KIA NIRO 2021 Owners Manual

3. Install the towing hook by turning it
clockwise into the hole until it is
fully secured.
4. Remove the towing hook and
install the cover after use.Emergency towing
If towing is necessary, have it
done by an authorized Kia dealer
or a commercial tow truck service.If towing service is not available in an
emergency, your vehicle may be
temporarily towed using a cable or
chain secured to the emergency tow-
ing hook under the front (or rear) of
the vehicle. Use extreme caution
when towing the vehicle. A driver
must be in the vehicle to steer it and
operate the brakes.
Towing in this manner may be done
only on hard-surfaced roads for a
short distance and at low speed.
Also, the wheels, axles, power train,
steering and brakes must all be in
good condition.
Do not use the tow hooks to pull a
vehicle out of mud, sand or other
conditions from which the vehicle
cannot be driven out under its own
power.
Avoid towing a vehicle heavier than
the vehicle doing the towing.
The drivers of both vehicles should
communicate with each other fre-
quently.
ODEP069016
ODEP069017
■Front
■ Rear
What to do in an emergency
41 6

Attach a towing strap to the tow
hook.
Use only a cable or chain specifical-
ly intended for use in towing vehi-
cles. Securely fasten the cable or
chain to the towing hook provided.
Accelerate or decelerate the vehicle
in a slow and gradual manner while
maintaining tension on the tow rope
or chain to start or drive the vehicle,
otherwise tow hooks and the vehi-
cle may be damaged.
Before emergency towing, check if
the hook is not broken or damaged.
Fasten the towing cable or chain
securely to the hook.
Do not jerk the hook. Apply it
steadily and with even force.
To avoid damaging the hook, do not
pull from the side or at a vertical
angle. Always pull straight ahead. Use a towing strap less than 16
feet (5 m) long. Attach a white or
red cloth (about 12 inches (30 cm)
wide) in the middle of the strap for
easy visibility.
Drive carefully so that the towing
strap is not loosened during tow-
ing.
The driver must be in the vehicle
for steering and braking operations
when the vehicle is towed and pas-
sengers other than the driver must
not be allowed to be on board.
CAUTION
Using a portion of the vehicle
other than the tow hooks for
towing may damage the body of
your vehicle.
WARNING- Emergency
Towing Precautions
Use extreme caution when tow-
ing the vehicle.
Avoid sudden starts or erratic
driving maneuvers which
would place excessive stress
on the emergency towing hook
and towing cable or chain. The
hook and towing cable or
chain may break and cause
serious injury or damage.
If the disabled vehicle is
unable to be moved, do not
forcibly continue the towing.
We recommend that you con-
tact an authorized Kia dealer
or a commercial tow truck
service for assistance.
Tow the vehicle as straight
ahead as possible.
Keep away from the vehicle
during towing.
ODE066018
642
What to do in an emergency

Emergency towing precautions
• Turn the ignition switch to ACC sothe steering wheel isn’t locked.
Place the transmission shift lever in N (Neutral).
Release the parking bake.
Press the brake pedal with more force than normal since you will
have reduced brake performance.
More steering effort will be required because the power steer-
ing system will be disabled.
If you are driving down a long hill, the brakes may overheat and brake
performance will be reduced. Stop
often and let the brakes cool off.
To avoid serious damage to the dual clutch transmission, limit the
vehicle speed to 10 mph (15 km/h)
and drive less than 1 mile (1.5 km)
when towing. (for Dual clutch trans-
mission vehicle.) If the car is being towed with all
four wheels on the ground, it can
be towed only from the front. Be
sure that the transmission is in N
(Neutral). Be sure the steering is
unlocked by placing the ignition
switch in the ACC position. A driver
must be in the towed vehicle to
operate the steering and brakes.
CAUTION - Dual clutchtransmission
Before towing, check the dual
clutch transmission for fluidleaks under your vehicle. If thedual clutch transmission fluid isleaking, flatbed equipment or atowing dolly must be used.
What to do in an emergency
43
6

