Transmission position

Type A

Type B

The indicator in the instrument cluster displays the transmission position when the ENGINE START/STOP button is in the ON position.

P (Park)

Always come to a complete stop before shifting into P (Park).

To shift the gear from R (Reverse), N (Neutral) or D (Drive) to P (Park), press the [P] button.

If you turn off the vehicle in D (Drive), N (Neutral) or R (Reverse), the gear automatically shifts to P (Park).

With the vehicle on, the gear automatically shifts to P (Park) if you open the driver's door when the gear is in N (Neutral), R (Reverse) or D (Drive) and the following conditions are met:

The brake/accelerator pedal is not depressed.
The seat belt is unfastened.
The vehicle speed is below 1 mph (2 km/h).

When the vehicle is over a certain speed, the gear does not shift to P (Park) when the P button is pressed.

WARNING

Shifting into P (Park) while the vehicle is in motion may cause you to lose control of the vehicle.
After the vehicle has stopped, always make sure the gear is in P (Park), apply the parking brake, and turn the vehicle off.
Do not use the P (Park) position in place of the parking brake.

R (Reverse)

Use this position to drive the vehicle backward.

To shift to R (Reverse), turn the shift dial SBW to the [R] position while depressing the brake pedal.

CAUTION

Shifting

Always come to a complete stop before shifting into or out of R (Reverse); you may damage the transmission if you shift into R (Reverse) while the vehicle is in motion, except on "Rocking the vehicle" ( More Details).

N (Neutral)

The wheels and gear are not engaged.

To shift to N (Neutral), turn the shift dial SBW to the [N] position while depressing the brake pedal.

Always depress the brake pedal when you are shifting from N (Neutral) to another gear.

In N (Neutral), if the driver attempts to turn off the vehicle, the vehicle is turned OFF and shifted to the P (Park) position automatically.

Stay in N (Neutral) position when engine is Off

If you want to keep the N (Neutral) position after the engine is OFF, do the following.

Deactivate the AUTO HOLD and release the parking brake when the ENGINE START/STOP button is ON.
Turn the shift dial SBW to the N (Neutral) position by depressing the brake pedal. If the message ("Press and hold OK button to stay in Neutral when vehicle is Off") appears on the cluster LCD display, press and hold the OK button on the steering wheel for more than 1 second. After the message is disappeared, the vehicle will keep the N position when the engine is off.
Turn off the engine after the message ("Vehicle will stay in (N). Change gear to cancel") appears on the cluster LCD display.

In this situation, if you unfasten the driver's seat belt and open the driver's door within 3 minutes, the gear shifts to P (Park) position and the ENGINE START/STOP button is turned off.

When the battery is discharged:

You cannot shift the shift dial SBW, when the battery is discharged.

In emergencies, do the following to move the shift dial SBW to N (Neutral) on a level ground.

Connect the battery cables from another vehicle or from a another battery to the jump-starting terminals inside the engine compartment. For more details, refer to More Details.
Release the parking brake with the ENGINE START/STOP button in the ON position.
Shift the gear to the N (Neutral) position. If you want to keep the N position after the engine is off, disconnect the battery from vehicle or refer to More Details.

CAUTION

Always park the vehicle in "P"(Park) for safety and engage the parking brake. If left in "N", the vehicle may move and cause serious damage and injury.
After the ENGINE START/STOP button has been turned off, the electronic parking brake cannot be disengaged.
For EPB (Electronic Parking Brake) equipped vehicles with AUTO HOLD function used while driving, if the ENGINE START/STOP button has been turned "OFF", the electronic parking brake will be engaged automatically. Therefore, AUTO HOLD function should be turned off before the ENGINE START/STOP button is turned off.

D (Drive)

This is the normal driving position.

To shift to D (Drive), move the shift dial SBW to the D (Drive) position while depressing the brake pedal.

In D (Drive), if the driver attempts to turn off the vehicle, the vehicle is turned OFF and shifted to the P (Park) position automatically.

Shift-lock system

For your safety, your vehicle has a shift-lock system which prevents shifting the gear from P (Park) or N (Neutral) into R (Reverse) or D (Drive) unless the brake pedal is depressed.

To shift from P (Park) or N (Neutral) into R (Reverse) or D (Drive), from R (Reverse) into D (Drive) or from D (Drive) into R (Reverse):

Depress and hold the brake pedal.
Start the vehicle or place the ENGINE START/STOP button in the ON position.
Turn the shift dial SBW to the R (Reverse) or D (Drive) position.

LCD display messages

If a message appears on the LCD display, refer to the next section for the appropriate steps to take.

Shifting conditions not met

The message appears on the LCD display in the following conditions:

When driving speed is too fast to shift the gear. Decrease the vehicle speed or slow down before shifting the gear.

Press brake pedal to change gear

The message appears on the LCD display, when the brake pedal is not depressed while shifting the gear.

Depress the brake pedal and then shift the gear.

Shift to P

The message appears on the LCD display when the gear is shifted to P (Park) while the vehicle is moving.

Stop the vehicle before shifting to P (Park).

Gear already selected

The message appears on the LCD display when the P gear is selected again or the gear is overheated.

PARK malfunction. Engage parking brake when parking vehicle

The message is displayed when there is a problem with function engaging P (Park) position.

Immediately have the vehicle inspected by an authorized Kia dealer.

Check P button

The message appears on the LCD display when there is problem with the P button.

Immediately have the vehicle inspected by an authorized Kia dealer.

Check shift dial SBW

The message appears on the LCD display when there is problem with the shift dial SBW.

Immediately have the vehicle inspected by an authorized Kia dealer

Rotary shifter stuck

The message appears on the LCD display when the shift dial SBW is continuously stuck or there is problem with the shift dial SBW.

Make sure that there is no object around the shift dial SBW. If the problem persists, immediately have the vehicle inspected by an authorized Kia dealer.

When the battery (12 V) is discharged

You cannot shift the gear when the battery is discharged.

Jump start your vehicle (refer to More Details) or contact an authorized Kia dealer.