Kia Sportage: For safe All Wheel Drive (AWD) operation
NOTICE
All Wheel Drive
The conditions of on-road or off-road
that demand All Wheel Drive mean all
functions of your vehicle are exposed to
extreme stress than under 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 facing, stop and consider
the best way to proceed.
- Do not try to 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 the vehicle.
![For safe All Wheel Drive (AWD) operation](images/books/1538/8/index.18.jpg)
- When you are driving up or down hills
drive as straight as possible. Use
extreme caution in going up or down
steep hills, since you may flip your
vehicle over depending on the grade,
terrain and water/mud conditions.
![For safe All Wheel Drive (AWD) operation](images/books/1538/8/index.19.jpg)
WARNING
Hills
Driving across the contour of steep hills
can be extremely dangerous. This danger
can come f r om slight changes in the
wheel angle which can destabilize the
vehicle or, even if the vehicle is maintaining
stability under power, it can lose
that stability if the vehicle 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 FWD vehicles
when cornering the vehicle in
AWD mode. For starters, you must
drive slower in AWD.
WARNING
All Wheel Drive (AWD)
Reduce speed when you turn corners.
The center of gravity of AWD vehicles is
higher than that of conventional FWD
vehicles, making t h em more likely to roll
over when you turn corners too fast.
![](images/books/1538/8/index.20.jpg)
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 f r om 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, the
vehicle'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 the vehicle.
- 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 off road conditions
such as sand, mud or water
(refer to "Normal maintenance schedule" and "Maintenance
under severe usage conditions". Always wash your vehicle
thoroughly after off-road use, especially
cleaning the bottom of the vehicle.
- 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 the vehicle with four
tires of the same size and type.
- A full time All Wheel Drive vehicle cannot
be towed by an ordinary tow
truck. Make sure that the vehicle is
placed on a flat bed truck for moving.
WARNING
All Wheel Drive (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. In the event 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. the vehicle can
sometimes be driven out by engaging
the accelerator pedal further; however
avoid running the engine continuously
at high rpm because doing so could
damage the AWD system.
Driving in sand or mud
- Maintain slow and constant speed.
Operate the accelerator pedal slowly
to ensure safe driving (wheel-slip prevention).
- Keep sufficient distance between your
vehicle and the vehicle in front of you.
- Reduce vehicle speed and always
check the road condition.
- Avoid speeding, rapid acceleration,
sudden brake applications, and sharp
turns to prevent getting stuck.
- When the vehicle is stuck in snow,
sand or mud, the tires may not operate.
- This is to protect the transmission and
not a malfunction.
NOTICE
Moving the vehicle forcibly to get out of
mud or sand can cause damage/overheat
of the engine or damage/breakdown
of the transmission, differential or
AWD system as well as damage to tires.
If excessive wheel slip occurs after
entering a sandy/muddy road, the vehicle
may fall into the sand/mud. When it
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.
READ NEXT:
Transmission Hot! Park with engine
on
Trans cooled. Resume driving
When driving on muddy and sandy
roads under the severe condition, the
transmission could be overheated.
Whe
Your vehicle has power-assisted brakes,
parking brake, and various braking systems
for safe driving.
Power brakes
Your vehicle has power-assisted brakes
that adjust automatically through normal
SEE MORE:
Description and Operation
Description
The 4WD ECU makes a Motor Pump (Actuator) turn round for generating an oil
pressure. And then it presses a multiple
disk clutch and transfers the generated torque into rear wheels. Its torque
value varies according to a pressure status.
Schematic
If the smart key does not operate normally,
you can lock or unlock the door
by using the mechanical key.
To remove the
mechanical key, press
and hold the release button (1) and
remove the mechanical key (2).
To reinstall the mechanical key, put the
key into the hole and push it until a