IF AN ACCIDENT OCCURS
✽ ✽
NOTICE
Any gas or electrolyte leakage from
your vehicle is not only poisonous but
also flammable. Upon witnessing one
of those, make sure your car is parked
in a safe area away from any roads,
open the windows, and maintain a
safe distance away from the vehicle.
Immediately contact an authorized
Kia dealer and advise them that a
hybrid vehicle is involved.
If you need towing, refer to
"Towing" in the previous pages.
When the vehicle is severely dam-
aged, remain a safe distance of 50
feet (15 meter) or more between
your vehicle and other
vehicles/flammables.
If a fire occurs :
Immediately call emergency services
(911) and advise the emergency
responders that a hybrid vehicle is
involved.
WARNING - High voltage
components
For your safety, do not touch
high voltage cables, connec-
tors and package modules.
High voltage components are
orange in color.
Exposed cables or wires may
be visible inside or outside of
the vehicle. Never touch the
wires or cables, because an
electric shock, serious injury,
or death may occur.WARNING- Submersion
in water
Do not touch your vehicle if it
has been submerged in water.
The high-voltage battery may
cause shock or may catch fire.
Immediately contact the author-
ities and advise them of the
condition of your vehicle and
that a hybrid vehicle is involved.
644
What to do in an emergency

Maintenance
7
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4
Maintenance services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
• Owner’s responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
• Owner maintenance precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Owner maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
• Owner maintenance schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Scheduled maintenance service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Explanation of scheduled maintenance items . . . 7-15
Checking fluid levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Engine oil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
• Checking the engine oil level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
• Changing the engine oil and filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
• Checking the coolant level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
• Engine coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-22
• Inverter coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-22
• Recommended coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-23
• Changing the coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-25
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-26
• Checking the brake fluid level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-26
Engine clutch actuator fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-28
• Checking the engine clutch actuator fluid level . . . . 7-28
Washer fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-30
• Checking the washer fluid level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-30
Parking brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-31
• Checking the parking brake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-31
Air cleaner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-32
• Filter replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-32
Climate control air filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-34
• Filter inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-34
Wiper blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-36
• Blade inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-36
• Blade replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-36
Battery (Plug-in Hybrid) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-39
• For best battery service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-39
• Recharging the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-40
• Reset items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-41
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-42
• Tire care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-42
• Recommended cold tire inflation pressures . . . . . . . 7-42
• Tire pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-43
• Checking tire inflation pressure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-43
• Tire rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-44
• Wheel alignment and tire balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-45
• Tire replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-46
• Wheel replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-46
• Tire traction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-47
• Tire maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-47
• Tire sidewall labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-47

• Tire terminology and definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-51
• All season tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-54
• Summer tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-54
• Snow tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-55
• Tire chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-55
• Radial-ply tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-55
• Low aspect ratio tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-56
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-58
• Inner panel fuse replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-59
• Engine compartment fuse replacement. . . . . . . . . . . 7-61
• Fuse/relay panel description. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-64
Light bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-86
• Bulb replacement precaution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-86
• Light bulb position (Front). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-87
• Light bulb position (Rear) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-88
• Light bulb position (Side) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-89
• Headlamp (High/Low beam) (Bulb type) bulb
replacement (Headlamp type A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-90
• Front turn signal lamp (Bulb type) bulb
replacement (Headlamp type A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-91
• Front side marker (Bulb type) bulb replacement
(Headlamp type A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-92
• Headlamp (High/Low beam) (LED type) bulb
replacement (Headlamp type B) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-92• Front turn signal (LED type) bulb replacement
(Headlamp type B) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-93
• Front side marker (LED type) bulb replacement
(Headlamp type B) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-93
• Daytime running lamp/Position lamp (LED type)
bulb replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-93
• Front fog lamp (Bulb/LED type) bulb
replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-94
• Stop and tail lamp, Rear turn signal lamp
(Bulb type) bulb replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-94
• Tail lamp (inside) (Bulb type) bulb replacement . . . 7-95
• Rear side marker (Bulb type) bulb replacement . . . 7-96
• Stop and tail lamp (LED type) bulb replacement . . 7-98
• Rear side marker (LED type) bulb replacement . . . 7-98
• Back-up lamp (Bulb type) bulb replacement . . . . . . 7-98
• License plate lamp (Bulb type) bulb replacement . . 7-99
• High mounted stop lamp (LED type) bulb
replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-99
• Side repeater lamp (LED type) bulb replacement. . 7-100
• Map lamp (Bulb type) bulb replacement . . . . . . . . 7-100
• Map lamp (LED type) bulb replacement . . . . . . . . 7-101
• Vanity mirror lamp (Bulb type) bulb replacement. . 7-101
• Room lamp (Bulb type) bulb replacement . . . . . . . 7-102
• Room lamp (LED type) bulb replacement . . . . . . . 7-102
• Liftgate room lamp (Bulb type) bulb replacement . . 7-103
7

