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

Knowing your vehicle54
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Follow the child seat manufacturer’s
instructions to properly install child
restraint seats with LATCH or
LATCH-compatible attachments.
Once you have installed the LATCH
child restraint, assure that the seat is
properly attached to the LATCH and
tether anchors. Also, test the child
restraint seat before you place the
child in it. Tilt the seat from side to
side. Also try to tug the seat forward.
Check to see if the anchors hold the
seat in place.
WARNING
If the child restraint is not
anchored properly, the risk of a
child being seriously injured or
killed in a collision greatly
increases.
WARNING -
LATCH lower
anchors
LATCH lower anchors are only
to be used with the left and right
rear outboard seating positions.
Never attempt to attach an
LATCH equipped seat in the
center seating position. You may
damage the anchors or the
anchors may fail and break in a
collision.
WARNING
When using the vehicle’s
“LATCH” system to install a
child restraint system in the rear
seat, all unused vehicle rear
seat belt metal latch plates or
tabs must be latched securely in
their seat belt buckles and the
seat belt webbing must be
retracted behind the child
restraint to prevent the child
from reaching and taking hold
of unretracted seat belts.
Unlatched metal latch plates or
tabs may allow the child to
reach the unretracted seat belts
which may result in strangula-
tion and a serious injury or
death to the child in the child
restraint.
CAUTION
Do not allow the rear seat belt webbing to get scratched orpinched by the child-seat latchand LATCH anchor during theinstallation.

Driving your vehicle22
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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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Driving your vehicle24
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✽ ✽
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 malfunc-
tioning.
• Do not pump your brakes!
• Have the battery recharged before
driving the vehicle.

Driving your vehicle34
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ESC OFF usageWhen driving It’s a good idea to keep the ESC
turned on for daily driving whenev-
er 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
operating, 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 opera-
tion.
WARNING
- ESC
Never press the ESC OFF but-
ton 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.

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Driving your vehicle
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Warning lights / audible indi-
cators Checking operation All warning lights are checked by
turning the ignition switch ON (do not
start the engine). Any light that does
not illuminate should be checked by
an Authorized Kia Dealer.
After starting the engine, check to
make sure that all warning lights are
off. If any are still on, this indicates a
situation that needs attention. When
releasing the parking brake, the
brake system warning light should go
off. The fuel warning light will stay on
if the fuel level is low.
Engine temperature
warning lightThe warning light indicates the tem-
perature of the engine coolant when
the ignition switch is ON.
The warning light illuminates if the
temperature of the engine coolant is
very hot above normal range.
Do not continue driving with an over-
heated engine. If your vehicle over-
heats, refer to "Overheating" in the
index.✽ ✽NOTICEIf the engine temperature warning
light illuminates, it indicates over-
heating that may damage the
engine.
Anti-lock brake sys-
tem (ABS) warning
light (if equipped) This light illuminates if the key is
turned to ON and goes off in approx-
imately 3 seconds if the system is
operating normally.
If the light stays on, you may have a
problem with your ABS system.
Contact an authorized Kia dealer as
soon as possible.Electronic brake force
distribution (EBD)
system warning light
(if equipped)If two warning lights illumi-
nate at the same time
while driving, your vehicle
has a problem with ABS
and EBD system.
WARNINGS AND INDICATORS

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In this case, your ABS system and
regular brake system may not work
normally. Have the vehicle checked
by an Authorized Kia Dealer as soon
as possible.
Engine oil pressure
warning This warning light indicates the
engine oil pressure is low.
If the warning light illuminates while
driving:
1. Drive safely to the side of the road
and stop.
2. With the engine off, check the engine oil level. If the level is low,
add oil as required.
If the warning light remains on after
adding oil or if oil is not available, call
an Authorized Kia Dealer.✽ ✽

NOTICEIf the engine is not stopped immedi-
ately, severe damage could result.
Charging system
warning This warning light indicates a mal-
function of either the generator or
electrical charging system.
If the warning light comes on while
the vehicle is in motion:
1. Drive to the nearest safe location.
2. With the engine off, check the gen-
erator drive belt for looseness or
breakage.
3. If the belt is adjusted properly, a problem exists somewhere in the
electrical charging system. Have
an Authorized Kia Dealer correct
the problem as soon as possible.
WARNING
- Brake indica-
tors
If the both ABS and Brake warn-
ing lights are ON and stay ON,
your vehicle’s brake system will
not work normally. You may
experience an unexpected and
dangerous situation during sud-
den braking. In this case, avoid
high speed driving and abrupt
braking. Have your vehicle
checked by Authorized Kia
Dealer as soon as possible.

