KIA Sportage 2015 QL / 4.G Owner's Manual

Driving your vehicle
38
5
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.
The Vehicle Stability Management
system is not a substitute for safe
driving practices but a supplemen-
tary function only. It is the respon-
sibility of the driver to always check
the speed and the distance to the
vehicle ahead. Always hold the
steering wheel firmly while driving.
Your vehicle is designed to activate according to the driver’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 slip-
pery road.

539
Driving your vehicle
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.
The HAC is activated only for about 2
seconds, so when the vehicle is
starting off always depress the accel-
erator pedal.
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- Maintaining
Brake Pressure on Incline
HAC does not replace the need
to apply brakes while stopped
on an incline. While stopped,
make sure you maintain brake
pressure sufficient to prevent
your vehicle from rolling back-
ward and causing an accident.
Don’t release the brake pedal
until you are ready to accelerate
forward.

Driving your vehicle
40
5
The DBC does not turn ON in the P
(Park) position.
The DBC may not activate if the ESC (or BAS) 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 activate
from the standby mode when
abrupt corning or driving through
speed bumps.
The rear stop light comes on when the DBC is activated.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
• Noise or vibration may occur from
the brakes when the DBC is acti-
vated.
• 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
✽
✽ NOTICE
If the DBC red indicator light illuminates, the system has overheated or
something is wrong. The DBC will not activate. If the DBC red indicator
light illuminates even though the DBC system has been cooled enough have\
the system checked by an authorized Kia dealer.

541
Driving your vehicle
E070600AAM
Good braking practices
Check to be sure the parking brakeis not engaged and the parking
brake indicator light is out before
driving away.
Driving through water may get the brakes wet. They can also get wet
when the vehicle is washed. Wet
brakes can be dangerous! Your
vehicle will not stop as quickly if the
brakes are wet. Wet brakes may
cause the vehicle to pull to one
side.
To dry the brakes, apply the brakes
lightly until the braking action
returns to normal, taking care to
keep the vehicle under control at
all times. If the braking action does
not return to normal, stop as soon
as it is safe to do so and call an
authorized Kia dealer for assis-
tance. Don't coast down hills with the
vehicle out of gear. This is extreme-
ly hazardous. Keep the vehicle in
gear at all times, use the brakes to
slow down, then shift to a lower
gear so that engine braking will
help you maintain a safe speed.
Don't "ride" the brake pedal. Resting your foot on the brake
pedal while driving can be danger-
ous because the brakes might
overheat and lose their effective-
ness. It also increases the wear of
the brake components.
If a tire goes flat while you are driv- ing, apply the brakes gently and
keep the vehicle pointed straight
ahead while you slow down. When
you are moving slowly enough for it
to be safe to do so, pull off the road
and stop in a safe place. If your vehicle is equipped with an
automatic transaxle, don't let your
vehicle creep forward. To avoid
creeping forward, keep your foot
firmly on the brake pedal when the
vehicle is stopped.
Be cautious when parking on a hill. Firmly engage the parking brake
and place the shift lever in P (auto-
matic transaxle) or in first or
reverse gear (manual transaxle). If
your vehicle is facing downhill, turn
the front wheels into the curb to
help keep the vehicle from rolling. If
your vehicle is facing uphill, turn
the front wheels away from the
curb to help keep the vehicle from
rolling. If there is no curb or if it is
required by other conditions to
keep the vehicle from rolling, block
the wheels.

Driving your vehicle
42
5
Under some conditions your park-
ing brake can freeze in the
engaged position. This is most like-
ly to happen when there is an
accumulation of snow or ice
around or near the rear brakes or if
the brakes are wet. If there is a risk
that the parking brake may freeze,
apply it only temporarily while you
put the shift lever in P (automatic
transaxle) or in first or reverse gear
(manual transaxle) and block the
rear wheels so the vehicle cannot
roll. Then release the parking
brake.
Do not hold the vehicle on the upgrade with the accelerator
pedal. This can cause the transaxle
to overheat. Always use the brake
pedal or parking brake.

543
Driving your vehicle
CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM
1.Cruise indicator
2.Cruise set indicator
E090000AAM-EU
The cruise control system allows you
to program the vehicle to maintain a
constant speed without pressing the
accelerator pedal.
This system is designed to function
above approximately 40 km/h (25
mph).If the cruise control is left on,
(CRUISE indicator light in the instru-
ment cluster illuminated) the cruise
control can be switched on acciden-
tally. Keep the cruise control system
off (CRUISE indicator light OFF)
when the cruise control is not in use,
to avoid inadvertently setting a
speed.
Use the cruise control system only
when traveling on open highways in
good weather.
Do not use the cruise control when
driving in heavy or varying traffic, or
on slippery (rainy, icy or snow-cov-
ered) or winding roads or over 6%
up-hill or down-hill roads.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
• During normal cruise control
operation, when the SET switch is
activated or reactivated after
applying the brakes, the cruise
control will energize after approx-
imately 3 seconds. The delay is
normal.
• To activate cruise control, depress the brake pedal at least once after
turning the ignition switch to the
ON position or starting the engine.
This is to check if the brake switch
which is important part to cancel
cruise control is in normal condi-
tion.
OSL010002N/Q
CRUISE SET
WARNING- Misuse of
Cruise Control
Do not use cruise control if the
traffic situation does not allow
you to drive safely at a constant
speed and with sufficient dis-
tance to the vehicle in front.

