2021 KIA RIO Owners Manual

Driving your vehicle
36
5
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 fol-
low all the normal precautions for driv-
ing - including driving at safe speeds
for the conditions.
The Electronic Stability Control
(ESC) system is an electronic sys-
tem designed to help the driver main-
tain vehicle control under adverse
conditions. It is not a substitute for
safe driving practices. Factors includ-
ing speed, road conditions and driv-
er steering input can all affect
whether ESC will be effective in pre-
venting 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 cor-
responding sensation in the brake
pedal. This is normal and means
your ESC is active.ESC operation
ESC ON condition
ON, ESC and ESC OFF
indicator lights illuminate
for approximately 3 sec-
onds, then ESC is turned
on.
ton for at least half a sec-
ond after turning the igni-
tion 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 prob-
lem.
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.
-
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537
Driving your vehicle
When operatingWhen the ESC is in opera-
tion, 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 slippery road,
pressing the accelerator
pedal may not cause the
engine rpm (revolutions
per minute) to increase.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.
ESC off state 1 : “Traction
Control disabled”
To turn off the traction control func-
tion and only operate the brake con-
trol function of the ESC, press the
ESC OFF button ( ) for less than 3
seconds and the ESC OFF indicator
light ( ) will illuminate. At this state,
only the brake function will operate.
ODL3059100L
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Driving your vehicle
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5
ESC off state 2 : “Traction &
Stability Control disabled”
To turn off the traction control func-
tion and the brake control function of
the ESC, press the ESC OFF button
( ) for more than 3 seconds. ESC
OFF indicator light ( ) will illuminate
and ESC OFF warning chime will
sound. In this state, the car stability
control function will not operate.
Indicator light
When the ignition switch or ENGINE
START/STOP button is turned ON,
the indicator light illuminates, then
goes off if ESC system is operating
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.
ODL3059101L
■ESC indicator light
■ ESC OFF indicator light
WARNING
Driving with varying tire or
wheel sizes may cause the ESC
system to malfunction. When
replacing tires, make sure they
are the same size as your origi-
nal tires.
WARNING- Electronic sta- bility control
Drive carefully even though
your vehicle has Electronic
Stability Control. It can only
assist you in maintaining con-
trol under certain circum-
stances.
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539
Driving your vehicle
ESC OFF usage
When driving
It’s a good idea to keep the ESCturned on for daily driving whenev-
er possible.
To turn ESC off while driving, press the ESC OFF button while driving
on a flat road surface.
Hill-start Assist Control (HAC)
The Hill-start Assist Control (HAC) is
designed to prevent 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- Operating
ESC
Never press the ESC OFF but-
ton while ESC is operating.
If the ESC is turned off while
ESC is operating, the vehicle
may go out of control.
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.
CAUTION
The HAC does not operate when the transmission shiftlever is in the P (Park) or N(Neutral) position.
The HAC activates even though the ESC is off but itdoes not activate when theESC has malfunctioned.
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Driving your vehicle
40
5
Vehicle Stability Management
(VSM)
This system is designed to provide
further enhancements to vehicle sta-
bility and steering responses when a
vehicle is driving on a slippery road
or a vehicle detected changes in
coefficient of friction between the
right wheels and left wheels when
braking.
VSM operation
When the VSM is in operation, the
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). This is only the effect of brake
and EPS control and indicates noth-
ing unusual. The VSM does not operate when:
Driving on bank roads such as gra-
dient 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
will turn off.
WARNING- Vehicle stabili-
ty management
Drive carefully even though your
vehicle has Vehicle stability man-
agement. It can only assist you in
maintaining control under cer-
tain circumstances.
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541
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.
Your vehicle is designed to activateaccording to the driver’s intention,
even with installed VSM. Always
follow all the normal precautions
for driving at safe speeds for the
conditions – including driving in
inclement weather and on a slip-
pery road.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- 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 affect the vehicle's han-
dling.
WARNING
The Vehicle Stability
Management system is not a
substitute for safe driving prac-
tices but a supplementary func-
tion only. It is the responsibility
of the driver to always check the
speed and the distance to the
vehicle ahead. Always hold the
steering wheel firmly while driv-
ing.
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Driving your vehicle
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5
Good braking practices
Check to be sure the parking brake
is not engaged and that the park-
ing 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
authorized Kia dealer for assis-
tance.
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 an intelligent variable transmission,
don't let your vehicle creep for-
ward. 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
(Intelligent Variable Transmission)
or in first or reverse gear (Manual
Transmission). If your vehicle is
facing downhill, turn the front
wheels into the curb to help keep
the vehicle from rolling. If your vehi-
cle 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, chock the
wheels.
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543
Driving your vehicle
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 (Intelligent
Variable Transmission) or in first or
reverse gear (Manual
Transmission) and chock 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 transmission to
overheat. Always use the brake
pedal or parking brake.
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