KIA STINGER 2021 Owners Manual

Driving your vehicle
20
5
Limited use of Launch Control (3)
A warning message will pop up on
the screen if the transmission fluid
temperature is above a certain
level while using Launch Control.
Also, Launch Control will be auto-
matically deactivated.
To address the issue as above, a driver should cool down the trans-
mission fluid temperature by driv-
ing the vehicle. (Driving at a con-
stant speed over 37 mph (60 km/h)
is highly recommended, but this
should only be done if traffic and
road conditions permit the driver to
do so safely.)
✽ ✽ NOTICE
Launch performance can vary
depending on fuel, environment,
tire, and loading conditions.
CAUTION
Constant use of Launch Control
can put enormous stress ontransmission, engine, and driveshafts and can result in vehicledamage. It is highly recom-mended that Launch Control isused after completion of thevehicle brake-in process.
WARNING
It is the responsibility of the
driver to make sure it is safe
before using Launch Control.
Do not use Launch Control on
public roads or when pedestrian
congestion is present. Doing so
could result in an accident that
causes serious injuries.
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521
Driving your vehicle
Automatic transmission opera-
tion
The automatic transmission has 8
forward speeds and one reverse
speed.
The individual speeds are selected
automatically in the D (Drive) posi-
tion.
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION (SHIFT-BY-WIRE) (IF EQUIPPED)
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When you move the shift lever (1), depress the brake pedal while pressing the UNLOCK
button (2).
To shift the gear to P (Park), press the [P] button(3).

Driving your vehicle
22 5
Transmission ranges
The indicator in the instrument clus-
ter displays the shift lever position
when the engine start/stop button is
in the ON position.
However, if the gear is in N (Neutral)
or P (Park), the position is displayed
on the instrument cluster when the
engine start/stop button is in the OFF
or ACC position.
P (Park)
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into P (Park).
To shift the gear from R (Reverse), N
(Neutral), D (Drive) or Manual mode
to P (Park), press the [P] button.
If you turn off the engine in D (Drive)
or R (Reverse), the shifting automat-
ically changes to P (Park).
When you park the vehicle, press the
[P] button while depressing the brake
pedal and then apply the parking
brake.WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious
injury or death:
ALWAYS check the surround-
ing areas near your vehicle for
people, especially children,
before shifting a vehicle into D
(Drive) or R (Reverse).
Before leaving the driver’s
seat, always make sure the
shift lever is in the P (Park)
position, then set the parking
brake, and place the engine
start/stop button in the OFF
position. Unexpected and sud-
den vehicle movement can
occur if these precautions are
not followed.
Do not use engine braking
(rapidly shifting from a high
gear to lower gear) on slippery
roads. The vehicle may slip
causing an accident.
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CAUTION - Transmission
To avoid damage to your trans-
mission, do not accelerate the
engine in R (Reverse) or any for-
ward gear position with the
brakes on. The transmission
may be damaged if you shift
into P (Park) while the vehicle is
in motion.

523
Driving your vehicle
To reduce rollaway risk, do not use
the P (Park) Position in place of the
parking brake.
R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward.
To move the shift lever to R
(Reverse), press the [UNLOCK] but-
ton while depressing the brake pedal
and then move the shift lever forward.N (Neutral)
The wheels and transmission are not
engaged.
Use N (Neutral) if you need to restart
a stalled engine, or if it is necessary
to stop with the engine ON. Shift into
P (Park) if you need to leave your
vehicle for any reason.
Always depress the brake pedal
when you are shifting from N
(Neutral) to another gear.
WARNING
Shifting into P (Park) while the
vehicle is in motion may
cause you to lose control of
the vehicle.
Do not use the P (Park) posi-
tion in place of the parking
brake.
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■D (Drive) →R (Reverse)
Unlock Button
Unlock Button
■P (Park), N (Neutral) →R (Reverse)OCK057012N
■R (Reverse), D (Drive) →N (Neutral)

Driving your vehicle
24 5
To turn off the engine, re-press the
engine start/stop button to the ON
position, press the [P] button, and
press the engine start/stop button to
the OFF position.
When either the driver's door or the
front passenger's door is opened
with the engine start/stop button in
the ACC position and the shift lever
in N (Neutral) position, the engine is
automatically turned OFF and the
transmission automatically changes
to the P (Park) position.
D (Drive)
This is the normal driving position. The
transmission will automatically shift
through a 8-gear sequence, providing
the best fuel economy and power.
WARNING
To avoid inadvertent vehicle
movement, do not shift into
gear unless your foot is firmly
on the brake pedal.
Do not permit your vehicle to
idle in the N (Neutral) position
for an extended period of
time as this will preclude the
wheels and the transmission
from engaging. While parking
the vehicle with the engine
running, depress the brake
pedal, shift the vehicle to the
P (Park) position and apply
the parking brake.
Do not drive with the shift
lever in N (Neutral). The
engine brake will not work
and may lead to an accident.
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■ R (Reverse) →D (Drive)
■P (Park), N (Neutral) →D (Drive)
Unlock Button
Unlock Button

