KIA Sportage 2014 SL / 3.G Owner's Manual

Driving your vehicle
34
5
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.E070300AHM-EU
Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
WARNING
ABS (or ESC) will not prevent
accidents due to improper or
dangerous driving maneuvers.
Even though vehicle control is
improved during emergency
braking, always maintain a safe
distance between you and
objects ahead. Vehicle speeds
should always be reduced dur-
ing extreme road conditions.
The braking distance for vehi-
cles equipped with an anti-lock
braking system (or Electronic
Stability Control System) may
be longer than for those without
it in the following road condi-
tions.
During these conditions the
vehicle should be driven at
reduced speeds:
Rough, gravel or snow-cov-
ered roads.
(Continued)
(Continued)
On roads where the road sur-face is pitted or has different
surface height.
The safety features of an ABS
(or ESC) equipped vehicle
should not be tested by high
speed driving or cornering. This
could endanger the safety of
yourself or others.

535
Driving your vehicle
The ABS continuously senses 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 is active.
In order to obtain the maximum ben-
efit from your ABS 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 allows the ABS to
control the force being delivered to
the brakes.✽ ✽NOTICE
A click sound may be heard in the
engine compartment when the vehi-
cle begins to move after the engine is
started. These conditions are normal
and indicate that the anti-lock brake
system is functioning properly.
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.
CAUTION
If the ABS warning light is on and stays on, you may have aproblem with the ABS. In thiscase, however, your regularbrakes will work normally.
(Continued)
W-78

Driving your vehicle
36
5
✽
✽
NOTICE
When 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 low battery voltage. It
does not mean your ABS has mal-
functioned.
• Do not pump your brakes!
• Have the battery recharged before
driving the vehicle.CAUTION
When you drive on a road hav-
ing poor traction, such as anicy road, and have operatedyour brakes continuously, theABS will be active continuous-ly and the ABS warning lightmay illuminate. Pull your carover to a safe place and stopthe engine.
Restart the engine. If the ABS warning light goes off, thenyour ABS system is normal.Otherwise, you may have aproblem with the ABS.Contact an authorized Kiadealer as soon as possible.
(Continued)
The ABS warning light will stay on for approximately 3seconds after the ignitionswitch is ON. During that time,the ABS will go through self-diagnosis and the light will gooff if everything is normal. Ifthe light stays on, you mayhave a problem with yourABS. Contact an authorizedKia dealer as soon as possi-ble.

537
Driving your vehicle
E070500AHM-EU
Electronic stability control
(ESC)
The Electronic Stability control
(ESC) system is designed to stabi-
lize the vehicle during cornering
maneuvers. ESC checks where you
are steering and where the vehicle is
actually going. ESC applies the
brakes on individual wheels and
intervenes with the engine manage-
ment system to stabilize the vehicle.The Electronic Stability Control
(ESC) system is an electronic sys-
tem designed to help the driver main-
tain vehicle control under adverse
conditions. It is not a substitute for
safe driving practices. Factors includ-
ing speed, road conditions and driv-
er steering input can all affect
whether ESC will be effective in pre-
venting a loss of control. It is still your
responsibility to drive and corner at
reasonable speeds and to leave a
sufficient margin of safety.
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 ESC is active.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
A click sound may be heard in the
engine compartment when the vehi-
cle begins to move after the engine is
started. These conditions are normal
and indicate that the Electronic
Stability Control System is function-
ing properly.
OSL050015
WARNING
Never drive too fast according
to the road conditions or too
quickly when cornering.
Electronic stability control
(ESC) will not prevent acci-
dents. Excessive speed in
turns, abrupt maneuvers and
hydroplaning on wet surfaces
can still result in serious acci-
dents. Only a safe and attentive
driver can prevent accidents by
avoiding maneuvers that cause
the vehicle to lose traction.
Even with ESC installed, always
follow all the normal precau-
tions for driving - including driv-
ing at safe speeds for the condi-
tions.

