steering KIA NIRO 2019 Owner's Guide

Driving your vehicle
86
3. Turn the ignition switch to START.If the hybrid system starts, the
“ ” indicator will come on.✽ ✽NOTICE
• Do not wait for the engine to warm
up while the vehicle remains sta-
tionary.
Start driving at moderate engine
speeds. (Steep accelerating and
decelerating should be avoided.)
• Always start the vehicle with your foot on the brake pedal. Do not
depress the accelerator while
starting the vehicle. Do not race
the engine while warming it up.
• If ambient temperature is low, the “ ” indicator may remain illu-
minated longer than the normal
amount of time.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
To prevent damage to the vehicle:
• If the “ ” indicator turns off
while you are in motion, do not
attempt to move the shift lever to
the P (Park) position.
If traffic and road conditions per-
mit, you may put the shift lever in
the N (Neutral) position while the
vehicle is still moving and turn the
ignition switch to START in an
attempt to restart the hybrid sys-
tem.
• Do not push or tow your vehicle to start the hybrid system.
WARNING- Steering
wheel
Never reach for any controls
through the steering wheel
while the vehicle is in motion.
The presence of your hand or
arm in this area could cause a
loss of vehicle control.

623
Driving your vehicle
Power brakes
Your vehicle has power-assisted
brakes that adjust automatically
through normal usage.
If the hybrid system is not on or is
turned off while driving, the power
assist for the brakes will not work.
You can still stop your vehicle by
applying greater force to the brake
pedal than typical. The stopping dis-
tance, however, will be longer than
with power brakes.
When the hybrid system is not on,
the reserve brake power is partially
depleted each time the brake pedal
is applied. Do not pump the brake
pedal when the power assist has
been interrupted.
Pump the brake pedal only when
necessary to maintain steering con-
trol on slippery surfaces.
BRAKE SYSTEM
WARNING- Steep hillbraking
Avoid continuous application of
the brakes when descending a
long or steep hill by shifting to a
lower gear. Continuous brake
application will cause the
brakes to overheat and could
result in a temporary loss of
braking performance.
WARNING- HEV driving down hill
Do not turn off the Hybrid sys-
tem while going down a hill. The
brake booster may not work
sufficiently and the braking dis-
tance may be longer.CAUTION- Brake Pedal
Do not drive with your foot rest- ing on the brake pedal. This willcreate abnormally high braketemperatures which can causeexcessive brake lining and padwear.

629
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.
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 follow all the normal
precautions for driving - including
driving at safe speeds for the condi-
tions.
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 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.
ODE057016N
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
32
6
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.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
• When operating the vehicle on a
dynamometer, ensure that the
ESC is turned off (ESC OFF light
illuminated). If the ESC is left on,
it may prevent the vehicle speed
from increasing, and result in false
diagnosis.
• Turning the ESC off does not affect ABS or brake system opera-
tion.
Vehicle stability management
(VSM)
This system provides further
enhancements to vehicle stability
and steering responses when a vehi-
cle is driving on a slippery road or a
vehicle detects changes in coeffi-
cient of friction between right wheels
and left wheels when braking.
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.
WARNING- Tire/ Wheel size
When replacing tires and wheels,
make sure they are the same size
as the original tires and wheels
installed. Driving with varying
tire or wheel sizes may diminish
any supplemental safety benefits
of the VSM system.

