engine overheat KIA NIRO 2020 User Guide

Driving your vehicle
18
5
To hold the vehicle on a hill use the
foot brake or the parking brake. If
the vehicle is held by applying the
accelerator pedal on a hill the
clutch and transmission will be
overheated resulting in damage.
At this time, a warning message
(“Steep grade! Press brake pedal”)
will appear on the LCD display.
If the clutch becomes overheated by excessive use of the clutch to
hold on a hill, you may notice a
shudder feeling and a blinking dis-
play on the instrument cluster.
When this occurs, the clutch is dis-
abled until the clutch cools to nor-
mal temperatures. If this occurs,
pull over to a safe location, shift
into P (Park) and apply the foot
brake for a certain time on the LCD
warning until it disappears.
If the LCD warning is active, the foot brake must be applied.
Ignoring the warnings can lead to damage to the transmission. If the display continues to blink, for
your safety, we recommend that you
contact an authorized Kia dealer.
Under certain conditions such as repeated launch on steep grades,
the clutch in the transmission could
overheat.
When the clutch is overheated, the
safe protection mode engages. If
the safe protection mode engages,
the gear position indicator on the
cluster blinks with a chime sound.
At this time, one of these warning
messages (“Transmission temp. is
high! Stop safely”, “Trans hot! Park
with engine on”, “Trans Cooling.
Remain parked for 00 min.”, “Trans
Cooled. Resume driving”) will
appear on the LCD display and driv-
ing may not be smooth.
If you ignore this warning, the driv-
ing condition may become worse.
To return the normal driving condi-
tion, stop the vehicle and apply the
foot brake for a few minutes before
driving off. Gear shifts may be more notice-
able than a conventional automatic
transmission. This is a normal
characteristic of this type of dual
clutch transmission.
During the first 1,500 km (1,000 miles), you may feel that the vehi-
cle may not be smooth when accel-
erating at low speed. During this
break-in period, the shift quality
and performance of your new vehi-
cle is continuously optimized.
Always come to a complete stop before shifting into D (Drive) or R
(Reverse).
Do not put the shift lever in N (Neutral) while driving.

525
Driving your vehicle
Ignition key interlock system
(if equipped)
The ignition key cannot be removed
unless the shift lever is in the P
(Park) position.
ENGINE START/STOP button inter-
lock system (if equipped)
The ENGINE START/STOP button
will not change to the OFF position
unless the shift lever is in the P
(Park) position.Good driving practices
Never move the shift lever from P(Park) or N (Neutral) to any other
position with the accelerator pedal
depressed.
Never move the shift lever into P (Park) when the vehicle is in motion.
Be sure the car is completely stopped before you attempt to shift
into R (Reverse) or D (Drive).
Never take the car out of gear and coast down a hill. This may be
extremely hazardous. Always leave
the car in gear when moving.
Do not "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 the car.
Slow down before shifting to a lower gear. Otherwise, the lower
gear may not be engaged. Always use the parking brake. Do
not depend on placing the
transaxle in P (Park) to keep the
car 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.
CAUTION
- Holding the Vehicle Using
Accelerator Pedal
Do not attempt to hold yourvehicle on a hill by applying theaccelerator pedal. This cancause your clutch and transmis-sion to be damaged as a resultof overheating.

