warning lights KIA Optima 2012 3.G User Guide

Features of your vehicle
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✽
✽
NOTICE
If the ABS warning light or EBD warn-
ing light is on and stays on, the
speedometer or odometer/tripmeter
may not work. In this case, have your
vehicle checked by an authorized Kia
dealer as soon as possible.
Seat belt warning
As a reminder to the driver, the seat belt
warning light will blink for approximately
6 seconds each time you turn the ignition
switch ON, regardless of belt fastening.
If the driver's seat belt is not fastened
when the ignition switch is turned on, the
seat belt warning light and the seat belt
warning chime will operate for approxi-
mately 6 seconds. But if it is refastened
within the 6 seconds, the warning light
will blink till the 6 seconds and the warn-
ing chime will turn off immediately.
If the driver's seat belt is disconnected
after the ignition switch is turned to the
ON position, the seat belt warning light
will blink for approximately 6 seconds.
But if it is fastened within the 6 seconds
the warning light will turn off immediately.
If the driver's seat belt is not fastened
when the vehicle speed exceeds 10 km/h
(6 mph), the seat belt warning light and
chime will operate approximately 11
times with a pattern of 6 seconds on and
24 seconds off until the belt is fastened
or the vehicle speed decreases below 5
km/h (3 mph).
Turn signal indicator
The blinking green arrows on the instru-
ment panel show the direction indicated
by the turn signals. If the arrow comes on
but does not blink, blinks more rapidly
than normal, or does not illuminate at all,
it indicates a malfunction in the turn sig-
nal system. You should consult your deal-
er for repairs.
This indicator also blinks when the haz-
ard warning switch is turned on.
High beam indicator
This indicator illuminates when the head-
lights are on and in the high beam posi-
tion or when the turn signal lever is pulled
into the Flash-to-Pass position.

Features of your vehicle
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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.

463
Features of your vehicle
Charging system warninglight
This warning light indicates a malfunction
of either the generator or electrical
charging system.
If the warning light illuminates while the
vehicle is in motion:
1. Drive to the nearest safe location.
2. With the engine off, check the genera- tor drive belt for looseness or break-
age.
3. If the belt is adjusted properly, a prob- lem exists somewhere in the electrical
charging system. Have an authorized
Kia dealer correct the problem as soon
as possible.
Trunk lid open warninglight
This warning light illuminates when the
trunk lid is not closed securely with the
ignition switch in any position.
Door ajar warning light
This warning light illuminates when a
door is not closed securely with the igni-
tion switch in any position.
Tail light indicator*
This indicator illuminates when the tail
lights are on.
Immobilizer indicator (if equipped)
Without smart key system
This light illuminates when the immobiliz-
er key is inserted and turned to the ON
position to start the engine.
At this time, you can start the engine. The
light goes out after the engine is running.
If this light blinks when the ignition switch
is in the ON position before starting the
engine, have the system checked by an
authorized Kia dealer.
With smart key system (if equipped)
If any of the following occurs in a vehicle
equipped with the smart key, the immobi-
lizer indicator illuminates, blinks or the
light goes off.
When the smart key is in the vehicle, if the engine start/stop button is turned
to the ON position, the indicator will
illuminate until the engine is started.
However, when the smart key is not in
the vehicle, if the engine start/stop but-
ton is depressed, the indicator will blink
for a few minutes to indicate that you
will not be able to start the engine.

Features of your vehicle
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HAZARD WARNING FLASHER
The hazard warning flasher should be
used whenever you find it necessary to
stop the car in a hazardous location.
When you must make such an emer-
gency stop, always pull off the road as far
as possible. The hazard warning lights are turned on
by pushing in the hazard switch. Both
turn signal lights will blink. The hazard
warning lights will operate even though
the key is not in the ignition switch.
To turn the hazard warning lights off,
push the switch again.
OTF040104
OTF040105
■Type A
■Type B

