warning KIA FORTE 2020 Owners Manual

733
Maintenance
WASHER FLUID
Checking the washer fluid
level
The reservoir is translucent so that
you can check the level with a quick
visual inspection.
Check the fluid level in the washer
fluid reservoir and add fluid if neces-
sary. In warm climates, plain water
may be used if washer fluid is not
available; however, in cold climates,
washer fluid with anti-freezing char-
acteristics is required to prevent
freezing.
WARNING- Flammablefluid
Do not allow the washer fluid to
come in contact with open
flames or sparks. The windshield
washer fluid reservoir is flamma-
ble under certain circumstances.
This can result in a fire.WARNING- Windshield fluid
Do not drink the windshield
washer fluid. The windshield
washer fluid is poisonous to
humans and animals.
WARNING- Coolant
Do not use radiator coolant or antifreeze in the washer fluid
reservoir.
Radiator coolant can severely obscure visibility when sprayed
on the windshield and may
cause loss of vehicle control.
OBD078008

743
Maintenance
BATTERY
For best battery service
Keep the battery securely mount-ed.
Keep the battery top clean and dry.
Keep the terminals and connec- tions clean, tight, and coated with
petroleum jelly or terminal grease.
Rinse any spilled electrolyte from the battery immediately with a
solution of water and baking soda.
If the vehicle is not going to be used for an extended time, discon-
nect the battery cables. Always read the following
instructions carefully when
handling a battery.
If any electrolyte gets into your eyes, flush your eyes
with clean water for at least
15 minutes and get immedi-
ate medical attention.
If electrolyte gets on your
skin, thoroughly wash the
contacted area. If you feel
pain or a burning sensation,
get medical attention imme-
diately.
An inappropriately disposed battery can be harmful to the
environment and human
health. Dispose the battery
according to your local law(s)
or regulation.
The battery contains lead. Do
not dispose of it after use.
Please return the battery to
an authorized Kia dealer to
be recycled.
Never attempt to recharge the bat-
tery when the battery cables are con-
nected.
WARNING- Risk of explosion
Keep lit cigarettes and
all other flames or
sparks away from the
battery.
The battery contains hydrogen -- a highly
combustible gas which
will explode if it comes
in contact with a flame or
spark.
Keep batteries out of the reach of children
because batteries con-
tain highly corrosive
SULFURIC ACID and
electrolytes. Do not
allow battery acid to
contact your skin, eyes,
clothing or paint finish.
Wear eye protection when charging or work-
ing near a battery.
Always provide ventila-
tion when working in an
enclosed space.
OBD078016

Maintenance
44
7
✽ ✽
NOTICE
If you connect unauthorized elec-
tronic devices to the battery, the bat-
tery may be discharged. Never use
unauthorized devices.
Recharging the battery
Your vehicle has a maintenance-free,
calcium-based battery.
If the battery becomes discharged
in a short time (because, for exam-
ple, the headlamps or interior
lamps were left on while the vehi-
cle was not in use), recharge it by
slow charging (trickle) for 10 hours.
If the battery gradually discharges because of high electric load while
the vehicle is being used, recharge
it at 20-30A for two hours.WARNING- Risk of elec-
trocution
Never touch the electrical igni-
tion system while the vehicle is
running. This system works
with high voltage which can
shock you.
WARNING- Recharging Battery
Never attempt to recharge the
battery when the battery cables
are connected.
WARNING- Battery lead compound
Battery posts, terminals, and
related accessories contain
lead and lead compounds.
Wash hands after handling.

