steering KIA STINGER 2021 Owner's Guide

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)
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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.

543
Driving your vehicle
Power brakes
Your vehicle has power-assisted
brakes that adjust automatically
through normal usage.
In the event that the power-assisted
brakes lose power because of a
stalled engine or some other reason,
you can still stop your vehicle by
applying greater force to the brake
pedal than you normally would. The
stopping distance, however, will be
longer.
When the engine is not running, the
reserve brake power is partially
depleted each time the brake pedal
is applied. Do not pump the brake
pedal when the power assist has
been interrupted.
Pump the brake pedal only when
necessary to maintain steering con-
trol on slippery surfaces.Wet brakes may impair the vehicle’s
ability to safely slow down; the vehi-
cle may also pull to one side when
the brakes are applied. Applying the
brakes lightly will indicate whether
they have been affected in this way.
Always test your brakes in this fash-
ion after driving through deep water.
To dry the brakes, apply them lightly
while maintaining a safe forward
speed until brake performance
returns to normal.
BRAKE SYSTEM
WARNING- Steep hill
braking
Avoid continuous application of
the brakes when descending a
long or steep hill by shifting to a
lower gear. Continuous brake
application will cause the brakes
to overheat and could result in a
temporary loss of braking per-
formance.
CAUTION- Brake Pedal
Do not drive with your foot rest-
ing on the brake pedal. This will
create abnormally high brake
temperatures which can cause
excessive brake lining and pad
wear.

559
Driving your vehicle
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.Electronic Stability Control (ESC) will
not prevent accidents. Excessive
speed in turns, abrupt maneuvers
and hydroplaning on wet surfaces
can still result in serious accidents.
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
precautions for driving - including
driving at safe speeds for the condi-
tions.The Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
system is an electronic system
designed to help the driver maintain
vehicle control under adverse condi-
tions. It is not a substitute for safe driv-
ing practices. Factors including speed,
road conditions and driver steering
input can all affect whether ESC will be
effective in preventing 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 corresponding sensa-
tion 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.
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For maximum protection, always
wear your seat belt. No system,
no matter how advanced, can
compensate for all driver error
and/or driving conditions.
Always drive responsibly.

563
Driving your vehicle
Vehicle stability management
(VSM)
This system provides further
enhancements to vehicle stability
and steering responses when a vehi-
cle is driving on a slippery road or a
vehicle detects 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 (Electric Power Steering). This
is only the effect of brake and EPS
control and indicates nothing unusu-
al.
The VSM does not operate when:
Driving on a sloping road such as a
gradient or incline
Driving in reverse
ESC OFF indicator light ( )
remains on the instrument cluster
EPS (Electric Power Steering) indi-
cator light remains on the instru-
ment cluster
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.
WARNING- Tire/
Wheel size
When replacing tires and wheels,
make sure they are the same size
as the original tires and wheels
installed. Driving with varying
tire or wheel sizes may diminish
any supplemental safety benefits
of the VSM system.WARNING- Vehicle stabili-
ty management
Drive carefully even though your
vehicle has Vehicle stability man-
agement. It can only assist you in
maintaining control under cer-
tain circumstances.

Driving your vehicle
64 5
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 13 mph (22
km/h) on curves.
• The VSM is designed to function
above approximately 6 mph (10
km/h) when a vehicle is braking on
a split-mu surface. A split-mu sur-
face is made of two surfaces which
have different 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 fol-
low all the normal precautions for
driving at safe speeds for the condi-
tions - including driving in inclement
weather and on a slippery road.Hill-start assist control (HAC)
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.
WARNING
For maximum protection, always
wear your seat belt. No system,
no matter how advanced, can
compensate for all driver error
and/or driving conditions.
Always drive responsibly.

571
Driving your vehicle
Brake operation
In an urgent situation, the braking
system enters into the ready status
for prompt reaction against the dri-
ver’s depressing the brake pedal.
FCA provides additional braking
power for optimum braking per-
formance when the driver depress-
es the brake pedal.
The braking control is automatical-
ly deactivated, when the driver
sharply depresses the accelerator
pedal, or when the driver abruptly
operates the steering wheel.
The braking control is automatical-
ly canceled when risk factors dis-
appear.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
FCA system assesses the risk of a
collision by monitoring several vari-
ables such as the distance to the
vehicle/pedestrian ahead, the speed
of the vehicle/pedestrian ahead, and
the driver's operation of the vehicle.
Certain conditions such as
inclement weather and road condi-
tions may affect the operation of
FCA system.
WARNING
Never deliberately drive danger-
ously to activate the system as
such conduct increases the risk
of an accident.
WARNING
FCA is a supplemental system
and cannot completely stop the
vehicle in all situations or avoid
all collisions. It is the responsi-
bility of the driver to safely drive
and control the vehicle.
CAUTION
The driver should always exer-
cise caution when operating the
vehicle, even though there is no
warning message or warning
alarm. While other beeps such
as the seat belt warning sound
are in operation and override
FCA alarming system, FCA
beeps may not occur.

Driving your vehicle
82 5
To set cruise control speed:
1. Press the CRUISE button on the
steering wheel to turn the system
on. The CRUISE indicator light in
the instrument cluster will illumi-
nate.
2. Accelerate to the desired speed,
which must be more than 20 mph
(30 km/h).3. Move the lever down (to SET-), and
release it at the desired speed. The
cruise indicator and set speed on
the LCD screen will illuminate.
Release the accelerator at the
same time. The desired speed will
automatically be maintained.
On a steep grade, the vehicle may
slow down slightly when driving uphill
or speed up slightly while going down-
hill.
To increase cruise control set
speed:
Follow either of these procedures:
Move the lever up (to RES+) and
hold it. Your vehicle set speed will
increase by 5 mph (10 km/h).
Release the lever at the speed you
want.
Move the lever up (to RES+) and
release it immediately.The cruising
speed will increase by 1.0 mph (1
km/h ) each time the lever is operat-
ed in this manner.
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Driving your vehicle
100 5
Your vehicle may accelerate when
a vehicle ahead of you disappears.
When you are warned that the
vehicle ahead of you is not detect-
ed, drive with caution.
Vehicle recognition
Some vehicles ahead in your lane
cannot be recognized by the sensor
as follows:
- Narrow vehicles such as motorcy-
cles or bicycles
- Vehicles offset to one side
- Slow-moving vehicles or sudden-
decelerating vehicles
- Stopped vehicles
- Vehicles with small rear profiles
such as trailers with no loadsA vehicle ahead cannot be recog-
nized correctly by the sensor if any of
following occurs:
- When the vehicle is pointing
upwards due to overloading in the
trunk or luggage area.
- While making turns by steering
- When driving to one side of the
lane
- When driving on narrow lanes or
on curves
Adjust your vehicle speed by
depressing the brake pedal accord-
ing to the road condition ahead and
driving condition.
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