traction control KIA Carens 2014 3.G Owner's Manual

515
Driving your vehicle
Downshifting
When you must slow down in heavy
traffic or while driving up steep hills,
downshift before the engine starts to
labor. Downshifting reduces the
chance of stalling and gives better
acceleration when you again need to
increase your speed. When the vehi-
cle is traveling down steep hills,
downshifting helps maintain safe
speed and prolongs brake life.
Good driving practices
Never take the vehicle out of gearand coast down a hill. This is
extremely hazardous. Always leave
the vehicle in gear.
Don't "ride" the brakes. This can cause them to overheat and mal-
function. Instead, when you are
driving down a long hill, slow down
and shift to a lower gear. When you
do this, engine braking will help
slow down the vehicle.
Slow down before shifting to a lower gear. This will help avoid
over-revving the engine, which can
cause damage.
Slow down when you encounter cross winds. This gives you much
better control of your vehicle.
Be sure the vehicle is completely stopped before you attempt to shift
into reverse. The transaxle can be
damaged if you do not. To shift into
reverse, depress the clutch, move
the shift lever to neutral, then shift
to the reverse position. Exercise extreme caution when
driving on a slippery surface. Be
especially careful when braking,
accelerating or shifting gears. On a
slippery surface, an abrupt change
in vehicle speed can cause the
drive wheels to lose traction and
the vehicle to go out of control.

523
Driving your vehicle
Always use the parking brake. Donot depend on placing the
transaxle in P (Park) to keep the
vehicle from moving.
Exercise extreme caution when driving on a slippery surface. Be
especially careful when braking,
accelerating or shifting gears. On a
slippery surface, an abrupt change
in vehicle speed can cause the
drive wheels to lose traction and
the vehicle to go out of control.
Optimum vehicle performance and economy is obtained by smoothly
depressing and releasing the
accelerator pedal.
WARNING
Always buckle-up! In a colli-sion, an unbelted occupant is
significantly more likely to be
seriously injured or killed than
a properly belted occupant.
Avoid high speeds when cor- nering or turning.
Do not make quick steering wheel movements, such as
sharp lane changes or fast,
sharp turns.
The risk of rollover is greatly increased if you lose control
of your vehicle at highway
speeds.
Loss of control often occurs if two or more wheels drop off
the roadway and the driver
oversteers to reenter the road-
way.
In the event your vehicle leaves the roadway, do not
steer sharply. Instead, slow
down before pulling back into
the travel lanes.
Never exceed posted speed limits.
WARNING
If your vehicle becomes stuck in
snow, mud, sand, etc., then you
may attempt to rock the vehicle
free by moving it forward and
backward. Do not attempt this
procedure if people or objects
are anywhere near the vehicle.
During the rocking operation
the vehicle may suddenly move
forward or backward as it
becomes unstuck, causing
injury or damage to nearby peo-
ple or objects.

537
Driving your 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.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 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.
ORP052032
WARNING
Never drive too fast according
to the road conditions or too
quickly when cornering.
Electronic stability control
(ESC) will not prevent acci-
dents. Excessive speed in
turns, abrupt maneuvers and
hydroplaning on wet surfaces
can still result in serious acci-
dents. 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 precau-
tions for driving - including driv-
ing at safe speeds for the condi-
tions.

Driving your vehicle
38
5
ESC operation
ESC ON condition
When the ignition is turnedON, 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
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
To cancel ESC operation, press the ESC OFF button
(ESC OFF ) shortly (ESC
OFF indicator light (ESC
OFF ) illuminates). At this
state, the engine control
function does not operate. It
means the traction control
function does not operate.
Brake control function only
operates.
-

Driving your vehicle
56
5
If your tires are not in good condi-
tion, making a quick stop on wet
pavement can cause a skid and
possibly lead to an accident. Be
sure your tires are in good shape.
Turn on your headlights to make it easier for others to see you.
Driving too fast through large pud- dles can affect your brakes. If you
must go through puddles, try to
drive through them slowly.
If you believe you may have gotten your brakes wet, apply them lightly
while driving until normal braking
operation returns.
Driving in flooded areas
Avoid driving through flooded areas
unless you are sure the water is no
higher than the bottom of the wheel
hub. Drive through any water slowly.
Allow adequate stopping distance
because brake performance may be
affected.
After driving through water, dry the
brakes by gently applying them sev-
eral times while the vehicle is moving
slowly.
Driving off-road
Drive carefully off-road because your
vehicle may be damaged by rocks or
roots of trees. Become familiar with
the off-road conditions where you
are going to drive before you begin
driving.
Highway driving
Tires
Adjust the tire inflation pressures to
specification. Low tire inflation pres-
sures will result in overheating and
possible failure of the tires.
Avoid using worn or damaged tires
which may result in reduced traction
or tire failure.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
Never exceed the maximum tire
inflation pressure shown on the
tires.
WARNING
Underinflated or overinflated
tires can cause poor handling,
loss of vehicle control, and
sudden tire failure leading to
accidents, injuries, and even
death. Always check tires for
proper inflation before driv-
ing. For proper tire pressures,
refer to “Tires and wheels” in
section 8.
Driving on tires with no or insufficient tread is danger-
ous. Worn-out tires can result
in loss of vehicle control, col-
lisions, injury, and even death.
Worn-out tires should be
replaced as soon as possible
and should never be used for
driving. Always check the tire
tread before driving your vehi-
cle. For further information
and tread limits, refer to “Tires
and wheels” in section 7.

