tow KIA Optima 2011 3.G User Guide

Features of your vehicle
62
4
Low brake fluid level warning
If the warning light remains on, it may
indicate that the brake fluid level in the
reservoir is low.
If the warning light remains on:
1. Drive carefully to the nearest safe
location and stop your vehicle.
2. With the engine stopped, check the brake fluid level immediately and add
fluid as required. Then check all brake
components for fluid leaks.
3. Do not drive the vehicle if leaks are found, the warning light remains on or
the brakes do not operate properly.
Have the vehicle towed to any author-
ized KIA dealer for a brake system
inspection and necessary repairs.
Your vehicle is equipped with dual-diago-
nal braking systems. This means you still
have braking on two wheels even if one
of the dual systems should fail. With only
one of the dual systems working, more
than normal pedal travel and greater
pedal pressure are required to stop the
vehicle. Also, the vehicle will not stop in
as short a distance with only a portion of
the brake system working. If the brakes
fail while you are driving, shift to a lower
gear for additional engine braking and
stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do
so. To check bulb operation, check whether
the parking brake and brake fluid warning
light illuminates when the ignition switch
is in the ON position.Front fog light indicator
(if equipped)
This indicator comes on when the front
fog lights are ON.
Shift pattern indicator (if equipped)
The indicator displays which automatic
transaxle shift position is selected.
WARNING
Driving the vehicle with a warning
light on is dangerous. If the brake
warning light remains on, have the
brakes checked and repaired imme-
diately by an authorized KIA dealer.

Features of your vehicle
76
4
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 when the moisture
has been cleared.)
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 material is removed
or the sensor is no longer blocked.)
3. Driving on uneven road surfaces (unpaved roads, gravel, bumps, gradi-
ent).
4. Objects generating excessive noise (vehicle horns, loud motorcycle
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 stained with foreign mat-
ter such as snow or water. (The sens-
ing range will return to normal when
removed.)
2. Outside air temperature is extremely hot or cold.
The following objects may not be rec-
ognized by the sensor:
1. Sharp or slim objects such as ropes, chains or small poles.
2. Objects which tend to absorb the sen- sor frequency such as clothes, spongy
material or snow.
3. Undetectable objects smaller than 1 m (40 in.) in height and narrower than 14
cm (6 in.) in diameter.
Rear parking assist system pre-
cautions
The rear parking assist system maynot sound sequentially depending on
the speed and shapes of the objects
detected.
The rear parking assist system may malfunction if the vehicle bumper
height or sensor installation has been
modified or damaged. Any non-factory
installed equipment or accessories
may also interfere with the sensor per-
formance.
The sensor may not recognize objects less than 40 cm (15 in.) from the sen-
sor, or it may sense an incorrect dis-
tance. Use caution.
When the sensor is frozen or stained with snow, dirt, or water, the sensor
may be inoperative until the stains are
removed using a soft cloth.
Do not push, scratch or strike the sen- sor. Sensor damage could occur.

483
Features of your vehicle
High beam operation
To turn on the high beam headlights,
push the lever away from you. Pull it back
for low beams.
The high beam indicator will light when
the headlight high beams are switched
on.
To prevent the battery from being dis-
charged, do not leave the lights on for a
prolonged time while the engine is not
running.To flash the headlights, pull the lever
towards you. It will return to the normal
(low beam) position when released. The
headlight switch does not need to be on
to use this flashing feature.
Turn signals and lane change sig-
nals
The ignition switch must be on for the
turn signals to function. To turn on the
turn signals, move the lever up or down
(A). The green arrow indicators on the
instrument panel indicate which turn sig-
nal is operating. They will self-cancel
after a turn is completed. If the indicator
continues to flash after a turn, manually
return the lever to the OFF position.
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WARNING
Do not use high beam when there
are other vehicles. Using high
beam could obstruct the other dri-
ver's vision.

487
Features of your vehicle
Windshield washers
In the OFF position, pull the lever gently
toward you to spray washer fluid on the
windshield and to run the wipers 1-3
cycles.
Use this function when the windshield is
dirty.
The spray and wiper operation will con-
tinue until you release the lever.
If the washer does not work, check the
washer fluid level. If the fluid level is not
sufficient, you will need to add appropri-
ate non-abrasive windshield washer fluid
to the washer reservoir.
The reservoir filler neck is located in the
front of the engine compartment on the
passenger side.
OYF049101
CAUTION
To prevent possible damage to thewasher pump, do not operate thewasher when the fluid reservoir isempty.
WARNING
Do not use the washer in freezing
temperatures without first warming
the windshield with the defrosters;
the washer solution could freeze on
contact with the windshield and
obscure your vision.
CAUTION
To prevent possible damage to the wipers or windshield, do notoperate the wipers when thewindshield is dry.
To prevent damage to the wiper blades, do not use gasoline,kerosene, paint thinner, or othersolvents on or near them.
To prevent damage to the wiper arms and other components, donot attempt to move the wipersmanually.

