KIA Sportage 2009 JE_ / 2.G Owner's Manual

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For safe four-wheel drive oper-
ation Do not try to drive in deep standing
water or mud since such conditions
can stall your engine and clog your
exhaust pipes. Do not drive down
steep hills since it requires extreme
skill to maintain control of the vehi-
cle. When you are driving up or down
hills drive as close to straight up
and down the hill as possible. Use
extreme caution in going up or
down steep hills, since you may flip
your vehicle over depending on the
grade, terrain and water/mud con-
ditions.
WARNING -
Hills
Driving across the contour of
steep hills can be extremely
dangerous. This danger can
come from slight changes in the
wheel angle which can destabi-
lize the vehicle or, even if the
vehicle is maintaining stability
under power, it can lose that
stability if the vehicle stops its
forward motion. Your vehicle
may roll over without warning
and without time for you to cor-
rect a mistake that could cause
serious injury or death.
WARNING -
Four-wheel
driving
The conditions on-road or off-
road that demand four-wheel
drive mean all functions of your
vehicle are exposed to more
extreme stress than under nor-
mal road conditions. Slow down
and be ready for changes in the
composition and traction of the
surface under your tires. If you
have any doubt about the safety
of the conditions you are facing,
stop and consider the best way
to proceed. Do not exceed the
ability of yourself or your vehi-
cle to operate safely.
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Driving your vehicle
You must consciously take theeffort to learn how to corner in a
4WD vehicle. Do not rely on your
experience in conventional 2WD
vehicles in choosing safe cornering
speed in 4WD mode. For starters,
you must drive more slowly in
4WD.
Drive carefully off-road because your vehicle may be damaged by
rocks or roots of trees. Become
familiar with the off-road conditions
where you are going to drive
before you begin driving. Always hold the steering wheel
firmly when you are driving off-
road.
Make sure all passengers are wearing seat belts.
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WARNING -
4WD
Reduce speed when you turn
corners. The center of gravity of
4WD vehicles is higher than that
of conventional 2WD vehicles,
making them more likely to roll
over when you turn corners too
fast.
WARNING -
Steering
wheel
Do not grab inside of the steer-
ing wheel when you are driving
off-road. Your arm may be hurt
by a sudden steering maneuver
or from steering wheel rebound
due to impact with objects on
the ground. You could lose con-
trol of the steering wheel.
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Driving your vehicle16
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If you need to drive in water, stop
your vehicle, set your transfer to
“4WD LOCK” and drive at less than
8 km/h (5 mph).
✽ ✽

NOTICE• Do not drive in water if the level is
higher than the bottom of the vehi-
cle.
• Check your brake condition once you are out of mud or water. Press
the brake pedal several times as
you move slowly until you feel nor-
mal braking forces return.
• Shorten your scheduled mainte- nance interval if you drive in off-
road conditions such as sand, mud
or water (see “Maintenance
Schedule” in the Index). Always
wash you car thoroughly after off
road use, especially cleaning the
under side of the vehicle.
• Since the driving torque is always applied to the 4 wheels the perfor-
mance of the 4WD vehicle is great-
ly affected by the condition of the
tires. Be sure to equip the vehicle
with four tires of the same size and
type.
• A full time four wheel drive vehi- cle cannot be towed by an ordi-
nary tow truck. Make sure that
the vehicle is placed on a flat bed
truck for moving.
WARNING -
Wind danger
If you are driving in heavy wind,
the vehicle's higher center of
gravity decreases your steering
control capacity and requires
you to drive more slowly.
WARNING -
Driving
through water
Drive slowly. If you are driving
too fast in water, the water spray
can get into the engine com-
partment and wet the ignition
system, causing your vehicle to
suddenly stall. If this happens
and your vehicle is in a tilted
position, your vehicle may roll
over.

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Driving your vehicle
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WARNING -
4WD driving
Avoid high cornering speed.
Do not make quick steering wheel movements, such as
sharp lane changes or fast,
sharp turns.
The risk of rollover is greatly increased if you lose control
of your vehicle at high speed.
In a collision, an unbelted per- son is significantly more likely
to die compared to a person
wearing a seat belt.
Loss of control often occurs if two or more wheels drop off
the roadway and the driver
over steers to re-enter the
roadway. In the event your
vehicle leaves the roadway, do
not steer sharply. Instead,
slow down before pulling back
into the travel lanes.
WARNING -
Jacked vehi-
cle
While the full-time 4WD vehicle
is being raised on a jack, never
start the engine or cause the
tires to rotate.
There is the danger that rotating
tires touching the ground could
cause the vehicle to go off the
jack and to jump forward.
WARNING
Your vehicle is equipped with
tires designed to provide for
safe ride and handling capabili-
ty. 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 perfor-
mance of your vehicle, which
could lead to handling failure or
rollover and serious injury.
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.
CAUTION -
Mud or snow
If one of the front or rear wheels begins to spin in mud, snow,etc. the vehicle can sometimesbe driven out by depressing theaccelerator pedal further; how-ever avoid running the enginecontinuously at high rpmbecause doing so could dam-age the 4WD system.

