brakes KIA OPTIMA HYBRID 2015 Owners Manual

Introduction
41
Operation in foreign countries
If you are going to drive your vehicle
in another country, be sure to:
Observe all regulations regardingregistration and insurance.
Determine that acceptable fuel is available. No special break-in period is need-
ed. By following a few simple precau-
tions for the first 600 miles (1,000
km) you may add to the perform-
ance, economy and life of your vehi-
cle.
Do not race the engine.
While driving, keep your engine
speed (rpm, or revolutions per
minute) between 2,000 rpm and
4,000 rpm.
Do not maintain a single speed for long periods of time, either fast or
slow. Varying engine speed is
needed to properly break-in the
engine.
Avoid hard stops, except in emer- gencies, to allow the brakes to seat
properly.
Don't tow a trailer during the first 1,200 miles (2,000 km) of opera-
tion. By following a few simple precau-
tions for the first 600 miles (1,000
km) you may add to the perform-
ance, economy and life of your vehi-
cle.
Do not race the engine.
Avoid hard stops, except in emer-
gencies, to allow the brakes to seat
properly.
Don't tow a trailer during the first 1,200 miles (2,000 km) of opera-
tion.
VEHICLE BREAK-IN
PROCESS HEV POWERTRAIN

Features of your vehicle
64
4
Check brakes
‘Check brake' is displayed when the
brake function is not well or the
regenerative brake system is not
operated with brake system malfunc-
tion. Refer to the "Brake system
warning light" in this chapter.
Check charging system
This warning illuminates when a mal-
function is detected with the Charging
System.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
When the high voltage battery
power is low, the warning may
occur. In that time, the warning may
disappear when the battery is
charged by engine.
Check active air flap system
This warning will be illuminated as
follow;
- When the actuator flap malfunction
is detected
- When the actuator air flap con- troller malfunction detected
- In a condition opening the air flap, if the air flap is not open.
When the all conditions illuminating
the warning are cleared, the warning
will be off.
OTFH044211N
WARNING
Driving with the 'check brake' on
is dangerous. If this occurs,
have your vehicle checked by an
authorized Kia dealer as soon
as possible.
OTFH044213NOTFH044231N

Features of your vehicle
72
4
Parking Brake & Brake
Fluid Warning Light
This warning light illuminates:
Once you set the ignition switch or Engine Start/Stop Button to the ON
position.
- It illuminates for approximately 3seconds
- It remains on if the parking brake is applied.
When the parking brake is applied.
When the brake fluid level in the reservoir is low.
- If the warning light illuminateswith the parking brake released, it
indicates the brake fluid level in
reservoir is low. If the brake fluid level in the reservoir
is low:
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 (For
more details, refer to "Brake Fluid"
in chapter 7).
Then check all brake components for fluid leaks. If any leak on the
brake system is still found, the
warning light remains on, or the
brakes do not operate properly, do
not drive the vehicle.
In this case, have your vehicle
towed to an authorized Kia dealer
and inspected.
Dual-diagonal braking system
Your vehicle is equipped with dual-
diagonal braking systems. This
means you still have braking on two
wheels even if one of the dual sys-
tems 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 driv-
ing, shift to a lower gear for addition-
al engine braking and stop the vehi-
cle as soon as it is safe to do so.

Features of your vehicle
78
4
The TPMS cannot alert you to
severe and sudden tire damage
caused by external factors.
If you notice any vehicle instability, immediately take your foot off the
accelerator pedal, apply the brakes
gradually with light force, and slow-
ly move to a safe position off the
road.
Door Ajar Warning Light
This warning light illuminates:
When a door is not closed securely.
Trunk Open Warning
Light
This warning light illuminates:
When the trunk is not closed securely.
Master Warning light
This warning light informs the driv- er of the following situations
- Low washer fluid
- TPMS
- Service required
The Master Warning Light illumi-
nates when more than one of the
above warning situations occur. At
this time, the LCD Modes Icon will
change from ( ) to ( ).
If the warning situation is solved, the
master warning light will be turned off
and the LCD Modes Icon will be
changed back to its previous icon ( ).
(ex : refill the washer fluid)
WARNING- Low tire pres- sure
Significantly low tire pressure makes the vehicle unstable
and can contribute to loss of
vehicle control and increased
braking distances.
Continued driving or low pressure tires will cause the
tires to overheat and fail.

Features of your vehicle
84
4
Non-operational conditions of
Back-Up Warning System
The Back-Up Warning 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 materi-
al is removed or the sensor is no
longer blocked.)
3. Driving on uneven road surfaces. (unpaved roads, gravel, bumps,
gradient.)
4. Objects generating excessive noise (vehicle horns, loud motor-
cycle 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
matter such as snow or water.
(The sensing range will return to
normal when removed.)
2. Outside air temperature is extremely hot or cold.
The following objects may not be
recognized by the sensor:
1. Sharp or slim objects such as ropes, chains or small poles.
2. Objects which tend to absorb the sensor frequency such as clothes,
spongy material or snow.
3. Undetectable objects smaller than 40 in. (1 m) in height and narrower
than 6 in. (14 cm) in diameter.
Back-Up Warning System pre-
cautions
The Back-Up Warning System maynot sound sequentially depending
on the speed and shapes of the
objects detected.
The Back-Up Warning 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 performance.
The sensor may not recognize objects less than 11 in. (30 cm)
from the sensor, or it may sense an
incorrect distance. 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 sensor. Sensor damage could occur.