Maintenance
46
7
TIRES AND WHEELS
Tire care
For proper maintenance, safety, and
maximum fuel economy, you must
always maintain recommended tire
inflation pressures and stay within
the load limits and weight distribution
recommended for your vehicle.
Recommended cold tire infla-
tion pressures
All tire pressures (including the
spare) should be checked when the
tires are cold. “Cold Tires” means the
vehicle has not been driven for at
least three hours or driven less than
1.6 km (one mile).
Recommended pressures must be
maintained for the best ride, top vehi-
cle handling, and minimum tire wear.
For recommended inflation pressure
refer to the “Ties and wheels” section
in Chapter 8. All specifications (sizes and pres-
sures) can be found on a label
attached to the driver’s side center
pillar.
Failure to maintain specified pres-
sure may result in excessive wear,
poor handling, reduced fuel econo-
my, deformation of the tire and/or
wheel, harsh ride conditions, possi-
bility for additional damage from road
hazards, or result in tire failure.OJF085012
WARNING - Tire underin-flation
Inflate your tires consistent with
the instructions provided in this
manual.
Regularly check the tire infla-
tion pressure, and correct it as
needed. (Continued)
(Continued)
Driving on under-inflated tires
not only compromises your
vehicle's driving stability but
also may lead to tire damage
and the risk of an accident.
Severe under inflation (70kPa
(10 psi) or more) can lead to
severe heat build up, causing
blowouts, tread separation and
other tire failures that can result
in the loss of vehicle control.
This risk is much higher on hot
days and when driving for long
periods at high speeds.

747
Maintenance
Tire pressure
Always observe the following:
Check tire pressure when the tiresare cold. (After vehicle has been
parked for at least three hours or
hasn't been driven more than 1.6
km (one mile) since startup.)
Check the pressure of your spare tire each time you check the pres-
sure of other tires.
Never overload your vehicle. Be careful not to overload a vehicle
luggage rack if your vehicle is
equipped with one.
Warm tires normally exceed rec- ommended cold tire pressures by
28 to 41 kPa (4 to 6 psi). Do not
release air from warm tires to
adjust the pressure or the tires will
be underinflated.
Checking tire inflation pres-
sure
Check your tires once a month or
more.
Also, check the tire pressure of the
spare tire.
How to check
Use a good quality gauge to check
tire pressure. You cannot tell if your
tires are properly inflated simply by
looking at them. Radial tires may
look properly inflated even when
they're underinflated.
WARNING - Tire Inflation
Overinflation or underinflation
can reduce tire life, adversely
affect vehicle handling, and
lead to sudden tire failure. This
could result in loss of vehicle
control and potential injury.

749
Maintenance
Disc brake pads should be inspectedfor wear whenever tires are rotated.
Rotate radial tires that have an
asymmetric tread pattern only from
front to rear and not from right to left.
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.
WARNING - Mixing tires
Do not use the compact spare tire (if equipped) for tire rota-
tion.
Do not mix bias ply and radial ply tires under any circum-
stances. This may cause
unusual handling characteris-
tics.
CAUTION - Wheel weight
Improper wheel weights candamage your vehicle's alu-minum wheels. Use onlyapproved wheel weights.
S2BLA790A
CBGQ0707A
Without a spare tire
Directional tires (if equipped)

753
Maintenance
3. Checking tire life (TIN : TireIdentification Number)
Any tires that are over 6 years old,
based on the manufacturing date,
(including the spare tire) should be
replaced by new ones. You can find
the manufacturing date on the tire
sidewall (possibly on the inside of the
wheel), displaying the DOT Code.
The DOT Code is a series of num-
bers on a tire consisting of numbers
and English letters. The manufactur-
ing date is designated by the last four
digits (characters) of the DOT code.
DOT : XXXX XXXX OOOO
The front part of the DOT means a
plant code number, tire size and
tread pattern and the last four num-
bers indicate week and year manu-
factured.
For example:
DOT XXXX XXXX 1619 represents
that the tire was produced in the 16th
week of 2019.
4. Tire ply composition and mate-rial
The number of layers or plies of rub-
ber-coated fabric in the tire. Tire
manufacturers also must indicate the
materials in the tire, which include
steel, nylon, polyester, and others.
The letter "R" means radial ply con-
struction; the letter "D" means diago-
nal or bias ply construction; and the
letter "B" means belted-bias ply con-
struction.
5. Maximum permissible inflationpressure
This number is the greatest amount of
air pressure that should be put in the
tire. Do not exceed the maximum per-
missible inflation pressure. Refer to
the Tire and Loading Information label
for recommended inflation pressure.
6. Maximum load rating
This number indicates the maximum
load in kilograms and pounds that can
be carried by the tire. When replacing
the tires on the vehicle, always use a
tire that has the same load rating as
the factory installed tire.
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
WARNING - Tire age
Replace tires within the recom-
mended time frame. Failure to
replace tires as recommended
can result in sudden tire failure,
which could lead to a loss of
control and an accident.