535
Driving your vehicle
To release EPB (Electronic Parking
Brake) automatically:
Shift lever in P (Park)With the engine running depress
the brake pedal and shift out of P
(Park) to R (Reverse) or D (Drive).
Shift lever in N (Neutral) With the engine running depress
the brake pedal and shift out of N
(Neutral) to R (Reverse) or D
(Drive).
Depress the accelerator pedal slowly when the following condi-
tions are satisfied:
1. Start the engine.
2. Fasten the driver's seat belt.
3. Close the driver's door, engine hood and liftgate.
4. The shift lever is in R (Rear), D (Drive) or manual mode.
Make sure the brake warning light
goes off.✽ ✽ NOTICE
• For your safety, you can engage
the EPB even though the ignition
switch or ENGINE START/STOP
button is in the OFF position, but
you cannot release it.
• For your safety, depress the brake pedal and release the parking
brake manually with the EPB
switch when you drive downhill or
when backing up the vehicle.
EPB (Electronic Parking Brake) may
be automatically applied when:
The EPB is overheated
Requested by other systems
The hybrid system is turned off
with the EPB applied
✽ ✽ NOTICE
• If Auto Hold is operating (Green
light), EPB is applied automatical-
ly when the hybrid system is
turned off.
• If Auto Hold is in ready position (White light), EPB is applied auto-
matically after 1 second from the
hybrid system off timing. In this
case, if the EPB switch is pressed
within 1 second, the EPB will not
be applied.
CAUTION
If the parking brake warning
light is still on even thoughthe EPB has been released,have the system checked byan authorized Kia dealer.
Do not drive your vehicle with the EPB applied. It may causeexcessive brake pad andbrake rotor wear.

Driving your vehicle
52
5
Good braking practices
Check to be sure the parking brake
is 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. Don't "ride" the brake pedal.
Resting your foot on the brake
pedal while driving can be danger-
ous because the brakes might
overheat and lose their effective-
ness. It also increases the wear of
the brake components.
If a tire goes flat while you are driv- ing, apply the brakes gently and
keep the vehicle pointed straight
ahead while you slow down. When
you are moving slowly enough for it
to be safe to do so, pull off the road
and stop in a safe place.
If your vehicle is equipped with a dual clutch transmission, don't let
your vehicle creep forward. To
avoid creeping forward, keep your
foot firmly on the brake pedal when
the vehicle is stopped.
Be cautious when parking on a hill. Firmly engage the parking brake
and place the shift lever in P (Dual
clutch transmission). 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 vehicle from
rolling. If there is no curb or if it is
required by other conditions to
keep the vehicle from rolling, block
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 P (Dual clutch
transmission) and block the rear
wheels so the vehicle cannot roll.
Then release the parking brake.
Do not hold the vehicle on an incline with the accelerator pedal.
This can cause the transaxle to
overheat. Always use the brake
pedal or parking brake.

5167
Driving your vehicle
Your vehicle's fuel economy depends
mainly on your style of driving, where
you drive and when you drive.
Each of these factors affects how
many miles (kilometers) you can get
from a gallon (liter) of fuel. To operate
your vehicle as economically as pos-
sible, use the following driving sug-
gestions to help save money in both
fuel and repairs:
Drive smoothly. Accelerate at amoderate rate. Don't make "jack-
rabbit" starts or full-throttle shifts
and maintain a steady cruising
speed. Don't race between stop-
lights. Try to adjust your speed to
the traffic so you don't have to
change speeds unnecessarily.
Avoid heavy traffic whenever pos- sible. Always maintain a safe dis-
tance from other vehicles so you
can avoid unnecessary braking.
This also reduces brake wear.
Drive at a moderate speed. The faster you drive, the more fuel your
vehicle uses. Driving at a moderate
speed, especially on the highway,
is one of the most effective ways to
reduce fuel consumption. Don't "ride" the brake pedal. This
can increase fuel consumption and
also increase wear on these com-
ponents. In addition, driving with
your foot resting on the brake pedal
may cause the brakes to overheat,
which reduces their effectiveness
and may lead to more serious con-
sequences.
Take care of your tires. Keep them inflated to the recommended pres-
sure. Incorrect inflation, either too
much or too little, results in unnec-
essary tire wear. Check the tire
pressures at least once a month.
Be sure that the wheels are aligned correctly. Improper align-
ment can result from hitting curbs
or driving too fast over irregular
surfaces. Poor alignment causes
faster tire wear and may also result
in other problems as well as
greater fuel consumption. Keep your vehicle in good condi-
tion. For better fuel economy and
reduced maintenance costs, main-
tain your vehicle in accordance
with the maintenance schedule in
chapter 8. If you drive your vehicle
in severe conditions, more frequent
maintenance is required (see
chapter 8 for details).
Keep your vehicle clean. For maxi- mum service, your vehicle should
be kept clean and free of corrosive
materials. It is especially important
that mud, dirt, ice, etc. not be
allowed to accumulate on the
underside of the vehicle. This extra
weight can result in increased fuel
consumption and also contribute to
corrosion.
Travel lightly. Don't carry unneces- sary weight in your vehicle. Weight
reduces fuel economy.
Don't let the engine idle longer than necessary. If you are waiting
(and not in traffic), turn off your
engine and restart only when
you're ready to go.
ECONOMICAL OPERATION

