Kia Stinger: Automatic transmission (shift-by-wire) / Automatic transmission operation

The automatic transmission has 8 forward speeds and one reverse speed.

The individual speeds are selected automatically in the D (Drive) position.

WARNING

To reduce the risk of serious injury or death:

• ALWAYS check the surrounding areas near your vehicle for people, especially children, before shifting a vehicle into D (Drive) or R (Reverse).
• Before leaving the driver’s seat, always make sure the shift lever is in the P (Park) position, then set the parking brake, and place the engine start/stop button in the OFF position. Unexpected and sudden vehicle movement can occur if these precautions are not followed.
• Do not use engine braking (rapidly shifting from a high gear to lower gear) on slippery roads. The vehicle may slip causing an accident.

Transmission ranges

The indicator in the instrument cluster displays the shift lever position when the engine start/stop button is in the ON position.

However, if the gear is in N (Neutral) or P (Park), the position is displayed on the instrument cluster when the engine start/stop button is in the OFF or ACC position.

CAUTION - Transmission

To avoid damage to your transmission, do not accelerate the engine in R (Reverse) or any forward gear position with the brakes on. The transmission may be damaged if you shift into P (Park) while the vehicle is in motion.

P (Park)

Always come to a complete stop before shifting into P (Park).

To shift the gear from R (Reverse), N (Neutral), D (Drive) or Manual mode to P (Park), press the [P] button.

If you turn off the engine in D (Drive) or R (Reverse), the shifting automatically changes to P (Park).

When you park the vehicle, press the [P] button while depressing the brake pedal and then apply the parking brake.

To reduce rollaway risk, do not use the P (Park) Position in place of the parking brake.

WARNING

• Shifting into P (Park) while the vehicle is in motion may cause you to lose control of the vehicle.
• Do not use the P (Park) position in place of the parking brake.

R (Reverse)

Use this position to drive the vehicle backward.

To move the shift lever to R (Reverse), press the [UNLOCK] button while depressing the brake pedal and then move the shift lever forward.

■ R (Reverse), D (Drive) → N (Neutral)

N (Neutral)

The wheels and transmission are not engaged.

Use N (Neutral) if you need to restart a stalled engine, or if it is necessary to stop with the engine ON. Shift into P (Park) if you need to leave your vehicle for any reason.

Always depress the brake pedal when you are shifting from N (Neutral) to another gear.

To turn off the engine, re-press the engine start/stop button to the ON position, press the [P] button, and press the engine start/stop button to the OFF position.

When either the driver's door or the front passenger's door is opened with the engine start/stop button in the ACC position and the shift lever in N (Neutral) position, the engine is automatically turned OFF and the transmission automatically changes to the P (Park) position.

WARNING

• To avoid inadvertent vehicle movement, do not shift into gear unless your foot is firmly on the brake pedal.
• D not permit your vehicle to idle in the N (Neutral) position for an extended period of time as this will preclude the wheels and the transmission from engaging. While parking the vehicle with the engine running, depress the brake pedal, shift the vehicle to the P (Park) position and apply the parking brake.
• Do not drive with the shift lever in N (Neutral). The engine brake will not work and may lead to an accident.

D (Drive)

This is the normal driving position.The transmission will automatically shift through a 8-gear sequence, providing the best fuel economy and power.

For extra power when passing another vehicle or driving uphill, depress the accelerator pedal further until you feel the transmission downshift to a lower gear.

To shift into D (Drive), depress the brake pedal and press the [UNLOCK] button on the shift lever.

Move the shift lever backward. To shift into D (Drive) from N (Neutral), you must depress the brake pedal.

✽ NOTICE

Always come to complete stop before shifting into D (Drive).

- Parking in N (Neutral) gear

Follow the steps below when parking and you want the vehicle to move when pushed.

1.After parking your vehicle, step on the brake pedal and press the [P] button with the ignition button in [ON] or while the engine is running.

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 parking brake. If [AUTO HOLD] function is used while driving (If [AUTO HOLD] indicator is on in the cluster), press [AUTO HOLD] switch and [AUTO HOLD] function will be turned off.

3.While pressing the brake pedal, turn the ignition button [OFF].

- For smart key equipped vehicles, the ignition switch can be [OFF] only after pressing the [P] button.

4.Remove the cap-cover and insert a tool (e.g. flathead screwdriver) into the access hole and press down on the tool while depressing the brake pedal. Then, the gear will change to the N (Neutral) position. It should be pressed within 3 minutes after turning OFF the engine.

✽ NOTICE

When moving the shift lever to N(Neutral) position, a normal mechanical sound will occur.

CAUTION

For EPB (Electronic Parking Brake) equipped vehicles with [AUTO HOLD] function used while driving, if the ignition button has been turned [OFF], the electronic parking brake will be engaged automatically. Therefore, [AUTO HOLD] function should be turned off before the ignition button is turned off.

WARNING

• 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, first 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.

✽ NOTICE

After the ignition switch has been turned off, the electronic parking brake cannot be disengaged.

Paddle shifter (Manual mode)

The paddle shifter is available when the shift lever is in the D (Drive) position.

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 7 km/h (4.3 mph), if you don't press the accelerator pedal for more than 6 seconds. (Except drive mode (SPORT, CUSTOM)). For more information, refer to Drive mode integrated control system in chapter 5 or if you shift the shift lever from D (Drive) to manual mode and shift it from manual mode to D (Drive) again or if you pull the [+] paddle shifter more than 1 second, the system changes from manual mode to automatic mode.

✽ NOTICE

If the [+] and [-] paddle shifters are pulled at the same time, gear shift may not occur.

Shift-lock system

For your safety, the automatic transmission has a shift-lock system which prevents shifting the transmission from P (Park) into R (Reverse) or D (Drive) unless the [UNLOCK] button is pressed while depressing the brake pedal.

To shift the transmission from P (Park) into R (Reverse) or D (Drive):

1. Depress and hold the brake pedal.

2. Start the engine or place the engine start/stop button in the ON position.

3. Move the shift lever to R (Reverse) or D (Drive) while pressing the [UNLOCK] button.

When the battery is discharged

You can move the shift lever, when the battery is discharged. However, it will not change the gear from P (Parking) to N (Neutral) or others. In emergencies, do the following to move the shift lever to N (Neutral) on a level ground.

1. Connect the cables between the jump-starting terminals inside the engine compartment and the battery terminals of another vehicle/ supplementary battery. For more information refer to "Jump Starting" in chapter 6.

2. Release the parking brake with the engine start/stop button in the ON position.

3. Press the engine start/stop button to the OFF position.

4. Remove the cap-cover (1) and insert a tool (e.g. flathead screwdriver) into the access hole and press down on the tool while depressing the brake pedal. Then, the gear will change to the N (Neutral) position. It should be pressed within 3 minutes after turning OFF the engine.

✽ NOTICE

In situations where the gear needs to be changed from P (Park) to N (Neutral) when the engine start/stop button is in the OFF position, refer to step 4.

The actuators work to shift the gear into the N (Neutral) or P (Parking) and make a normal mechanical sound.