759
Maintenance
Radial-ply tires
Radial-ply tires provide improved
tread life, road hazard resistance and
smoother high speed ride. The radi-
al-ply tires used on this vehicle are
of belted construction and are select-
ed to complement the ride and han-
dling characteristics of your vehicle.
Radial-ply tires have the same load
carrying capacity as bias-ply or bias
belted tires of the same size and use
the same recommended inflation
pressure. Mixing of radial-ply tires
with bias-ply or bias belted tires is
not recommended. Any combina-
tions of radial-ply and bias-ply or bias
belted tires when used on the same
vehicle will seriously deteriorate
vehicle handling. The best rule to fol-
low is: identical radial-ply tires should
always be used as a set of four.Longer wearing tires can be more
susceptible to irregular tread wear. It
is very important to follow the tire
rotation interval shown in this section
to achieve the tread life potential of
these tires. Cuts and punctures in
radial-ply tires are repairable only in
the tread area, because of sidewall
flexing. Consult your tire dealer for
radial-ply tire repairs.WARNING
Do not use summer tires at tem-
peratures below 7°C (45°F) or
when driving on snow or ice. At
temperatures below 7°C (45°F),
summer tires can lose elastici-
ty, and therefore traction and
braking power as well. Change
the tires on your vehicle to win-
ter or all-weather tires of the
same size as the standard tires
of the vehicle. Both types of
tires are identified by the M+S
(Mud and Snow) marking. Using
summer tires at very cold tem-
peratures could cause cracks to
form, thereby damaging the
tires permanently.

761
Maintenance
FUSES
❈Left side : Normal , Right side : Blown
A vehicle’s electrical system is pro-
tected from electrical overload dam-
age by fuses.
This vehicle has 2 (or 3) fuse panels,
one located in the driver’s side panel
bolster, the other in the engine com-
partment near the battery.
If any of your vehicle’s lights, acces-
sories, or controls do not work, check
the appropriate circuit fuse. If a fuse
has blown, the element inside the
fuse will melt.
If the electrical system does not
work, first check the driver’s side
fuse panel.
If the replacement fuse blows, this
indicates an electrical problem. Avoid
using the system involved and imme-
diately consult an authorized Kia
dealer.
Three kinds of fuses are used: blade
type for lower amperage rating, car-tridge type, and multi fuse for higheramperage ratings.
WARNING- Fuse replace-
ment
Never replace a fuse with any- thing but another fuse of the
same rating.
A higher capacity fuse could cause damage and possibly a
fire.
Never install a wire or alu- minum foil instead of the
proper fuse - even as a tem-
porary repair. It may cause
extensive wiring damage and
a possible fire.
Do not arbitrarily modify or add-on electric wiring to the
vehicle.
CAUTION
Do not use a screwdriver or anyother metal object to removefuses because it may cause ashort circuit and damage thesystem.
OJF075021
■
Blade type
■ Cartridge type
■ Multi fuse
■ BFT

Maintenance
62
7
✽ ✽
NOTICE
• When replacing a fuse, turn the
ignition "OFF", turn off switches
of all electrical devices, and then
remove the battery (-) terminal.
• The actual fuse/relay panel label may differ from equipped items.
WARNING- Electrical Fire
Always ensure replacements
fuses and relays are securely
fastened when installed. Failure
to do so can result in a vehicle
fire.
CAUTION
When replacing a blown fuse or relay, make sure the newfuse or relay fits tightly intothe clips. Failure to tightlyinstall the fuse or relay maycause damage to the wiringand electric systems.
Do not remove fuses, relays and terminals fastened withbolts or nuts. The fuses, relaysand terminals may not be fas-tened correctly which maycause vehicle damage.
CAUTION
Do not input any other objects, such as a screwdriveror wiring, except fuses orrelays into the fuse/relay ter-minals.
Do not plug in screwdrivers or aftermarket wiring into the ter-minal originally designed forfuse and relays only. The elec-trical system and wiring of thevehicle interior may be dam-aged or burned due to contactfailure.
If you directly connect the wire on the taillight or replacethe bulb which is over the reg-ulated capacity to install trail-ers etc., the inner junctionblock can get burned.