Get Driving your vehicle -> Special driving conditions Guide for Kia Sportage SUV Third Generation (2011-2016)

Driving your vehicle

SPECIAL DRIVING CONDITIONS

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• If stalled in snow, mud, or sand, use

second gear. Accelerate slowly to

avoid spinning the drive wheels.

• Use sand, rock salt, or other non-slip

material under the drive wheels to pro-

vide traction when stalled in ice, snow,

or mud.

Hazardous driving conditions

Reducing the risk of a rollover

When hazardous driving conditions are

encountered such as water, snow, ice,

mud, sand, or similar hazards, follow

these suggestions:

• Drive cautiously and allow extra dis-

tance for braking.

This multi-purpose passenger vehicle is

defined as a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV).

SUV’s have higher ground clearance and

a narrower track to make them capable

of performing in a wide variety of off-road

applications. Specific design characteris-

tics give them a higher center of gravity

than ordinary vehicles. An advantage of

the higher ground clearance is a better

view of the road, which allows you to

anticipate problems. They are not

designed for cornering at the same

speeds as conventional passenger vehi-

cles, any more than low-slung sports

vehicles are designed to perform satis-

factorily in off-road conditions. Due to this

risk, driver and passengers are strongly

recommended to buckle their seat belts.

In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is

more likely to die than a person wearing

a seat belt. There are steps that a driver

can make to reduce the risk of a rollover.

If at all possible, avoid sharp turns or

abrupt maneuvers, do not load your roof

rack with heavy cargo, and never modify

your vehicle in any way.

• Avoid sudden braking or steering.

WARNING - Downshifting

• When braking with non-ABS brakes

pump the brake pedal with a light up-

and-down motion until the vehicle is

stopped.

Downshifting with an automatic

transaxle, while driving on slippery

surfaces can cause an accident.

The sudden change in tire speed

could cause the tires to skid. Be

careful when downshifting on slip-

pery surfaces.

WARNING - ABS

Do not pump the brake pedal on a

vehicle equipped with ABS.

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Driving your vehicle

E170600AHM

E110200AAM-EU

Rocking the vehicle

WARNING - Rollover

As with other Sports Utility Vehicle

(SUV), failure to operate this vehi-

cle correctly may result in loss of

control, an accident or vehicle

rollover.

• Utility vehicles have a significant-

ly higher rollover rate than other

types of vehicles.

• Specific design characteristics

(higher ground clearance, nar-

rower track, etc.) give this vehicle

a higher center of gravity than

ordinary vehicles.

• A SUV is not designed for corner-

ing at the same speeds as con-

ventional vehicles.

WARNING

If it is necessary to rock the vehicle to free

it from snow, sand, or mud, first turn the

steering wheel right and left to clear the

area around your front wheels.Then, shift

back and forth between 1st (First) and R

(Reverse) in vehicles equipped with a

manual transaxle or R (Reverse) and any

forward gear in vehicles equipped with an

automatic transaxle. Do not race the

engine, and spin the wheels as little as

possible. If you are still stuck after a few

tries, have the vehicle pulled out by a tow

vehicle to avoid engine overheating and

possible damage to the transaxle.

Your vehicle is equipped with tires

designed to provide safe ride and

handling capability. Do not use a

size and type of tire and wheel that

is different from the one that is

originally installed on your vehicle.

It can affect the safety and perform-

ance of your vehicle, which could

lead to steering failure or rollover

and serious injury. 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. If you never-

theless decide to equip your vehi-

cle with any tire/wheel combination

not recommended by Kia for off

road driving, you should not use

these tires for highway driving.

CAUTION

Prolonged rocking may cause

engine overheating, transaxle dam-

age or failure, and tire damage.

• Avoid sharp turns or abrupt

maneuvers.

• In a rollover crash, an unbelted

person is significantly more like-

ly to die than a person wearing a

seat belt. Make sure everyone in

the vehicle is properly buckled

up.

