check engine KIA STINGER 2021 Owner's Guide

Driving your vehicle
18
5
✽
✽
NOTICE- Kickdown
Mechanism
Use the kickdown mechanism for
maximum acceleration. Depress the
accelerator pedal beyond the pres-
sure point. The automatic transmis-
sion will shift to a lower gear
depending on the engine speed.
Moving up a steep grade from astanding start
To move up a steep grade from a
standing start, depress the brake
pedal, release the parking brake,
and shift the shift lever to D (Drive).
Depress the accelerator gradually
while releasing the brake pedal.
Launch Control
Launch Control Operation
When using Launch Control, a driver should always make sure
that the engine’s cooling water is
warmed up and reaches a recom-
mended temperature.
To operate ESC Off state 2, Press and hold ESC button for more than
3 seconds in Sports mode. (Status
Display on Cluster Screen)
For launching, stop the vehicle and keep the steering wheel straight.
Footbrakes, EPB and Auto Hold must be released for smooth
launching.
WARNING
When driving uphill or down-
hill, always shift to D (Drive) for
driving forward or shift to R
(Reverse) for driving back-
wards, and check the gear
position indicated on the clus-
ter before driving.

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.
OCK057009N
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.

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.
OCK057070LOCK057071LOCK057072L

Driving your vehicle
32
5
• Exercise extreme caution when
driving on a slippery surface. Be
especially careful when braking,
accelerating or shifting gears. On a
slippery surface, an abrupt change
in vehicle speed can cause the
drive wheels to lose traction and
may cause loss of vehicle control
resulting in an accident.
Optimum vehicle performance and economy is obtained by smoothly
depressing and releasing the
accelerator.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
Kia recommends you follow all post-
ed speed limits.
WARNING
To reduce the risk of SERIOUS
INJURY or DEATH:
• When driving uphill or down-
hill, always shift to D (Drive)
for driving forward or shift to
R (Reverse) for driving back-
wards, and check the gear
position indicated on the clus-
ter before driving.
(Continued)
(Continued)Driving in the opposite direc-
tion of the selected gear can
lead to a dangerous situation
by shutting off the engine and
affecting the braking perform-
ance.
ALWAYS wear your seatbelt. In a collision, an unbelted
occupant is significantly more
likely to be seriously injured
or killed than a properly belt-
ed occupant.
Avoid high speeds when cor- nering or turning.
Do not make quick steering wheel movements, such as
sharp lane changes or fast,
sharp turns.
The risk of rollover is greatly increased if you lose control
of your vehicle at highway
speeds.
(Continued)(Continued)
Loss of control often occurs iftwo or more wheels drop off
the roadway and the driver
over steers to reenter the
roadway.
In the event your vehicle leaves the roadway, do not
steer sharply. Instead, slow
down before pulling back into
the travel lanes.
Do not attempt sudden or abrupt driving maneuvers on
slippery surfaces. Attempting
such maneuvers can result in
loss of vehicle control and
accidents.

Driving your vehicle
38 5
Using All Wheel Drive (AWD)
The All Wheel Drive (AWD) System
delivers engine power to front and
rear wheels for maximum traction.
AWD is useful when extra traction is
required, such as when driving slip-
pery, muddy, wet, or snow-covered
roads.
If the system determines there is a
need for four wheel drive, the
engine's driving power is distributed
to all four wheels automatically.
ALL WHEEL DRIVE (AWD) (IF EQUIPPED)
WARNING
If the AWD warning light ( )
stays on the instrument cluster,
your vehicle may have a mal-
function with the AWD system.
When the AWD warning light
( ) illuminates, we recom-
mend that the vehicle be
checked by an authorized Kia
dealer as soon as possible.
WARNING
To reduce the risk of SERIOUS
INJURY or DEATH:
Do not drive in conditions that
exceed the vehicle's intended
design such as challenging
off-road conditions.
(Continued)
(Continued)
Avoid high speeds when cor-
nering or turning.
Do not make quick steering
wheel movements, such as
sharp lane changes or fast,
sharp turns.
The risk of a rollover is great-
ly increased if you lose con-
trol of your vehicle at highway
speeds.
Loss of control often occurs if
two or more wheels drop off
the roadway and the driver
over steers to reenter the
roadway.
In the event your vehicle
leaves the roadway, do not
steer sharply. Instead, slow
down before pulling back into
the travel lanes.

539
Driving your vehicle
✽ ✽
NOTICE
• Do not drive in water if the level is
higher than the bottom of the vehi-
cle.
• Check your brake condition once
you are out of mud or water.
Depress the brake pedal several
times as you move slowly until you
feel normal braking return.
• Shorten your scheduled mainte-
nance interval if you drive in off-
road conditions such as sand, mud
or water (see "Maintenance Under
Severe Usage Conditions" in chap-
ter 7).
• Make sure that AWD vehicle is
towed by a flatbed tow truck.
For safe AWD operation
Before driving
Make sure all passengers are
wearing seat belts.
Sit upright and closer to the steer-
ing wheel than usual. Adjust the
steering wheel to a position com-
fortable for you to drive.
Driving on snow-covered or icy roads
Start off slowly by applying the
accelerator pedal gently.
Use snow tires or tire chains.
Keep sufficient distance between
your vehicle and the vehicle in front
of you.
Use engine braking during deceler-
ation.
Avoid speeding, rapid acceleration,
sudden brake applications, and
sharp turns to prevent skids.Driving in sand or mud
Maintain slow and constant speed.
Use tire chains driving in mud if
necessary.
Keep sufficient distance between
your vehicle and the vehicle in front
of you.
Reduce vehicle speed and always
check the road condition.
Avoid speeding, rapid acceleration,
sudden brake applications, and
sharp turns to prevent getting
stuck.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
When the vehicle is stuck in snow,
sand or mud, place a non-slip mate-
rial under the drive wheels to pro-
vide traction OR slowly spin the
wheels in forward and reverse direc-
tions which causes a rocking motion
that may free the vehicle. See the
Section "Rocking the Vehicle" for
more details. However, avoid run-
ning the engine continuously at high
rpm, which could damage the AWD
system.

