Kia Sportage Hybrid 2024 Owner's Manual page 236

Driving your vehicle
Parking on hills
Generally, if you have a trailer attached
to your vehicle, you should 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 unex -
pectedly roll down hill.
However, if you ever have to park your
trailer on a hill, here's how to do it:
1. Pull the vehicle into the parking space.
Turn the steering wheel in the direc -
tion of the kerb (left if headed down
hill, right if headed up hill).
2. Set the parking brake and shut off the
vehicle.
3. Place chocks under the trailer wheels
on the down hill 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. Reapply the brakes, reapply the park -
ing brake.
6. Shut off the vehicle and release the
vehicle brakes but leave the parking
brake set.
WARNING
僅 Parking your vehicle on a hill with a
trailer attached could cause serious
injury or death, should the trailer
break loose.
僅 It can be dangerous to get out of your
vehicle if the parking brake is not
firmly set. If you have left the engine
running, the vehicle can move sud -
denly. You or others could be seri -
ously or fatally injured.
6 40
When you are ready to leave
after parking on a hill
1. Apply your brakes and hold the brake
pedal down whilst you:
僅 Start your engine;
僅 Shift into gear; and
僅 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.
Maintenance when trailer towing
Your vehicle will need service more
often when you regularly pull a trailer.
Important items to pay particular atten -
tion to include engine oil, axle lubricant
and cooling system fluid. Brake condi -
tion is another important item to fre -
quently check. Each item is covered in
this manual, and the Index will help you
find them quickly. If you're trailering, it's
a good idea to review these sections
before you start your trip.
Don't forget to also maintain your trailer
and hitch. Follow the maintenance
schedule that accompanied your trailer
and check it periodically. Preferably,
conduct the check at the start of each
day's driving. Most importantly, all hitch
nuts and bolts should be tight.
CAUTION
僅 Due to higher load during trailer
usage, overheating might occur in hot
days or during uphill driving. If the
coolant gauge indicates overheating,
switch off the A/C and stop the vehi -
cle in a safe area to cool down the
engine.
Trailer towing