5171
Driving your vehicle
Rocking the vehicle
If it is necessary to rock the vehicle
to free it from snow, sand, or mud,
first turn the steering wheel right and
left to clear the area around your
front wheels. Then, shift back and
forth between R (Reverse) and any
forward gear in vehicles equipped
with a dual clutch transmission. Do
not race the engine, and spin the
wheels as little as possible. If you are
still stuck after a few tries, have the
vehicle pulled out by a tow vehicle to
avoid engine overheating and possi-
ble damage to the transaxle.The ESC system should be turned
OFF prior to rocking the vehicle.
Smooth cornering
Avoid braking or gear changing in
corners, especially when roads are
wet. Ideally, corners should always
be taken under gentle acceleration. If
you follow these suggestions, tire
wear will be held to a minimum.CAUTION- Vehicle rocking
Prolonged rocking may causeengine overheating, transaxledamage or failure, and tire dam-age.
CAUTION- Spinning tires
Do not spin the wheels, espe-cially at speeds more than 35mph (56 km/h). Spinning thewheels at high speeds when thevehicle is stationary couldcause a tire to overheat whichcould result in tire damage thatmay injure bystanders.
WARNING- Sudden
Vehicle Movement
Do not attempt to rock the vehi-
cle if people or objects are near-
by. The vehicle may suddenly
move forward or backwards as it
becomes unstuck.

5173
Driving your vehicle
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.
Never exceed the maximum tire
inflation pressure shown on the tires.
Fuel, engine coolant and engine oil
High speed travel consumes more
fuel than urban motoring. Do not for-
get to check both the engine coolant
and engine oil.
Drive belt
A loose or damaged drive belt may
result in overheating of the engine.
WARNING- Under/overinflated tires
Always check the tires for proper
inflation before driving.
Underinflated or overinflated
tires can cause poor handling,
loss of vehicle control, and sud-
den tire failure leading to acci-
dents, injuries, and even death.
For proper tire pressures, refer to
“Tires and wheels” in chapter 9.
WARNING- Tire tread
Always check the tire tread
before driving your vehicle.
Worn-out tires can result in loss
of vehicle control. Worn-out tires
should be replaced as soon as
possible. For further information
and tread limits, refer to "Tires
and wheels" in chapter 8.

What to do in an emergency
Road warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
• Hazard warning flasher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
In case of an emergency while driving . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
• If the engine stalls at a crossroad or crossing. . . . . . . 6-3
• If you have a flat tire while driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
• If the engine stalls while driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
If the engine will not start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
• If engine doesn't turn over or turns over slowly . . . . 6-4
• If engine turns over normally but does not start . . . . 6-4
Emergency starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
• Before Jump Starting (For Hybrid) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
• Method to disconnect the (-) cable for regularmaintenance (For Hybrid) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
• Jump starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
• Push-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10
If the engine overheats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) . . . . . 6-13
• Check tire pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-13
• Low tire pressure telltale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-15
• Low tire pressure position telltale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-15
• Changing a tire with TPMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-17
If you have a flat tire (with spare tire) . . . . . . . . . 6-19
• Jack and tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-19
• Removing and storing the spare tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-20
• Changing tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-20
If you have a flat tire (with Tire Mobility Kit) . . 6-28
• Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-29
• Notes on the safe use of the Tire Mobility Kit . . . . . 6-30
• Components of the Tire Mobility Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-32
• Using the Tire Mobility Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-33
• Distributing the sealant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-35
• Checking the tire inflation pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-36
• Technical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-38
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-\
39
• Towing service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-39
• Removable towing hook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-40
• Emergency towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-41
If An Accident Occurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-446

