Precautions

WARNING

  • If the AWD warning light ( ) stays on the instrument cluster, your vehicle may have a malfunction with the AWD system. When the AWD warning light ( ) illuminates, have your vehicle checked by a professional workshop. Kia recommends visiting an authorized Kia dealer/service partner.

  • Do not drive in conditions that exceed the vehicles intended design such as challenging off-road conditions.

  • Avoid high speeds when cornering or turning.

  • Do not make quick steering wheel movements, such as sharp lane changes or fast, sharp turns.

  • The risk of a rollover is greatly increased if you lose control 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.

  • Exercise extreme caution driving up or down steep hills. The vehicle may flip depending on the grade, terrain and water/mud conditions.

  • Do not grab the inside of the steering wheel when you are driving off-road. You may hurt your arm by a sudden steering maneuver or from steering wheel rebound due to an impact with objects on the ground. You could lose control of the steering wheel which may lead to serious injury or death.

  • Do not use tire and wheel with different size and type from the one originally installed on your vehicle. It can affect the safety and performance of your vehicle, which could lead to steering failure or rollover causing serious injury.

  • Never start or run the vehicle while a AWD vehicle is raised on a jack.The vehicle can slip or roll off of a jack causing serious injury or death to you or those nearby.

  • Keep away from the front of the vehicle while the vehicle is in gear on the dynamometer. The vehicle can jump forward and cause serious injury or death.

CAUTION

Always drive slowly in water. If you drive too fast, water may get into the motor compartment, causing your vehicle to suddenly stop.

NOTE

  • Do not drive in water if the level is higher than the bottom of the vehicle.

  • 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 maintenance interval if you drive in off-road conditions such as sand, mud or water (refer to Maintenance schedule .)

  • Make sure that AWD vehicle is towed by a flatbed tow truck.

  • AWD vehicles could change the engagement status of the motor according to the situation required. Auto changing the driving mode (2WD/AWD) helps improve energy economy and driving stability.

  • When the vehicle is stuck in snow, sand or mud, place a non-slip material under the drive wheels to provide traction OR slowly spin the wheels in forward and reverse directions which causes a rocking motion that may free the vehicle.

  • When putting the tire chains to the tire, be sure to attach the chain to the two rear wheels. In this case, drive below 30 km/h (20 mph) and minimize the driving distance. High-speed or long-term driving with putting the tire chains may cause malfunction or damage to the four-wheel drive.

  • If tire chains must be used, use fabric snow chain and install the tire chain after reviewing the instructions provided with the tire chains.