KIA Sorento 2009 2.G Owner's Manual

423
Driving your vehicle
Parking on curbed streets When parking your vehicle on an uphillgrade, park as close to the curb as
possible and turn the front wheels
away from the curb so that the front
wheels will contact the curb if the vehi-
cle moves backward.
When parking your vehicle on a down- hill grade, park as close to the curb as
possible and turn the front wheels
toward the curb so that the front
wheels will contact the curb if the vehi-
cle moves forward.
Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
(if equipped)
The ABS system continuously senses
the speed of the wheels. If the wheels are
going to lock, the ABS system repeated-
ly modulates the hydraulic brake pres-
sure to the wheels.
When you apply your brakes under con-
ditions which may lock the wheels, you
may hear a “tik-tik’’ sound from the
brakes, or feel a corresponding sensation
in the brake pedal. This is normal and it
means your ABS system is active.
In order to obtain the maximum benefit
from your ABS system in an emergency
situation, do not attempt to modulate
your brake pressure and do not try to
pump your brakes. Press your brake
pedal as hard as possible or as hard as
the situation warrants and allow the ABS
system to control the force being deliv-
ered to the brakes.
WARNING
- ABS Brakes
Your ABS is not a substitute for
good driving judgement. You can
still have an accident. In fact, your
ABS system will not be able to pre-
vent an accident. You must espe-
cially avoid:
Dangerous driving, such asneglecting safety precautions,
speeding, or driving too close to
the vehicle in front of you.
Driving at high speed in situa- tions providing considerably less
traction, such as wet conditions
where hydroplaning could occur.
Driving too fast on poor road sur- faces. The ABS is designed to
improve maximum braking effec-
tiveness on typical highways and
roads in good condition. On poor
road surfaces, the ABS may actu-
ally reduce braking effectiveness.

Driving your vehicle24
4 Even with the anti-lock brake system,
your vehicle still requires sufficient
stopping distance. Always maintain a
safe distance from the vehicle in front
of you.
Always slow down when cornering. The anti-lock brake system cannot pre-
vent accidents resulting from exces-
sive speeds.
On loose or uneven road surfaces, operation of the anti-lock brake system
may result in a longer stopping dis-
tance than for vehicles equipped with a
conventional brake system.
✽ ✽ NOTICEWhen you jump start your vehicle
because of a drained battery, the engine
may not run as smoothly and the ABS
warning light may turn on at the same
time. This happens because of the low
battery voltage. It does not mean your
ABS is malfunctioning.
• Do not pump your brakes!
• Have the battery recharged before
driving the vehicle.
ABS
W-78
CAUTION
If the ABS warning light is on and
stays on, you may have a problemwith the ABS system. In this case,however, your regular brakes will work normally.
The ABS warning light will stay on for approximately 3 secondsafter the ignition switch is ON. During that time, the ABS will gothrough self-diagnosis and the light will go off if everything isnormal. If the light stays on, you may have a problem with yourABS system. Contact an author-ized Kia dealer as soon as possi-ble.
CAUTION
When you drive on a road having poor traction, such as an icy road,and operate your brakes continu-ously, the ABS will be active con-tinuously and the ABS warning light may illuminate. Pull your carover to a safe place and stop theengine.
Restart the engine. If the ABS warning light is off, then yourABS system is normal. Otherwise, you may have a prob-lem with the ABS. Contact anauthorized Kia dealer as soon as possible.

425
Driving your vehicle
Power steeringPower Steering uses energy from the
engine to assist you in steering the vehi-
cle. If the engine is off or if the power
steering system becomes inoperative,
the vehicle may still be steered, but it will
require increased steering effort.
Should you notice any change in the
effort required to steer during normal
vehicle operation, have the power steer-
ing checked by an Authorized Kia Dealer.
✽ ✽

NOTICEIf the power steering drive belt breaks
or if the power steering pump malfunc-
tions, the steering effort will greatly
increase.
✽ ✽

NOTICEIf the vehicle is parked for extended
periods outside in cold weather (below -
10°C/14°F), the power steering may
require increased effort when the engine
is first started. This is caused by
increased fluid viscosity due to the cold
weather and does not indicate a mal-
function.
When this happens, increase the engine
RPM by depressing accelerator until the
RPM reaches 1,500 rpm then release or
let the engine idle for two or three min-
utes to warm up the fluid.
STEERING WHEEL
CAUTION
Never hold the steering wheel
against a stop (extreme right or leftturn) for more than 5 seconds with the engine running. Holding thesteering wheel for more than 5 sec-onds in either position may causedamage to the power steering pump.

