KIA FORTE 2020 Owners Manual

545
Driving your vehicle
In the event of brake failure
If service brakes fail to operate while
the vehicle is in motion, you can
make an emergency stop with the
parking brake. The stopping dis-
tance, however, will be much greater
than normal.
Disc brakes wear indicator
When your brake pads are worn and
new pads are required, you will hear
a high-pitched warning sound from
your front brakes or rear brakes. You
may hear this sound come and go or
it may occur whenever you depress
the brake pedal.
Please remember that some driving
conditions or climates may cause a
brake squeal when you first apply (or
lightly apply) the brakes. This is nor-
mal and does not indicate a problem
with your brakes.
Always replace the front or rear
brake pads as pairs.
WARNING- Parking
brake
Avoid applying the parking
brake to stop the vehicle while it
is moving, except in an emer-
gency situation. Applying the
parking brake while the vehicle
is moving at normal speeds can
cause a sudden loss of control
of the vehicle. If you must use
the parking brake to stop the
vehicle, use great caution in
applying the brake.
WARNING- Brake wear
Do not ignore high pitched wear
sounds from your brakes. If you
ignore this audible warning, you
will eventually lose braking per-
formance, which could lead to a
serious accident.
CAUTION- Replace brake pads
Do not continue to drive withworn brake pads. Continuing todrive with worn brake pads candamage the braking system andresult in costly brake repairs.

Driving your vehicle
46
5
Rear drum brakes (if equipped)
Your rear drum brakes do not have
wear indicators. Therefore, have the
rear brake linings inspected if you
hear a rear brake rubbing noise. Also
have your rear brakes inspected
each time you change or rotate your
tires and when you have the front
brakes replaced.
Parking brake
Applying the parking brake
To engage the parking brake, first
apply the foot brake and then pull up
the parking brake lever as far as pos-
sible.
In addition it is recommended that
when parking the vehicle on a
incline, the shift lever should be in a
low gear on manual transmission
vehicles.
OBD058011
CAUTION
Driving with the parking brake
applied will cause excessivebrake pad and brake rotor wear.
Do not operate the parking brake while the vehicle ismoving, except in an emer-gency situation. It could dam-age the vehicle system andendanger driving safety.

547
Driving your vehicle
Releasing the parking brake
To release the parking brake, first
apply the foot brake and pull up the
parking brake lever slightly. Secondly
depress the release button (1) and
lower the parking brake lever (2)
while holding the button.
If the parking brake does not release
or does not release all the way, have
the system checked by a professional
workshop. Kia recommends to visit an
authorized Kia dealer/service partner. Be cautious when parking on a hill.
Firmly engage the parking brake
and place the shift lever in first or
reverse gear (manual transmis-
sion). 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 vehi-
cle from rolling. If there is no curb
or if it is required by other condi-
tions to keep the vehicle from
rolling, chock 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 first or reverse
gear (manual transmission) and
chock the rear wheels so the vehi-
cle 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.
OBD058012

Driving your vehicle
48
5
Check the brake warning light by
turning the ignition switch ON (do not
start the engine). This light will be
illuminated when the parking brake is
applied with the ignition switch in the
START or ON position.
Before driving, be sure the parking
brake is fully released and the brake
warning light is off.
If the brake warning light remains on
after the parking brake is released
while engine is running, there may be
a malfunction in the brake system.
Immediate attention is necessary. If at all possible, cease driving the
vehicle immediately. If that is not pos-
sible, use extreme caution while
operating the vehicle and only con-
tinue to drive the vehicle until you
can reach a safe location or repair
shop.
WARNING
Never allow a passenger to
touch the parking brake. If the
parking brake is released
unintentionally, serious injury
may occur.
All vehicles should always have the parking brake fully
engaged when parking to
avoid inadvertent movement
of the vehicle, which can
injure occupants or pedestri-
ans.
W-75

549
Driving your vehicle
Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
ABS (or ESC) will not prevent acci-
dents due to improper or dangerous
driving maneuvers. Even though
ABS (or ESC) helps improve vehicle
control during emergency braking,
always maintain a safe distance
between you and objects ahead.
Vehicle speeds should always be
reduced during extreme road condi-
tions. The vehicle should be driven at
reduced speeds in the following cir-
cumstances:
When driving on rough, gravel orsnow-covered roads
When driving on roads where the road surface is pitted or has differ-
ent surface heights.
Driving in these conditions increases
the stopping distance for your vehicle. The ABS continuously senses the
speed of the wheels. If the wheels
are going to lock, the ABS system
repeatedly modulates the hydraulic
brake pressure to the wheels.
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 means
your ABS is active.
In order to obtain the maximum benefit
from your ABS in an emergency situa-
tion, do not attempt to modulate your
brake pressure and do not try to pump
your brakes. Press your brake pedal as
hard as possible to allow the ABS to
control the force being delivered to the
brakes.
✽ ✽
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 anti-lock brake
system is functioning properly.
Even with the anti-lock brake sys-
tem, your vehicle still requires suf-
ficient 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
prevent accidents resulting from
excessive speeds.
On loose or uneven road surfaces, operation of the anti-lock brake
system may result in a longer stop-
ping distance than for vehicles
equipped with a conventional
brake system.

Driving your vehicle
50
5
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. Contact an authorized Kia
dealer as soon as possible. When you drive on a road having
poor traction, such as an icy road,
and have operated your brakes
continuously, the ABS will be active
continuously and the ABS warning
light may illuminate. Pull your vehi-
cle over to a safe place and stop
the engine.
Restart the engine. If the ABS warning light goes off, then your
ABS system is normal. Otherwise,
you may have a problem with the
ABS. Contact an authorized Kia
dealer as soon as possible.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
When 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 low battery voltage. It does not
mean your ABS has malfunctioned.
• Do not pump your brakes!
• Have the battery recharged before
driving the 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.
W-78
OBD058013

551
Driving your vehicle
Electronic stability control (ESC) will
not prevent accidents. Excessive
speed in turns, abrupt maneuvers and
hydroplaning on wet surfaces can still
result in serious accidents. Only a
safe and attentive driver can prevent
accidents by avoiding maneuvers that
cause the vehicle to lose traction.
Even with ESC installed, always fol-
low all the normal precautions for driv-
ing - including driving at safe speeds
for the conditions.The Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
system is an electronic system
designed to help the driver maintain
vehicle control under adverse condi-
tions. It is not a substitute for safe driv-
ing practices. Factors including speed,
road conditions and driver steering
input can all affect whether ESC will be
effective in preventing 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 corresponding sensa-
tion in the brake pedal. This is normal
and 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.
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.
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.
-

Driving your vehicle
52
5
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.
ESC off state 1 - “Traction
Control disabled”
OJF058384L
■Type A
■Type B
OJF058385L

553
Driving your vehicle
To turn off the traction control func-
tion and only operate the brake con-
trol function of the ESC, press the
ESC OFF button (ESC OFF )
shortly (for less than 3 seconds and
the ESC OFF indicator light (ESC
OFF ) will illuminate). At this state,
only the brake control function will
operate.Stability Control disabled”
To turn off the traction control func-
tion and the brake control function of
the ESC, press the ESC OFF button
(ESC OFF ) for more than 3 sec-
onds. ESC OFF indicator light (ESC
OFF ) illuminates and ESC OFF
warning chime will sound. In this state, the car stability control
function will not operate.
OJF058386L
■Type A
■Type B
OJF058387L

Driving your vehicle
54
5
Indicator light
When the ignition switch is turned to
ON, the indicator light illuminates,
then goes off if the ESC system is
operating 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 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.■ ESC indicator light
■ ESC OFF indicator light
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.