tow KIA PICANTO 2006 Owner's Manual

Driving tips
16
5
1 23456789
Weight of the trailer tongue
The tongue load of any trailer is an
important weight to measure
because it affects the total gross
vehicle weight (GVW) of your vehi-
cle. This weight includes the curb
weight of the vehicle, any cargo you
may carry in it, and the people who
will be riding in the vehicle. And if you
will tow a trailer, you must add thetongue load to the GVW because
your vehicle will also be carrying that
weight.
After you've loaded your trailer,
weigh the trailer and then the tongue,
separately, to see if the weights are
proper. If they aren’t, you may be
able to correct them simply by mov-
ing some items around in the trailer.Hitches
It's important to have the correct
hitch equipment. Crosswinds, large
trucks going by, and rough roads are
a few reasons why you’ll need the
right hitch. Here are some rules to
follow:
 Will you have to make any holes in
the body of your vehicle when you
install a trailer hitch? If you do, thenbe sure to seal the holes later
when you remove the hitch.
If you don’t seal them, deadly car-
bon monoxide (CO) from your
exhaust can get into your vehicle,
as well as dirt and water.
 The bumpers on your vehicle are not intended for hitches. Do notattach rental hitches or other
bumper-type hitches to them. Use
only a frame-mounted hitch that
does not attach to the bumper.WARNING
 Never load a trailer with more weight in the rear than in the
front. The front should be
loaded with approximately60% of the total trailer load;the rear should be loaded with
approximately 40% of the totaltrailer load.
 Never exceed the maximum weight limits of the trailer or
trailer towing equipment.
Improper loading can result in
damage to your vehicle and/or
personal injury. Checkweights and loading at a com-
mercial scale or highway
patrol office equipped withscales.
 An improperly loaded trailer can cause loss of vehicle con-
trol.

517
Driving tips
1 23456789
Safety chains
You should always attach chains
between your vehicle and your trail-
er. Cross the safety chains under the
tongue of the trailer so that thetongue will not drop to the road if it
becomes separated from the hitch.
Instructions about safety chains may
be provided by the hitch manufactur-
er or by the trailer manufacturer.
Follow the manufacturer’s recom-
mendation for attaching safety
chains. Always leave just enough
slack so you can turn with your trail-
er. And, never allow safety chains to
drag on the ground.
Trailer brakes
If your trailer weighs more than the
maximum trailer weight without trailer
brakes loaded, then it needs its own
brakes and they must be adequate.
Be sure to read and follow the
instructions for the trailer brakes so
you’ll be able to install, adjust and
maintain them properly.
 Don’t tap into your vehicle's brake system.
Driving with a trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain
amount of experience. Before setting
out for the open road, you must get
to know your trailer. Acquaint your-
self with the feel of handling and
braking with the added weight of the
trailer. And always keep in mind that
the vehicle you are driving is now a
good deal longer and not nearly so
responsive as your vehicle is by
itself.
Before you start, check the trailer
hitch and platform, safety chains,
electrical connector(s), lights, tires
and mirror adjustment. If the trailer
has electric brakes, start your vehicle
and trailer moving and then apply the
trailer brake controller by hand to be
sure the brakes are working. This lets
you check your electrical connection
at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally
to be sure that the load is secure,
and that the lights and any trailer
brakes are still working.
WARNING
Do not use a trailer with its own
brakes unless you are absolute-
ly certain that you have properly
set up the brake system. This is
not a task for amateurs. Use an
experienced, competent trailer
shop for this work.

Driving tips
18
5
1 23456789
Following distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the
vehicle ahead as you would when
driving your vehicle without a trailer.
This can help you avoid situations
that require heavy braking and sud-
den turns.
Passing
You’ll need more passing distance
up ahead when you’re towing a trail-
er. And, because you’re a good deal
longer, you’ll need to go much farther
beyond the passed vehicle before
you can return to your lane.
Backing up
Hold the bottom of the steering
wheel with one hand. Then, to move
the trailer to the left, just move your
hand to the left. To move the trailer to
the right, move your hand to the
right. Always back up slowly and, if
possible, have someone guide you.
Making turns
When you’re turning with a trailer,
make wider turns than normal. Do
this so your trailer won’t strike soft
shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees,
or other objects. Avoid jerky or sud-
den maneuvers. Signal well in
advance.
Turn signals when towing a trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle
has to have a different turn signal
flasher and extra wiring. The green
arrows on your instrument panel will
flash whenever you signal a turn or
lane change. Properly connected,
the trailer lights will also flash to alert
other drivers you’re about to turn,
change lanes, or stop.
When towing a trailer, the green
arrows on your instrument panel will
flash for turns even if the bulbs on
the trailer are burned out. Thus, you
may think drivers behind you are
seeing your signals when, in fact,
they are not. It’s important to check
occasionally to be sure the trailer
bulbs are still working. You must also
check the lights every time you dis-connect and then reconnect the
wires.

