ABS KIA AMANTI 2009 Owners Manual

33
Knowing your vehicle
Restrictions in handling keysWhen leaving keys with parking lot and
valet attendants, the following proce-
dures will ensure that your vehicle’s trunk
and glove box compartment cannot be
opened in your absence.1. Unlock the glove box with the master
key and open it.
2. Set the trunk lid control button in the glove box compartment to OFF (not
depressed). In the OFF position, the
trunk cannot be unlocked with either
the trunk release lever inside the car or
trunk open button of transmitter.
3. Close the glove box, and lock the glove box using the master key.
4. Leave the sub key with the attendant. The trunk and glove box are secured
because the sub key only allows the
engine to start and locks and unlocks
the door.
1GHA2004
WARNING
Use only Kia original parts for the
ignition key in your vehicle. If an
aftermarket key is used, the ignition
switch may not return to ON after
START. If this happens, the starter
will continue to operate causing
damage to the starter motor and
possible fire due to excessive cur-
rent in the wiring.

351
Knowing your vehicle
WARNING
If the child restraint is not anchored
properly, the risk of a child being
seriously injured or killed in a colli-
sion greatly increases.
WARNING
When using the vehicle’s “LATCH”
system to install a child restraint
system in the rear seat, all unused
vehicle rear seat belt metal latch
plates or tabs must be latched
securely in their seat belt buckles
and the seat belt webbing must be
retracted behind the child restraint
to prevent the child from reaching
and taking hold of unretracted seat
belts. Unlatched metal latch plates
or tabs may allow the child to reach
the unretracted seat belts which
may result in strangulation and a
serious injury or death to the child
in the child restraint.
WARNING
Do not mount more than onechild restraint to a single tether or
to a child restraint lower anchor-
age point. The improper
increased load may cause the
anchorage points or tether
anchor to break, causing serious
injury or death.
Do not install a child restraint seat at the rear center seating
position using the vehicle’s
LATCH anchors. The LATCH
anchors are only provided for the
left and right outboard rear seat-
ing positions. Do not misuse the
LATCH anchors by attempting to
attach a child restraint seat in the
middle rear seating position to
the LATCH anchors.
In a crash, the child restraint seat
LATCH attachments may not be
strong enough to secure the child
restraint seat improperly in the
rear center seating position and
may break, causing serious injury
or death.
(Continued)
(Continued)
Attach the LATCH or LATCH-com-patible child restraint seat only to
the appropriate locations shown
in the illustration.
Always follow the installation and use instructions provided by the
manufacturer of the child restraint.

367
Knowing your vehicle
Air bag inflation conditionFront air bag
Front air bags (driver’s and front passen-
ger’s air bags) are designed to inflate
when the impact is delivered to front col-
lision sensors depending on the intensity,
speed or angles of impact of the front
collision.
WARNING
Do not hit or allow any objects toimpact the locations where air bag
or sensors are installed.
This may cause unexpected air
bag deployment, which could
result in serious personal injury
or death.
If the installation location or angle of the sensors is altered in
any way, the air bags may deploy
when they should not or they may
not deploy when they should,
causing severe injury or death.
Therefore, do not try to perform
maintenance on or around the air
bag sensors. Have the vehicle
checked and repaired by an
authorized Kia dealer.
(Continued)
(Continued)
Problems may arise if the sensorinstallation angles are changed
due to the deformation of front
bumper, body or B pillar where
side collision sensors are
installed. Have the vehicle
checked and repaired by an
authorized Kia dealer.
Your vehicle has been designed to absorb impact and deploy the
air bag(s) in certain collisions.
Installing aftermarket bumper
guards or replacing a bumper
with non-genuine parts may
adversely affect your vehicles
collision and air bag deployment
performance.
1GHA2271

