snow chains KIA NIRO 2017 Owners Manual

Features of your vehicle
92
4
Types of warning sound
When an object is 47 in. to 24 in.
(120 cm to 61 cm) from the rear
bumper: Buzzer beeps intermit-
tently.
When an object is 24 in. to 12 in. (60 cm to 31 cm) from the rear
bumper: Buzzer beeps more fre-
quently.
When an object is within 12 in. (30 cm) of the rear bumper:
Buzzer sounds continuously.
Non-operational conditions of
rear parking assist system
The rear parking assist system
may not operate properly when:
1. Moisture is frozen to the sensor. (It will operate normally once the
moisture clears.
2. The sensor is covered with foreign matter, such as snow or water, or
the sensor cover is blocked. (It will
operate normally when the materi-
al is removed or the sensor is no
longer blocked.)
3. Driving on uneven road surfaces (unpaved roads, gravel, bumps,
gradient).
4. Objects generating excessive noise (vehicle horns, loud motor-
cycle engines, or truck air brakes)
are within range of the sensor.
5. Heavy rain or water spray exists.
6. Wireless transmitters or mobile phones are within range of the
sensor.
7. The sensor is covered with snow.
8. Trailer towing The detecting range may decrease
when:
1. The sensor is covered with foreign
matter such as snow or water.
(The sensing range will return to
normal when removed.)
2. Outside air temperature is extremely hot or cold.
The following objects may not be
recognized by the sensor:
1. Sharp or slim objects such as ropes, chains or small poles.
2. Objects which tend to absorb the sensor frequency such as clothes,
sound absorbent material or snow.
3. Undetectable objects smaller than 40 in. (1 m) in height and narrower
than 6 in. (14 cm) in diameter.

497
Features of your vehicle
Detecting range may decreasewhen:
1. Outside air temperature is extremely hot or cold.
2. Undetectable objects smaller than 1 m and narrower than 14 cm in
diameter.
The following objects may not be
recognized by the sensor:
1. Sharp or slim objects such as ropes, chains or small poles.
2. Objects, which tend to absorb sen- sor frequency such as clothes,
spongy material or snow.
✽ ✽NOTICE
1. The warning may not sound
sequentially depending on the speed
and shapes of the objects detected.
2. The parking assist system may malfunction if the vehicle bumper
height or sensor installation has
been modified. Any non-factory
installed equipment or accessories
may also interfere with the sensor
performance.
3. Sensor may not recognize objects less than 30 cm from the sensor,
or it may sense an incorrect dis-
tance. Use with caution.
4. When the sensor is frozen or stained with snow or water, the sensor may
be inoperative until the stains are
removed using a soft cloth.
5. Do not push, scratch or strike the sensor with any hard objects that
could damage the surface of the
sensor. Sensor damage could occur.
✽ ✽NOTICE
This system can only sense objects
within the range and location of the
sensors, it can not detect objects in
other areas where sensors are not
installed. Also, small or slim objects,
or objects located between sensors
may not be detected.
Always visually check in front and
behind the vehicle when driving.
Be sure to inform any drivers in the
vehicle that may be unfamiliar with
the system regarding the systems
capabilities and limitations.

627
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
vehicle control is improved during
emergency braking, always maintain
a safe distance between you and
objects ahead. Vehicle speeds
should always be reduced during
extreme road conditions. The vehicle
should be driven at reduced speeds
in the following circumstances:
When driving on rough, gravel orsnow-covered roads
When driving with tire chains installed
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 it 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 or as hard as the sit-
uation allows 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.

685
Driving your vehicle
Severe weather conditions in the
winter result in greater wear and
other problems. To minimize the
problems of winter driving, you
should follow these suggestions:Snowy or icy conditions
To drive your vehicle in deep snow, it
may be necessary to use snow tires
or to install tire chains on your tires.
If snow tires are needed, it is neces-
sary to select tires equivalent in size
and type of the original equipment
tires. Failure to do so may adversely
affect the safety and handling of your
vehicle. Furthermore, speeding,
rapid acceleration, sudden brake
applications, and sharp turns are
potentially very hazardous practices.
During deceleration, use engine
braking to the fullest extent. Sudden
brake applications on snowy or icy
roads may cause skids to occur. You
need to keep sufficient distance
between the vehicle in operation in
front of your vehicle. Also, apply the
brake gently. It should be noted that
installing tire chains on the tire will
provide a greater driving force, but
will not prevent side skids.
Tire chains are not legal in all states.
Check state laws before fitting tire
chains.
Snow tires
If you mount snow tires on your vehi-
cle, make sure they are radial tires of
the same size and load range as the
original tires. Mount snow tires on all
four wheels to balance your vehicle’s
handling in all weather conditions.
Keep in mind that the traction provid-
ed by snow tires on dry roads may
not be as high as your vehicle's orig-
inal equipment tires. You should drive
cautiously even when the roads are
clear. Check with the tire dealer for
maximum speed recommendations.
Do not install studded tires withoutfirst checking local, state and munic-ipal regulations for possible restric-tions against their use.
WINTER DRIVING
WARNING - Snow tire size
Snow tires should be equivalent
in size and type to the vehicle's
standard tires. Otherwise, the
safety and handling of your vehi-
cle may be adversely affected.