519
Driving tips
1 23456789
Do not connect a trailer lighting sys-
tem directly to your vehicle’s lighting
system. Use only an approved trailer
wiring harness.
Your Authorized Kia Dealer can
assist you in installing the wiring har-
ness.Driving on grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower
gear before you start down a long or
steep downgrade. If you don’t shift
down, you might have to use your
brakes so much that they would get
hot and no longer operate efficiently.
On a long uphill grade, shift down
and reduce your speed to around 70km/h (45 mph) to reduce the possi-
bility of engine and transaxle over-heating.
If your trailer weighs more than the
maximum trailer weight without trailer
brakes and you have an automatic
transaxle, you should drive in D
(Drive) when towing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle in D (Drive)
when towing a trailer will minimize
heat buildup and extend the life of
your transaxle.
If you have a manual transaxle, drive
in fourth gear (or, as you need to, a
lower gear).
✽✽ NOTICE

521
Driving tips
1 23456789
Maintenance when trailer tow- ing
Your vehicle will need service more
often when you regularly pull a trail-
er. Important items to pay particularattention to include engine oil, auto-
matic transaxle fluid, axle lubricant
and cooling system fluid. Brake con-
dition is another important item to
frequently check. Each item is cov-
ered in this manual, and the Index
will help you find them quickly. If
you’re trailering, it’s a good idea to
review these sections before you
start your trip.
Don’t forget to also maintain your
trailer and hitch. Follow the mainte-nance schedule that accompanied
your trailer and check it periodically.
Preferably, conduct the check at the
start of each day’s driving. Most
importantly, all hitch nuts and boltsshould be tight.✽✽NOTICE

1 234567891 23456789Road warning / 6-2 Overheating / 6-3Emergency starting / 6-4
Electrical circuit protection / 6-7
Towing / 6-14
If you have a flat tire (If the vehicle is equippedwith spare tire) / 6-19
If you have a flat tire (If the vehicle is equipped with TireMobilityKit) / 6-25
Emergency commodity / 6-34
In case of an emergency

In case of an emergency
2
6
ROAD WARNING
Hazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher serves
as a warning to other drivers to exer-
cise extreme caution when
approaching, overtaking, or passing
your vehicle. It should be used when-
ever emergency repairs are being
made or when the vehicle is stopped
near the edge of a roadway. Depress the flasher switch with the
ignition switch in any position. The
flasher switch is located in the center
console switch panel. All turn signal
lights will flash simultaneously.
• The hazard warning flasher oper-
ates whether your vehicle is run- ning or not.
 The turn signals do not work when the hazard flasher is on.
 Care must be taken when using the hazard warning flasher while
the vehicle is being towed.
1 23456789
1SAA2100

In case of an emergency
4
6
EMERGENCY STARTING
Jump starting
Jump starting can be dangerous if
done incorrectly. Therefore, to avoid
harm to yourself or damage to your
vehicle or battery, follow the jump
starting procedures listed on page
6-6. If in doubt, we strongly recom-
mend that you have a competent
technician or towing service jump
start your vehicle.
✽✽ NOTICE
Use only a 12-volt jumper system.
You can damage a 12-volt starting
motor, ignition system, and other
electrical parts beyond repair by use
of a 24-volt power supply (either two
12-volt batteries in series or a 24-
volt motor generator set).
1 23456789
WARNING - Battery
• Keep all flames or sparks away from the battery. The bat-
tery produces hydrogen gas
which may explode if exposedto flame or sparks.
 Do not attempt to jump start the vehicle if the discharged
battery is frozen or if the elec-
trolyte level is low; the battery
may rupture or explode.
WARNING - Battery
Never attempt to check the elec-
trolyte level of the battery as
this may cause the battery to
rupture or explode causing seri-
ous injury.

In case of an emergency
6
6
Jump starting procedure
1. Make sure the booster battery is
12-volt and that its negative termi-
nal is grounded.
2. If the booster battery is in another vehicle, do not allow the vehiclesto touch.
3. Turn off all unnecessary electrical loads.
4. Connect the jumper cables in the exact sequence shown in the pre-
vious illustration. First connect one
end of a jumper cable to the posi-
tive terminal of the discharged bat-
tery ( ➀), then connect the other
end to the positive terminal on the
booster battery ( ➁). Proceed to
connect one end of the other
jumper cable to the negative ter-
minal of the booster battery ( ➂),
then the other end to a solid, sta-
tionary, metallic point (for exam-
ple, the engine lifting bracket)
away from the battery ( ➃). Do not
connect it to or near any part that
moves when the engine is
cranked. Do not connect the
jumper cable from the negative
terminal of the booster battery to
the negative terminal of the dis-
charged battery. Do not allow the jumper cables to
contact anything except the cor-
rect battery terminals or the cor-
rect ground. Do not lean over the
battery when making connections.
5. Start the engine of the vehicle with the booster battery and let it run at
2,000 rpm, then start the engine of
the vehicle with the discharged
battery.
If the cause of your battery discharg-
ing is not apparent, you should haveyour vehicle checked by anAuthorized Kia Dealer.
Refer to illustration on page 6-5.
Push-starting
Your manual transaxle-equipped
vehicle should not be push-startedbecause it might damage the emis-sion control system.
Vehicles equipped with automatic
transaxle cannot be push-started.
Follow the directions in this section
for jump-starting.
1 23456789
CAUTION
Never tow a vehicle to start itbecause the sudden surge for-ward when the engine startscould cause a collision with the tow vehicle.

In case of an emergency
14
6
1 23456789
TOWING
If emergency towing is necessary,
we recommend having it done by an
authorized Kia dealer or a commer-
cial tow-truck service. Proper lifting
and towing procedures are neces-
sary to prevent damage to the vehi-
cle. The use of wheel dollies orflatbed is recommended.
For trailer towing guidelines informa- tion, refer to section 5 “Driving Tips”.
It is acceptable to tow the vehicle
with the rear wheels on the ground(without dollies) and the front wheels
off the ground.
When being towed by a commercial
tow truck and wheel dollies are not
used, the front of the vehicle should
always be lifted, not the rear.
✽✽ NOTICE