power steering KIA NIRO HYBRID EV 2021 Owners Manual

Your vehicle at a glance
4 2
INTERIOR OVERVIEW
1. Inside door handle.................................4-22
2. Power window switch ............................4-29
3. Central door lock switch ........................4-23
4. Power window lock button .....................4-32
5. Outside rearview mirror control .............4-62
6. Outside rearview mirror folding .............4-64
7. Instrument panel illumination control ....4-68
8. Blind-Spot Collision Warning system On/Off
button ....................................................5-80
9. Lane Keeping Assist system On/Off
button ....................................................5-72
10. 12V Battery Reset switch (For Hybrid)..6-5
11. ESC off button .....................................5-46
12. Fuel filler door open button ........4-36, 4-37
13. Auto Lock mode button (For Plug-in
Hybrid)..................Hybrid system overview
14. Scheduled charging deactivation button
(For Plug-in Hybrid) ..Hybrid system overview
15. Steering wheel ....................................4-47
16. Tilt and telescopic steering control
lever .....................................................4-48
17. Inner fuse panel ..................................7-59
18. Brake pedal .........................................5-30
19. Hood release lever ..............................4-34
20. Seat .......................................................3-4
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Your vehicle at a glance
INSTRUMENT PANEL OVERVIEW
1. Steering wheel audio controls .......Refer to
"Car Infotainment System Quick Reference
Guide".
2. Driver`s front air bag ...........................3-62
3. Horn.....................................................4-50
4. Instrument cluster ................................4-66
5. Wiper and washer control lever
(Right) ................................................4-136
6. Lighting control lever (Left) ................4-130
7. Ignition switch........................................5-7
ENGINE START/STOP button .............5-11
8. Cruise control ......................................5-98
Smart Cruise Control system button ..5-103
9. Infotainment system...............Refer to "Car
Infotainment System Quick Reference
Guide".
10. Hazard warning flasher .......................6-2
11. Climate control system ....................4-145
12. Shift lever DCT ..................................5-16
13. Front seat warmer ...........................4-167
Front air ventilation seat ..................4-169
14. Heated steering wheel button ...........4-49
15. Changing plug-in hybrid mode button..intro
16. Reverse Parking Distance Warning
system OFF button ..........................4-121
Forward/Reverse Parking Distance
Warning system ON/OFF button .....4-124
17. Smart phone wireless charger ........4-173
18. Center console storage box ............4-164
19. Power outlet.....................................4-170
20. USB charger ....................................4-171
21. Glove box ........................................4-164
22. Passenger`s front air bag ..................3-62
23. USB port..........................................4-182
24. AC inverter ......................................4-172
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Safety features of your vehicle
8 3
Reclining seatback
Sitting in a reclined position when
the vehicle is in motion can be dan-
gerous. Even when buckled up, the
protections of your restraint system
(seat belts and/or air bags) is greatly
reduced by reclining your seatback.
Seat belts must be snug against your
hips and chest to work properly.
When the seatback is reclined, the
shoulder belt cannot do its job
because it will not be snug against
your chest. Instead, it will be in front
of you. During an accident, you could
be thrown into the seat belt, causing
neck or other injuries.
The more the seatback is reclined,
the greater chance the passenger’s
hips will slide under the lap belt or
the passenger’s neck will strike the
shoulder belt.Seat height
To change the height of the seat, push
the lever upwards or downwards.
To lower the seat cushion, push the
lever down several times.
To raise the seat cushion, pull the
lever up several times.
Front seat adjustment - power
(for driver’s seat, if equipped)
The driver’s seat can be adjusted by
using the control switches located on
the outside of the seat cushion.
Before driving, adjust the seat to the
proper position so you can easily
control the steering wheel, pedals
and switches on the instrument
panel.
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Features of your vehicle
Electric Power Steering
(EPS)
The power steering uses a motor to
assist you in steering the vehicle. If
the engine is off or if the power steer-
ing system becomes inoperative, the
vehicle may still be steered, but it will
require increased steering effort.
The EPS is controlled by a power
steering control unit which senses
the steering wheel torque and vehi-
cle speed to command the motor.
The steering becomes heavier as the
vehicle’s speed increases and
becomes lighter as the vehicle’s
speed decreases for optimum steer-
ing control.
Should you notice any change in the
effort required to steer during normal
vehicle operation, have the power
steering checked by an authorized
Kia dealer. If the Electric Power Steering
System does not operate normally,
the warning light will illuminate on
the instrument cluster. The steering
wheel may require increased
steering effort. Take your vehicle to
an authorized Kia dealer and have
the vehicle checked as soon as
possible.
When you operate the steering
wheel in low temperature, noise
may occur. If temperature rises, the
noise will likely disappear. This is a
normal condition.
When the vehicle is stationary, and
the steering wheel is turned all the
way to the left or right continuous-
ly, the steering wheel becomes
harder to turn. The power assist is
limited to protect the motor from
overheating.
As time passes, the steering wheel
will return to its normal condition.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
The following symptoms may occur
during normal vehicle operation:
• The EPS warning light does not
illuminate.
• The steering gets heavy immedi-
ately after turning the ENGINE
START/STOP button is ON posi-
tion. This happens as the system
performs the EPS system diagnos-
tics. When the diagnostics are
completed, the steering wheel will
return to its normal condition.
• A click noise may be heard from
the EPS relay after turning the
ENGINE START/STOP button is
ON or OFF position.
• A motor noise may be heard when
the vehicle is at a stop or at a low
driving speed.
• If the Electric Power Steering
System does not operate normally,
the warning light will illuminate on
the instrument cluster. The steer-
ing wheel may become difficult to
control or operate abnormally.
Take your vehicle to an authorized
Kia dealer and have the vehicle
checked as soon as possible.
(Continued)
STEERING WHEEL

