towing KIA Sedona 2008 2.G User Guide

433
Driving your vehicle
Maintenance when trailer towing
Your vehicle will need service more often
when you regularly pull a trailer.
Important items to pay particular atten-
tion to include engine oil, automatic
transaxle fluid, axle lubricant and cooling
system fluid. Brake condition is another
important item to frequently check. Each
item is covered 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 maintenance
schedule that accompanied your trailer
and check it periodically. Preferably, con-
duct the check at the start of each day’s
driving. Most importantly, all hitch nuts
and bolts should be tight.
If you do decide to pull a trailer
Here are some important points if you
decide to pull a trailer:
• State, provincial, county and municipal
government have varying trailering
laws. Make sure your hitch, mirrors,
lights and wiring arrangements are
legal, not only where you live, but also
where you’ll be driving. A good source
for this information is provincial or local
law enforcement agencies.
• Consider using a sway control. You can
ask a hitch dealer about sway control.
• After your odometer indicates 800 km
(500 miles) or more, you can tow a
trailer. For the first 800 km (500 miles)
that you tow a trailer, don’t drive over
80 km/h (50 mph) and don’t make
starts at full throttle. This helps your
engine and other parts of your vehicle
“wear” in at the heavier loads.
• Always drive your vehicle at a moder-
ate speed (less than 100 km/h (60
mph)).
• On a long uphill grade, do not exceed
70 km/h (45 mph) or the posted towing
speed limit, whichever is lower.
• The important considerations have to
do with weight:CAUTION
• Due to higher load during trailer
usage, overheating might occur
in hot days or during uphill driv-
ing. If the coolant gauge indicates
over-heating, switch off the A/C
and stop the vehicle in a safe area
to cool down the engine.
• When towing check transaxle
fluid more frequently.
• If your vehicle is not equipped
with the air conditioner, you
should install a condenser fan to
improve engine performance
when towing a trailer.

Driving your vehicle
34 4
Weight of the trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be? It
should never weigh more than the maxi-
mum trailer weight with trailer brakes. But
even that can be too heavy.
It depends on how you plan to use your
trailer. For example, speed, altitude, road
grades, outside temperature and how
much your vehicle is used to pull a trailer
are all important. The ideal trailer weight
can also depend on any special equip-
ment that you have on your vehicle.
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 vehicle. 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
the tongue load to the GVW because
your vehicle will also be carrying that
weight.The trailer tongue should weigh a maxi-
mum of 10% of the total loaded trailer
weight. After you've loaded your trailer,
weigh the trailer and then the tongue,
separately, to see if the weights are prop-
er. If they aren’t, you may be able to cor-
rect them simply by moving some items
around in the trailer.
WARNING - Trailer
• Never load a trailer with more
weight in the rear than in the
front. The front should be loaded
with approximately 60% of the
total trailer load; the rear should
be loaded with approximately
40% of the total trailer load.
• Never exceed the maximum
weight limits of the trailer or trail-
er towing equipment. Improper
loading can result in damage to
your vehicle and/or personal
injury. Check weights and loading
at a commercial scale or highway
patrol office equipped with
scales.
• An improperly loaded trailer can
cause loss of vehicle control.
WARNING -Vehicle weight
The gross axle weight rating
(GAWR) and the gross vehicle
weight rating (GVWR) for your vehi-
cle are on the manufacturer's label
attached to the driver's door.
Exceeding these ratings can cause
an accident or vehicle damage. You
can calculate the weight of your
load by weighing the items (and
people) before putting them in the
vehicle. Be careful not to overload
your vehicle.
OVERLOADING

5
Road warning / 5-2
Emergency starting / 5-2
If the engine overheats / 5-5
If you have a flat tire / 5-6
Towing / 5-15
What to do in an emergency

What to do in an emergency
2 5
ROAD WARNING
Hazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher serves as a
warning to other drivers to exercise
extreme caution when approaching,
overtaking, or passing your vehicle.It should be used whenever emergency
repairs are being made or when the vehi-
cle is stopped near the edge of a road-
way.
Depress the flasher switch with the igni-
tion 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 operates
whether your vehicle is running 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 vehi-
cle is being towed.
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 proce-
dures. If in doubt, we strongly recom-
mend that you have a competent techni-
cian or towing service jump start your
vehicle.
EMERGENCY STARTING
CAUTION
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).
OVQ038059N
OVQ038055N
Type A
Type B