Driving your vehicle
86
6
Tire chains
Since the sidewalls of radial tires are
thinner, they can be damaged by
mounting some types of snow chains
on them. Therefore, the use of snow
tires is recommended instead of
snow chains. Do not mount tire
chains on vehicles equipped with
aluminum wheels; snow chains may
cause damage to the wheels. If snow
chains must be used, use wire-type
chains with a thickness of less than
0.47 in (12 mm). Damage to your
vehicle caused by improper snow
chain use is not covered by your
vehicle manufacturers warranty. When using tire chains, install tire
chains only on the front tires.
The snow chain connecting hooks
may be damaged from contacting
vehicle components causing the
snow chains to come loose from the
tire. Make sure the snow chains are
SAE class “S” certified.
Always check chain installation for
proper mounting after driving
approximately 0.3 to 0.6 miles (0.5 to
1 km) to ensure safe mounting.
Retighten or remount the chains if
they are loose.
If your vehicle has 18 inch tires, do
not use tire chains.
They can damage your vehicle
(wheel, suspension and body).Chain installation
When installing chains, follow the
manufacturer's instructions and
mount them as tightly as you can.
Drive slowly with chains installed. If
you hear the chains contacting the
body or chassis, stop and tighten
them. If they still make contact, slow
down until it stops. Remove the
chains as soon as you begin driving
on cleared roads.
When mounting snow chains, park
the vehicle on level ground away
from traffic. Turn on the vehicle
Hazard Warning flashers and place a
triangular emergency warning device
behind the vehicle if available.
Always place the vehicle in P (Park),
apply the parking brake and turn off
the engine before installing snow
chains.
CAUTION- Snow chains
Make sure the snow chains are
the correct size and type foryour tires. Incorrect snowchains can cause damage to thevehicle body and suspensionand may not be covered by yourvehicle manufacturer warranty.
ODE056062

687
Driving your vehicle
The use of chains may adverselyaffect vehicle handling.
Do not exceed 20 mph (30 km/h) or the chain manufacturer’s recom-
mended speed limit, whichever is
lower.
Drive carefully and avoid bumps, holes, sharp turns, and other road
hazards, which may cause the
vehicle to bounce.
Avoid sharp turns or locked-wheel braking.Use high quality ethylene gly-
col coolant
Your vehicle is delivered with high
quality ethylene glycol coolant in the
cooling system. It is the only type of
coolant that should be used because
it helps prevent corrosion in the cool-
ing system, lubricates the water
pump and prevents freezing. Be sure
to replace or replenish your coolant
in accordance with the maintenance
schedule in chapter 8. Before winter,
have your coolant tested to assure
that its freezing point is sufficient for
the temperatures anticipated during
the winter.
Check battery and cables
Winter puts additional burdens on
the battery system. Visually inspect
the battery and cables as described
in chapter 8. The level of charge in
your battery can be checked by an
authorized Kia dealer or a service
station.
Change to "winter weight" oil
if necessary
In some climates it is recommended
that a lower viscosity "winter weight"
oil be used during cold weather. See
chapter 9 for recommendations. If
you aren't sure what weight oil you
should use, consult an authorized
Kia dealer.
Check spark plugs and ignition
system
Inspect your spark plugs as
described in chapter 8 and replace
them if necessary. Also check all
ignition wiring and components to be
sure they are not cracked, worn or
damaged in any way.CAUTION- Snow chains
Chains that are the wrong size or improperly installed candamage your vehicle's brakelines, suspension, body andwheels.
Stop driving and retighten the chains any time you hear themhitting the vehicle.

Driving your vehicle
88
6
To keep locks from freezing
To keep the locks from freezing,
squirt an approved de-icer fluid or
glycerine into the key opening. If a
lock is covered with ice, squirt it with
an approved de-icing fluid to remove
the ice. If the lock is frozen internally,
you may be able to thaw it out by
using a heated key. Handle the heat-
ed key with care to avoid injury.
Use approved window washer
anti-freeze in system
To keep the water in the window
washer system from freezing, add an
approved window washer anti-freeze
solution in accordance with instruc-
tions on the container. Window wash-
er anti-freeze is available from an
authorized Kia dealer and most auto
parts outlets. Do not use engine
coolant or other types of anti-freeze
as these may damage the paint fin-
ish.
Don’t let your parking brake
freeze
Under some conditions your parking
brake can freeze in the engaged
position. This is most likely 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 the parking brake may
freeze, apply it only temporarily while
you put the gear shift lever in P (Park,
Dual clutch transmission) and block
the rear wheels so the vehicle cannot
roll. Then release the parking brake.
Don't let ice and snow accu-
mulate underneath
Under some conditions, snow and
ice can build up under the fenders
and interfere with the steering. When
driving in severe winter conditions
where this may happen, you should
periodically check underneath the
vehicle to be sure the movement of
the front wheels and the steering
components are not obstructed.
Carry emergency equipment
Depending on the severity of the
weather, you should carry appropri-
ate emergency equipment. Some of
the items you may want to carry
include tow straps or chains, flash-
light, emergency flares, sand, shov-
el, jumper cables, window scraper,
gloves, ground cloth, coveralls, blan-
ket, etc.
TRAILER TOWING
We do not recommend using this
vehicle for trailer towing.

