KIA Sorento (2009) - Manual (Page 224)

Driving tips
18 5
Driving uphill
Once you decide you can safely drive up
the hill, you need to take some special
steps.
• Use a low gear and get a firm grip on
the steering wheel.
• Get a smooth start up the hill and try to
maintain your speed. Don’t use more
power than you need, because you
don’t want your wheels to start spin-
ning or sliding.
• Try to drive straight up the hill, if at all
possible. If the path twists and turns,
you may have to find another route.
• Slow down as you approach the top of
the hill.
• Attach a flag to the vehicle to make you
more visible to approaching traffic on
trails or hills.
• Sound the horn as you approach the
top of the hill to let opposing traffic
know you’re there.
• Use your headlights even during the
day. They make you more visible to
other drivers.
Stalling while driving uphill
What should I do if my vehicle stalls, or is
about to stall, and I can’t make it up the
hill?
If your vehicle stalls, or is about to stall
while driving uphill, there are some
things you should do, and there are some
things you must not do. First, here’s what
you should do:
• Push the brake pedal to stop the vehi-
cle and keep it from rolling backwards.
Also, apply the parking brake.
• If your engine is still running, shift the
transmission into reverse, release the
parking brake, and slowly back down
the hill in reverse.
• If your engine has stopped running,
you’ll need to restart it. With the brake
pedal depressed and the parking
brake still applied, shift a manual trans-
mission to N (Neutral), or an automatic
transmission to P (Park) and restart
the engine. Then, shift to reverse,
release the parking brake, and slowly
back down the hill in reverse.
• As you are backing down the hill, put
your left hand on the steering wheel at
the 12 o’clock position. This way, you’ll
be able to tell if your wheels are
straight or turned to the left or right as
you back down.
WARNING - Driving across
hills
Turning or driving across steep
hills can be dangerous. You could
lose traction, slide sideways, or just
reach an area too steep to traverse.
In any case, it could cause you to
roll over. You could be seriously or
fatally injured. When driving up
hills, always try to go as straight up
as possible.
WARNING - Driving over
hills
Driving to the top (crest) of a hill at
full speed can cause an accident
and result in serious or fatal injury.
There could be a drop-off, embank-
ment, cliff, another vehicle or peo-
ple sitting on the ground. As you
near the top of a hill, slow down and
stay alert.