ground clearance KIA Sorento 2006 1.G Owner's Manual

VEHICLE HANDLING
INSTRUCTIONSAs with other vehicles of this type,
failure to operate this vehicle correct-
ly may result in loss of control, an
accident or vehicle rollover. Specific
design characteristics (higher ground
clearance, track, etc.) give this vehi-
cle a higher center of gravity than
ordinary cars. They are not designed
for cornering at the same speeds as
conventional 2-wheel drive vehicles.
Avoid sharp turns or abrupt maneu-
vers. Again, failure to operate this
vehicle correctly may result in loss of
control, an accident or vehicle
rollover. Be sure to read the “on-
pavement’’ and “off-road’’ driving
guidelines, Section 5 in this manual.
VEHICLE BREAK-IN
PROCESSNo special break-in period is needed.
By following a few simple precautions
for the first 600 miles (1 000 km) you
may add to the performance, econo-
my and life of your vehicle.
 Do not race the engine.
 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.
 Avoid full-throttle starts.
INTRODUCTION
1-3
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Curtain airbag
Curtain airbags are designed to
inflate when the impact is delivered to
side collision sensors depending on
the strength, speed or angles of
impact of side impact collision or
rollover by the side impact.Although the front airbags (driver’s
and front passenger’s airbags) are
designed to inflate only in frontal col-
lision, it may inflate in any collision if
front impact sensors are delivered
with certain impact.
Curtain airbags are designed to
inflate only in side impact collision, it
may inflate in any collision if side
impact sensors are delivered with
certain impact.
In other words, they may inflate in
accidents such as slant collision or
impact, collision or impact where the
front portion of the vehicle goes
under a vehicle with a higher ground
clearance (bus or truck), collision with
a utility pole or rollover. Therefore,
drive safely at all times.
If the vehicle chassis is impacted by
bumps or objects on unimproved
roads or sidewalks, airbags may
deploy. Drive carefully on unimproved
roads or on surfaces not designed for
vehicle traffic.
To protect occupants, front airbags or
pre-tensioner safety belts may deploy
in certain side impact collisions.Airbag non-inflation conditions
In collisions, the vehicle safety belts
are sufficient to protect the vehicle
occupants and the airbags may not
deploy. In some cases, deploying
airbags in low-speed collisions can
cause a secondary impact to the
occupants (light abrasions, cuts,
burns, etc.), or loss of vehicle con-
trol.
KNOWING YOUR VEHICLE
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At the moment of an accident, driv-
ers brake heavily with reflex. In
such heavy braking, the front por-
tion of the vehicle is lowered by the
force of the braking and the vehicle
can go under a vehicle with a high-
er ground clearance. Airbags may
not inflate in this situation because
impacts may not be delivered or
may be delivered with less intensi-
ty.Airbags may not inflate in rollover
accidents because airbag deploy-
ment would not provide proper pro-
tection to the occupants.
However, curtain airbags may
inflate when the vehicle is rolled
over by a side impact collision.Airbags may not inflate if the vehi-
cle collides with objects such as
utility poles or trees, where the
point of impact is concentrated to
one area and the full force of the
impact is not delivered to the sen-
sors.
KNOWING YOUR VEHICLE
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Driving in Flooded Areas
Avoid driving through flooded areas
unless you are sure the water is no
higher than the bottom of the wheel
hub. Drive through any water slowly.
Allow adequate stopping distance
because brake performance may be
affected.
After driving through water, dry the
brakes by gently applying them sev-
eral times while the vehicle is moving
slowly.Reducing the Risk of a Rollover
This multi-purpose passenger vehicle
is defined as a Sports Utility Vehicle
(SUV). SUV’s have higher ground
clearance and a narrower track to
make them capable of performing in
a wide variety of off-road applica-
tions. Specific design characteristics
give them a higher center of gravity
than ordinary cars. An advantage of
the higher ground clearance is a bet-
ter view of the road, which allows you
to anticipate problems. They are not
designed for cornering at the same
speeds as conventional passenger
drive vehicles, any more than low-rid-
ing sports cars are designed to per-
form satisfactorily in off-road condi-
tions. Due to this risk, driver and pas-
sengers are strongly recommended
to buckle their seatbelts.In a rollover crash, an unbelted per-
son is more likely to die than a person
wearing a seatbelt. There are steps
that a driver can make to reduce the
risk of a rollover. If at all possible,
avoid sharp turns or abrupt maneu-
vers, do not load your roof rack with
heavy cargo, and never modify your
vehicle in any way.DRIVING TIPS5-12
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Rollover Warning Label
To remind you of the danger of the
rollover, a rollover warning label
which is now required by Federal
Safety regulations is adhered to the
driver’s sunvisor.
