Get Driving your vehicle -> Automatic transmission Guide for Kia Sportage SUV 2020

Driving your vehicle

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

Automatic transmission opera-

tion

The automatic transmission has 6

forward speeds and one reverse

speed. The individual speeds are

selected automatically, depending on

the position of the shift lever.

✽

NOTICE

The first few shifts on a new vehicle,

if the battery has been disconnected,

may be somewhat abrupt. This is a

normal condition, and the shifting

sequence will adjust after shifts are

cycled a few times by the TCM

(Transmission Control Module) or

PCM (Powertrain Control Module).

+ (UP)

- (DOWN)

Depress the brake pedal and the lock release button when shifting.

Press the lock release button when shifting.

The shift lever can be shifted freely.

OQL055007

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Driving your vehicle

For smooth operation, depress the

brake pedal and the lock release but-

ton when shifting from N (Neutral) to

a forward or reverse gear.

Transmission ranges

CAUTION - Transmission

The indicator in the instrument clus-

ter displays the shift lever position

when the ignition switch is in the ON

position.

To avoid damage to your trans-

mission, do not accelerate the

engine in R (Reverse) or any for-

ward gear position with the

brakes on.The transmission may

be damaged if you shift into P

(Park) while the vehicle is in

motion.

WARNING - Leaving

Vehicle

P (Park)

Always come to a complete stop

before shifting into P (Park). This

position locks the transmission and

prevents the drive wheels from rotat-

ing.

Shifting into P (Park) while the vehi-

cle is in motion will cause the drive

wheels to lock which will cause you

to lose control of the vehicle.

Before leaving the driver’s seat,

always make sure the shift lever

is in the P (Park) position; then

set the parking brake fully and

shut the engine off. Do not use

the P position in place of the

parking brake. Always make

sure the shift lever is locked in

the P position and set the park-

ing brake fully. Unexpected and

sudden vehicle movement can

occur if these precautions are

not followed.

When stopped on an incline, do not

hold the vehicle with the engine

power. Use the service brake or the

parking brake.

R (Reverse)

Use this position to drive the vehicle

backward.

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Driving your vehicle

N (Neutral)

- Parking in N (Neutral) gear

CAUTION - Shifting

The wheels and transmission are not

engaged. The vehicle will roll freely

even on the slightest incline unless

the parking brake or service brakes

are applied.

Follow below steps when parking

and you want the vehicle to move

when pushed.

1. After parking your vehicle,

depress the brake pedal and move

the shift lever to [P] with the igni-

tion button in [ON] or while the

engine is running.

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 when “Rocking

the vehicle” explained in this

chapter.

2. If the parking brake is applied

unlock the parking brake.

- For EPB (Electronic Parking

Brake) equipped vehicles, push

the brake pedal with the ignition

button in [ON] or while the engine

is running to disengage the park-

ing brake. If [AUTO HOLD] func-

tion is used while driving (If

[AUTO HOLD] indicator is on in

the cluster), press [AUTO HOLD]

switch and [AUTO HOLD] func-

tion should be turn off.

WARNING

ALWAYS check the surrounding

areas near your vehicle for peo-

ple, especially children, before

shifting a vehicle into D (Drive)

or R (Reverse).

3. While pressing the brake pedal,

turn the ignition button [OFF].

- For smart key equipped vehicles,

the ignition switch can be moved

to [OFF] only when the shift lever

is in [P].

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Driving your vehicle

D (Drive)

4. Change the gear shift lever to [N]

(Neutral) while pressing the brake

pedal and pushing [SHIFT LOCK

RELEASE] button or inserting,

pressing down a tool (e.g. flathead

screw-driver) into the [SHIFT

LOCK RELEASE] access hole at

the same time. Then, the vehicle

will move when external force is

applied.

This is the normal forward driving

position. The transmission will auto-

matically shift through a 6-gear

sequence, providing the best fuel

economy and power.

+ (UP)

Manual

mode

For extra power when passing anoth-

er vehicle or climbing grades,

depress the accelerator fully, at

which time the transmission will

automatically downshift to the next

lower gear.

- (DOWN)

OQL055009

WARNING - Parking In

Neutral

Manual mode

Whether the vehicle is stationary or

in motion, manual mode is selected

by pushing the shift lever from the D

(Drive) position into the manual gate.

To return to D (Drive) range opera-

tion, push the shift lever back into the

main gate.

• With the exception of parking

in neutral gear, always park

the vehicle in [P] (Park) for

safety and apply the parking

brake.

• Before parking in [N] (Neutral)

gear, 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 or

injury.

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Driving your vehicle

In manual mode, moving the shift • In manual mode, downshifts are Paddle shifter (if equipped)

lever backwards and forwards will

allow you to make gearshifts rapidly.

