steering KIA OPTIMA PHEV 2018 Owner's Guide

Driving your vehicle
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6
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. 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.
Always test your brakes in this fash-
ion after driving through deep water.
To dry the brakes, apply them lightly
while maintaining a safe forward
speed until brake performance
returns to normal.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
Do not depress the brake pedal con-
tinuously without the " " indica-
tor ON. The battery may be dis-
charged.
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.

Driving your vehicle
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6
Electronic stability control
(ESC)
The Electronic Stability control
(ESC) system is designed to stabi-
lize the vehicle during cornering
maneuvers. ESC checks where you
are steering and where the vehicle is
actually going. ESC applies the
brakes on individual wheels and
intervenes with the engine manage-
ment system to stabilize the vehicle. Electronic stability control (ESC) will
not prevent accidents. Excessive
speed in turns, abrupt maneuvers
and hydroplaning on wet surfaces
can still result in serious accidents.
Only a safe and attentive driver can
prevent accidents by avoiding
maneuvers that cause the vehicle to
lose traction. Even with ESC
installed, always follow all the normal
precautions for driving - including
driving at safe speeds for the condi-
tions.
The Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
system is an electronic system
designed to help the driver maintain
vehicle control under adverse condi-
tions. It is not a substitute for safe driv-
ing practices. Factors including speed,
road conditions and driver steering
input can all affect whether ESC will be
effective in preventing a loss of control.
It is still your responsibility to drive and
corner at reasonable speeds and to
leave a sufficient margin of safety.
When you apply your brakes under
conditions which may lock the wheels,
you may hear a “tik-tik’’ sound from the
brakes, or feel a corresponding sensa-
tion in the brake pedal. This is normal
and it means your ESC is active.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
A click sound may be heard in the
engine compartment when the vehi-
cle begins to move after the engine is
started. These conditions are normal
and indicate that the Electronic
Stability Control System is function-
ing properly.
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Driving your vehicle
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6
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.

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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 13 mph (22
km/h) on curves.
• The VSM is designed to function above approximately 6 mph (10
km/h) 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 respon-
sibility 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 clement
weather and on a slippery road.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
For maximum protection, always
wear your seat belt. No system, no
matter how advanced, can compen-
sate for all driver error and/or driv-
ing conditions. Always drive respon-
sibly.
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- 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.

645
Driving your vehicle
Emergency braking (3rdwarning)
The warning message appears onthe LCD display with the warning
alarms.
The AEB controls the brakes with- in certain limit to release shock
from the collision.
The AEB controls the maximum
brakes just before the collision.
Brake operation
In an urgent situation, the brakingsystem enters into the ready status
for prompt reaction against the dri-
ver’s depressing the brake pedal.
The AEB provides additional brak- ing power for optimum braking per-
formance, when the driver
depresses the brake pedal.
The braking control is automatical- ly deactivated, when the driver
sharply depresses the brake pedal,
or when the driver abruptly turns
the steering wheel.
The braking control is automatical- ly canceled, when risk factors dis-
appear.
The driver should always exercise
caution when operating the vehicle,
even though there is no warning
message or warning alarm.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
The AEB operates in accordance
with the risk levels, such as the dis-
tance from the vehicle/passer-by in
front, the speed of the vehicle/pass-
er-by in front, and the driver's vehi-
cle operation. OJF055078L
WARNING
The AEB cannot avoid all colli-
sions. The AEB might not com-
pletely stop the vehicle before
collision, due to ambient weath-
er and road conditions. The
driver has the responsibility to
drive safely and control the
vehicle.