Driving your vehicle
38
5
E070501AUN-EU
ESC operation
ESC ON condition
When the ignition is turned ON,
ESC and ESC OFF indicator lights
illuminate for approximately 3 sec-
onds, then ESC is turned on.
Press the ESC OFF button 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).
When starting the engine, you may hear a slight ticking sound. This is
the ESC performing an automatic
system self-check and does not
indicate a problem. When operating
When the ESC is in opera-
tion, ESC indicator light
blinks.
Stability Control is operat-
ing properly, you can feel a
slight pulsation in the vehi-
cle. This is only the effect
of brake control and indi-
cates nothing unusual.
mud or slippery road,
pressing the accelerator
pedal may not cause the
engine rpm (revolutions
per minute) to increase.
E070502AUN-EU
ESC operation off
ESC OFF state
To cancel ESC operation :
State 1
Press the ESC OFF button shortly
(ESC OFF indicator light illuminates).
At this state, the engine control func-
tion does not operate. In other words,
the traction control function does not
operate but only the brake control
function operates.
State 2
Press the ESC OFF button for more
than 3 seconds. ESC OFF indicator
light illuminates and ESC OFF warn-
ing chime will sound. At this state, the
engine control function and brake con-
trol function does not operate. In other
words, the vehicle stability control
function does not operate any more.
If the ignition switch is placed to the
LOCK/OFF position when ESC is off,
ESC remains off. Upon restarting the
engine, the ESC will automatically turn
on again.

539
Driving your vehicle
E070503AAM-EU
Indicator light
When the ignition switch is turned
ON, the indicator light illuminates,
then goes off if ESC system is oper-
ating normally.
The ESC indicator light blinks when-
ever ESC is operating and illumi-
nates when ESC fails to operate.
The ESC OFF indicator light comes
on when the ESC is turned off with
the button.
E070504AAM-EU
ESC OFF usage
When driving
It’s a good idea to keep the ESCturned 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.
■ ESC indicator light
■ ESC OFF indicator light CAUTION
Driving with varying tire or
wheel sizes may cause the ESCsystem to malfunction. Whenreplacing tires, make sure theyare the same size as your origi-nal tires.
WARNING
The Electronic Stability Control
system is only a driving aid; use
precautions for safe driving by
slowing down on curved,
snowy, or icy roads. Drive slow-
ly and don’t attempt to acceler-
ate whenever the ESC indicator
light is blinking, or when the
road surface is slippery.WARNING
Never press the ESC OFF but-
ton while ESC is operating (ESC
indicator light blinks).
If ESC is turned off while ESC is
operating, the vehicle may slip
out of control.

Driving your vehicle
40
5
✽
✽
NOTICE
• When operating the vehicle on a
dynamometer, ensure that the
ESC is turned off (ESC OFF light
illuminated). If the ESC is left on,
it may prevent the vehicle speed
from increasing, and result in false
diagnosis.
• Turning the ESC off does not affect ABS or brake system opera-
tion.
Vehicle stability management
(VSM) (if equipped)
This system provides further
enhancements to vehicle stability
and steering responses when a vehi-
cle is driving on a slippery road or a
vehicle detected changes in coeffi-
cient of friction between right wheels
and left wheels when braking.
VSM operation
When the VSM is in operation, ESC
indicator light ( ) blinks.
When the vehicle stability manage-
ment is operating properly, you can
feel a slight pulsation in the vehicle
and/or abnormal steering responses
(EPS). This is only the effect of brake
and EPS control and indicates noth-
ing unusual. The VSM does not operate when:
Driving on bank road such as gra-
dient or incline
Driving rearward
ESC OFF indicator light ( ) remains on the instrument
cluster
EPS indicator light remains on the instrument cluster