Driving your vehicle
40 5
✽
✽
NOTICE
• When using Snow Tires, mount
them on all four wheels.
• When using Tire Chains, install
them on all four tires. However, if
you are in a situation to use only
two tire chains, install them on the
rear tires. In this case, do not drive
more than a short distance to pre-
vent damage to the AWD system.
• If tire chains must be used, use
AutoSock (fabric snow chain) and
install the tire chain after review-
ing the instructions provided with
the tire chains.
❈ ❈
For more information on Snow
Tires and Tire Chains, refer to
"Winter Driving" in this chapter.
Driving up or down hills
Driving uphill
- Before starting off, check if it is
possible to drive uphill.
- Drive as straight as possible.
Driving downhill
- Do not change gear while driving
downhill. Select gear before driv-
ing downhill.
- Drive slowly using engine braking
while driving downhill.
- Drive as straight as possible.Emergency precautions
Tires
When replacing the tires, be sure to
equip all four tires with the tire and
wheel of the same size, type, tread,
brand and load-carrying capacity.
In case of emergency such as tire
puncture, repair it using TMK (Tire
Mobility Kit) for temporary use.
Afterwards, have the tire be inspect-
ed by an authorized Kia dealer.WARNING
Exercise extreme caution driv-
ing up or down steep hills. The
vehicle's tires could lose trac-
tion depending on the grade,
terrain and water/mud condi-
tions.
WARNING
Do not use tires and wheels of a
different size and type than the
ones originally installed on your
vehicle. It can affect the safety
and performance of your vehi-
cle, which could lead to
increased steering difficulty or
rollover causing serious injury.

547
Driving your vehicle
Check the brake warning light by
turning the ignition switch ON (do not
start the engine). This light will be
illuminated when the parking brake is
applied with the ignition switch in the
START or ON position.
Before driving, be sure the parking
brake is fully released and the brake
warning light is off.
If the brake warning light remains on
after the parking brake is released
while the engine is running, there
may be a malfunction in the brake
system. Immediate attention is nec-
essary.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.
Electronic parking brake (EPB)
(if equipped)
Applying the parking brake
To apply the EPB (electronic parking
brake):
1. Depress the brake pedal.
2. Pull up the EPB switch.
Make sure the warning light comes
on.
W-75

549
Driving your vehicle
To release EPB (electronic parking
brake) automatically:
Shift lever in P (Park)
With the engine running depress
the brake pedal and shift out of P
(Park) to R (Reverse) or D (Drive).
Shift lever in N (Neutral)
With the engine running depress
the brake pedal and shift out of N
(Neutral) to R (Reverse) or D
(Drive).
Automatic Transmission
1. Close the driver's door, engine
hood and liftgate.
2. Fasten the driver's seat belt.
3. Start the engine.
4. Depress the accelerator pedal
while the shift lever is in R
(Reverse), D (Drive) or Sports
mode.
Make sure the brake warning light
goes off.✽ ✽
NOTICE
• For your safety, you can engage
the EPB even though the ignition
switch or engine stop/start button
is in the OFF position, but you
cannot release it.
• For your safety, depress the brake
pedal and release the parking
brake manually with the EPB
switch when you drive downhill or
when backing up the vehicle.
Do not follow the above procedure
when driving on a flat level ground.
The vehicle may suddenly move for-
ward.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
If the parking brake warning light is
still on even though the EPB has
been released, have the system
checked by an authorized Kia dealer.
EPB (electronic parking brake) may
be automatically applied when:
The EPB is overheated
Requested by other systems
✽ ✽
NOTICE
For EPB (Electronic Parking Brake)
equipped vehicles with AUTO
HOLD function used while driving,
if the ignition button has been
turned OFF, the EPB will be
engaged automatically. Therefore,
AUTO HOLD function should be
turned off before the ignition button
is turned off.
CAUTION
Do not drive your vehicle with
the EPB applied. It may cause
excessive brake pad and brake
rotor wear.

Driving your vehicle
52 5
If this occurs, have your vehicle
checked by an authorized Kia dealer
as soon as possible.
The EPB malfunction indicator may
illuminate when the ESC indicator
comes on to indicate that the ESC is
not working properly, but it does not
indicate a malfunction of the EPB. The EPB warning light may illumi-
nate if the EPB switch operates
abnormally. Shut the engine off
and turn it on again after a few min-
utes. The warning light will go off
and the EPB switch will operate
normally. However, if the EPB
warning light is still on, have the
system checked by an authorized
Kia dealer.
If the parking brake warning light
does not illuminate or blinks even
though the EPB switch was pulled
up, the EPB is not applied.
If the parking brake warning light
blinks when the EPB warning light
is on, press the EPB switch, then
pull it up. Once more press it back
to its original position and pull it
back up. If the EPB warning does
not go off, have the system
checked by an authorized Kia deal-
er.Emergency braking
If there is a problem with the brake
pedal while driving, emergency brak-
ing is possible by pulling up and
holding the EPB switch. Braking is
possible only while you are holding
the EPB switch.
WARNING
Do not operate the electronic
parking brake while the vehicle
is moving except in an emer-
gency situation. Applying the
electronic parking brake while
the vehicle is moving at normal
speeds can cause a sudden
loss of control of the vehicle. If
you must use the electronic
parking brake to stop the vehi-
cle, use great caution in apply-
ing the brake.