF button (ESC OFF ) for
more than 3 seconds. ESC OFF indi-
cator light (ESC OFF ) will illumi-
nate and ESC OFF warning chime
will sound. At this state, the engine
control function and brake control
function do not operate. It means the
car stability control function will not
operate any more.
Indicator light
When ignition switch or the ENGINE
START/STOP button is turned to ON,
the indicator light illuminates, then
goes off if the ESC system is operat-
ing normally.
The ESC indicator light blinks when-
ever ESC is operating or illuminates
when ESC fails to operate.
The ESC OFF indicator light comes
on when the ESC is turned off with
the button.
■ESC indicator light
■ ESC OFF indicator light

5121
Driving your vehicle
SCC Not Operating Conditions
The driver’s door is opened.
The vehicle is shifted to N (Neutral)
/ R (Reverse) / P (Parking).
The parking brake is applied.
The vehicle speed is not within the
specified SCC range.
The ESC (Electronic Stability
Control), TCS (Traction Control
System)or ABS is operating. The ESC (Electronic Stability
Control), TCS (Traction Control
System)or ABS is off.
The ESC (Electronic Stability
Control), TCS (Traction Control
System)or ABS is operating.
The sensor cover is extremely con-
taminated.
The engine performance is abnor-
mal.
Forward Collision-Avoidance
Assist is activated.
The engine RPM is in the red zone.
The front radar is abnormal.
To increase Smart Cruise Control
set speed:
Follow either of these procedures:
Push the switch up (to RES+), and
hold it. Your vehicle set speed will
increase by 5 mph (10 km/h).
Release the switch at the speed
you want.
Push the switch up (to RES+), and
release it immediately. The cruising
speed will increase by 1.0 mph (1.0
km/h) each time you move the
switch up (to RES+) in this manner.
OYG059346L
ODE056025

Driving your vehicle
188 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.

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

747
Maintenance
Tire traction
Tire traction can be reduced if you
drive on worn tires, tires that are
improperly inflated or on slippery
road surfaces. Tires should be
replaced when tread wear indicators
appear. Slow down whenever there
is rain, snow or ice on the road, to
reduce the possibility of losing con-
trol of the vehicle.
Tire maintenance
In addition to proper inflation, correct
wheel alignment helps to decrease
tire wear. If you find a tire is worn
unevenly, have your dealer check the
wheel alignment.
When you have new tires installed,
make sure they are balanced. This
will increase vehicle ride comfort and
tire life. Additionally, a tire should
always be rebalanced if it is removed
from the wheel.
Tire sidewall labeling
This information identifies and
describes the fundamental charac-
teristics of the tire and also provides
the tire identification number (TIN)
for safety standard certification. The
TIN can be used to identify the tire in
case of a recall.
1. Manufacturer or brand name
Manufacturer or Brand name is
shown.
CAUTION - Wheel
Wheels that do not meet Kia's
specifications may fit poorly
and result in damage to the
vehicle or unusual handling and
poor vehicle control.
OJF085008L

Maintenance
50 7
5. Maximum permissible inflation
pressure
This number is the greatest amount of
air pressure that should be put in the
tire. Do not exceed the maximum per-
missible inflation pressure. Refer to
the Tire and Loading Information label
for recommended inflation pressure.
6. Maximum load rating
This number indicates the maximum
load in kilograms and pounds that can
be carried by the tire. When replacing
the tires on the vehicle, always use a
tire that has the same load rating as
the factory installed tire.
7. Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Quality grades can be found where
applicable on the tire sidewall
between tread shoulder and maxi-
mum section width.
For example:
Treadwear 200
Traction AA
Temperature ATread wear
The tread wear grade is a compara-
tive rating based on the wear rate of
the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified govern-
ment test course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one-and-a-
half times (1½) as well on the gov-
ernment course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires
depends upon the actual conditions
of their use, however, and may
depart significantly from the norm
due to variations in driving habits,
service practices and differences in
road characteristics and climate.Tires degrade over time, even when
they are not being used. Regardless
of the remaining tread, we recom-
mend that tires be replaced after
approximately six (6) years of normal
service. Heat caused by hot climates
or frequent high loading conditions
can accelerate the aging process.
These grades are molded on the
side-walls of passenger vehicle tires.
The tires available as standard or
optional equipment on your vehicles
may vary with respect to grade.