Search by Title only
Home > Driving Your Vehicle > All Wheel Drive (AWD) System > For Safe All Wheel Drive (AWD) Operation

For Safe All Wheel Drive (AWD) Operation

NOTICE

AWD

The on-road or off-road conditions that dictate All Wheel Drive use expose your vehicle to extreme stress compared to normal road conditions. Slow down and be ready for changes in the composition and traction of the surface under your tires. If you have any doubt about the safety of the conditions you are driving on, stop and consider the best way to proceed.

  • Do not drive in deep standing water or mud since such conditions can stall your engine and clog your exhaust pipes. Do not drive down steep hills since it requires extreme skill to maintain control of your Kia.

  • When you are driving up or down hills drive as straight as possible. Use extreme caution in going up or down steep hills, since your vehicle may roll over depending on the grade, terrain, and water/mud conditions.

    WARNING

    Hills

    Traversing steep hills can be extremely dangerous. This danger can come from slight changes in the wheel angle which can destabilize your Kia. Even if your Kia is maintains stability under power, it can become unstable if your Kia stops its forward motion. Your vehicle may roll over without warning and without time for you to correct a mistake that could cause serious injury or death.

  • You must learn how to corner in a AWD vehicle. Do not rely on your experience in conventional Front Wheel Drive (FWD) vehicles when cornering your Kia in AWD mode. You must drive slower in AWD.

WARNING

AWD

Reduce speed when you turn corners. The center of gravity of AWD vehicles is higher than that of conventional FWD vehicles, making them more likely to roll over when you turn corners too fast.

WARNING

Steering Wheel

Do not grab the inside of the steering wheel when you are driving on unpaved roads. You may hurt your arm by a sudden steering maneuver or from steering wheel rebound due to impact with objects on the ground. You could lose control of the steering wheel.

  • Always hold the steering wheel firmly when you are driving on unpaved roads.

  • Make sure all passengers are wearing seat belts.

    WARNING

    Wind Danger

    If you are driving in heavy wind, your Kia's higher center of gravity decreases your steering control capacity and requires you to drive more slowly.

WARNING

Driving Through Water

Drive slowly. If you are driving too fast in water, the water can get into the engine compartment and wet the ignition system, causing your vehicle to suddenly stop. If this happens and your vehicle is in a tilted position, your vehicle may roll over.

NOTICE

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

  • Check your brake condition once you are out of mud or water. Press the brake pedal several times as you move slowly until you feel normal braking forces return.

  • Shorten your scheduled maintenance interval if you drive in offroad conditions such as sand, mud or water (refer to More Details). Always wash your vehicle thoroughly after off-road use, especially the underside of your Kia.

  • Since the driving torque is always applied to the 4 wheels, the performance of the AWD vehicle is greatly affected by the condition of the tires. Be sure to equip your Kia with four tires of the same size and type.

  • A full time AWD vehicle cannot be towed by an ordinary tow truck. Make sure that your Kia is placed on a flatbed truck for moving.

WARNING

AWD driving

  • Avoid high cornering speed.

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

  • The risk of rollover is greatly increased if you lose control of your vehicle at high speed.

  • In a collision, an unbelted person is significantly more likely to die compared to a person wearing a seat belt.

  • Loss of control often occurs if two or more wheels drop off the roadway and the driver over-steers to re-enter the roadway. If your vehicle leaves the roadway, do not steer sharply. Instead, slow down before pulling back into the travel lanes.

CAUTION

Mud or Snow

If one of the front or rear wheels begins to spin in mud, snow, etc., your Kia can sometimes be driven out by engaging the accelerator pedal further; however, avoid revving the engine continuously at high rpm because doing so could damage the AWD system.

Driving in Sand or Mud

  • Maintain slow and constant speed. Depress the accelerator pedal slowly to ensure safe driving (wheel-slip prevention).

  • Keep sufficient distance between your vehicle and your Kia in front of you.

  • Reduce speed and always check the road condition.