515
What to do in an emergency
TOWING
If emergency towing is necessary, we
recommend having it done by an author-
ized Kia dealer or a commercial tow-truck
service. Proper lifting and towing proce-
dures are necessary to prevent damage
to the vehicle. The use of wheel dollies or
flatbed is recommended.
For trailer towing guidelines information,
refer to section 4 “Driving your vehicle”.
It is acceptable to tow the vehicle with the
rear wheels on the ground (without dol-
lies) 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 lift-
ed, not the rear.
1VQA40291VQA4028
1VQA4030
1GHA4105A
CAUTION
• Do not tow the vehicle backwards
with the front wheels on the
ground as this may cause dam-
age to the vehicle.
• Do not tow with sling-type equip-
ment. Use wheel lift or flatbed
equipment.

What to do in an emergency
16 5
When towing your vehicle in an emer-
gency without wheel dollies :
1. Set the ignition switch in the ACC posi-
tion.
2. Place the transaxle shift lever in N
(Neutral).
3. Release the parking brake.
If your car must be towed
Towing with a vehicle other than a
tow truck
If towing is necessary, we recommend
you to have it done by an Authorized
Kia dealer or a commercial tow truck
service.
If towing service is not available in an
emergency, your vehicle may be tem-
porarily towed using a cable or chain
secured to the emergency towing hook
under the rear of the vehicle. Use
extreme caution when towing the vehicle.
A driver must be in the vehicle to steer it
and operate the brakes.
Towing in this manner may be done only
on hard-surfaced roads for a short dis-
tance and at low speeds. Also, the
wheels, axles, power train, steering and
brakes must all be in good condition.
• Do not use the tow hooks to pull a vehi-
cle out of mud, sand or other condi-
tions from which the vehicle cannot be
driven out under its own power.
• Avoid towing a vehicle heavier than the
vehicle doing the towing.
• The drivers of both vehicles should
communicate with each other frequent-
ly.
CAUTION
Failure to place the transaxle shift
lever in N (Neutral) may cause inter-
nal damage to the transaxle.OVQ056016N
1VQA4034
Long wheelbase
Short wheelbase

517
What to do in an emergency
• Before emergency towing, check that
the hook is not broken or damaged.
• Fasten the towing cable or chain
securely to the hook.
• Do not jerk the hook. Apply steady and
even force.
• To avoid damaging the hook, do not
pull from the side or at a vertical angle.
Always pull straight ahead.
WARNING
Use extreme caution when towing
the vehicle.
• Avoid sudden starts or erratic
driving maneuvers which would
place excessive stress on the
emergency towing hook and tow-
ing cable or chain. The hook and
towing cable or chain may break
and cause serious injury or dam-
age.
• If the disable vehicle is unable to
be moved, do not forcibly contin-
ue the towing. Contact an
Authorized Kia dealer or a com-
mercial tow truck service for
assistance.
• Tow the vehicle as straight ahead
as possible.
• Keep away from the vehicle dur-
ing towing.
CAUTION
To prevent internal damage to the
transaxle, never tow your vehicle
from the rear (backwards) with all
four tires in contact with the sur-
face.
CAUTION
• Attach a towing strap to the tow
hook.
• Using a portion of the vehicle
other than the tow hooks for tow-
ing may damage the body of your
vehicle.
• Use only a cable or chain specifi-
cally intended for use in towing
vehicles. Securely fasten the
cable or chain to the towing hook
provided.

What to do in an emergency
18 5
Tips for towing a stuck vehicle
The following methods are effective
when your vehicle is stuck in mud, sand
or similar substances that prevent the
vehicle from being driven out under its
own power.
• Remove the soil and sand, etc. from
the front and the back of the tires.
• Place a stone or wood under the tires.
Tie-down hook
(for flatbed towing)
1VQA4033
WARNING
Do not use the hooks under the
front of the vehicle for towing pur-
poses. These hooks are designed
ONLY for transport tie-down. If the
tie-down hooks are used for towing,
the tie-down hooks or front bumper
will be damaged and this could lead
to serious injury.

Index
4 8
Tires ·················································································7-3
Tires and wheels ····························································6-30
Towing ···········································································5-15
Trailer towing ································································4-28
Trip computer·······························································3-112
Vehicle break-in process ··················································1-3
Warnings and indicators···············································3-118
Window ··········································································3-26
Windshield defrosting and defogging··························3-160
Winter driving ································································4-28
Wiper blades ··································································6-18
Wipers and washers ·····················································3-130
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