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 while shifting to another gear.

LCD display for warning message

A warning message is displayed on the LCD in a warning condition.

Transmission overheated

A:Transmission Hot! Park with engine on

When driving under severe conditions such as repeated sudden starts and sudden acceleration, the transmission may overheat, and a warning sound and a warning message appear on the instrument cluster due to the self-protection mode.
If this occurs, pull over to a safe location, stop the vehicle with the engine running, apply brakes and shift the gear to P (Park), and allow the transmission to cool.
If the warning message continues to appear, have the system checked by a professional workshop. Kia recommends to visit an authorized Kia dealer to prevent unexpected accidents.

Vehicle power limited

A:Vehicle Power limited due to high transmission temperature

If the transmission continues to drive overheating and reaches its maximum temperature, the above warning message appears. In this case, the vehicle limits transmission power by its self protection mode.
When such a situation occurs, normal driving is restricted until the transmission goes down to normal temperature, so after moving the vehicle to a safe place, shift the gear to P (Park) with the engine running and wait several minutes until the warning on the screen disappears.
If the warning message continues to appear, have the system checked by a professional workshop. Kia recommends to visit an authorized Kia dealer to prevent unexpected accidents.

Transmission cooled

A: Trans cooled. Resume driving.

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

Transmission ranges

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 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 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.

D (Drive)

This is the normal driving position.

To shift to D (Drive), move the 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.

Stay in N (Neutral) position when vehicle is Off

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

Deactivate the AUTO HOLD and release the parking brake when the ENGINE START/STOP button is ON.
Push the N(Neutral) button 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.
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 button, when the battery is discharged.

In emergencies, do the following to move the shift button 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 refer to More Details.

CAUTION

With the exception of parking in neutral gear, always park the vehicle in "P" (Park) for safety and engage the parking brake.
Before parking in "N" (Neutral) gear, first make sure the parking ground is level and flat. Do not park in "N" gear on any slopes or gradients.

If parked and 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 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.

Paddle shifter

The paddle shift function is available when the dial SBW is in the D (Drive) position.

With the dial SBW in the D position

The paddle shifter will operate when the vehicle speed is more than 10 km/h.

Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once to shift up or down one gear and the system changes from automatic mode to manual mode.

When the vehicle speed is lower than 10 km/h, if you depress the accelerator pedal for more than 5 seconds, the system changes from manual mode to automatic mode.

NOTICE

If you pull the [+] and [-] paddle shifters at the same time, you cannot shift the gear.

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 dial SBW to the R (Reverse) or D (Drive) position.

NOTICE

For your safety, you cannot shift the gear while the charging cable is connected.

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 a professional workshop. Kia recommends to visit an authorized Kia dealer/service partner.