Driving your vehicle18
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Power brakes Your vehicle has power-assisted
brakes that adjust automatically
through normal usage.
In the event that the power-assisted
brakes lose power because of a
stalled engine or some other reason,
you can still stop your vehicle by
applying greater force to the brake
pedal than you normally would. The
stopping distance, however, will be
somewhat longer.
When the engine is not running, 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.
In the event of brake failure If service brakes fail to operate while
the vehicle is in motion, you can
make an emergency stop with the
parking brake. The stopping dis-
tance, however, will be much greater
than normal.
BRAKE SYSTEM
WARNING
- Parking brake
Operating the parking brake
while the vehicle is moving at
normal speeds can cause a sud-
den loss of control of the vehi-
cle. If you must use the parking
brake to stop the vehicle, use
great caution in applying the
brake.
WARNING -
Brakes
Do not drive with your foot resting on the brake pedal.
This will create abnormal high
brake temperatures, exces-
sive brake lining and pad
wear, and increased stopping
distances.
When descending a long or steep hill, shift to a lower gear
and avoid continuous applica-
tion of the brakes. Continuous
brake application will cause
the brakes to overheat and
could result in a temporary
loss of braking performance.
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Driving your vehicle
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Disc brakes wear indicator Your vehicle has disc brakes.
When your brake pads are worn and
it's time for new pads, you will hear a
high-pitched warning sound from
your front brakes or rear brakes (if
equipped). You may hear this sound
come and go or it may occur when-
ever you depress the brake pedal.
Please remember that some dri-
ving conditions or climates may
cause a brake squeal when you
first apply (or lightly apply) the
brakes. This is normal and does
not indicate a problem with your
brakes.
✽ ✽NOTICETo avoid costly brake repairs, do not
continue to drive with worn brake
pads.
WARNING
- Brake wear
This brake wear warning sound
means your vehicle needs ser-
vice. If you ignore this audible
warning, you will eventually lose
braking performance, which
could lead to a serious accident.
CAUTION
Always replace brake pads as complete front or rear axle setsto ensure smooth brake perfor-mance.
(Continued)
Wet brakes may result in the vehicle not slowing down at
the usual rate and pulling to
one side when the brakes are
applied. After going through
water, apply the brakes lightly
to regain smooth braking per-
formance.

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Parking brake To apply the parking brake, pull the
parking brake handle fully and firmly
upward while applying the service
brake. To release the parking brake, pull the
handle up slightly and push the
release button, then lower the handle
to the released position while holding
the button in.
CAUTION
Driving with the parking brake
applied will cause excessivebrake pad and brake rotor wear.
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WARNING
- Parking brake
To prevent unintentional movement when stopped, do
not use just the gear shift
lever to hold the vehicle in
position. Set the parking
brake AND make sure the
gearshift lever is securely
positioned in 1st (First) gear
or R (Reverse) for manual
transaxle equipped vehicles
and in P (Park) for automatic
transaxle equipped vehicles.
Never allow a person who is unfamiliar with the vehicle or
children to touch the parking
brake. If the parking brake is
released unintentionally, seri-
ous injury may occur.

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Driving your vehicle
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Check the brake warning light by
turning the ignition switch ON (do not
start the engine). This light will be
illuminated when the parking brake is
applied with the ignition switch in the
START or ON position.
Before driving, be sure the parking
brake is fully released and the brake
warning light is off.If the brake warning light remains on
after the parking brake is released,
there may be a malfunction in the
brake system. Immediate attention is
necessary.
If at all possible, cease driving the
vehicle immediately. If that is not pos-
sible, use extreme caution while
operating the vehicle and only con-
tinue to drive the vehicle until you
can reach a safe location or repair
shop.
Parking on curbed streets When parking your vehicle on an
uphill grade, 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 vehicle moves back-
ward.
When parking your vehicle on a downhill 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 vehicle moves forward.
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Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
(if equipped)
The ABS system continuously sens-
es the speed of the wheels. If the
wheels are going to lock, the ABS
system repeatedly modulates the
hydraulic brake pressure to the
wheels.
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 cor-
responding sensation in the brake
pedal. This is normal and it means
your ABS system is active.
In order to obtain the maximum ben-
efit 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 delivered 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 prevent an accident.
You must especially avoid:
Dangerous driving, such as neglecting 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 con-
ditions where hydroplaning
could occur.
(Continued)
(Continued)
Driving too fast on poor roadsurfaces. The ABS is
designed to improve maxi-
mum braking effectiveness on
typical highways and roads in
good condition. On poor road
surfaces, the ABS may actual-
ly reduce braking effective-
ness.

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Driving your vehicle
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Even with the anti-lock brake sys-tem, your vehicle still requires suf-
ficient 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
prevent accidents resulting from
excessive speeds.
On loose or uneven road surfaces, operation of the anti-lock brake
system may result in a longer stop-
ping distance than for vehicles
equipped with a conventional
brake system.
✽ ✽ NOTICE• If the ABS warning light is on and
stays on, you may have a problem
with the ABS system. In this case,
however, your regular brakes will
work normally.
• The ABS warning light will stay on for approximately 3 seconds after
the ignition switch is ON. During
that time, the ABS will go through
self-diagnosis and the light will go
off if everything is normal. If the
light stays on, you may have a
problem with your ABS system.
Contact an authorized Kia dealer
as soon as possible.
✽ ✽ NOTICE• 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 car
over to a safe place and stop the
engine.
• Restart the engine. If the ABS warning light is off, then your ABS
system is normal. Otherwise, you
may have a problem with the ABS.
Contact an authorized Kia dealer
as soon as possible.
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