2021 KIA STINGER Owners Manual

Driving your vehicle
60 5
ESC operation
ESC ON condition
When the ignition is turned
ON, ESC and ESC OFF
indicator lights illuminate for
approximately 3 seconds,
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 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.
ESC operation off
ESC OFF state
There are 2 types of ESC
OFF states; Traction Control
disabled and Traction &
Stability Control disabled.
If the ignition is turned off
when ESC is off, ESC
remains off.
Upon restarting the engine,
the ESC will automatically
turn on again.
-

561
Driving your vehicle
ESC off state 1
To cancel ESC operation, press the
ESC OFF button (ESC OFF ) short-
ly (ESC OFF indicator light (ESC OFF
) illuminates). At this state, the
engine control function does not oper-
ate. It means the traction control func-
tion does not operate. Brake control
function only operates.
To cancel ESC operation, press the
ESC OFF button (ESC OFF ) for
more than 3 seconds. ESC OFF indi-
cator light (ESC OFF ) illuminates
and ESC OFF warning chime will
sound. At this state, the engine con-
trol function and brake control func-
tion do not operate. It means the car
stability control function does not
operate any more.Indicator light
When ignition switch 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
OCK057085LOCK057086L

Driving your vehicle
62 5
ESC OFF usage
When driving
ESC should be turned on for daily
driving whenever possible.
To turn ESC off while driving, press
the ESC OFF button while driving
on a flat road surface.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
• When operating the vehicle on a
dynamometer, ensure that the
ESC is turned off (ESC OFF light
illuminated). If the ESC is left on,
it may prevent the vehicle speed
from increasing, and result in false
diagnosis.
• Turning the ESC off does not affect
ABS or brake system operation.WARNING- Electronic sta-
bility control
Drive carefully even though your
vehicle has Electronic Stability
Control. It can only assist you in
maintaining control under cer-
tain circumstances.
WARNING- Operating
ESC
Never press the ESC OFF but-
ton while ESC is operating (ESC
indicator light blinks).
If ESC is turned off while ESC is
operating, the vehicle may slip
out of control.

563
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 (Electric Power Steering). This
is only the effect of brake and EPS
control and indicates nothing unusu-
al.
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 (Electric Power Steering) indi-
cator light remains on the instru-
ment 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 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.

Driving your vehicle
64 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.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
• The VSM is designed to function
above approximately 13 mph (22
km/h) on curves.
• The VSM is designed to function
above approximately 6 mph (10
km/h) when a vehicle is braking on
a split-mu surface. A split-mu sur-
face is made of two surfaces which
have different friction forces.
The Vehicle Stability Management
system is not a substitute for safe
driving practices but a supplemen-
tary function only. It is the respon-
sibility 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.

565
Driving your vehicle
Good braking practices
Check to be sure the parking brake
is not engaged and the parking
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 author-
ized Kia dealer for assistance.
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
Automatic Transmission, don't let
your vehicle creep forward. To
avoid creeping forward, keep your
foot firmly on the brake pedal when
the vehicle is stopped.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
66 5
Be cautious when parking on a hill.
Firmly engage the parking brake
and place the shift lever in P (auto-
matic transmission). If your vehicle
is facing downhill, turn the front
wheels into the curb to help keep
the vehicle from rolling.
If your vehicle 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, block
the wheels.
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 (automatic
transmission) and block 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.

567
Driving your vehicle
FORWARD COLLISION-AVOIDANCE ASSIST (FCA) SYSTEM (IF EQUIPPED)
FCA system is designed to detect
and monitor a vehicle ahead or
detect a pedestrian in the roadway
through radar signals and camera
recognition to warn the driver that a
collision is imminent, and if neces-
sary, apply emergency braking.System setting and activation
System setting
The driver can activate FCA by plac-
ing the ignition switch to the ON posi-
tion and by selecting 'User Settings',
'Driver Assistance', and 'Forward
Collision-Avoidance Assist'. FCA
deactivates, when the driver cancels
the system setting.
WARNING - Forward
Collision-Avoidance Assist
(FCA) Limitations
FCA system is a supplemental
system and is not a substitute
for safe driving practices. It is
the responsibility of the driver
to always check the speed and
distance to the vehicle ahead
and to be prepared to apply the
brakes.
WARNING
Take the following precautions
when using Forward Collision-
Avoidance Assist (FCA) sys-
tem:
This system is only a supple-
mental system and it is not
intended to, nor does it
replace the need for extreme
care and attention of the driv-
er. The sensing range and
objects detectable by the sen-
sors are limited. Pay attention
to the road conditions at all
times.
NEVER drive too fast in accor-
dance with the road condi-
tions or while cornering.
Always drive cautiously to
prevent unexpected and sud-
den situations from occur-
ring. FCA does not stop the
vehicle completely and does
not avoid collisions.