415
Driving your vehicle
Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
The ABS system continuously senses
the speed of the wheels. If the wheels are
going to lock, the ABS system repeated-
ly modulates the hydraulic brake pres-
sure to the wheels.
When you apply your brakes under con-
ditions which may lock the wheels, you
may hear a “tik-tik’’ sound from the
brakes, or feel a corresponding sensation
in the brake pedal. This is normal and it
means your ABS system is active.
In order to obtain the maximum benefit
from your ABS system in an emergency
situation, do not attempt to modulate
your brake pressure and do not try to
pump your brakes. Press your brake
pedal as hard as possible or as hard as
the situation warrants and allow the ABS
system to control the force being deliv-
ered to the brakes. Even with the anti-lock brake system,
your vehicle still requires sufficient
stopping distance. Always maintain a
safe distance from the vehicle in front
of you.
Always slow down when cornering. The anti-lock brake system cannot pre-
vent accidents resulting from exces-
sive speeds.
On loose or uneven road surfaces, operation of the anti-lock brake system
may result in a longer stopping dis-
tance than for vehicles equipped with a
conventional brake system.
WARNING
- ABS Brakes
Your ABS is not a substitute for
good driving judgement. You can
still have an accident. In fact, your
ABS system will probably not be
able to prevent an accident in the
following driving conditions:
Dangerous driving, such asneglecting safety precautions,
speeding, or driving too close to
the vehicle in front of you.
Driving at high speed in situa- tions providing considerably less
traction, such as wet conditions
where hydroplaning could occur.
Driving too fast on poor road sur- faces. The ABS is designed to
improve maximum braking effec-
tiveness on typical highways and
roads in good condition. On poor
road surfaces in poor condition,
the ABS may actually reduce
braking effectiveness.

Driving your vehicle16
4✽
✽
NOTICE• If the ABS warning light is on and
stays on, you may have a problem
with the ABS system. In this case,
however, your regular brakes will
work normally.
• The ABS warning light will stay on for approximately 3 seconds after the
ignition switch is ON. During that
time, the ABS will go through self-
diagnosis and the light will go off if
everything is normal. If the light stays
on, you may have a problem with your
ABS system. Contact an authorized
Kia dealer as soon as possible.
✽ ✽ NOTICE• When you drive on a road having
poor traction, such as an icy road, and
operate your brakes continuously, the
ABS will be active continuously and
the ABS warning light may illuminate.
Pull your car over to a safe place and
stop the engine.
• Restart the engine. If the ABS warn- ing light is off, then your ABS system
is normal. Otherwise, you may have a
problem with the ABS. Contact an
authorized Kia dealer as soon as pos-
sible.
✽ ✽ NOTICEWhen 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 the low
battery voltage. It does not mean your
ABS is malfunctioning.
• Do not pump your brakes!
• Have the battery recharged before
driving the vehicle.
ABS
W-78

Driving your vehicle24
4ESC OFF usageWhen driving It’s a good idea to keep the ESC 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.
Never press ESC OFF button while ESC
is operating (ESC indicator light blinks).
If ESC is turned off while ESC is operat-
ing, the vehicle may slip out of control.
✽ ✽ NOTICE• When measuring the vehicle speed
with a Chassis dynamo-meter, make
sure the ESC is turned off (ESC OFF
light illuminated). If the ESC is left
on, it may prevent the vehicle speed
from increasing, and cause a false
diagnosis of a faulty speedometer.
• Turning the ESC off does not affect ABS or brake system operation.
WARNING
Never press the ESC OFF button
while ESC is operating.
If the ESC is turned off while ESC is
operating, the vehicle may slip out
of control.
To turn ESC off while driving, press
the ESC OFF button while driving
on a flat road surface.

431
Driving your vehicle
Warning lights / audible indica-
tors Checking operation All warning lights are checked by turning
the ignition switch ON (do not start the
engine). Any light that does not illuminate
should be checked by an Authorized Kia
Dealer.
After starting the engine, check to make
sure that all warning lights are off. If any
are still on, this indicates a situation that
needs attention. When releasing the
parking brake, the brake system warning
light should go off. The fuel warning light
will stay on if the fuel level is low.
Anti-lock brake system
(ABS) warning light
(if equipped) This light illuminates if the key is turned
to ON and goes off approximately 3 sec-
onds if the system is operating normally.
If the light stays on, you may have a
problem with your ABS system. Contact
an authorized Kia dealer as soon as pos-
sible.Electronic brake force
distribution (EBD) sys-
tem warning light
(if equipped)If two warning lights illumi-
nate at the same time while
driving, your vehicle has a
problem with ABS and EBD
system.In this case, your ABS system and regu-
lar brake system may not work normally.
Have the vehicle checked by an
Authorized Kia Dealer as soon as possi-
ble.
WARNINGS AND INDICATORS
ABSABS
WARNING
If both ABS and Brake warning
lights are ON and stay ON, your
vehicle’s brake system will not work
normally. In such a case, you may
experience an unexpected and dan-
gerous situation when braking
abruptly. When both ABS and brake
lights are on, avoid high speed driv-
ing and abrupt braking. Have your
vehicle checked by an Authorized
Kia Dealer as soon as possible.

