2022 KIA NIRO PHEV transmission

Driving your vehicle
85
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 ifthe engine is not running to preventbattery 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 isapplied.
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.

Driving your vehicle
12
5
ACC(Accessory)
Press the ENGINE START/STOP
button while it is in the OFF position
without depressing the brake pedal.
If the ENGINE START/STOP button
is in the ACC position for more than
1 hour, the button is turned off auto-
matically to prevent battery dis-
charge.
ON
Press the ENGINE START/STOP
button while it is in the ACC position
without depressing the brake pedal.
The warning lights can be checked
before the engine is started. Do not
leave the ENGINE START/STOP
button in the ON position for a long
time. The battery may discharge,
because the engine is not running.
START/RUN
To start the engine, depress the
brake pedal and press the ENGINE
START/ STOP button with the shift
lever in the P (Park) position. For
your safety, start the engine with the
shift lever in the P (Park) position.
If you press the ENGINE START/STOP
button without depressing the brake
pedal for dual clutch transmission vehi-
cles, the engine will not start and the
ENGINE START/STOP button
changes as follow:
OFF ➔ACC ➔ON ➔OFF or ACC
Not illuminated AmberRed

Driving your vehicle
16
5
Dual clutch transmission oper-
ation
The dual clutch transmission has six
forward speeds and one reverse
speed.
The individual speeds are selected
automatically in the D (Drive) posi-
tion.
DUAL CLUTCH TRANSMISSION (DCT)
ODEP051425
The shift lever can freely operate. Press the shift button while moving the shift lever. Depress the brake pedal and press the shift button while moving the shift lever.
❈ To move the shift lever from/to P (Parking) or between R (Reverse) and D (Drive), you
must depress the brake pedal for the vehicle to stand still.

517
Driving your vehicle
The dual clutch transmission canbe thought of as an automatically
shifting manual transmission. It
gives the driving feel of a manual
transmission, yet provides the ease
of a fully automatic transmission.
When D (Drive) is selected, the transmission will automatically shift
through the gears similar to a con-
ventional automatic transmission.
Unlike a traditional automatic
transmission, the gear shifting can
sometimes be felt and heard as the
actuators engage the clutches and
the gears are selected.
The dual clutch transmission adopts a dry-type dual clutch,
which is different from the torque
converter of the automatic trans-
mission. It shows better accelera-
tion performance and increased
fuel efficiency while driving but ini-
tial launch might be little bit slower
than the automatic transmission.
As a result, gear shifts are some-
times more noticeable than a con-
ventional automatic transmission
and a light vibration during launch-
ing can be felt as the transmission
speed. This is a normal condition of the
dual clutch transmission.
The dry-type clutch transfers torque more directly and provides a direct
drive feeling which may feel differ-
ent from a conventional automatic
transmission. This may be more
noticeable when launching the vehi-
cle from a stop or when traveling at
low, stop-and-go vehicle speeds.
When rapidly accelerating at a low vehicle speed, the engine rpm may
increase highly depending on the
vehicle's driving condition.
For smooth launch uphill, press down the accelerator pedal
smoothly depending on the current
conditions.
If you release your foot from the accelerator pedal at low vehicle
speed, you may feel strong engine
braking, which is similar to manual
transmission.
When driving downhill, you may use Sports Mode or press the pad-
dle shifters (if equipped) to down-
shift to a lower gear in order to con-
trol your speed without using the
brake pedal excessively.
WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious
injury or death:
ALWAYS check the surround-ing areas near your vehicle for
people, especially children,
before shifting a vehicle into
D (Drive) or R (Reverse).
Before leaving the driver’s seat, always make sure the
shift lever is in the P (Park)
position, then set the parking
brake, and place the ignition
switch or ENGINE START/
STOP button in the OFF posi-
tion. Unexpected and sudden
vehicle movement can occur
if these precautions are not
followed.
Do not use engine braking (shifting from a high gear to
lower gear) rapidly on slip-
pery roads. The vehicle may
slip, causing an accident.

Driving your vehicle
18
5
When you turn the engine on and
off, you may hear clicking sounds
as the system foes through a self-
test. This is a normal sound for the
dual clutch transmission.
During the first 1,000 miles (1,500 km), you may feel that the vehicle
may not be smooth when acceler-
ating at low speed. During this
break-in period, the shift quality
and performance of your new vehi-
cle is continuously optimized.DCT warning messages
This warning message is displayed
when the vehicle is driven slowly on
a grade and the vehicle detects that
the brake pedal is not applied. Steep grade
Driving up hills or on steep grades:
To hold the vehicle on an incline,
use the foot brake or the parking
brake.
When in stop-and-go traffic on an incline, keep some distance ahead
before moving the vehicle forward.
Then hold the vehicle on the incline
with the foot brake.
If the vehicle is held on a hill by applying the accelerator pedal or
by creeping with the brake pedal
dis-engaged, the clutch and trans-
mission may overheat which can
result in damage. In this situation, a
warning message will appear on
the LCD display.
If the LCD warning is active, the foot brake must be applied.
Ignoring the warnings can lead to damage to the transmission.CAUTION
To avoid damage to your transaxle, do not try to accel-erate in R (Reverse) or any for-ward gear position with thebrakes on.
When stopped on slope, do not hold the vehicle withaccelerator pedal. Use theservice brake or the parkingbrake.
OBDM059150L

519
Driving your vehicle
Transmission high temperature
Under certain conditions, such asrepeated stop-and-go launches on
steep grades, sudden take off or
acceleration, or other harsh driving
conditions, the transmission clutch
temperatures will increase exces-
sively.
When the clutch is overheated, the safe protection mode engages and
the gear position indicator on the
cluster blinks with a chime. In this
situation, “Transmission temp. is
high! Stop safely” warning mes-
sage will appear on the LCD dis-
play, and driving may not be
smooth. 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.
If you ignore this warning, the driv- ing condition may become worse.
You may experience abrupt shifts,
frequent shifts, or jerkiness. To
return to the normal driving condi-
tion, stop the vehicle and apply the
foot brake or shift into P (Park).
Then allow the transmission to cool
for a few minutes with the engine
on before driving off.
When possible, drive the vehicle smoothly.
Transmission overheated
OBDM059152L
OBDM059154L OBDM059148L
OBDM059156L

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.