• Liftgate room lamp (LED type) bulb replacement . . 7-103
Appearance care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-104
• Exterior care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-104
• Interior care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-110
Emission control system. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-114
• Crankcase emission control system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-114
• Evaporative emission control (including ORVR:
Onboard Refueling Vapor Recovery) system . . . . 7-114
• Exhaust emission control system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-115
California perchlorate notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-117
7

Maintenance
4 7
ENGINE COMPARTMENT
ODEP079115
■
■(Gasoline) 1.6 GDi
❈The actual engine room in the vehicle may differ from the illustration.1. Engine coolant reservoir
2. Engine oil filler cap
3. Engine oil dipstick
4. Brake fluid reservoir
5. Inverter coolant reservoir
6. Fuse box
7. Engine clutch actuator reservoir tank
8. Air cleaner
9. Windshield washer fluid reservoir

75
Maintenance
MAINTENANCE SERVICES
You should exercise the utmost care
to prevent damage to your vehicle
and injury to yourself whenever per-
forming any maintenance or inspec-
tion procedures.
Should you have any doubts con-
cerning the inspection or servicing of
your vehicle, we strongly recom-
mend that you have an authorized
Kia dealer perform this work.
An authorized Kia dealer has factory-
trained technicians and genuine Kia
parts to service your vehicle proper-
ly. For expert advice and quality serv-
ice, see an authorized Kia dealer.
Inadequate, incomplete or insuffi-
cient servicing may result in opera-
tional problems with your vehicle that
could lead to vehicle damage, an
accident, or personal injury.Owner’s responsibility
✽ ✽
NOTICE
Maintenance Service and Record
Retention are the owner's responsi-
bility.
You should retain documents that
show proper maintenance has been
performed on your vehicle in accor-
dance with the scheduled mainte-
nance service charts shown on the
following pages. You need this infor-
mation to establish your compliance
with the servicing and maintenance
requirements of your vehicle war-
ranties.
Detailed warranty information is
provided in your Warranty &
Consumer Information manual.
Repairs and adjustments required as
a result of improper maintenance or
a lack of required maintenance are
not covered.
We recommend you have your vehi-
cle maintained and repaired by an
authorized Kia dealer. An authorized
Kia dealer meets Kia’s high service
quality standards and receives tech-
nical support from Kia in order to pro-
vide you with a high level of service
satisfaction.
✽ ✽
NOTICE - NHTSA Safety
Corrosion Alert
The National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) has
issued a general warning to all vehi-
cle owners of all brands regarding
the risks associated with vehicle
underbody corrosion. From your
initial purchase, take the following
steps to prevent unsafe corrosion
damage to your vehicle:
(Continued)

Maintenance
6 7
(Continued)
• Wash the undercarriage of your
vehicle regularly during the win-
ter and whenever your vehicle has
been exposed to such salts or
chemicals.
• Do a thorough washing of the
undercarriage at the end of the
winter.
• Use professional service techni-
cians or governmental inspection
stations to annually inspect for
corrosion.
• Immediately seek an inspection of
your vehicle if you become visual-
ly aware of corrosion flaking or
scaling or if you become aware of
a change in vehicle performance,
such as soft or spongy brakes, flu-
ids leaking, impairment of direc-
tional control, suspension noises
or rattling metal straps.
NHTSA further advises that after
a vehicle is 7 years old, it is essen-
tial that you take these indicated
maintenance steps to ensure that
you protect yourself from unsafe
corrosion conditions.Owner maintenance precau-
tions
Improper or incomplete service may
result in problems. This section gives
instructions only for the maintenance
items that are easy to perform.
As explained earlier in this section,
several procedures can be done only
by an authorized Kia dealer with spe-
cial tools.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
Improper owner maintenance dur-
ing the warranty period may affect
warranty coverage. For details, read
the separate Warranty & Consumer
Information manual provided with
the vehicle. If you're unsure about
any servicing or maintenance proce-
dure, have it done by an authorized
Kia dealer.
WARNING- Maintenance
work
Do not wear jewelry or loose
clothing while working under
the hood of your vehicle with
the engine running. These can
become entangled in moving
parts, if you must run the
engine while working under the
hood, make certain that you
remove all jewelry (especially
rings, bracelets, watches, and
necklaces) and all neckties,
scarves, and similar loose
clothing before getting near the
engine or cooling fans.
WARNING- Touching
metal parts
Do not touch metal parts
(including strut bars) while the
engine is operating or hot.
Doing so could result in serious
bodily injury. Turn the engine off
and wait until the metal parts
cool down to perform any main-
tenance work on the vehicle.