Features of your vehicle
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Battery saver function
The purpose of this feature is to pre-
vent the battery from being dis-
charged. The system automatically
turns off the parking lights when the
driver removes the ignition key (smart
key: turns off the engine) and opens
the driver-side door.
With this feature, the parking lights will be turned off automatically if the driver
parks on the side of road at night.
If necessary, to keep the lights on
when the ignition key is removed,
(smart key: turns off the engine) per-
form the following:
1) Open the driver-side door.
2) Turn the parking lights OFF and ON again using the light switch on the
steering column.
Headlight escort function
(if equipped)
The headlights (and/or taillights) will
remain on for approximately 20 minutes
after the ignition key is removed or turned
to the ACC or LOCK position. However, if
the driver’s door is opened and closed,
the headlights are turned off after 30 sec-
onds.
The headlights can be turned off by
pressing the lock button on the transmit-
ter (or smart key) twice or turning off the
light switch from the headlight or Auto
light position.
Headlight leveling device
(if equipped)
Automatic type
It is automatically adjusted the headlight
beam level according to the number of
the passengers and the loading weight in
the luggage area.
And it offers the proper headlight beam
under the various conditions.
LIGHTING
WARNING
If it is not working properly even
though your car is inclined back-
ward according to passenger's
posture, or the headlight beam is
irradiated to the high or low posi-
tion, have your vehicle inspected
by an authorized Kia dealer.
Don't attempt to inspect or replace
the wiring yourself to prevent mal-
function.
CAUTION
If the driver gets out of the vehicle
through other doors (except dri-ver's door), the battery saver func- tion does not operate and the head-light escort function does not turnoff automatically. Therefore, It caus- es the battery to be discharged. Inthis case, make sure to turn off thelamp before getting out of the vehi- cle.

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.
OAM049045OAM049043OAM049044
WARNING
Do not use high beam when there
are other vehicles. Using high
beam could obstruct the other dri-
ver's vision.

Features of your vehicle
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Automatic turn off function
(if equipped)
The interior lights automatically turn off
approximately 20 minutes after the igni-
tion switch is turned off.
If your vehicle is equipped with the theft
alarm system, the interior lights automat-
ically turns off approximately 3 seconds
after the system is armed stage.
Map lamp
Push the lens to turn the map lamp on or
off. This light produces a spot beam for
convenient use as a map lamp at night or
as a personal lamp for the driver and the
front passenger.
In the DOOR position, the map
lamp and the room lamp come
on when any door is opened
regardless of the ignition
switch position. When doors
are unlocked by the transmitter
(or smart key), the map lamp
and the room lamp come on
for approximately 30 seconds
as long as any door is not
open. The map lamp and the room
lamp goes out gradually after
approximately 30 seconds if the
door is closed. However, if the
ignition switch is ON or all doors
are locked, the map lamp and the
room lamp will turn off immedi-
ately. If a door is opened with the
ignition switch in the ACC or
LOCK position, the map lamp
and the room lamp stays on for
about 20 minutes. However, if a
door is opened with the ignition
switch in the ON position, the
map lamp and the room lamp
stays on continuously. If the type
B room lamp switch is OFF, it
doesn't work.
: The lights turn off even if a door is opened.
When the lamp is turned ON by
pressing the lens (1), the lamp
does not turn off even if the
switch (2) is in the OFF posi-
tion.
: The map lamp and the room lamp stay on at all times.
INTERIOR LIGHT
CAUTION
Do not use the interior lights forextended periods when the engineis not running.
It may cause battery discharge.
OVG049110
WARNING
Do not use the interior lights when
driving in the dark. Accidents could
happen because the view may be
obscured by interior lights.