Driving your vehicle
44
5
E090100AUN-KM
To set cruise control speed:
1.Push the cruise ON-OFF button on
the steering wheel, to turn the sys-
tem on. The CRUISE indicator light
in the instrument cluster will illumi-
nate.
2.Accelerate to the desired speed, which must be more than 40 km/h
(25 mph). 3.Push the - 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.
On a steep grade, the vehicle mayslow down or speed up slightly whilegoing downhill.
E090200AAM-EU
To increase cruise control set
speed:
Follow either of these procedures:
Push the RES + switch and hold it. Your vehicle will accelerate.
Release the switch at the speed
you want.
Push the RES + switch and release it immediately. The cruising
speed will increase by 2.0 km/h
(1.2 mph) each time the RES +
switch is operated in this manner.
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545
Driving your vehicle
E090300AAM-EU
To decrease the cruising speed:
Follow either of these procedures:
Push the - SET switch and hold it.Your vehicle will gradually slow
down. Release the switch at the
speed you want to maintain.
Push the - SET switch and release it immediately. The cruising speed
will decrease by 2.0 km/h (1.2
mph) each time the - SET switch is
operated in this manner.
E090400AUN
To temporarily accelerate with
the cruise control on:
If 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.
E090500AAM-EU
To cancel cruise control, do
one of the following:
Press the brake pedal.
Press the clutch pedal with a man-ual transaxle.
Shift into N (Neutral) with an auto- matic transaxle.
Push the CANCEL switch located on the steering wheel.
Decrease the vehicle speed lower than the memory speed by 20
km/h (12 mph).
Decrease the vehicle speed to less than approximately 40 km/h (25
mph).
OSL050031LOSL050033L

Driving your vehicle
46
5
Each of these actions will cancel
cruise control operation (the SETindicator light in the instrument clus-ter will go off), but it will not turn thesystem off. If you wish to resumecruise control operation, push theRES + switch located on your steer-ing wheel. You will return to your pre-viously preset speed.
E090600AAM-EU
To resume cruising speed at
more than approximately 40
km/h (25 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 + switch is pushed.
It will not resume, however, if the
vehicle speed has dropped below
approximately 40 km/h (25 mph).
E090700AUN-KM
To turn cruise control off, do
one of the following:
Push the cruise ON-OFF button (the CRUISE indicator light in the
instrument cluster will go off).
Turn the ignition off.
Both of these actions will cancel the cruise control operation. If you wantto resume the cruise control opera-tion, repeat the steps provided in “Toset cruise control speed” on the pre-vious page.
OSL050032LOSL050030L

547
Driving your vehicle
ACTIVE ECO SYSTEM (IF EQUIPPED)
Active ECO operation
Active ECO helps improve fuel effi-
ciency by controlling certain engine
and transaxle system operating
parameters. Fuel efficiency depends
on the driver's driving habit and road
condition.
When the Active ECO button ispressed the ECO indicator (green)
will illuminate to show that the
Active ECO is operating. When the Active ECO is activated,
it will remain on until the Active
ECO button is pressed again.
Active ECO does not turn off when
the engine is restarted. To turn off
Active ECO, press the Active ECO
button again.
If Active ECO is turned off, the sys- tem will return to normal mode.
When Active ECO is activated:
The acceleration may slightly bereduced eventhough you depress
the accelerator fully.
The air conditioner performance may be limited.
The shift pattern of the automatic transaxle may change.
The engine noise may get louder.
The above situations are normal
conditions when the active eco sys-
tem is activated to improve fuel effi-
ciency.
Limitation of Active ECO oper-
ation:
If the following conditions occur while
Active ECO is operating, the system
operation is limited even though
there is no change in the ECO indi-
cator.
When the coolant temperature is low: The system will be limited until
engine performance becomes nor-
mal.
When driving up a hill: The system will be limited to gain power when
driving uphill because the engine
torque is restricted.
When using sports mode: The sys- tem will be limited according to the
shift location.
When the accelerator pedal is deeply depressed for a few sec-
onds: The system will be limited,
judging that the driver wants to
speed up.
OSL050017