541
Driving your vehicle
VSM operation off
If you press the ESC OFF button to
turn off the ESC, the VSM will also
cancel and the ESC OFF indicator
light ( ) illuminates.
To turn on the VSM, press the button
again. The ESC OFF indicator light
goes out.
Malfunction indicator
The VSM can be deactivated even if
you don’t cancel the VSM operation
by pressing the ESC OFF button. It
indicates that a malfunction has
been detected somewhere in the
Electric Power Steering system or
VSM system. If the ESC indicator
light ( ) or EPS warning light
remains on, take your vehicle to an
authorized Kia dealer and have the
system checked.
✽ ✽NOTICE
• The VSM is designed to function
above approximately 15 km/h (9
mph) on curves.
• The VSM is designed to function above approximately 30 km/h (18
mph) when a vehicle is braking on
a split-mu road. The split-mu road
is made of surfaces which have dif-
ferent friction forces.WARNING
The Vehicle Stability
Management system is not a
substitute for safe driving
practices but a supplemen-
tary function only. It is the
responsibility of the driver to
always check the speed and
the distance to the vehicle
ahead. Always hold the steer-
ing wheel firmly while driving.
Your vehicle is designed to activate according to the dri-
ver’s intention, even with
installed VSM. Always follow
all the normal precautions for
driving at safe speeds for the
conditions – including driving
inclement weather and on a
slippery road.
Driving with varying tire or wheel sizes may cause the
VSM system to malfunction.
When replacing tires, make
sure they are the same size as
your original tires.

Driving your vehicle
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5
Hill-start assist control (HAC)
(if equipped)
A vehicle has the tendency to roll
back on a steep hill when it starts to
go after stopping. The Hill-start
Assist Control (HAC) prevents the
vehicle from rolling back by applying
the brakes automatically for about 2
seconds. The brakes are released
when the accelerator pedal is
depressed or after about 2 seconds.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
• The HAC does not operate when
the transaxle shift lever is in the P
(Park) or N (Neutral) position.
• The HAC activates even though the ESC is off but it does not acti-
vate when the ESC has malfunc-
tioned.
Downhill brake control (DBC)
(if equipped)
The Downhill Brake Control (DBC)
supports the driver driving down a
steep hill without the driver depress-
ing the brake pedal. It slows down
the vehicle under 8 km/h (5mph) and
lets the driver concentrate on steer-
ing the vehicle.
DBC defaults to the OFF position
whenever the ignition is turned on.
The DBC can be turned on or off by
pushing the button.
OSL050016
WARNING
The HAC is activated only for
about 2 seconds, so when the
vehicle is starting off always
depress the accelerator pedal.

543
Driving your vehicle
✽
✽NOTICE
• The DBC does not turn ON in the
P (Park) position.
• The DBC may not activate if the ESC (or BAS) is activated.
• Noise or vibration may occur from the brakes when the DBC is acti-
vated.
• The rear stop light comes on when the DBC is activated.
• In a very steep hill even though the brake pedal or accelerator pedal is
depressed the DBC may not deac-
tivate.
• Always turn OFF the DBC on nor- mal roads. The DBC might acti-
vate from the standby mode when
abrupt corning or driving through
speed bumps.
• DBC may activate and cause the engine to stop in vehicles with
manual transaxle if you drive in
3rd gear (or above) with DBC on.
Do not turn on DBC when driving
in 3rd gear (or above).
Standby
Press the DBC button when the vehicle speed is under
40 km/h (25 mph). The DBC system will turn ON and
enter the standby mode.
The system does not turn ON if the vehicle speed is
over 40 km/h (25 mph).
In the standby mode, if the vehicle speed is under 35
km/h (22 mph) while driving down a steep hill, the DBC
will activate automatically.
In the activated mode, the DBC will temporarily deacti-
vate under the following conditions:


If the above conditions are gone, the DBC will automat-
ically activate again.
The DBC will turn OFF under the following conditions:


Activated
Temporarily deactivated
OFF
Mode Indicator light Description
blinks
illuminated
not
illuminated
illuminated
WARNING
If the DBC red indicator light illuminates, the system has overheated
or something is wrong. The DBC will not activate. If the DBC red indi-
cator light illuminates even though the DBC system has been cooled
enough have the system checked by an authorized Kia dealer.