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Automatic transmission operation

Select transmission positions by turning the dial SBW.

WARNING

To reduce the risk of serious injury or death:

  • ALWAYS check the surrounding areas near your vehicle for people, especially children, before shifting a vehicle into D (Drive) or R (Reverse).

  • Before leaving the driver's seat, always make sure the gear is in the P (Park) position, then set the parking brake, and place the ENGINE START/STOP button in the OFF position. Unexpected and sudden vehicle movement can occur if these precautions are not followed.

For your safety, always depress the brake pedal whilst shifting to another gear.

Transmission ranges

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 2 km/h (1 mph).

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) whilst 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 dial SBW to the [R] position whilst depressing the brake pedal.

When you move the gear dial to R (Reverse), it will vibrate. This is an intentional feature to prevent any confusion or mistakes when operating the gear dial.

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) whilst 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 dial SBW to the [N] position whilst 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.

D (Drive)

This is the normal driving position.

To shift to D (Drive), move the dial SBW to the D (Drive) position whilst 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.

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.

  1. Deactivate the AUTO HOLD and release the parking brake when the ENGINE START/STOP button is ON.

  2. Turn the 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 cannot keep the N position when the engine is off.

  3. 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, when the battery is discharged.

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

  1. 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.

  2. Release the parking brake with the ENGINE START/STOP button in the ON position.

  3. 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 whilst driving, if the ignition button has been turned "OFF", the electronic parking brake will be engaged automatically. Therefore, AUTO HOLD function should be turned off before the ignition button is turned off.

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 authorised Kia dealer/service partner.