Driving your vehicle26
4Tilt steering (if equipped)A tilt steering wheel allows you to adjust
the steering wheel before you drive. You
can also raise it to the highest level to
give your legs more room when you exit
and enter the vehicle.
The steering wheel should be positioned
so that it is comfortable for you to drive,
while permitting you to see the instru-
ment panel warning lights and gauges.
To change the steering wheel angle, pull
up the lock release lever (1), adjust the
steering wheel to the desired angle (2),
then release the lock-release lever to
lock the steering wheel in place. Be sure
to adjust the steering wheel to the
desired position before driving.
HornTo sound the horn, press the horn sym-
bol on your steering wheel.
Check the horn regularly to be sure it
operates properly.
WARNING
- Steering wheel
Never adjust the angle of steeringwheel while driving. You may lose
your steering control and cause
severe personal injury or acci-
dents.
After adjusting, push the steering wheel both up and down to be
certain it is locked in position.
5BLB4019
6BLA422C
➀
➁
CAUTION
- Horn
To sound the horn, press the area indicated by the horn symbol onyour steering wheel (see illustra-tion). The horn will operate only when this area is pressed.
Do not strike the horn severely to operate it, or hit it with your fist.Do not press on the horn with asharp-pointed object.

427
Driving your vehicle
The cruise control system allows you to
program the vehicle to maintain a con-
stant speed without resting your foot on
the accelerator pedal.
With cruise control, you can set and
automatically maintain any speed of
between 40 km/h (24 mph) and
160 km/h (96 mph).
To set cruise control speed:1. Pull the CRUISE ON-OFF button onthe steering wheel to turn the system
on. The CRUISE indicator light in the
instrument cluster will illuminate.
2. Accelerate to the desired speed, which must be more than 40 km/h (24 mph)
and less than 160 km/h (96 mph). 3. Push the COAST/SET switch, and
release it at the desired speed. The SET
indicator light in the instrument cluster
will illuminate. Release the accelerator
at the same time. The desired speed will
automatically be maintained.
The SET function cannot be activated untilapproximately 2 seconds after theCRUISE ON-OFF button has beenengaged.
On a steep grade, the vehicle maymomentarily slow down while going down-hill.
CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM (IF EQUIPPED)
WARNING
- Cruise control
Do not use the cruise control fea-
ture under the following conditions:
Heavy or unsteady traffic
Slippery or winding roads
Situations that involve varying
speeds
WARNING
If the cruise control is left on,
(CRUISE indicator light in the
instrument cluster illuminated) the
cruise control can be switched on
accidentally. Keep the cruise con-
trol system off (CRUISE indicator
light OFF) when cruise control is
not in use.
OBL064100
E2BLA421

Driving your vehicle28
4To cancel cruise control, do one
of the following: Press the brake pedal.
Press the clutch pedal with a manual
transmission or shift into N (Neutral)
with an automatic transmission.
Press the CANCEL switch located on the steering wheel.
Press the COAST/SET and RES/ ACCEL switches at the same time.Each of these actions will cancel cruisecontrol operation (the SET indicator lightin the instrument cluster will go OFF), butit will not turn the system off. If you wishto resume cruise control operation, push the RES/ACCEL switch located on yoursteering wheel. You will return to yourpreviously preset speed.
To turn cruise control off, do one
of the following: Push the CRUISE ON-OFF button (the CRUISE indicator light in the instru-
ment cluster will go OFF).
Turn the ignition off.Both of these actions cancel cruise con- trol operation. If you want to resumecruise control operation, repeat the stepsprovided in “To Set Cruise ControlSpeed” on the previous page.
To increase cruise control set
speed:Follow either of these procedures:
Push the RES/ACCEL switch and hold it. Your vehicle will accelerate. Release
the switch at the speed you want.
Push the RES/ACCEL switch and release it immediately. The cruising
speed will increase by 1.6 km/h (1
mph) each time the RES/ACCEL
switch is operated in this manner.
E2BLA422A