513
Driving your vehicle
For smooth operation, depress thebrake pedal when shifting from N(Neutral) to a forward or reversegear.
When stopped on an incline, do not
hold the vehicle with engine power.
Use the service brake or the parking
brake.
Transaxle ranges
The indicator light in the instrument
cluster displays the shift lever posi-
tion when the ignition switch is in the
ON position.
P (Park)
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into P (Park). This
position locks the transaxle and pre-
vents the front wheels from rotating.
Shifting into P (Park) while the vehi-
cle is in motion will cause the drive
wheels to lock which will cause you
to lose control of the vehicle.CAUTION - Transaxle
To avoid damage to yourtransaxle, do not accelerate theengine in R (Reverse) or any for-ward gear position with thebrakes on. The transaxle may bedamaged if you shift into P(Park) while the vehicle is inmotion.
WARNING - Leaving the
Vehicle
Before leaving the driver's seat,
always make sure the shift lever
is engaged in P (Park), set the
parking brake fully and shut the
engine off. Unexpected and
sudden vehicle movement may
occur if these precautions are
not taken.

Driving your vehicle
14
5
R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward.
N (Neutral)
The wheels and transaxle are not
engaged. The vehicle will roll freely
even on the slightest incline unless
the parking brake or service brakes
are applied. D (Drive)
This is the normal forward driving
position. The transaxle will automati-
cally shift through a 6-gear
sequence, providing the best fuel
economy and power.
For extra power when passing anoth-
er vehicle or climbing grades,
depress the accelerator fully, at
which time the transaxle will auto-
matically downshift to the next lower
gear.
Sports mode
Whether the vehicle is stopped or in
motion, sports mode is selected by
pushing the shift lever from the D
(Drive) position into the manual gate.
To return to D (Drive) range opera-
tion, push the shift lever back into the
main gate.
In sports mode, moving the shift
lever backwards and forwards will
allow you to make gearshifts rapidly.
In contrast to a manual transaxle, the
sports mode allows gearshifts with
the accelerator pedal depressed.
CAUTION - Shifting
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into or out of R(Reverse); you may damage thetransaxle if you shift into R(Reverse) while the vehicle is inmotion, except when “Rockingthe Vehicle” explained in thischapter.
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+
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+




(
(
(
(
U
U
U
U
P
P
P
P
)
)
)
)
- (DOWN)
Sports mode

Driving your vehicle
16
5
Shift-lock override (with smart key
system)
If the shift lever cannot be moved
from the P (Park) or N (Neutral) posi-
tion into the R (Reverse) position
with the brake pedal depressed, con-
tinue depressing the brake, then do
the following:
1.Carefully remove the cap (1) cover-
ing the shift-lock access hole.
2.Insert a screwdriver into the access hole and press down on
the screwdriver.
3.Move the shift lever.
4.Have your vehicle inspected by an authorized Kia dealer immediately.
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.
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
vehicle from moving.
Optimum vehicle performance and economy is obtained by smoothly
depressing and releasing the
accelerator pedal.
Moving up a steep grade from a
standing start
To move up a steep grade from a
standing start, depress the brake
pedal, shift the shift lever to D
(Drive). Select the appropriate gear
depending on load weight and steep-
ness of the grade, and release the
parking brake. Depress the accelera-
tor gradually while releasing the
service brakes.
OTF054011N

517
Driving your vehicle
Power brakes
Your vehicle's brake system is
power-assisted by the electric
hydraulic pump.
In the event the brakes lose power
because of a brake control system
malfunction, unstable power supply
or some other reason, you can still
stop your vehicle by applying greater
force to the brake pedal than you
normally would. The stopping dis-
tance, however will be longer. Please
have the system checked as soon as
possible.If the brake pedal does not return to
its normal position when released,
there may be a malfunction in the
brake system. Take your vehicle to
an authorized Kia dealer and have
the system checked.
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 will 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 willcreate abnormally high braketemperatures which can causeexcessive brake lining and padwear.
CAUTION
Do not depress the brake pedalcontinuously without READYstatus. The battery may be dis-charged.

Driving your vehicle
18
5
Wet brakes may impair the vehicle’s
ability to safely slow down; the vehi-
cle may also pull to one side when
the brakes are applied. Applying the
brakes lightly will indicate whether
they have been affected in this way.
To dry the brakes, apply them lightly
while maintaining a safe forward
speed until brake performance
returns to normal.In the event of brake failure
If service brakes fail to operate while
the vehicle is in motion, you can
make an emergency stop with the
parking brake. The stopping dis-
tance, however, will be much greater
than normal.
Disc brakes wear indicator
When your brake pads are worn and
new pads are required, you will hear
a high-pitched warning sound from
your front brakes or rear brakes (if
equipped). You may hear this sound
come and go or it may occur when-
ever you depress the brake pedal.
Please remember that some driving
conditions or climates may cause a
brake squeal when you first apply (or
lightly apply) the brakes. This is nor-
mal and does not indicate a problem
with your brakes.
Always replace the front or rear
brake pads as pairs.
CAUTION - Replace brake
pads
Do not continue to drive withworn brake pads. Continuing todrive with worn brake pads candamage the braking system andresult in costly brake repairs.
WARNING - Parking brake
Avoid applying the parking
brake to stop the vehicle while it
is moving except in an emer-
gency situation. Applying the
parking brake while the vehicle
is moving at normal speeds can
cause a sudden loss of control
of the vehicle. If you must use
the parking brake to stop the
vehicle, use great caution in
applying the brake.