653
Driving your vehicle
To set cruise control speed:
1. Press the CRUISE button on thesteering wheel to turn the system
on. The CRUISE indicator light in
the instrument cluster will illumi-
nate.
2. Accelerate to the desired speed, which must be more than 20 mph
(30 km/h). 3. Move the lever down (to SET-),
and release it at the desired
speed. The SET indicator light in
the instrument cluster will illumi-
nate. Release the accelerator at
the same time. The desired speed
will automatically be maintained.
On a steep grade, the vehicle mayslow down or speed up slightly whilegoing downhill.
To increase cruise control set
speed:
Follow either of these procedures:
Move the lever up (to RES+) and hold it. Your vehicle will accelerate.
Release the lever at the speed you
want.
Move the lever up (to RES+) and release it immediately. The cruising
speed will increase by 1.0 mph (2
km/h ) each time the lever is operat-
ed in this manner.
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Driving your vehicle
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6
Collision Alert
When the ASCC system is on, and
there is a high risk of collision due to
sudden braking of the vehicle in front
or not securing enough space with
the vehicle in front, the driver needs
to control the brake system or the
steering wheel manually. In this case,
the collision alert warning displays
on the instrument cluster and warn-
ing sounds. Decrease vehicle speed
immediately.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
• Even when the indicator display-
ing the distance with the vehicle in
front does not blink or the colli-
sion alert does not sound, always
drive safely.
• Depending on the use of radio, sound quality, and driving condi-
tions, you may not be able to hear
the warning sound. Therefore,
always pay close attention to traf-
fic in front.
If the vehicle ahead (vehicle speed:
less than 20 mph (30 km/h)) moves to
the next lane, the warning chime will
sound and a message will appear.
If a vehicle enters into your lane mov-
ing less than the designated speed,
you can adjust your vehicle speed by
depressing the brake pedal.OJF055176
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Driving your vehicle
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6
Vehicle recognition
Some vehicles ahead in your lane
cannot be recognized by the sensor
as follows:
- Narrow vehicles such as motorcy-
cles or bicycles
- Vehicles offset to one side
- Slow-moving vehicles or sudden- decelerating vehicles
- Stopped vehicles
- Vehicles with small rear profile such as trailers with no loads A vehicle ahead cannot be recog-
nized correctly by the sensor if any of
following occurs:
- When the vehicle is pointing
upwards due to overloading in the
trunk
- While making turns by steering
- When driving to one side of the lane
- When driving on narrow lanes or on curves
Adjust your vehicle speed by
depressing the brake pedal accord-
ing to the road condition ahead and
driving condition. When vehicles are at a standstill
and the vehicle in front of you
changes to the next lane, be care-
ful when your vehicle starts to
move because it may not recog-
nize the stopped vehicle in front of
you.
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Driving your vehicle
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6
When Active ECO is activated:
The acceleration may slightly be
reduced even though you depress
the accelerator fully.
The air conditioner performance may be limited
The shift pattern of the automatic transaxle may change.
The engine noise may get louder.
The above situations are normal
conditions when the Active Eco
System is activated to improve fuel
efficiency. Limitation of Active ECO opera-
tion:
If the following conditions occur while
Active ECO is operating, the system
operation is limited even though
there is no change in the ECO indi-
cator.
When the coolant temperature is
low:
The system will be limited until
engine performance becomes nor-
mal.
When driving up a hill: The system will be limited to gain
power when driving uphill because
the engine torque is restricted.
When using manual mode: The system will be limited accord-
ing to the shift location.
When the accelerator pedal is deeply depressed for a few sec-
onds:
The system will be limited, judging
that the driver wants to speed up.SPORT mode
SPORT mode focuses on
dynamic driving by auto-
matically adjusting the
steering wheel, engine
and transaxle system.
When the DRIVE MODE button is pressed and the SPORT mode is
selected, the SPORT indicator
(yellow) will illuminate.
Whenever the hybrid system is restarted, the Drive Mode will revert
back to ECO mode. If SPORT
mode is desired, re-select SPORT
mode from the DRIVE MODE but-
ton.
If the system is activated: - While holding vehicle speed, itmaintains the gear and RPM for
some time even though the accel-
erator pedal is not depressed.
- Up-shifting is delayed.
✽ ✽

NOTICE
In Sport drive mode, the fuel effi-
ciency may decrease.
SPORT

685
Driving your vehicle
LANE DEPARTURE WARNING SYSTEM (LDWS) (IF EQUIPPED)
This system detects the lane with a
sensor at the front windshield and
notifies you if it detects that your
vehicle leaves the lane. The LDWS does not make the
vehicle change lanes. It is the dri-
ver's responsibility to always check
the road conditions.
If the sensor cannot detect the lane or if the vehicle speed does not
exceed 40 mph (64 km/h), the
LDWS will not be able to notify you
if the vehicle leaves the lane.
If your vehicle has window tint or other types of coating on the front
windshield, the LDWS may not
work properly.
Prevent damage to the LDWS sen- sor from water or any liquid.
Do not remove the LDWS parts and avoid damaging the sensor by
avoiding a strong impacts.
Do not put objects that reflect light on the dash board.
The operation of the LDWS can be affected by several factors (includ-
ing environmental conditions). It is
the responsibility of the driver to
pay attention to the roadway and to
maintain the vehicle in it's lane at
all times.
WARNING - LDWS Alert
The LDWS is only intended to
provide you with information
regarding your vehicle's posi-
tion on the roadway. Upon
receiving an LDWS alert, you
must take the necessary steps
to maintain control of your vehi-
cle. The LDWS does not provide
any steering inputs into the
vehicle for you. It can be dan-
gerous to make a large sudden
steering input in response to an
alert, since that could result in
loss of control.
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