Get Driving your vehicle -> Automatic transaxle Guide for Kia Rio 4 Door Third Generation (2011-2016)

Driving your vehicle

165

Automatic transaxle operation

The automatic transaxle has 6 for-

ward speeds and one reverse speed.

The individual speeds are selected

automatically, depending on the

position of the shift lever.

✽✽

NOTICE

The first few shifts on a new vehicle,

if the battery has been disconnected,

may be somewhat abrupt. This is a

normal condition, and the shifting

sequence will adjust after shifts are

cycled a few times by the TCM

(Transaxle Control Module) or

PCM (Powertrain Control Module).

AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE (IF EQUIPPED)

OUB051014

+ (UP)

Button

Shift lever

- (DOWN)

To shift, depress the brake pedal and press the button.

The shift lever can be shifted freely.

Press the button when shifting.

5 17

Driving your vehicle

For smooth operation, depress the

brake pedal when shifting from N

(Neutral) to a forward or reverse

gear.

When stopped on an upgrade, do not

hold the vehicle with engine power.

Use the service brake or the parking

brake.

Transaxle ranges

The indicator light in the instrument

cluster displays the shift lever posi-

tion when the ignition switch is in the

ON position.

P (Park)

Always come to a complete stop

before shifting into P (Park). This

position locks the transaxle and pre-

vents the front wheels from rotating.

Shifting into P (Park) while the vehi-

cle is in motion will cause the drive

wheels to lock which will cause you

to lose control of the vehicle.

WARNING - Automatic

transaxle

Before leaving the driver’s seat,

always make sure the shift lever

is in the P (Park) position; then

set the parking brake fully and

shut the engine off. Do not use

the P position in place of the

parking brake. Always make

sure the shift lever is latched in

the P position and set the park-

ing brake fully. Unexpected and

sudden vehicle movement can

occur if these precautions are

not followed.

CAUTION - Transaxle

To avoid damage to your

transaxle, do not accelerate the

engine in R (Reverse) or any for-

ward gear position with the

brakes on. The transaxle may be

damaged if you shift into P

(Park) while the vehicle is in

motion.

Driving your vehicle

185

R (Reverse)

Use this position to drive the vehicle

backward.

N (Neutral)

The wheels and transaxle are not

engaged. The vehicle will roll freely

even on the slightest incline unless

the parking brake or service brakes

are applied.

D (Drive)

This is the normal forward driving

position. The transaxle will automati-

cally shift through a 6-gear

sequence, providing the best fuel

economy and power.

For extra power when passing anoth-

er vehicle or climbing grades,

depress the accelerator fully, at

which time the transaxle will auto-

matically downshift to the next lower

gear.

Sports mode

Whether the vehicle is stopped or in

motion, sports mode is selected by

pushing the shift lever from the D

(Drive) position into the manual gate.

To return to D (Drive) range opera-

tion, push the shift lever back into the

main gate.

In Sports mode, moving the shift

lever backwards and forwards will

allow you to shift gears rapidly. In

contrast to a manual transaxle, the

Sports mode allows gearshifts with

the accelerator pedal depressed.

CAUTION - Shifting

Always come to a complete stop

before shifting into or out of R

(Reverse); you may damage the

transaxle if you shift into R

(Reverse) while the vehicle is in

motion, except when “Rocking

the Vehicle” explained in this

section.

OUB051060

+ (UP)

- (DOWN)

Sports

mode

5 19

Driving your vehicle

Up (+) : Push the lever forward once

to shift up one gear.

Down (-) : Pull the lever backwards

once to shift down one

gear.

• In Sports mode, the driver must

execute upshifts in accordance

with road conditions, taking care to

keep the engine speed below the

red zone.

• In Sports mode, only the 6 forward

gears can be selected. To reverse

or park the vehicle, move the shift

lever to the R (Reverse) or P (Park)

position as required.

• In Sports mode, downshifts are

made automatically when the vehi-

cle slows down. When the vehicle

stops, 1st gear is automatically

selected.

• In Sports mode, when the engine

rpm approaches the red zone shift

points are varied to upshift auto-

matically.

• To maintain the required levels of

vehicle performance and safety,

the system may not execute cer-

tain gearshifts when the shift lever

is operated.

• When driving on a slippery road,

push the shift lever forward into the

+(up) position. This causes the

transaxle to shift into the 2nd gear

which is better for smooth driving

on a slippery road. Push the shift

lever to the -(down) side to shift

back to the 1st gear.

Paddle shifter (if equipped)

The paddle shifter is available when

the shift lever is in the sport mode.

With the shift lever in the sports mode

Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once

to shift up or down one gear.

✽✽

NOTICE

If you pull the [+] and [-] paddle

shifters at the same time, you can’t

shift the gear.

OUB052059

Driving your vehicle

205

Shift lock system (if equipped)

Shift-lock override (without smart key

system)

For your safety, the automatic

transaxle has a shift lock system

which prevents shifting the transaxle

out of P (Park) unless the brake

pedal is depressed.

To shift the transaxle from P (Park)

into R (Reverse):

1. Depress and hold the brake pedal.

2. Start the engine or turn the ignition

switch to the ON position.

3. Move the shift lever.

If the brake pedal is repeatedly

depressed and released with the

shift lever in the P (Park) position, a

chattering noise near the shift lever

may be heard. This is a normal con-

dition.

Shift-lock override (with smart key

system)

If the shift lever cannot be moved

from the P (Park) or N (Neutral) posi-

tion into the R (Reverse) position

with the brake pedal depressed, con-

tinue depressing the brake, then do

the following:

1.Carefully remove the cap covering

the shift-lock access hole (1).

2.Insert a screwdriver into the

access hole and press down on

the screwdriver.

3.Move the shift lever.

4.Have your vehicle inspected by an

authorized Kia dealer immediately.

WARNING - Shifting

from park

Always fully depress the brake

pedal before and while shifting

out of the P (Park) position into

another position to avoid inad-

vertent motion of the vehicle.

OUB053015

5 21

Driving your vehicle

Ignition key interlock system

(if equipped)

The ignition key cannot be removed

unless the shift lever is in the P

(Park) position.

Good driving practices

• Never move the shift lever from P

(Park) or N (Neutral) to any other

position with the accelerator pedal

depressed.

• Never move the shift lever into P

(Park) when the vehicle is in

motion.

• Slow down before shifting to a

lower gear. Otherwise, the lower

gear may not be engaged.

• Always use the parking brake. Do

not depend on placing the

transaxle in P (Park) to keep the

vehicle from moving.

• Optimum vehicle performance and

economy is obtained by smoothly

depressing and releasing the

accelerator pedal.

Driving up a steep grade from a

standing start

To drive up a steep grade from a

standing start, depress the brake

pedal, shift the shift lever to D

(Drive). Select the appropriate gear

depending on load weight and steep-

ness of the grade, and release the

parking brake. Depress the accelera-

tor gradually while releasing the

service brakes.

Driving your vehicle -> Automatic transaxle for Your Kia Rio 4 Door Third Generation (2011-2016)

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