633
Driving your vehicle
VSM operation
When the VSM is in operation, ESC
indicator light ( ) blinks.
When the vehicle stability manage-
ment is operating properly, you can
feel a slight pulsation in the vehicle
and/or abnormal steering responses
(EPS- Electronic Power Steering).
This is only the effect of brake and
EPS control and indicates nothing
unusual.
The VSM does not operate when:
Driving on a sloping road such as agradient or incline
Driving in reverse
ESC OFF indicator light ( ) remains on the instrument cluster
EPS indicator light remains on the instrument cluster
VSM operation off
If you press the ESC OFF button to
turn off the ESC, the VSM will also
cancel and the ESC OFF indicator
light ( ) illuminates.
To turn on the VSM, press the button
again. The ESC OFF indicator light
goes out.
Malfunction indicator
The VSM can be deactivated even if
you don’t cancel the VSM operation
by pressing the ESC OFF button. It
indicates that a malfunction has
been detected somewhere in the
Electric Power Steering system or
VSM system. If the ESC indicator
light ( ) or EPS warning light
remains on, take your vehicle to an
authorized Kia dealer and have the
system checked.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
• The VSM is designed to function
above approximately 13 mph (22
km/h) on curves.
• The VSM is designed to function above approximately 6 mph (10
km/h) when a vehicle is braking on
a split-mu surface. A split-mu sur-
face is made of two surfaces which
have different friction forces.
WARNING
- Vehicle stability manage-
ment
Drive carefully even though your
vehicle has vehicle stability
management. It can only assist
you in maintaining control of the
vehicle under certain circum-
stances.

Driving your vehicle
34
6
The Vehicle Stability Management
system is not a substitute for safe
driving practices but a supplemen-
tary function only. It is the responsi-
bility of the driver to always check
the speed and the distance to the
vehicle ahead. Always hold the
steering wheel firmly while driving.
Your vehicle is designed to activate according to the driver’s intention,
even with installed VSM. Always fol-
low all the normal precautions for
driving at safe speeds for the condi-
tions – including driving in clement
weather and on a slippery road.Hill-start assist control (HAC)
A vehicle has the tendency to roll
back on a steep hill when it starts to
go after stopping. The Hill-start
Assist Control (HAC) prevents the
vehicle from rolling back by applying
the brakes automatically for about 2
seconds. The brakes are released
when the accelerator pedal is
depressed or after about 2 seconds.
The HAC is activated only for about 2
seconds, so when the vehicle is
starting off always depress the accel-
erator pedal.
Good braking practices
Check to be sure the parking brakeis not engaged and the parking
brake indicator light is out before
driving away.
Driving through water may get the brakes wet. They can also get wet
when the vehicle is washed. Wet
brakes can be dangerous! Your
vehicle will not stop as quickly if the
brakes are wet. Wet brakes may
cause the vehicle to pull to one side.
To dry the brakes, apply the brakes
lightly until the braking action
returns to normal, taking care to
keep the vehicle under control at all
times. If the braking action does not
return to normal, stop as soon as it
is safe to do so and call an author-
ized Kia dealer for assistance.
Don't coast down hills with the vehicle out of gear. This is extreme-
ly hazardous. Keep the vehicle in
gear at all times, use the brakes to
slow down, then shift to a lower
gear so that engine braking will
help you maintain a safe speed.
WARNING- Maintaining
Brake Pressure on Incline
HAC does not replace the need
to apply brakes while stopped on
an incline. While stopped, make
sure you maintain brake pres-
sure sufficient to prevent your
vehicle from rolling backward
and causing an accident. Don’t
release the brake pedal until you
are ready to accelerate forward.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
40
6
Emergency braking (3rdwarning)
• The warning message appears on
the LCD display with the warning
alarms.
The AEB controls the brakes with- in certain limit to reduce the impact
from the collision.
The AEB controls the maximum
brakes just before the collision.
Brake operation
In an urgent situation, the brakingsystem enters into the ready status
for prompt reaction against the dri-
ver’s depressing the brake pedal.
The AEB system provides addi- tional braking power for optimum
braking performance, when the
driver depresses the brake pedal.
The braking control is automatical- ly deactivated, when the driver
sharply depresses the accelerator
pedal, or when the driver abruptly
operates the steering wheel.
The braking control is automatical- ly canceled, when risk factors dis-
appear.
ODE056077L
WARNING
The AEB assesses the risk of a
collision by monitoring several
variables avoid all collisions.
The AEB might not completely
stop the vehicle before colli-
sion, due to ambient weather
and road conditions. The driver
has the responsibility to drive
safely and control the vehicle.
CAUTION
The driver should always exer-cise caution when operatingthe vehicle, even though there isno warning message or warningalarm.
WARNING
The AEB assesses the risk of a
collision by monitoring several
variables, such as the distance
from the vehicle/passer-by in
front, the speed of the
vehicle/passer-by in front, and
the driver's vehicle operation.
Certain conditions such as
inclement weather and road
conditions may affect the oper-
ation of the AEB system.