Features of your vehicle
108 4
✽
✽
NOTICE- Electronic Brake
force Distribution (EBD)
System Warning Light
When the ABS Warning Light is on
or both ABS and Parking Brake &
Brake Fluid Warning Lights are on,
the speedometer, odometer, or trip-
meter may not work. Also, the EPS
Warning Light may illuminate and
the steering effort may increase or
decrease.
In this case, have your vehicle inspect-
ed by an authorized Kia dealer as
soon as possible.
Regenerative Brake
Warning Light
This warning light illuminates :
When the regenerative brake does
not operate and the brake does not
perform well. This causes the Brake
Warning light (red) and Regenerative
Brake Warning Light (yellow) to illu-
minate simultaneously.
In this case, drive safely and have
your vehicle inspected by an author-
ized Kia dealer.
Electric Power Steering
(EPS) Warning Light
This warning light illuminates:
Once you set the ignition switch or
ENGINE START/STOP button to
the ON position.
- It remains on until the engine is
started.
When there is a malfunction with
the EPS.
In this case, have your vehicle
inspected by an authorized Kia
dealer.
(yellow color)
(red color)

Driving your vehicle
30 5
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 hill
braking
Avoid continuous application of
the brakes when descending a
long or steep hill by shifting to a
lower gear. Continuous brake
application may 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 will
create abnormally high brake
temperatures which can cause
excessive brake lining and pad
wear.

Driving your vehicle
50 5
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.
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 a
gradient 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.
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.
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.

551
Driving your vehicle
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 22 km/h (13
mph) on curves.
• The VSM is designed to function
above approximately 10 km/h (6
mph) 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.
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 inclement
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.
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.
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.

Driving your vehicle
58 5
Brake operation
In an urgent situation, the braking
system enters into the ready status
for prompt reaction to assist the driv-
er in depressing the brake pedal.
FCA system provides additional
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.
Detecting sensors (front view
camera/front radar)
The sensors are that detecting the
distance to vehicles ahead, pedestri-
an or cyclist.
CAUTION
The driver should always pay
great caution to vehicle opera-
tion, even though there is no
warning message or warning
alarm.
WARNING
FCA system cannot avoid all
collisions. FCA system might
not completely stop the vehicle
before a collision, due to ambi-
ent, weather and road condi-
tions. The driver has the
responsibility to drive safely
and control the vehicle.
WARNING
FCA system operates in accor-
dance with certain risk factors,
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.
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Driving your vehicle
Remember, your vehicle does not
require extended warm-up. After
the engine has started, allow the
engine to run for 10 to 20 seconds
prior to placing the vehicle in gear.
In very cold weather, however, give
your engine a slightly longer warm-
up period.
Don't "lug" or "over-rev" the engine.
Lugging is driving too slowly in a
very high gear resulting in engine
bucking. If this happens, shift to a
lower gear. Over-revving is racing
the engine beyond its safe limit.
This can be avoided by shifting at
the recommended speed. Use your air conditioning sparingly.
The air conditioning system is
operated by engine power so your
fuel economy is reduced when you
use it.
Opening windows at high speeds
can reduce fuel economy.
Fuel economy is less in crosswinds
and headwinds. To help offset
some of this loss, slow down when
driving in these conditions.
Keeping a vehicle in good operating
condition is important both for econ-
omy and safety. Therefore, have an
authorized Kia dealer perform
scheduled inspections and mainte-
nance.
WARNING - Engine off
during motion
Never turn the engine off to
coast down hills or anytime the
vehicle is in motion. The power
steering and power brakes will
not function properly without
the engine running.
In addition, turning off the
engine start/stop button while
driving could engage the steer-
ing wheel lock, resulting in loss
of vehicle steering. Keep the
engine on and downshift to an
appropriate gear for an engine
braking effect.