Driving tips85SPECIAL DRIVING CONDITIONS Hazardous driving conditions When hazardous driving conditions
are encountered such as water,
snow, ice, mud, sand, or similar haz-
ards, follow these suggestions:
Drive cautiously and allow extradistance for braking.
Avoid sudden movements in brak- ing or steering.
When braking with non-ABS brakes pump the brake pedal with
a light up-and-down motion until
the vehicle is stopped. If stalled in snow, mud, or sand,
use second gear. Accelerate slow-
ly to avoid spinning the drive
wheels.
Use sand, rock salt, tire chains, or other non-slip material under the
drive wheels to provide traction
when stalled in ice, snow, or mud.
Rocking the vehicle If it is necessary to rock the vehicle
to free it from snow, sand, or mud,
first turn the steering wheel right and
left to clear the area around your
front wheels. Then, shift back and
forth between 1 (First) and R
(Reverse) in vehicles equipped with
a manual transaxle or R (Reverse)
and any forward gear in vehicles
equipped with an automatic
transaxle. Do not race the engine,
and spin the wheels as little as pos-
sible. If you are still stuck after a few
tries, have the vehicle pulled out by a
tow vehicle to avoid engine overheat-
ing and possible damage to the
transaxle.✽ ✽ NOTICEProlonged rocking may cause engine
over-heating, transaxle damage or
failure, and tire damage.
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WARNING
- Downshifting
Downshifting with an automatic
transaxle, while driving on slip-
pery surfaces can cause an
accident. The sudden change in
tire speed could cause the tires
to skid. Be careful when down-
shifting on slippery surfaces.
CAUTION -
ABS
Do not pump the brake pedal on a vehicle equipped with ABS.

Driving tips36
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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 the
tongue 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 trail-
er brakes loaded, then it needs its
own brakes and they must be ade-
quate. 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 -
Trailer brakes
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.

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Driving tips
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Parking on hills Generally, if you have a trailer
attached to your vehicle, you should
not park your vehicle on a hill. People
can be seriously or fatally injured,
and both your vehicle and the trailer
can be damaged if unexpectedly roll
down hill.
However, if you ever have to park
your trailer on a hill, here’s how to do
it:
1. Pull the vehicle into the parkingspace. Turn the steering wheel in
the direction of the curb (right if
headed down hill, left if headed up
hill).
2. If the vehicle has a manual transaxle, place the car in neutral.
If the vehicle has an automatic
transaxle, place the car in P (Park). 3. Set the parking brake and shut off
the vehicle.
4. Place chocks under the trailer wheels on the down hill side of the
wheels.
5. Start the vehicle, hold the brakes, shift to neutral, release the parking
brake and slowly release the
brakes until the trailer chocks
absorb the load.
6. Reapply the brakes, reapply the parking brake and shift the vehicle
to R (Reverse) for manual
transaxle or P (Park) for automatic
transaxle.
7. Shut off the vehicle and release the vehicle brakes but leave the
parking brake set.
When you are ready to leave after
parking on a hill 1. With the manual transaxle in Neutral or automatic transaxle in P
(Park), apply your brakes and hold
the brake pedal down while you:

and

2. Slowly remove your foot from the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.
WARNING
- Parking brake
It can be dangerous to get out of
your vehicle if the parking brake
is not firmly set.
If you have left the engine run-
ning, the vehicle can move sud-
denly. You or others could be
seriously or fatally injured.
WARNING
- Parking on a hill
Parking your vehicle on a hill
with a trailer attached could
cause serious injury or death,
should the trailer break lose.