Maintenance
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Maintenance services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4
Owner’s responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4
Owner maintenance precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
Owner maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Owner maintenance schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Scheduled maintenance service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Normal maintenance schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Maintenance under severe usage conditions . . . . . . . . 7-23
Explanation of scheduled maintenance items . . . 7-25
Engine oil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-29
Checking the engine oil level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-29
Changing the engine oil and filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-30
Engine coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-31
Checking the coolant level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-31
Changing the coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-33
Radiator cap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-33
Brake/clutch fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-35
Checking the brake/clutch fluid level . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-35
Checking the washer fluid level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-36
Automatic transaxle fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-36
Washer fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-36
Parking brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-37
Checking the parking brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-37
Air cleaner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-38
Filter replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-38
Climate control air filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-39
Filter inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-39
Wiper blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-40
Blade inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-40
Blade replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-40
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-43\
For best battery service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-43
Battery recharging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-44
Reset items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-\
45
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-46
Tire care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
7-46
Recommended cold tire inflation pressures . . . . . . . 7-46
Checking tire inflation pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-48
Tire rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-49
Wheel alignment and tire balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-50
Tire replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-50
Wheel replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-51
Tire traction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-52\
Tire maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-52
Tire sidewall labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-52
All season tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-58
Summer tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-58
Snow tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
7-59
7

Maintenance
50
7
Wheel alignment and tire bal-
ance
The wheels on your vehicle were
aligned and balanced carefully at the
factory to give you the longest tire life
and best overall performance.
In most cases, you will not need to
have your wheels aligned again.
However, if you notice unusual tire
wear or your vehicle pulling one way
or the other, the alignment may need
to be reset.
If you notice your vehicle vibrating
when driving on a smooth road, your
wheels may need to be rebalanced.
Tire replacement
If the tire is worn evenly, a tread wear
indicator will appear as a solid band
across the tread. This shows there is
less than 1.6 mm (1/16 inch) of tread
left on the tire. Replace the tire when
this happens.
Do not wait for the band to appear
across the entire tread before replac-
ing the tire.
CAUTION - Wheel weight
Improper wheel weights can
damage your vehicle's alu-minum wheels. Use onlyapproved wheel weights.
OEN076053
Tread wear indicator
WARNING - Replacing
tires
To reduce the chance of serious
or fatal injuries from an acci-
dent caused by tire failure or
loss of vehicle control:
Replace tires that are worn, show uneven wear, or are
damaged. Worn tires can
cause loss of braking effec-
tiveness, steering control, and
traction.
Do not drive your vehicle with too little or too much pressure
in your tires. This can lead to
uneven wear and tire failure.
When replacing tires, never mix radial and bias-ply tires
on the same vehicle. You must
replace all tires (including the
spare) if moving from radial to
bias-ply tires.
(Continued)

755
Maintenance
7. Uniform tire quality grading
Quality grades can be found, where
applicable, on the tire sidewall
between tread shoulder and maxi-
mum section width.
For example:
TREADWEAR 440
TRACTION A
TEMPERATURE A
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a compara-
tive rating based on the wear rate of
the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified govern-
ment test course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one-and-a-
half times (1½) as well on the gov-
ernment course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires
depends upon the actual conditions
of their use, however, and may
depart significantly from the norm
due to variations in driving habits,
service practices and differences in
road characteristics and climate.Tires degrade over time, even when
they are not being used. Regardless
of the remaining tread, we recom-
mend that tires be replaced after
approximately six (6) years of nor-
mal service. Heat caused by hot cli-
mates or frequent high loading con-
ditions can accelerate the aging
process.
These grades are molded on the
side-walls of passenger vehicle tires.
The tires available as standard or
optional equipment on your vehicles
may vary with respect to grade.
Traction - AA, A, B & C
The traction grades, from highest to
lowest, are AA, A, B, and C. Those
grades represent the tire’s ability to
stop on wet pavement as measured
under controlled conditions on spec-
ified government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete. A tire marked
C may have poor traction perform-
ance.
The traction grade assigned to this
tire is based on straight-ahead brak-
ing traction tests, and does not
include acceleration, cornering,
hydroplaning, or peak traction char-
acteristics.
WARNING
The traction grade assigned to
this tire is based on straight-
ahead braking traction tests,
and does not include accelera-
tion, cornering, hydroplaning,
or peak traction characteristics.