2021 KIA NIRO PHEV steering

Driving your vehicle
8 5
ON
The warning lights can be checked
before the engine is started. This is
the normal running position after the
engine is started.
Do not leave the ignition switch ON if
the engine is not running to prevent
battery discharge.START
Turn the ignition switch to the START
position to start the engine. The
engine will crank until you release
the key; then it returns to the ON
position. The brake warning light can
be checked in this position.
The anti-theft steering column lock (if
equipped) is not a substitute for the
parking brake. Before leaving the dri-
ver’s seat, always make sure the shift
lever is engaged in P (Park) for dual
clutch transmission, set the parking
brake fully and shut the engine off.
Unexpected and sudden vehicle
movement may occur if these pre-
cautions are not taken.
WARNING- Key holder
Do not place small purses, mul-
tiple keys, or other heavy acces-
sories on your vehicle key ring.
The driver can accidently push
these objects causing the ACC
position to change while in
motion and disrupt the proper
operation of some of the vehi-
cle's safety features.
WARNING- Ignition switch
Never turn the ignition switch to
LOCK or ACC while the vehicle
is moving. This would result in
loss of directional control and
braking function, which could
cause an accident.

59
Driving your vehicle
Starting the hybrid system
1.Make sure the parking brake is
applied.
2.Place the transaxle shift lever in P
(Park). Depress the brake pedal
fully.3. Turn the ignition switch to START.
If the hybrid system starts, the
“ ” indicator will come on.
WARNING- Leaving the
Vehicle
To avoid unexpected or sudden
vehicle movement, never leave
your vehicle if the transmission
is not locked in the P (Park)
position and the parking brake
is fully engaged. Before leaving
the driver's seat, always make
sure the shift lever is engaged in
P (Park), set the parking brake
fully and shut the engine off.
WARNING- Proper
footwear
Always wear appropriate shoes
when operating your vehicle.
Unsuitable shoes (high heels,
ski boots, sandals, etc.) may
interfere with your ability to use
the brake and accelerator pedal.
WARNING- Steering
wheel
Never reach for any controls
through the steering wheel
while the vehicle is in motion.
The presence of your hand or
arm in this area could cause a
loss of vehicle control.

531
Driving your vehicle
Power brakes
Your vehicle has power-assisted
brakes that adjust automatically
through normal usage.
If the hybrid system is not on or is
turned off while driving, the power
assist for the brakes will not work.
You can still stop your vehicle by
applying greater force to the brake
pedal than typical. The stopping dis-
tance, however, will be longer than
with power brakes.
When the hybrid system is not on,
the reserve brake power is partially
depleted each time the brake pedal
is applied. Do not pump the brake
pedal when the power assist has
been interrupted.
Pump the brake pedal only when
necessary to maintain steering con-
trol on slippery surfaces.
BRAKE SYSTEM
WARNING- Steep hill
braking
Avoid continuous application of
the brakes when descending a
long or steep hill by shifting to a
lower gear. Continuous brake
application may cause the
brakes to overheat and could
result in a temporary loss of
braking performance.
WARNING- HEV driving
down hill
Do not turn off the Hybrid sys-
tem while going down a hill. The
brake booster may not work
sufficiently and the braking dis-
tance may be longer.CAUTION- Brake Pedal
Do not drive with your foot rest-
ing on the brake pedal. This will
create abnormally high brake
temperatures which can cause
excessive brake lining and pad
wear.

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.
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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.

Driving your vehicle
48 5
The Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
system is an electronic system
designed to help the driver maintain
vehicle control under adverse condi-
tions. It is not a substitute for safe driv-
ing practices. Factors including speed,
road conditions and driver steering
input can all affect whether ESC will be
effective in preventing a loss of control.
It is still your responsibility to drive and
corner at reasonable speeds and to
leave a sufficient margin of safety.
When you apply your brakes under
conditions which may lock the wheels,
you may hear a “tik-tik’’ sound from the
brakes, or feel a corresponding sensa-
tion in the brake pedal. This is normal
and it means your ESC is active.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
A click sound may be heard in the
engine compartment when the vehi-
cle begins to move after the engine is
started. These conditions are normal
and indicate that the Electronic
Stability Control System is function-
ing properly.
ESC operation
ESC ON condition
When the ignition switch or
the ENGINE START/STOP
button is turned ON, ESC
and ESC OFF indicator
lights illuminate for approxi-
mately 3 seconds, then
ESC is turned on.

ton for at least half a sec-
ond after turning the igni-
tion switch or the ENGINE
START/STOP button ON
to turn ESC off. (ESC OFF
indicator will illuminate). To
turn the ESC on, press the
ESC OFF button (ESC
OFF indicator light will go
off).

you may hear a slight tick-
ing sound. This is the ESC
performing an automatic
system self-check and does
not indicate a problem.When operating
When the ESC is in opera-
tion, the ESC indicator light
blinks.

Stability Control is operat-
ing properly, you can feel a
slight pulsation in the vehi-
cle. This is only the effect
of brake control and indi-
cates nothing unusual.

mud or driving on a slip-
pery road, pressing the
accelerator pedal may not
cause the engine rpm
(revolutions per minute) to
increase.
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Driving your vehicle
Vehicle Stability Management
(VSM)
This system provides further
enhancements to vehicle stability
and steering responses when a vehi-
cle is driving on a slippery road or a
vehicle detects changes in coeffi-
cient of friction between right wheels
and left wheels when braking.
VSM operation
When the VSM is in operation, ESC
indicator light ( ) blinks.
When the vehicle stability manage-
ment is operating properly, you can
feel a slight pulsation in the vehicle
and/or abnormal steering responses
(EPS- Electronic Power Steering).
This is only the effect of brake and
EPS control and indicates nothing
unusual.
The VSM does not operate when:
Driving on a sloping road such as a
gradient or incline
Driving in reverse
ESC OFF indicator light ( )
remains on the instrument cluster
EPS indicator light remains on the
instrument cluster
VSM operation off
If you press the ESC OFF button to
turn off the ESC, the VSM will also
cancel and the ESC OFF indicator
light ( ) illuminates.
To turn on the VSM, press the button
again. The ESC OFF indicator light
goes out.
WARNING- Tire/
Wheel size
When replacing tires and wheels,
make sure they are the same size
as the original tires and wheels
installed. Driving with varying
tire or wheel sizes may diminish
any supplemental safety benefits
of the VSM system.
WARNING
- Vehicle stability manage-
ment
Drive carefully even though your
vehicle has vehicle stability
management. It can only assist
you in maintaining control of the
vehicle under certain circum-
stances.

Driving your vehicle
52
5
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. 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
58 5
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 5 mph (8 km/h)
and less than or equal to 40 mph
(60 km/h) 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 pedestrian, the vehicle speed
is greater than or equal to 5 mph
(8 km/h) and less than 40 mph
(60 km/h).(Depending on the
condition of pedestrian and the
surrounding environment the pos-
sible maximum operating speed
may be reduced.)
FCA controls the brakes within cer-
tain limit to release shock from the
collision.
FCA controls the maximum brakes
just before the collision.
- If you select “Warning Only”, FCA
activates and produces only
warning alarms in accordance
with the collision risk levels. You
should control the brake directly
because FCA do not control the
brake.
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 provides additional braking
power for optimum braking per-
formance, 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.
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