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If the engine overheats

If your temperature gauge indicates overheating, you experience a loss of power, or hear loud pinging or knocking, the engine may be overheating. If this happens, you should:
1
Pull off the road and stop as soon as it is safe to do so.
2
Place the shift button in P (Park) and set the parking brake.
3
If the air conditioning is on, turn it off.
4
If engine coolant is running out under the vehicle or steam is coming out from underneath the hood, stop the engine. Do not open the hood until the coolant has stopped running or the steaming has stopped.
5
If there is no visible loss of engine coolant and no steam, leave the engine running and check to be sure the engine cooling fan is operating.
  1. If the fan is not running, turn the engine off.
    WARNING

    Under the hood

    While the engine is running, keep hair, hands and clothing away from moving parts, such as the fan and drive belts, to prevent injury.

6
Check to see if the water pump drive belt is missing.
  1. If it is not missing, check to see that it is tight.
  2. If the drive belt seems to be satisfactory, check for coolant leaking from the radiator, hoses or under the vehicle. (If the air conditioning had been in use, it is normal for cold water to be draining from it when you stop).
7
If the water pump drive belt is broken or engine coolant is leaking out, stop the engine immediately and call the nearest a professional workshop for assistance. Kia recommends to call an authorized Kia dealer/service partner.
WARNING

Never remove the engine coolant cap and/or inverter coolant cap or the drain plug while the engine and radiator are hot.

Hot coolant and steam may blow out under pressure, causing serious injury.

Turn the hybrid system off and wait until the engine cools down. Use extreme care when removing the engine coolant cap and/or inverter coolant cap. Wrap a thick towel around it, and turn it counterclockwise slowly to the first stop. Step back while the pressure is released from the cooling system. When you are sure all the pressure has been released, press down on the cap, using a thick towel, and continue turning counterclockwise to remove it.

8
If you cannot find the cause of the overheating, wait until the engine temperature has returned to normal. Then, if coolant has been lost, carefully add coolant to the reservoir to bring the fluid level in the reservoir up to the halfway mark.
9
Proceed with caution, keeping alert for further signs of overheating. If overheating happens again, call a professional workshop. Kia recommends to visit an authorized Kia dealer/service partner.
CAUTION

  • Serious loss of coolant indicates there is a leak in the cooling system and this should be checked as soon as possible by a professional workshop. Kia recommends to visit an authorized Kia dealer/service partner.

  • When the engine overheats from low engine coolant, suddenly adding engine coolant may cause cracks in the engine. To prevent damage, add engine coolant slowly in small quantities.