towing KIA SPORTAGE 2021 Owners Manual

3 27
Safety features of your vehicle
Stowing the rear seat belt
• The rear seat belt buckles can bestowed in the pocket between the
rear seatback and cushion when
not in use. • The center seat belt can be stowed
with the plate and webbing rolled in
the pocket between the rear seat-
back and cushion.
• Routing the seat belt webbing through the rear seat belt guides
will help keep the belts from being
trapped behind or under the seats.
After inserting the seat belt, tighten
the belt webbing by pulling it up.
OQL035030
OQL035029
CAUTION
Take the seatbelt out of the seat-belt guide prior to using it. If youpull the seat belt when it isstored in the guides, it maydamage the guides and/or thebelt webbing.
WARNING
Prior to fastening the rear seat
belts, ensure the latch matches
the seat belt buckle. Forcefully
fastening the left or right seat
belt to the center buckle can
result in an improper fastening
scenario that will not protect
you in an accident.

Adding equipment to or modi-
fying your air bag-equipped
vehicle
If you modify your vehicle by chang-
ing your vehicle's frame, bumper sys-
tem, front end or side sheet metal or
ride height, this may affect the opera-
tion of your vehicle's air bag system.
Air bag warning label
Air bag warning labels, some
required by the U.S. National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), are attached to the sunvi-
sor to alert the driver and passen-
gers of potential risks of the air bag
system.
WARNING- Tamperingwith SRS
Do not tamper with or discon-
nect SRS wiring, or other com-
ponents of the SRS system.
Doing so could result in the
accidental inflation of the air
bags or by rendering the SRS
inoperative.
WARNING- Towing Vehicle
Always have the ignition off
when your vehicle is being
towed. The side air bags may
inflate if the vehicle is tilted
such as when being towed
because of the rollover sensors
in the vehicle.
OQLA035057
OQLA035058
3 72
Safety features of your vehicle

Features of your vehicle
1204
6. Wireless transmitters or mobilephones are within range of the
sensor.
7. The sensor is covered with snow.
8. Trailer towing The detecting range may decrease
when:
1. The sensor is covered with foreign
matter such as snow or water.
(The sensing range will return to
normal when removed.)
2. Outside air temperature is extremely hot or cold.
The following objects may not be
recognized by the sensor:
1. Sharp or slim objects such as ropes, chains or small poles.
2. Objects which tend to absorb the sensor frequency such as clothes,
sound absorbent material or snow.
3. Undetectable objects smaller than 40 in. (100 cm) in height and nar-
rower than 6 in. (14 cm) in diame-
ter.Reverse Parking Distance
Warning precautions
• Reverse Parking Distance Warningmay not sound consistently
depending on the speed and
shapes of the objects detected.
• Reverse Parking Distance Warning may malfunction if the vehicle
bumper height or sensor installa-
tion has been modified or dam-
aged. Any non-factory installed
equipment or accessories may also
interfere with the sensor perform-
ance.
• The sensor may not recognize objects less than 12 in. (30 cm)
from the sensor, or it may sense an
incorrect distance. Use caution.
• When the sensor is frozen or cov- ered with snow, dirt, or water, the
sensor may be inoperative until the
material is removed using a soft
cloth.
• To prevent damage, do not push, scratch or strike the sensor.

5
• Change to "winter weight" oil if necessary . . . . . . 5-159
• Check spark plugs and ignition system. . . . . . . . . . 5-159
• To keep locks from freezing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-159
• Use approved window washer anti-freeze in system. 5-159
• Don’t let your parking brake freeze . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-159
• Don't let ice and snow accumulate underneath . . . 5-159
• Carry emergency equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-160
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-161
• Hitches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
5-162
• Safety chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-162
• Trailer brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-162
• Driving with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-163
• Maintenance when trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-166
• If you do decide to pull a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-167
• Tire and loading information label . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-169
Vehicle load limit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-169
• Certification label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-173
Vehicle weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-174

Driving your vehicle
685
• The front view camera is damaged.
• The brightness outside is too lowsuch as when the headlamps are
not on at night or the vehicle is
going through a tunnel.
• The shadow is on the road by a median strip, trees, etc.
• The vehicle drives through a toll- gate.
• The windshield glass is fogged up; a clear view of the road is obstruct-
ed.
• The rear part of the vehicle in front is not normally visible. (the vehicle
turns in other direction or the vehi-
cle is overturned.)
• The adverse road conditions cause excessive vehicle vibrations while
driving
• The sensor recognition changes suddenly when passing over a
speed bump• The vehicle in front
is moving longitudinally to the driv-
ing direction • The vehicle in front is stopped lon-
gitudinally
• The vehicle in front is driving towards your vehicle or reversing
• You are on a roundabout and the vehicle in front circles
• It is difficult to secure the field of view of the front view camera such
as backlight, reflected light, and
darkness.
• When the front camera is blocked by continuous washer spray and
wiper operation.
• The vehicle in front is a special purpose vehicle, a trailer, or a truck
loading with unusual shape of lug-
gage.
• The ambient light is too high or low.
• The front view camera is contami- nated by front glass tinting, attach-
ing film, water proof coating, dam-
aged, foreign material such as a
sticker, worm, etc. • If not using headlamp or using
weak light in the night or in a tun-
nel.
• Backlight is shining in the driving direction of the vehicle. (Including
oncoming vehicle headlights.)
• When the rear part of the front vehicle is small or low.
• When a trailer or other vehicle is towing the front vehicle.
• When the ground clearance of the front vehicle is high.
• When a front vehicle makes sud- den lane changes unexpectedly.