429
Driving your vehicle
To temporarily accelerate with the
cruise control onIf you want to speed up temporarily when
the cruise control is on, depress the
accelerator pedal. Increased speed will
not interfere with cruise control operation
or change the set speed.
To return to the set speed, take your foot
off the accelerator.
To decrease the cruising speed:Follow either of these procedures:
Push the COAST/SET switch and hold
it. Your vehicle will gradually slow
down. Release the switch at the speed
you want to maintain.
Push the COAST/SET switch and
release it immediately. The cruising
speed will decrease by 1.6 km/h (1
mph) each time the COAST/SET switch
is operated in this manner.
To resume cruising speed at
more than 40 km/h (24 mph):If any method other than the CRUISE
ON-OFF switch was used to cancel
cruising speed and the system is still
activated, the most recent set speed will
automatically resume when the
RES/ACCEL switch is pushed.
It will not resume, however, if the vehicle
speed has dropped below 40 km/h (24
mph).
E2BLA421
E2BLA422A

Driving your vehicle30
4The Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
monitors information from various vehicle
sensors and then compares the driver's
commands with the actual behavior of the
vehicle. If an unstable condition occurs - a
sudden evasive movement for example -
ESC intervenes within fractions of a
second via the engine computer and
brake system and attempts to stabilize
the vehicle.
ESC operationESC ON condition

ON, ESC and ESC OFF indi-
cator lights illuminate for
approximately 3 seconds,
then ESC is turned on.
for at least half a second after
turning the ignition ON to turn
ESC off. (ESC OFF indicator
will illuminate). To turn the
ESC on, press the ESC OFF
button (ESC OFF indicator
light will go off).
you may hear a slight ticking
sound. This is the ESC per-
forming an automatic system
self-check and does not indi-
cate a problem.
When operating
When the ESC is in operation,
ESC indicator light blinks.
Control is oper ating properly,
you can feel a slight pulsation
in the vehicle. This is only the
effect of brake control and
indicates nothing unusual.
or slippery road, pressing the
accelerator pedal may not
cause the engine rpm (revo-
lutions per minute) to
increase.
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (IF EQUIPPED)
-
ESC
ESC
OBL036902N

431
Driving your vehicle
ESC operation offESC OFF state
press the ESC OFF button
(ESC OFF indicator light illu-
minates).
to LOCK position when ESC
is off, ESC remains off. Upon
restarting the engine, the
ESC will automatically turn
on again.
transfer shift knob is turned
from 2WD mode (2HI) to
4WD mode (4HI or 4LO), the
ESC will automatically turn
off, and if it is turned from
4WD mode (4HI or 4LO) to
2WD mode (2HI), the ESC
will automatically turn on
again. (if part time 4WD is
equipped)
Indicator lightWhen ignition switch is turned to ON, the
indicator light illuminates, then goes off if
ESC system is operating normally.
The ESC indicator light blinks whenever
ESC is operating.
ESC OFF indicator light comes on when
either the ESC is turned off with the but-
ton, or ESC malfunctions when turned
on.
ESC
ESC OFF
■ ESC indicator light (blinks)
■ ESC OFF indicator light (comes on)
WARNING
- ESC
The Electronic Stability Control sys-
tem is only a driving aid; use pre-
cautions for safe driving by slowing
down on curved, snowy, or icy
roads. Don’t attempt to accelerate
excessively just because the ESC
indicator light is blinking.
ESC
OFF

Driving your vehicle32
4ESC OFF usageWhen driving It’s a good idea to keep the ESC turned
on for daily driving whenever possible.
To turn ESC off while driving, press the ESC OFF button while driving on a flat
road surface.
Never press ESC OFF button while ESC
is operating (ESC indicator light blinks).
If ESC is turned off while ESC is operat-
ing, the vehicle may slip out of control.✽ ✽

NOTICE• When measuring the vehicle speed
with a chassis dynamo-meter, make
sure the ESC is turned off (ESC OFF
light illuminated). If the ESC is left
on, it may prevent the vehicle speed
from increasing, and cause a false
diagnosis of a faulty speedometer.
• Turning the ESC off does not affect ABS or brake system operation.
WARNING
- ESC
Never press the ESC OFF button
while ESC is operating.
If the ESC is turned off while ESC is
operating, the vehicle may slip out
of control.
To turn ESC off while driving, press
the ESC OFF button while driving
on a flat road surface.