To remind you of the danger of the
rollover, the rollover warning label is
adhered to the driver’s sunvisor. If
you close the driver’s sunvisor, you
can see the rollover warning label
located at the side of the air bag
warning label.
DRIVING TIPS
5-13
Avoid Abrupt Maneuvers
and Excessive Speed.
Always Buckle Up.
See Owner's Manual
For Further Information.
WARNING
- Rollover
As with other Sports Utility
Vehicle (SUV), failure to operate
this vehicle correctly may result
in loss of control, an accident or
vehicle rollover.
 Specific design characteris-
tics (higher ground clearance,
narrower track, etc.) give this
vehicle a higher center of
gravity than ordinary cars.
 An SUV is not designed for
cornering at the same speeds
as conventional 2-wheel drive
vehicles.
 Avoid sharp turns or abrupt
maneuvers.
 In a rollover crash, an unbelt-
ed person is significantly
more likely to die than a per-
son wearing a safety belt.
Make sure everyone in the
vehicle is properly buckled
up.
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Off-Road Driving with Your Four-
Wheel Drive Vehicle
Off-road driving can be great fun. But
it has definite hazards. The greatest
of these is the terrain itself.
“Off-roading” means you’ve left the
paved road system behind. Traffic
lanes are not marked. Curves are not
banked.
There are no carefully engineered
road signs to warn you of dangerous
conditions or to advise you of a safe
speed. You have to assess the envi-
ronment yourself. Surfaces can be
slippery, rough, uphill or downhill.
Off-road driving involves learning
new skills. That’s why it’s important
that you read and understand this
section. You’ll find useful driving infor-
mation and suggestions. These will
help make your off-road driving safer
and more enjoyable.Before you go Off-Roading
There are some things to do before
you leave the paved roads. Be sure to
have all necessary maintenance and
service work done beforehand. Be
sure to read all the information about
your four-wheel drive vehicle in this
manual. Is there enough fuel? Is the
spare tire fully inflated? Are the fluid
levels at the proper levels? What are
the local laws that apply to off-road-
ing where you’ll be driving? If you
don’t know, you should check with
law enforcement people in the area.
Will you be on someone’s private
land? If so, be sure to get the neces-
sary permission.DRIVING TIPS5-16
WARNING
- Rollover
As with other Sports Utility
Vehicles (SUVs), failure to oper-
ate this vehicle correctly may
result in loss of control, an acci-
dent or vehicle rollover.
 Specific design characteris-
tics (higher ground clearance,
narrower track, etc.) give this
vehicle a higher center of
gravity than ordinary cars.
 A SUV is not designed for cor-
nering at the same speeds as
conventional 2-wheel drive
vehicles.
 Avoid sharp turns or abrupt
maneuvers.
 In a rollover crash, an unbelt-
ed person is significantly
more likely to die than a per-
son wearing a safety belt.
Make sure everyone in the
vehicle is properly buckled
up.
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Wheel Replacement
When replacing the metal wheels for
any reason, make sure the new
wheels are equivalent to the original
factory units in diameter, rim width
and offset.
MAINTENANCE
7-29
WARNING
- Tire Inflation
Driving on worn-out tires or
mis-matched tires is very haz-
ardous. Worn-out tires reduce
braking effectiveness, steer-
ing accuracy, and traction.
You are also more likely to
have a blowout on a worn-out
tire. Replace any tire showing
signs of being worn out.
Your vehicle is equipped with
tires designed to provide for
safe ride and handling capa-
bility. Do not use a size and
type of tire and wheel that is
different from the one that is
originally installed on your
vehicle. It can affect the safety
and performance of your vehi-
cle, which could lead to han-
dling failure or rollover and
serious injury.
(Continued)
(Continued)
When replacing the tires, be
sure to equip all four tires with
the tire and wheel of the same
size, type, tread, brand and
load-carrying capacity. If you
nevertheless decide to equip
your vehicle with any
tire/wheel combination not
recommended by Kia for off
road driving, you should not
use these tires for highway
driving.
The use of any other tire size
or type may seriously affect
ride, handling, ground clear-
ance, tire clearance, and
speedometer calibration.
Replace all four tires at the
same time. Replacing tires in
part can seriously affect your
vehicle’s handling.
WARNING
A wheel that is not the correct
size may adversely affect wheel
and bearing life, braking and
stopping abilities, handling
characteristics, ground clear-
ance, body-to-tire clearance,
snow chain clearance,
speedometer calibration, head-
light aim and bumper height.
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