649
Driving your vehicle
To set cruise control speed:
1. Press the CRUISE button on thesteering wheel to turn the system
on. The CRUISE indicator light in
the instrument cluster will illumi-
nate.
2. Accelerate to the desired speed, which must be more than 20 mph
(30 km/h). 3. Move the lever down (to SET-),
and release it at the desired
speed. The SET indicator light in
the instrument cluster will illumi-
nate. Release the accelerator at
the same time. The desired speed
will automatically be maintained.
On a steep grade, the vehicle mayslow down slightly when driving uphillor speed up slightly while going down-hill.
To increase cruise control set
speed:
Follow either of these procedures:
Move the lever up (to RES+) and hold it. Your vehicle will accelerate.
Release the lever at the speed you
want.
Move the lever up (to RES+) and release it immediately. The cruising
speed will increase by 1.0 mph (2
km/h ) each time the lever is operat-
ed in this manner.
OJF055038
OJF055039
OJF055040

Driving your vehicle
64
6
Vehicle recognition
Some vehicles ahead in your lane
cannot be recognized by the sensor
as follows:
- Narrow vehicles such as motorcy-
cles or bicycles
- Vehicles offset to one side
- Slow-moving vehicles or sudden- decelerating vehicles
- Stopped vehicles
- Vehicles with small rear profiles such as trailers with no loads A vehicle ahead cannot be recog-
nized correctly by the sensor if any of
following occurs:
- When the vehicle is pointing
upwards due to overloading in the
liftgate
- While making turns by steering
- When driving to one side of the lane
- When driving on narrow lanes or on curves
Adjust your vehicle speed by
depressing the brake pedal accord-
ing to the road condition ahead and
driving condition. When vehicles are at a standstill
and the vehicle in front of you
changes to the next lane, be care-
ful when your vehicle starts to
move because it may not immedi-
ately recognize the stopped vehi-
cle in front of you.
In this case, you must maintain a
safe braking distance, and if nec-
essary, depress the brake pedal to
reduce your driving speed in order
to maintain a safe distance.
OJF055048
OJF055029

Driving your vehicle
76
6
The Lane Keeping Assist System
detects the lane markers on the road
with a front view camera at the front
windshield, and assists the driver’s
steering to help keep the vehicle in
the lanes.
When the system detects the vehicle
straying from its lane, it alerts the
driver with a visual and audible warn-
ing, while applying a slight counter-
steering torque, trying to prevent the
vehicle from moving out of its lane.
LANE KEEPING ASSIST SYSTEM (LKAS) (IF EQUIPPED)
WARNING
Do not turn the steering wheel
suddenly when the vehicle is
being directed by the LKA sys-
tem. This can result in a sudden
loss of control and crash of the
vehicle.
ODE056029
WARNING - LKAS
Limitations
The LKAS is a supplemental
system and should not be sole-
ly relied upon by the driver. Do
not attempt sudden steering
maneuvers while the LKAS is
activated. If the vehicle is driven
at high speeds, the LKAS may
not adjust the steering wheel. It
is the driver's responsibility to
always pay attention to the road
and maintain control over the
steering wheel while driving.WARNING
Driver is responsible for being aware of surroundings and
steering the vehicle for safe
driving practices.
LKAS helps prevent the driver from moving out of the lane
unintentionally by assisting
the driver’s steering. However,
the system is just a conven-
ience function and the steer-
ing wheel is not always con-
trolled. While driving, the driv-
er should pay attention to the
steering wheel.
The operation of the LKAS can be cancelled or not work
properly according to road
condition and surroundings.
Always be cautious when
driving.