Kia Optima: What to do in an emergency / If the engine overheats

If your temperature gauge indicates overheating, you experience a loss of power, or hear loud pinging or knocking, the engine will probably be too hot. If this happens, you should:

1.Pull off the road and stop as soon as it is safe to do so.

2.Place the shift lever in P (for Automatic transmission) and set the parking brake. If the air conditioning is on, turn it off.

3.If engine coolant is running out under the vehicle or steam is coming out from underneath the hood, stop the engine. Do not open the hood until the coolant has stopped running or the steaming has stopped. If there is no visible loss of engine coolant and no steam, leave the engine running and check to be sure the engine cooling fan is operating. If the fan is not running, turn the engine off.

4.Check to see if the water pump drive belt is missing. If it is not missing, check to see that it is tight. If the drive belt seems to be satisfactory, check for coolant leaking from the radiator, hoses or under the vehicle. (If the air conditioning had been in use, it is normal for cold water to be draining from it when you stop).

WARNING - Under the hood

While the engine is running, keep hair, hands and clothing away from moving parts such as the fan and drive belts to prevent injury.

5.If the water pump drive belt is broken or engine coolant is leaking out, stop the engine immediately and call the nearest authorized Kia dealer for assistance.

WARNING - Radiator cap

Do not remove the radiator cap when the engine is hot.This may result in coolant being blown out of the opening and cause serious burns.

6.If you cannot find the cause of the overheating, wait until the engine temperature has returned to normal. If coolant has been lost, carefully add coolant to the reservoir to bring the fluid level in the reservoir up to the halfway mark.

7.Proceed with caution, keeping alert for further signs of overheating. If overheating happens again, call an authorized Kia dealer for assistance.

Serious loss of coolant indicates there is a leak in the cooling system and this should be checked as soon as possible by an authorized Kia dealer.