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Driving your vehicle

WARNING - Spinning tires

Do not spin the wheels, especially

at speeds more than 56 km/h (35

mph). Spinning the wheels at high

speeds when the vehicle is station-

ary could cause a tire to overheat

which could result in tire damage

that may injure bystanders.

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NOTICE

The ESC system (if equipped) should be

turned OFF prior to rocking the vehicle.

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E110300AUN

E110400AUN

Smooth cornering

Driving at night

Avoid braking or gear changing in cor-

ners, especially when roads are wet.

Ideally, corners should always be taken

under gentle acceleration. If you follow

these suggestions, tire wear will be held

to a minimum.

Because night driving presents more

hazards than driving in the daylight, here

are some important tips to remember:

• Slow down and keep more distance

between you and other vehicles, as it

may be more difficult to see at night,

especially in areas where there may

not be any street lights.

WARNING

If your vehicle becomes stuck in

snow, mud, sand, etc., then you

may attempt to rock the vehicle free

by moving it forward and backward.

Do not attempt this procedure if

people or objects are anywhere

near the vehicle. During the rocking

operation the vehicle may suddenly

move forward of backward as it

becomes unstuck, causing injury

or damage to nearby people or

objects.

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Driving your vehicle

• Adjust your mirrors to reduce the glare

from other driver's headlights.

• If your tires are not in good condition,

making a quick stop on wet pavement

can cause a skid and possibly lead to

an accident. Be sure your tires are in

good shape.

• Turn on your headlights to make it eas-

ier for others to see you.

• Driving too fast through large puddles

can affect your brakes. If you must go

through puddles, try to drive through

them slowly.

• If you believe you may have gotten

your brakes wet, apply them lightly

while driving until normal braking oper-

ation returns.

• Keep your headlights clean and prop-

erly aimed on vehicles not equipped

with the automatic headlight aiming

feature. Dirty or improperly aimed

headlights will make it much more diffi-

cult to see at night.

• Avoid staring directly at the headlights

of oncoming vehicles. You could be

temporarily blinded, and it will take

several seconds for your eyes to read-

just to the darkness.

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Driving in the rain

Rain and wet roads can make driving

dangerous, especially if you’re not pre-

pared for the slick pavement. Here are a

few things to consider when driving in the

rain:

• A heavy rainfall will make it harder to

see and will increase the distance

needed to stop your vehicle, so slow

down.

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Driving in flooded areas

Avoid driving through flooded areas

unless you are sure the water is no high-

er than the bottom of the wheel hub.

Drive through any water slowly. Allow

adequate stopping distance because

brake performance may be affected.

• Keep your windshield wiping equip-

ment in good shape. Replace your

windshield wiper blades when they

show signs of streaking or missing

areas on the windshield.

After driving through water, dry the

brakes by gently applying them several

times while the vehicle is moving slowly.

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Driving your vehicle

E110700AHM

Highway driving

Tires

Adjust the tire inflation pressures to

specification. Low tire inflation pressures

will result in overheating and possible

failure of the tires.

Fuel, engine coolant and engine oil

WARNING

High speed travel consumes more fuel

than urban motoring. Do not forget to

check both the engine coolant and

engine oil.

• Underinflated or overinflated

tires can cause poor handling,

loss of vehicle control, and sud-

den tire failure leading to acci-

dents, injuries, and even death.

Always check tires for proper

inflation before driving. For prop-

er tire pressures, refer to “Tires

and wheels” in section 8.

Drive belt

A loose or damaged drive belt may result

in overheating of the engine.

Avoid using worn or damaged tires which

may result in reduced traction or tire fail-

ure.

• Driving on tires with no or insuffi-

cient tread is dangerous. Worn-

out tires can result in loss of

vehicle control, collisions, injury,

and even death. Worn-out tires

should be replaced as soon as

possible and should never be

used for driving. Always check

the tire tread before driving your

car. For further information and

tread limits, refer to “Tires and

wheels” in section 7.

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NOTICE

Never exceed the maximum tire inflation

pressure shown on the tires.

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Driving your vehicle -> Special driving conditions for Your Kia Sportage SUV Third Generation (2011-2016)

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