Driving with a trailer

Towing a trailer requires a certain amount of experience. Before setting out for the open road, you must be familiar with your trailer. Acquaint yourself with the feel of handling and braking with the added weight of the trailer. Always keep in mind that the vehicle you are driving is now longer and not nearly so responsive as your vehicle is by itself.

Before you drive, check the trailer hitch and platform, safety chains, electrical connector(s), lights, tires and mirror adjustment. If the trailer has electric brakes, move your vehicle and trailer and apply the trailer brake controller by hand to be sure the brakes are working. This lets you check your electrical connection at the same time.

During your trip, occasionally check to be sure that the load is secure and that the lights and trailer brakes are working.

Following distance

Stay at least twice as far behind the vehicle ahead as you would when driving without a trailer. This can help you avoid situations that require heavy braking and sudden turns.

Passing

You'll need more passing distance when you're towing a trailer. Because of the increased vehicle length, you'll need to go much farther beyond the passed vehicle before you can return to your lane.

Backing up

Hold the bottom of the steering wheel with one hand. To move the trailer to the left, move your hand to the left. To move the trailer to the right, move your hand to the right. Always back up slowly and, if possible, have someone guide you.

Making turns

When you're turning with a trailer, make wider turns than normal. Do this so your trailer won't strike soft shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees or other objects. Avoid jerky or sudden maneuvers. Signal well in advance.

Turn signals when towing a trailer

When you tow a trailer, your vehicle must have a different turn signal flasher and extra wiring. The green arrows on your instrument panel will flash whenever you signal a turn or lane change. Properly connected, the trailer lights will also flash to alert other drivers you're about to turn, change lanes, or stop.

When towing a trailer, the green arrows on your instrument panel will flash for turns even if the bulbs on the trailer are burned out. You may think drivers behind you are seeing your signals when they are not. It’s important to check occasionally to be sure the trailer bulbs are still working. You must also check the lights every time you disconnect and reconnect the wires.

Do not connect a trailer’s lighting system directly to your vehicle’s lighting system. Only use an approved trailer wiring harness.

Visit an authorized Kia dealer to install the wiring harness.

Visit an authorized Kia dealer.

WARNING

Failure to use an approved trailer wiring harness could result in damage to your vehicle’s electrical system or personal injury.

Detection of trailer light connection

Your vehicle can only detect when a trailer light is connected when you use genuine accessories (tow bar and wiring harness) that recognize when a trailer is connected and consequently inform your vehicle’s systems. When you plug in a trailer socket, either engage the brake pedal or activate the turn signal lights. The electronic control unit detects the trailer because of the power consumption by the trailer lighting and informs your vehicle’s systems. When you disconnect the trailer, engage the brake pedal again or activate the turn signal lights so that the control unit can detect that there is no more power consumption anymore by the trailer lighting. The assistance systems that were turned off automatically turn back on.

It is your responsibility to ensure that all electrical connections are working and all trailer lights are operating before and during towing. You must perform manual checks.

CAUTION

Use only genuine electrical connections. Do not attempt to arbitrarily splice or directly connect the trailer wiring using any other methods. Doing so may damage the vehicle’s electrical system, resulting in malfunctions.

Driving on grades

Reduce the speed and shift to a lower gear before you start down a long or steep downgrade. If you don't downshift, you might have to use your brakes so much that they will get hot and no longer operate efficiently.

On a long uphill grade, downshift and reduce your speed to around 45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce the possibility of high-voltage battery and gear overheating.

CAUTION

  • To prevent motor overheating: If you tow a trailer with the maximum gross vehicle weight and maximum trailer weight, it can cause the motor to overheat. When driving in such conditions, stop the vehicle until it cools down. You may proceed once the motor has cooled sufficiently. When towing a trailer, your vehicle speed may be much slower than the general flow of traffic, especially when climbing an uphill grade. Use the outer lane when towing a trailer on an uphill grade. Choose your vehicle speed according to the maximum posted speed limit for vehicles with trailers, the steepness of the grade, and your trailer weight.

  • Choose your driving speed depending on trailer weight and uphill grade to reduce the possibility of high-voltage battery and gear overheating.

Parking on hills

If you have a trailer attached, do not park your vehicle on a hill. People can be seriously or fatally injured, and both your vehicle and the trailer can be damaged if it unexpectedly rolls downhill.

WARNING

Parking on a Hill

Parking your vehicle on a hill when you have a trailer attached could cause serious injury or death should the trailer break loose.

If you must park your trailer on a hill:

  1. Pull the vehicle into the parking space. Turn the steering wheel in the direction of the curb (right if headed down hill, left if headed up hill).

  2. Set the parking brake and shut off the vehicle.

  3. Place chocks under the trailer wheels on the downhill side of the wheels.

  4. Start the vehicle, hold the brakes, shift to neutral, release the parking brake and slowly release the brakes until the trailer chocks absorb the load.

  5. Depress the brakes and reapply the parking brake.

  6. Shut off the vehicle and release the vehicle brakes but leave the parking brake set.

WARNING

Parking Brake

It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle if the parking brake is not firmly applied.

If you have left the vehicle running, the vehicle can move suddenly. You or others could be seriously or fatally injured.

When you are ready to leave after parking on a hill

  1. Engage the brake pedal and hold it down while you:

    • Start your vehicle;

    • Shift into gear; and

    • Release the parking brake.

  2. Slowly remove your foot from the brake pedal.

  3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.

  4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.