Features of your vehicle
94
4
Mode selection
The mode selection button controls the
direction of the air flow through the venti-
lation system.
Face-Level (B, C, D, E, F)
Air flow is directed toward the upper body
and face. Additionally, each outlet can be
controlled to direct the air discharged
from the outlet.
Bi-Level (B, C, D, E, F)
Air flow is directed towards the face and
the floor.
Floor-Level (A, C, D, E)
Most of the air flow is directed to the
floor, with a small amount of the air being
directed to the windshield and side win-
dow defrosters.
Floor/Defrost-Level (A, C, D, E)
Most of the air flow is directed to the floor
and the windshield with a small amount
directed to the side window defrosters.
Defrost-Level (A, D)
Most of the air flow is directed to the
windshield with a small amount of air
directed to the side window defrosters.
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495
Features of your vehicle
MAX A/C-Level (B, D, E)
To operate the MAX A/C, turn the tem-
perature knob to extreme left. Air flow is
directed toward the upper body and face.
In this mode, the air conditioning and the
recirculated air position will be selected
automatically.Instrument panel vents
The outlet vents can be opened or closed
separately using the thumbwheel.
Also, you can adjust the direction of air
delivered from these vents using the vent
control lever as shown.
Temperature control
The temperature control knob allows you
to control the temperature of the air flow-
ing from the ventilation system. To
change the air temperature in the pas-
senger compartment, turn the knob to
the right for warm air or left for cooler air.
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4103
Features of your vehicle
Manual heating and air condition-
ing
The heating and cooling system can be
controlled manually by pushing buttons
other than the AUTO button. In this case,
the system works sequentially according
to the order of buttons selected.
1. Start the engine.
2. Set the mode to the desired position.To improve the effectiveness of heat-ing and cooling :
- Heating:
- Cooling:
3. Set the temperature control to the desired position.
4. Set the air intake control to the outside (fresh) air or recirculated air position.
5. Set the fan speed control to the desired speed.
6. If air conditioning is desired, turn the air conditioning system on.
Press the AUTO button in order to con-
vert to full automatic control of the sys-
tem.
Mode selection
The mode selection button controls the
direction of the air flow through the venti-
lation system.
Every time you press the mode selection
button, the mode will change as follows:
Refer to the illustration in the “Manual cli-
mate control system”. Face-Level
Air flow is directed toward the upper body
and face. Additionally, each outlet can be
controlled to direct the air discharged
from the outlet.
Bi-Level
Air flow is discharged towards the face and
floor.
Floor-Level
Most of the air flow is directed to the
floor, with a small amount of the air being
directed to the windshield and side win-
dow defroster.
Floor/Defrost-Level
Most of the air flow is directed to the floor
and the windshield with a small amount
directed to the side window defrosters.
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Features of your vehicle
112
4
Auto defogging system (Only for
automatic climate control system, ifequipped)
Auto defogging reduces the probability of
fogging up the inside of the windshield by
automatically sensing the moisture of
inside the windshield.
The auto defogging system operates
when the heater or air conditioning is on. This indicator illuminates
when the auto defogging
system senses the moisture
of inside the windshield and
operates.
If more moisture is in the vehicle, higher
steps operate as follow. For example if
auto defogging does not defog inside the
windshield at step 1 Outside air position,
it tries to defog again at step 2 Blowing
air toward the windshield.
Step 1 : Outside air position
Step 2 :Blowing air toward the windshield
Step 3 : Increasing air flow toward the windshield
Step 4 : Operating the air conditioning
Step 5 : Maximizing the air conditioning
✽ ✽ NOTICE
If the A/C off or recirculated air position
is manually selected while the auto
defogging system is on, the auto defog-
ging indicator will blink 3 times to give
notice that manual operation is can-
celed.
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CAUTION
Do not remove the sensor cover
located on the upper end of the pas-senger side windshield glass. Damage to the system parts couldoccur and may not be covered by your vehicle warranty.

Features of your vehicle
122
4
Aux, USB and iPod®* port
If your vehicle has an aux and/or
USB(universal serial bus) port or iPod
port, you can use an aux port to connect
audio devices and an USB port to plug in
an USB and also an iPod port to plug in
an iPod.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
When using a portable audio device
connected to the power outlet, noise may
occur during playback. If this happens,
use the power source of the portable
audio device.
*iPod®is a trademark of Apple Inc.
How vehicle audio works
AM and FM radio signals are broadcast
from transmitter towers located around
your city. They are intercepted by the
radio antenna on your vehicle. This signal
is then received by the radio and sent to
your vehicle speakers.
When a strong radio signal has reached
your vehicle, the precise engineering of
your audio system ensures the best pos-
sible quality reproduction. However, in
some cases the signal coming to your
vehicle may not be strong and clear. This
can be due to factors such as the dis-
tance from the radio station, closeness of
other strong radio stations or the pres-
ence of buildings, bridges or other large
obstructions in the area. AM broadcasts can be received at
greater distances than FM broadcasts.
This is because AM radio waves are
transmitted at low frequencies. These
long, low frequency radio waves can fol-
low the curvature of the earth rather than
travelling straight out into the atmos-
phere. In addition, they curve around
obstructions so that they can provide bet-
ter signal coverage.
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AM radio reception
JBM001
FM radio reception

5
Before driving / 5-3
Key positions / 5-4
Engine start/stop button / 5-6
Starting the engine / 5-9
Manual transaxle / 5-12
Automatic transaxle / 5-15
Brake system / 5-23
ESC (Electronic stability control) / 5-28
HAC (Hill-start assist control) / 5-32
VSM (Vehicle stability management) / 5-33
Active eco system / 5-36
Cruise control system / 5-37
Economical operation / 5-41
Special driving conditions / 5-43
Winter driving / 5-47
Vehicle load limit / 5-50
Vehicle weight / 5-55
Trailer towing / 5-55
Driving your vehicle