  • Avoid speeding, rapid acceleration, sudden brake application, and sharp turns to prevent getting stuck.

  • When your Kia is stuck in snow, sand or mud, the tires may not operate. This is to protect the transmission and not a malfunction.

NOTICE

Moving your Kia forcibly to get out of mud or sand can cause damages and overheat the engine or damage/breakdown the transmission, differential or AWD systems, as well as damage to the tires. If excessive wheel slip occurs after entering a sandy/muddy road, the vehicle may fall into the sand/mud. If this happens, put a stone or a tree branch under the tire, and then try to pull out the vehicle, or try to get it unstuck by repeatedly moving forwards and backwards.

Transmission Overheated

A: Transmission Hot! Park with engine on

A: Trans cooled. Resume driving.

  • When driving on extremely muddy and sandy roads, the transmission can overheat.

  • When the transmission overheated, the safe protection mode engages and the "Transmission Hot! Park with engine on" warning message will appear on the LCD display with a chime.

  • Pull over to a safe location, stop your Kia with the engine running, apply the brakes, shift your Kia to P (Park), and allow the transmission to cool.

  • If you ignore this warning, the driving condition may worsen. You may experience abrupt shifts, frequent shifts, or jerkiness. To return to the normal driving condition, stop your Kia by applying the brake, and shift into P (Park). Allow the transmission to cool for a few minutes with engine on, before driving off.

  • When the message "Trans cooled. Resume driving" appears, you can continue to drive your vehicle.

If the warning messages in the LCD display continue to blink, have the system checked by an authorized Kia dealer.

Tire Precautions

Always pay attention to tires for AWD vehicles.

When driving in all-wheel drive, driving force is applied to all tires and the driving performance of your Kia is greatly affected by the degree of tire wear:

  • When replacing tires, be sure to equip all four tires with the same size, type, tread, brand and load-carrying capacity. Do not use tires and wheels with different sizes and types 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.

  • Rotate the front and rear tire positions every 10,000 km (6,000 miles).

  • Each tire should be checked monthly when cold and inflated to inflation pressure recommended your Kia on your Kia placard or tire inflation pressure label.

  • For AWD vehicles, install the chains on the driven wheels. However, this may damage the AWD system, so keep the travel distance as short as possible.

Towing Precautions

AWD vehicle
FWD vehicle

An AWD vehicle should never be towed with the wheels on the ground. Your vehicle must be towed with a wheel lift and dollies or flatbed equipment with all the wheels off the ground.

* Refer to More Details.

CAUTION

The AWD vehicle cannot be towed with sling-type equipment. Use wheel lift or flatbed equipment.

WARNING

Your vehicle is equipped with tires designed to provide safe ride and handling capability. Do not use tires and wheels that are different in size and type from the originally installed ones. It can affect the safety and performance 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.

WARNING

Jacked Vehicle

While the full-time AWD vehicle is being raised on a jack, never start the engine or cause the tires to rotate.

There is a danger that rotating tires touching the ground could cause your Kia to move the jack and jump forward.

  • Full-time AWD vehicles must be tested on a special four-wheel chassis dynamometer.

    NOTICE

    Never engage the parking brake while performing these tests.

  • A full-time AWD vehicle should not be tested on a FWD roll tester. If a FWD roll tester must be used, perform the following:

[A]: Roll tester

[B]: Temporary free roller

  1. Check the tire pressures recommended for your vehicle.

  2. Place the driven wheels on the roll tester (A) for a speedometer test.

  3. Release the parking brake.

  4. Place the non-driven wheels on the temporary free roller (B).

WARNING

Dynamometer Testing

Keep away from the front of your Kia while the vehicle is in gear on the dynamometer. This is very dangerous as the vehicle can jump forward and cause serious injury or death.

CAUTION

  • When lifting up the vehicle, do not operate front and rear wheels separately. All four wheels should be operated.

  • If you need to operate the front wheel and rear wheel when lifting your Kia, you should release the parking brake.