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Driving your vehicle
Before entering vehicle
• Be sure that all windows, outside mir-ror(s), and outside lights are clean.
Check the condition of the tires.
Check under the vehicle for any sign of leaks.
Be sure there are no obstacles behind you if you intend to back up.
Necessary inspections
Fluid levels, such as engine oil, engine
coolant, brake fluid, and washer fluid
should be checked on a regular basis,
with the exact interval depending on the
fluid. Further details are provided in
Section 7, “Maintenance”.
Before starting
Close and lock all doors.
Position the seat so that all controls are
easily reached.
Adjust the inside and outside rearview mirrors.
Be sure that all lights work.
Check all gauges.
Check the operation of warning lights when the ignition switch is turned to
the ON position.
Release the parking brake and make sure the brake warning light goes out.
For safe operation, be sure you are famil-
iar with your vehicle and its equipment.
BEFORE DRIVING
WARNING
All passengers must be properly
belted whenever the vehicle is mov-
ing. Refer to “Seat belts” in section
3 for more information on their
proper use.
WARNING
Always check the surrounding areas
near your vehicle for people, espe-
cially children, before putting a vehi-
cle into D (Drive) or R (Reverse).
WARNING
Driving while distracted can result
in a loss of vehicle control, that
may lead to an accident, severe
personal injury, and death. The dri-
ver’s primary responsibility is in
the safe and legal operation of a
vehicle, and use of any handheld
devices, other equipment, or vehi-
cle systems which take the driver’s
eyes, attention and focus away
from the safe operation of a vehicle
or which are not permissible by law
should never be used during oper-
ation of the vehicle.
WARNING- Driving under
the influence of alcohol or
drugs
Drinking and driving is dangerous.
Drunk driving is the number one
contributor to the highway death
toll each year. Even a small amount
of alcohol will affect your reflexes,
perceptions and judgement.
Driving while under the influence of
drugs is as dangerous or more dan-
gerous than driving drunk.
You are much more likely to have a
serious accident if you drink or
take drugs and drive.
If you are drinking or taking drugs,
don’t drive. Do not ride with a driv-
er who has been drinking or taking
drugs. Choose a designated driver
or call a cab.

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Driving your vehicle
ACC (Accessory)
The steering wheel is unlocked (if
equipped) and electrical accessories are
operative.
ON
The warning lights can be checked
before the engine is started. This is the
normal running position after the engine
is started.
Do not leave the ignition switch ON if theengine is not running to prevent batterydischarge.
START
Turn the ignition switch to the START
position to start the engine. The engine
will crank until you release the key; then
it returns to the ON position. The brake
warning light can be checked in this posi-
tion.
WARNING- Ignition switch
Never turn the ignition switch to LOCK or ACC while the vehicle is
moving. This would result in loss
of directional control and braking
function, which could cause an
accident.
Before leaving the driver’s seat, always make sure the shift lever
is engaged in 1st gear for the
manual transaxle or P (Park) for
the automatic transaxle, set the
parking brake fully and shut the
engine off. Unexpected and sud-
den vehicle movement may occur
if these precautions are not
taken.
Never reach for the ignition switch, or any other controls
through the steering wheel while
the vehicle is in motion. The pres-
ence of your hand or arm in this
area could cause a loss of vehicle
control, an accident and serious
bodily injury or death.
(Continued)
(Continued)
Do not place any movable objectsaround the driver’s seat as they
may move while driving, interfere
with the driver and lead to an
accident.

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Driving your vehicle
ACC(Accessory)
• With automatic transaxle
Press the ENGINE START/STOP button
while it is in the OFF position without
depressing the brake pedal.
If the ENGINE START/STOP button is in
the ACC position for more than 1 hour,
the button is turned off automatically to
prevent battery discharge.
ON
• With automatic transaxle
Press the ENGINE START/STOP button
while it is in the ACC position without
depressing the brake pedal.
The warning lights can be checked
before the engine is started. Do not leave
the ENGINE START/STOP button in the
ON position for a long time. The battery
may discharge, because the engine is
not running.
START/RUN
• With automatic transaxle
To start the engine, depress the brake
pedal and press the ENGINE START/
STOP button with the shift lever in the P
(Park) or the N (Neutral) position. For
your safety, start the engine with the shift
lever in the P (Park) position.
✽ ✽

NOTICE
If you press the ENGINE START/STOP
button without depressing the brake
pedal for automatic transaxle vehicles,
the engine will not start and the ENGINE
START/STOP button changes as follow:
OFF ➔ ➔
ACC ➔
➔
ON ➔
➔
OFF or ACC
Orange indicatorGreen indicatorNot illuminated