57
Driving tips
SPECIAL DRIVING CONDITIONS Hazardous driving conditions When hazardous driving conditions are
encountered such as water, snow, ice,
mud, sand, or similar hazards, follow
these suggestions:
Drive cautiously and allow extra dis-tance for braking.
Avoid sudden movements in braking or steering.
When braking, pump the brake pedal with a light up-and-down motion until
the vehicle is stopped.✽ ✽ NOTICEDo not pump the brake pedal on a vehi-
cle equipped with ABS.
If stalled in snow, mud, or sand, use
second gear. Accelerate slowly to
avoid spinning the drive wheels.
Use sand, rock salt, tire chains, or other non-slip material under the drive
wheels to provide traction when stalled
in ice, snow, or mud.
Rocking the vehicle If it is necessary to rock the vehicle to
free it from snow, sand, or mud, first turn
the steering wheel right and left to clear
the area around your front wheels. Then,
shift back and forth between R (Reverse)
and any forward gear in vehicles
equipped with an automatic transaxle. Do
not race the engine, and spin the wheels
as little as possible. If you are still stuck
after a few tries, have the vehicle pulled
out by a tow vehicle to avoid engine
overheating and possible damage to the
transaxle.
WARNING
- Downshifting
Downshifting with an automatic
transaxle, while driving on slippery
surfaces can cause an accident.
The sudden change in tire speed
could cause the tires to skid. Be
careful when downshifting on slip-
pery surfaces.

521
Driving tips
Safety chains You should always attach chains
between your vehicle and your trailer.
Cross the safety chains under the tongue
of the trailer so that the tongue will not
drop to the road if it becomes separated
from the hitch.
Instructions about safety chains may be
provided by the hitch manufacturer or by
the trailer manufacturer. Follow the man-
ufacturer’s recommendation for attaching
safety chains. Always leave just enough
slack so you can turn with your trailer.
And, never allow safety chains to drag on
the ground.
Trailer brakes If your trailer weighs more than 1000 lbs.
(454 kg) loaded, then it needs its own
brakes and they must be adequate. Be
sure to read and follow the instructions
for the trailer brakes so you’ll be able to
install, adjust and maintain them proper-
ly.
Don’t tap into your vehicle's brake sys-tem.
Driving with a trailer Towing a trailer requires a certain
amount of experience. Before setting out
for the open road, you must get to know
your trailer. Acquaint yourself with the
feel of handling and braking with the
added weight of the trailer. And always
keep in mind that the vehicle you are
driving is now a good deal longer and not
nearly so responsive as your vehicle is
by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer hitch
and platform, safety chains, electrical
connector(s), lights, tires and mirror
adjustment. If the trailer has electric
brakes, start your vehicle and trailer mov-
ing and then apply the trailer brake con-
troller by hand to be sure the brakes are
working. This lets you check your electri-
cal connection at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally to be
sure that the load is secure, and that the
lights and any trailer brakes are still work-
ing.
WARNING
Do not use a trailer with its own
brakes unless you are absolutely
certain that you have properly set
up the brake system. This is not a
task for amateurs. Use an experi-
enced, competent trailer shop for
this work.

Driving tips24
5However, if you ever have to park your
trailer on a hill, here’s how to do it:
1. Apply your brakes, but don’t shift into
gear.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the brakes until the chocks
absorb the load.
4. Reapply the brakes. Apply your park- ing brake, and then shift to P (Park) for
an automatic transaxle.
5. Release the brakes.
When you are ready to leave after parking on a hill 1. With the automatic transaxle in P (Park), apply your brakes and hold the
brake pedal down while you:

and

2. Slowly remove your foot from the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.
Maintenance when trailer towing Your vehicle will need service more often
when you regularly pull a trailer.
Important items to pay particular atten-
tion include engine oil, automatic
transaxle fluid, axle lubricant and cooling
system fluid. Brake condition is another
important item to frequently check. Each
item is covered in this manual, and the
Index will help you find them quickly. If
you’re trailering, it’s a good idea to review
these sections before you start your trip.
Don’t forget to also maintain your trailer
and hitch. Follow the maintenance
schedule that accompanied your trailer
and check it periodically. Preferably, con-
duct the check at the start of each day’s
driving. Most importantly, all hitch nuts
and bolts should be tight.
WARNING
- Parking brake
It can be dangerous to get out of
your vehicle if the parking brake is
not firmly set.
If you have left the engine running,
the vehicle can move suddenly. You
or others could be seriously or
fatally injured.
CAUTION
Due to higher load during trailerusage, overheating might occur inhot days or during uphill driving. Ifthe coolant gauge indicates over-heating, switch off the A/C and stop the vehicle in a safe area to cooldown the engine.