Kia Optima 2017, Owner'S Manual, Page: 465 / 776

• To turn ESC off while driving, press
the ESC OFF button while driving on a
flat road surface.
WARNING
Never press the ESC OFF button
while ESC is operating (ESC indicator
light blinks).
If ESC is turned off while ESC is op‐
erating, the vehicle may slip out of
control.
NOTICE
• When operating the vehicle on a
dynamometer, ensure that the
ESC is turned off by pressing the
ESC OFF button for more than 3
seconds (ESC OFF light illumina‐
ted). If the ESC is left on, it may
prevent the vehicle speed from in‐
creasing, and result in false diag‐
nosis.
• Turning the ESC off does not af‐
fect ABS or brake system opera‐
tion.
Vehicle stability management
(VSM)
This system provides further enhance‐
ments to vehicle stability and steering
responses when a vehicle is driving on a
slippery road or a vehicle detected
changes in coefficient of friction be‐
tween right wheels and left wheels
when braking.
VSM operation
When the VSM is operating:
• ESC (Electronic Stability Control) ( )
light will blink.
• The steering wheel may be control‐
led.
When the vehicle stability management
is operating properly, you can feel a
slight pulsation in the vehicle. This is
only the effect of brake control and in‐
dicates nothing unusual.
The VSM does not operate when:
• Driving on bank road such as gradient
or incline
• Driving rearward
• ESC OFF indicator light ( ) remains
on the instrument cluster
• EPS (Electronic Power Steering) indi‐
cator light remains on the instrument
cluster
VSM operation off
If you press the ESC OFF button to turn
off the ESC, the VSM will also cancel
and the ESC OFF indicator light ( ) illu‐
minates.
To turn on the VSM, press the button
again. The ESC OFF indicator light goes
out.
Malfunction indicator
The VSM can be deactivated even if you
don’t cancel the VSM operation by
pressing the ESC OFF button. It indi‐
cates that a malfunction has been de‐
tected somewhere in the EPS (Elec‐
tronic Power Steering) system or VSM
system. If the ESC indicator light ( ) or
EPS warning light remains on, we rec‐
ommend that the system be checked
by an authorized Kia dealer.
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Driving your v
ehicle