69
What to do in an emergency
Jump starting procedure
1. Make sure the booster battery is12-volt and that its negative termi-
nal is grounded.
2. If the booster battery is in another vehicle, do not allow the vehicles
to come in contact.
3. Turn off all unnecessary electrical loads.
4. Connect the jumper cables in the exact sequence shown in the illus-
tration. First connect one end of a
jumper cable to the positive termi-
nal of the discharged battery (1),
then connect the other end to the
positive terminal of the booster
battery (2).
Proceed to connect one end of the
other jumper cable to the negative
terminal of the booster battery (3),
then the other end to a solid, sta-
tionary, metallic point (for example,
the engine lifting bracket) away
from the battery (4). Do not con-
nect it to or near any part that
moves when the engine is cranked.WARNING- Battery
cables
Do not connect the jumper cable
from the negative terminal of the
booster battery to the negative
terminal of the discharged bat-
tery, directly. This can cause the
discharged battery to overheat
and crack and/or cause degra-
dation.
Connect the jumper cable from
the negative terminal of the
booster battery to the chassis
ground in the engine room.WARNING- Electrolyte
Do not charge or discharge arbitrarily. It may lead to fault,
electric shock or burns.
Do not damage the battery in any way, including dropping it,
impacting it, or piercing it with
a sharp object. It may cause
electrolyte leakage or fire.
Breakdown of the unit may lead to electrolyte leakage or
flammable gas generation. If
this occurs, contact an author-
ized Kia dealer immediately.
If electrolyte leaks out, avoid contact with eyes, skin or
clothes. In event of accident,
flush with water and get med-
ical help immediately.
Do not place near open flame or incinerate. It may lead to
fire or explosion.
Keep battery out of reach of children or animals.
Keep the battery away from moisture and liquid. Do not
touch or use if liquids have
been spilled on the battery.
WARNING- Sulfuric acid
risk
Automobile batteries contain
sulfuric acid. When jump start-
ing your vehicle, be careful not
to get sulfuric acid on yourself,
your clothing, or on the vehicle.
This acid is poisonous and
highly corrosive.

611
What to do in an emergency
IF THE ENGINE OVERHEATS
If your temperature gauge indicates
overheating, you will experience a
loss of power, or hear loud pinging or
knocking, the engine is probably too
hot. If this happens, you should:
1. Turn on the emergency warningflasher and stop in a safe place.
Move the shift lever to P (Park)
and engage the parking brake.
2. If hot steam does not come out from the engine room, carefully
open the engine room and check
whether the water pump connec-
tor is properly engaged. If the con-
nector is not properly engaged,
stop the engine immediately and
properly engage the connector.
Then, turn the engine on.
3. Turn on the air conditioner. 4. If the “HEV Warning” light turns on
in the driver instrument cluster, or
engine coolant or hot steam emits
from the engine coolant filler, stop
the engine immediately. Then, call
the nearest authorized Kia dealer
for assistance. If the “Engine
Warning” light remains illuminated
or the engine coolant is not flowing
out, keep the engine running.
Open the engine hood for ventila-
tion to help cool down the engine. 5. Check whether the engine coolant
temperature is low enough by
checking its temperature. If the
engine coolant level is low, please
check the connecting parts
between the radiator hose, heater
hose, and water pump for any signs
of leakage. When there is no sign of
leakage, please refill the engine
coolant. If causes and signs of
engine overheating such as warn-
ing light illumination, engine coolant
leakage, or cooling fan malfunction
are found, stop the vehicle the ear-
liest. Then, call the nearest author-
ized Kia dealer for assistance.
WARNING- Under the
Hood
While the engine is running,
keep hair, hands and clothing
away from moving parts such
as the fan and drive belts to pre-
vent injury.
WARNING- Radiator Cap
Do not remove the
radiator cap when the
engine is hot. This
can allow coolant to
blow out of the open-
ing and cause seri-
ous burns.