715
What to do in an emergency
When you drive your vehicle from a
warm area to a cold area or from a
cold area to a warm area, or the out-
side temperature is greatly higher or
lower, you should check the tire infla-
tion pressure and adjust the tires to
the recommended tire inflation pres-
sure.TPMS (Tire PressureMonitoring System)malfunction indicator
The low tire pressure telltale will illu-
minate after it blinks for approximate-
ly one minute when there is a prob-
lem with the Tire Pressure
Monitoring System. If the system is
able to correctly detect an underinfla-
tion warning at the same time as sys-
tem failure then it will illuminate both
the TPMS malfunction and low tire
pressure position telltales e.g. if
Front Left sensor fails, the TPMS
malfunction indicator illuminates, but
if the Front Right, Rear Left, or Rear
Right tire is under-inflated, the low
tire pressure position telltales may
illuminate together with the TPMS
malfunction indicator.
Have the system checked by an
authorized Kia dealer as soon as
possible to determine the cause of
the problem. The TPMS malfunction indicator
may be illuminated if the vehicle is
moving around electric power sup-
ply cables or radios transmitters
such as at police stations, govern-
ment and public offices, broadcast-
ing stations, military installations,
airports, or transmitting towers,
etc. This can interfere with normal
operation of the Tire Pressure
Monitoring System (TPMS).
The TPMS malfunction indicator may be illuminated if snow chains
are used or some separate elec-
tronic devices such as notebook
computer, mobile charger, remote
starter or navigation etc., are used
in the vehicle. This can interfere
with normal operation of the Tire
Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS).
WARNING- Low pressure
damage
Do not drive on low pressure
tires. Significantly low tire pres-
sure can cause the tires to over-
heat and fail making the vehicle
unstable resulting in increased
braking distances and a loss of
vehicle control.

725
What to do in an emergency
When using a compact spare tire,
observe the following precautions:
Under no circumstances shouldyou exceed 50 mph (80 km/h); a
higher speed could damage the
tire.
Ensure that you drive slowly enough for the road conditions to
avoid all hazards. Any road hazard,
such as a pothole or debris, could
seriously damage the compact
spare.
Any continuous road use of this tire could result in tire failure, loss of
vehicle control, and possible per-
sonal injury.
Do not exceed the vehicle’s maxi- mum load rating or the load-carry-
ing capacity shown on the sidewall
of the compact spare tire.
Avoid driving over obstacles. The compact spare tire diameter is
smaller than the diameter of a con-
ventional tire and reduces the
ground clearance approximately 1
inch (25 mm), which could result in
damage to the vehicle. Do not take this vehicle through an
automatic vehicle wash while the
compact spare tire is installed.
Do not use tire chains on the com- pact spare tire. Because of the
smaller size, a tire chain will not fit
properly. This could damage the
vehicle and result in loss of the
chain.
Do not use the compact spare tire on any other vehicle because this
tire has been designed especially
for your vehicle.
The compact spare tire’s tread life is shorter than a regular tire.
Inspect your compact spare tire
regularly and replace worn com-
pact spare tires with the same size
and design, mounted on the same
wheel.
The compact spare tire should not be used on any other wheels, nor
should standard tires, snow tires,
wheel covers or trim rings be used
with the compact spare wheel. If
such use is attempted, damage to
these items or other vehicle com-
ponents may occur. Do not use more than one compact
spare tire at a time.
Do not tow a trailer while the com- pact spare tire is installed.

Maintenance
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Maintenance services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
• Owner’s responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
• Owner maintenance precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Owner maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
• Owner maintenance schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Scheduled maintenance service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8
Explanation of scheduled maintenance items . . . 8-21
Engine oil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-25
• Checking the engine oil level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-25
• Changing the engine oil and filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-26
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-27\
• Checking the coolant level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-27
• Engine coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-28
• Inverter coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-28
• Recommended coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-29
• Changing the coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-30
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-31
• Checking the brake fluid level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-31
Engine clutch actuator fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-32
• Checking the engine clutch actuator fluid level . . . . 8-32
Washer fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-34
• Checking the washer fluid level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-34
Parking brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-35
• Checking the parking brake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-35
Air cleaner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-36
• Filter replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-36
Climate control air filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-38
• Filter inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-38
Wiper blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-40
• Blade inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-40
• Blade replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-40
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-43
• Tire care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
8-43
• Recommended cold tire inflation pressures . . . . . . . 8-43
• Tire pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-44
• Checking tire inflation pressure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-44
• Tire rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-45
• Wheel alignment and tire balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-46
• Tire replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-47
• Wheel replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-47
• Tire traction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-48
• Tire maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-48
• Tire sidewall labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-48
• All season tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-55
• Summer tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-55
• Snow tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-\
55
• Tire chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-55\
8