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Driving your vehicle
✽NOTICE
In some instances, FCA system may
be cancelled when subjected to elec-
tromagnetic interference.WARNING
• Do not use Forward Collision -Avoidance Assist system
when towing a vehicle.
Application of FCA while tow-
ing may adversely affect the
safety of your vehicle or the
towing vehicle.
• Use extreme caution when the vehicle in front of you has
cargo that extends rearward
from the cab, or when the
vehicle in front of you has
higher ground clearance.
• FCA is designed to detect and monitor the vehicle ahead in
the roadway through camera
recognition. It is not designed
to detect bicycles, motorcy-
cles, or smaller
wheeled objects such as lug-
gage bags, shopping carts, or
strollers.
(Continued)
(Continued)
• Never try to test the operationof FCA. Doing so may cause
severe injury or death.
• When windshield glass or front view camera have been
replaced or repaired, we rec-
ommended that you have the
vehicle inspected by an
authorized Kia dealer.

5 85
Driving your vehicle
• If not using headlamp or usingweak light in the night or in a tun-
nel.
• Backlight is shining in the driving direction of the vehicle. (Including
oncoming vehicle headlights.)
• When the rear part of the front vehicle is small or low.
• When a trailer or other vehicle is towing the front vehicle.
• When the ground clearance of the front vehicle is high.
• When a front vehicle makes sud- den lane changes unexpectedly.
- Driving on a curve
The performance of Forward
Collision-Avoidance Assist may be
limited when driving on a curved
road. The front camera or radar sensor
recognition system may not detect
the vehicle or pedestrian traveling in
front on a curved road.
This may result in no alarm and brak-
ing when necessary.
Always pay attention to road and
driving conditions, and if necessary,
depress the brake pedal to reduce
your driving speed in order to main-
tain a safe distance.
OHM059349L
OHM059350L

5 89
Driving your vehicle
✽NOTICE
In some instances, FCA may be can-
celled when subjected to electro-
magnetic interference.
(Continued)wheeled objects such as lug-
gage bags, shopping carts, or
strollers.
• Never try to test the operation of FCA. Doing so may cause
severe injury or death.
• When front bumper or wind- shield glass is replaced or
repaired, have the vehicle
inspected by an authorized
Kia dealer.WARNING
• Do not use Forward Collision -Avoidance Assist when tow-
ing a vehicle. Application of
FCA while towing may
adversely affect the safety of
your vehicle or the towing
vehicle.
• Use extreme caution when the vehicle in front of you has
cargo that extends rearward
from the cab, or when the
vehicle in front of you has
higher ground clearance.
• FCA is designed to detect and monitor the vehicle ahead in
the roadway through radar
signals and camera recogni-
tion. It is not designed to
detect bicycles, motorcycles,
or smaller
(Continued)

5 95
Driving your vehicle
LKA malfunction
• If there is a problem with the sys-tem a message will appear. If the
problem continues LKA fail indica-
tor will illuminate.
LKA fail indicator
LKA failure indicator (yel-
low) will illuminate with an
audible warning if LKA is
not working properly. In
this case, have the sys-
tem checked by an
authorized Kia dealer.WARNING
• It is the responsibility of the driver to safely steer the vehi-
cle and to maintain it in its
lane.
• Even though the steering is assisted by the system, the
driver may control the steer-
ing wheel.
• Turn off LKA and drive with- out using the system in the
following situations:
- In bad weather
- In bad road conditions
- When the steering wheelneeds to be controlled by the
driver frequently.
- When towing a vehicle or trailer
• The steering wheel may feel heavier when the steering
wheel is assisted by the sys-
tem than when it is not.
OQL058246L

5 161
Driving your vehicle
If you are considering towing with
your vehicle, you should first check
with your state's Department of
Motor Vehicles to determine the legal
requirements.
Since laws vary the requirements for
towing trailers, cars, or other types of
vehicles or apparatus may differ. Ask
an authorized Kia dealer for further
details before towing.
You may require an additional wiring
harness connector to install a trailer
hitch. Please contact an authorized
Kia dealer for more details.Your vehicle can tow a trailer. To
identify what the vehicle trailering
capacity is for your vehicle, you
should read the information in
“Weight of the trailer” that appears
later in this section.Remember that trailering is different
than just driving your vehicle by itself.
Trailering means changes in han-
dling, durability, and fuel economy.
Successful, safe trailering requires
correct equipment, and it has to be
used properly.
This section contains many time-
tested, important trailering tips and
safety rules. Many of these are
important for your safety and that of
your passengers. Please read this
section carefully before you pull a
trailer.
Load-pulling components such as
the engine, transmission, wheel
assemblies, and tires are forced to
work harder against the load of the
added weight. The engine is required
to operate at relatively higher speeds
and under greater loads. This addi-
tional burden generates extra heat.
The trailer also adds considerably to
wind resistance, increasing the
pulling requirements.
TRAILER TOWING
CAUTION - Trailer
installation
Follow instructions in this sec-tion when pulling a trailer.Pulling a trailer improperly candamage your vehicle and resultin costly repairs not covered byyour warranty.
WARNING- Towing a
trailer
Always check your towing
equipment to confirm correct
equipment size and installation
before use. Using incompatible
or incorrectly installed trailer
equipment can affect the vehi-
cle operation and endanger you
and your passengers.
WARNING- Weight
limits
Before towing, make sure the
total trailer weight, GCW (gross
combination weight), GVW
(gross vehicle weight), GAW
(gross axle weight) and trailer
tongue load are all within the
limits.