525
Driving your vehicle
For extra power when passing anoth-
er vehicle or driving uphill, depress
the accelerator pedal further until
you feel the transmission downshift
to a lower gear.
To shift into D (Drive), depress the
brake pedal and press the
[UNLOCK] button on the shift lever.
Move the shift lever backward.
To shift into D (Drive) from N
(Neutral), you must depress the
brake pedal.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
Always come to complete stop
before shifting into D (Drive).
- Parking in N (Neutral) gear
Follow the steps below when parking
and you want the vehicle to move
when pushed.
1.After parking your vehicle, step on
the brake pedal and press the [P]
button with the ignition button in
[ON] or while the engine is running.
2.If the parking brake is applied
unlock the parking brake.
- For EPB (Electronic Parking
Brake) equipped vehicles, push
the brake pedal with the ignition
button in [ON] or while the engine
is running to disengage the park-
ing brake. If [AUTO HOLD] func-
tion is used while driving (If
[AUTO HOLD] indicator is on in
the cluster), press [AUTO HOLD]
switch and [AUTO HOLD] func-
tion will be turned off.
3.While pressing the brake pedal,
turn the ignition button [OFF].
- For smart key equipped vehicles,
the ignition switch can be [OFF]
only after pressing the [P] button.4.Remove the cap-cover and insert a
tool (e.g. flathead screwdriver) into
the access hole and press down on
the tool while depressing the brake
pedal. Then, the gear will change to
the N (Neutral) position. It should be
pressed within 3 minutes after turn-
ing OFF the engine.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
When moving the shift lever to
N(Neutral) position, a normal
mechanical sound will occur.
CAUTION
For EPB (Electronic Parking
Brake) equipped vehicles with
[AUTO HOLD] function used
while driving, if the ignition but-
ton has been turned [OFF], the
electronic parking brake will be
engaged automatically.
Therefore, [AUTO HOLD] function
should be turned off before the
ignition button is turned off.

Driving your vehicle
26 5
✽
✽
NOTICE
After the ignition switch has been
turned off, the electronic parking
brake cannot be disengaged.
Paddle shifter (Manual mode)
The paddle shifter is available when
the shift lever is in the D (Drive) posi-
tion.
Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once
to shift up or down one gear and the
system changes from automatic
mode to manual mode.The system changes from manual
mode to automatic mode in one of
the following situations.
(1) The paddle shifter has been
pulled and held for more than 1
second.
(2) The accelerator pedal has been
depressed for more than 6 sec-
onds.
(3) The vehicle speed is lower than 4
mph (7 km/h).
(4) The shift lever has been pulled
down and released.
However, manual mode is not
changed to automatic mode in (1) or
(2) when SPORT mode or SPORT of
powertrain in CUSTOM mode is
selected in the drive mode integrated
control system.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
If the [+] and [-] paddle shifters are
pulled at the same time, gear shift
may not occur.
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WARNING
With the exception of parking
in neutral gear, always park
the vehicle in [P] (Park) for
safety and apply the parking
brake.
Before parking in [N] (Neutral)
gear, first make sure the park-
ing ground is level and flat. Do
not park in [N] gear on any
slopes or gradients. If parked
and left in [N], the vehicle may
move and cause serious dam-
age or injury.

527
Driving your vehicle
Shift-lock system
For your safety, the automatic trans-
mission has a shift-lock system
which prevents shifting the transmis-
sion from P (Park) into R (Reverse)
or D (Drive) unless the [UNLOCK]
button is pressed while depressing
the brake pedal.
To shift the transmission from P
(Park) into R (Reverse) or D (Drive):
1. Depress and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine or place the
engine start/stop button in the ON
position.
3. Move the shift lever to R (Reverse)
or D (Drive) while pressing the
[UNLOCK] button.
When the battery is discharged:
You can move the shift lever, when
the battery is discharged. However, it
will not change the gear from P
(Parking) to N (Neutral) or others.
In emergencies, do the following to
move the shift lever to N (Neutral) on
a level ground.1. Connect the cables between the
jump-starting terminals inside the
engine compartment and the bat-
tery terminals of another vehicle/
supplementary battery.
For more information refer to
"Jump Starting" in chapter 6.
2. Release the parking brake with the
engine start/stop button in the ON
position.
3. Press the engine start/stop button
to the OFF position.
4. Remove the cap-cover (1) and
insert a tool (e.g. flathead screw-
driver) into the access hole and
press down on the tool while
depressing the brake pedal. Then,
the gear will change to the N
(Neutral) position. It should be
pressed within 3 minutes after
turning OFF the engine.
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Driving your vehicle
28 5
✽
✽
NOTICE
In situations where the gear needs to
be changed from P (Park) to N
(Neutral) when the engine start/stop
button is in the OFF position, refer
to step 4.
The actuators work to shift the gear
into the N (Neutral) or P (Parking)
and make a normal mechanical
sound.
Parking
Always come to a complete stop and
continue to depress the brake pedal.
Move the shift lever into the P (Park)
position, apply the parking brake,
and place the engine start/stop but-
ton in the OFF position. Take the Key
with you when exiting the vehicle.
LCD display messages
Shifter Malfunction
The warning message appears on
the LCD display, when the transmis-
sion or the shift lever does not prop-
erly operate in the P (Park) position.
In this case, have the vehicle
inspected by an authorized Kia deal-
er immediately.
WARNING
Do not depress the accelera-
tor pedal while sitting in the
vehicle with the engine run-
ning. Depressing the acceler-
ator pedal for a long period of
time may cause the engine or
exhaust system to overheat
and start a fire.
The exhaust gas and the
exhaust system are very hot .
Keep away from the exhaust
system components. Do not
stop or park over flammable
materials, such as dry grass,
paper or leaves. They may
ignite and cause a fire.
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529
Driving your vehicle
Check shift lever
The warning message appears on
the LCD display, when there is a mal-
function with one of the key trans-
mission components.
In this case, have the vehicle inspect-
ed by an authorized Kia dealer imme-
diately.
Shifting conditions not met
The warning message appears on
the LCD display, when engine RPM
is too high, or when driving speed is
too fast to shift the gear.
We recommend you decrease your
RPM level or slow down before shift-
ing the gear.
Press brake pedal to change gear
The warning message appears on
the LCD display, when the brake
pedal is not depressed while shifting
the gear.
We recommend you depress the
brake pedal and then shift the gear.
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