Kia Sportage: Operating precautions for catalytic converters

WARNING - Fire

• Do not park, idle or drive the vehicle over or near flammable objects, such as grass, vegetation, paper, leaves, etc. A hot exhaust system can ignite flammable items under your vehicle.
• Also, do not remove the heat sink around the exhaust system, do not seal the bottom of the vehicle or do not coat the vehicle for corrosion control. It may present a fire risk under certain conditions.

Your vehicle is equipped with a catalytic converter emission control device.

Therefore, the following precautions must be observed:

• Use only UNLEADED FUEL for gasoline engines.
• Do not operate the vehicle when there are signs of engine malfunction, such as misfire or a noticeable loss of performance.
• Do not misuse or abuse the engine. Examples of misuse are coasting with the ignition off and descending steep grades in gear with the ignition off.
• Do not operate the engine at high idle speed for extended periods (5 minutes or more).
• Do not modify or tamper with any part of the engine or emission control system. All inspections and adjustments must be made by an authorized Kia dealer.
• Avoid driving with an extremely low fuel level. Running out of fuel could cause the engine to misfire, damaging the catalytic converter.

Failure to observe these precautions could result in damage to the catalytic converter and to your vehicle. Additionally, such actions could void your warranties.