Up (+) : Push the lever forward once

to shift up one gear.

made automatically when the vehi-

cle slows down. When the vehicle

stops, 1st gear is automatically

selected.

Down (-) : Pull the lever backwards • In manual mode, when the engine

once to shift down one

gear.

rpm approaches the red zone shift

points are varied to upshift auto-

matically.

• To maintain the required levels of

vehicle performance and safety,

the system may not execute cer-

tain gearshifts when the shift lever

is operated.

• When driving on a slippery road,

push the shift lever forward into the

+(up) position. This causes the

transmission to shift into the 2nd

gear which is better for smooth

driving on a slippery road. Push

the shift lever to the -(down) side to

shift back to the 1st gear.

• In manual mode, the driver must

execute upshifts in accordance

with road conditions, taking care to

keep the engine speed below the

red zone.

• In manual mode, only the 6 forward

gears can be selected. To reverse

or park the vehicle, move the shift

lever to the R (Reverse) or P (Park)

position as required.

OQL058010

The paddle shifter is available when

the shift lever is in the D position or

the manual mode.

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Driving your vehicle

With the shift lever in the D position

The paddle shifter will operate when

the vehicle speed is more than

6.2mph(10km/h).

Shift lock system

WARNING - Shifting from

park

For your safety, the automatic trans-

mission has a shift lock system

which prevents shifting the transmis-

sion from P (Park) into R (Reverse)

unless the brake pedal is depressed.

To shift the transmission from P

(Park) into R (Reverse):

1.Depress and hold the brake pedal.

2.Start the engine or turn the ignition

switch to the ON position.

Always fully depress the brake

pedal before and while shifting

out of the P (Park) position into

another position to avoid inad-

vertent motion of the vehicle

which could injure persons in

or around the vehicle.

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

6.2mph(10km/h), if you depress the

accelerator pedal for more than 5

seconds or if you shift the shift lever

from D (Drive) to manual mode and

shift it from manual mode to D (Drive)

again, the system changes from

manual mode to automatic mode.

3.Move the shift lever.

If the brake pedal is repeatedly

depressed and released with the

shift lever in the P (Park) position, a

chattering noise & vibration near the

shift lever may be heard. It is a nor-

mal condition.

With the shift lever in the manual mode

Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once

to shift up or down one gear.

✽

NOTICE

If you pull the [+] and [-] paddle

shifters at the same time, you cannot

shift the gear.

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Driving your vehicle

5. Move the shift lever.

Ignition key interlock system

6. Remove the tool from the shiftlock The ignition key cannot be removed

override access hole then install unless the shift lever is in the P

the cap.

(Park) position. Even if the ignition

switch is in the LOCK position, the

key cannot be removed.

If your vehicle is equipped with

ENGINE START/STOP button, the

button will not change to the OFF

position unless the shift lever is in the

P (Park) position.

7.We recommend that the system be

inspected by an authorized Kia

dealer.

OQLE055008

Shift-lock override

If the shift lever cannot be moved

from the P (Park) position into R

(Reverse) position with the brake

pedal depressed, continue depress-

ing the brake, then do the following:

1. Place the ignition switch in the

LOCK/OFF position.

2. Apply the parking brake.

3. Carefully remove the cap (1) cov-

ering the shift-lock release access

hole.

4. Insert a tool (e.g. flathead screw-

driver) into the access hole and

press down on the tool.

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Driving your vehicle

Driving up a steep grade from a

standing start

Good driving practices

• Never move the gear shift lever

from P (Park) to any other position

with the accelerator pedal

depressed.

• Never move the gear shift lever into

P (Park) when the vehicle is in

motion.

• Slow down before shifting to a

lower gear. Otherwise, the lower

gear may not be engaged.

• Always use the parking brake. Do

not depend on placing the trans-

mission in P (Park) to keep the

vehicle from moving.

To drive up a steep grade from a

standing start, depress the brake

pedal, shift the shift lever to D

(Drive). Select the appropriate gear

depending on load weight and steep-

ness of the grade, and release the

parking brake. Depress the accelera-

tor gradually while releasing the

service brakes.

When accelerating from a stop on

a steep hill, the vehicle may have a

tendency to roll backwards.

Shifting the shift lever into 2

(Second Gear) will help prevent

the vehicle from rolling back-

wards.

• Optimum vehicle performance and

economy is obtained by smoothly

depressing and releasing the

accelerator pedal.

✽

NOTICE - Kickdown

Mechanism

Use the kickdown mechanism for

maximum acceleration. Depress the

accelerator pedal beyond the pres-

sure point. The automatic transmis-

sion will shift to a lower gear

depending on the engine speed.

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Driving your vehicle -> Automatic transmission for Your Kia Sportage SUV 2020

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