How To Use Cruise Control Kia Optima

1) Push the “CRUISE” button on the steering wheel to start the cruise control system. The dashboard will display the message “CRUISE.” Once you’ve reached the desired cruise control speed, step on the gas.

In This Article...

What switches the cruise control on?

First, assess the highway’s driving conditions. Inclement weather is not intended for usage with cruise control. When determining whether to use your car’s cruise control, use caution. Before engaging cruise control, especially if it is your first time using the device, make sure there are no impending obstructions.

Even if the road appears to be empty, it would be a bad idea to use cruise control in such weather.

Increase your speed. The legal limit for traveling on an interstate is often between 55 and 70 miles per hour. The cruise control speed range is great. Never try to increase the cruise control speed on your car past the speed limit. This is reckless and dangerous.

Turn on cruise control once you’ve reached the appropriate speed. The cruise control system’s buttons are often found on the steering wheel in cars. To prevent an accident, identify these buttons by consulting your owner’s manual when the automobile is not in use.

The mechanism is often activated by pushing a larger button labeled “cruise.”

Set the cruise control after the cruise control system has been turned on. Most likely, this will only involve pressing another steering-wheel button. You can take your foot off the accelerator after you’ve set the cruise control. The vehicle must maintain its speed.

When driving a vehicle that is being accelerated by a cruise control system, it is necessary to watch the road carefully. Your reaction time will be longer since you will have to deactivate the cruise control system before you slow down or stop.

Most models either feature additional buttons or let the driver temporarily press the accelerator pedal while in cruise control.

To decelerate, either hit the appropriate button on the cruise control system or swiftly apply the brake. Almost all car models automatically deactivate the cruise control as soon as the brake is applied as a safety measure.

When driving on the interstate, using cruise control is a terrific method to manage your speed. By avoiding abrupt accelerations and decelerations, setting your vehicle’s cruise control to a suitable speed will also cut down on fuel use. Be warned that if you are prone to driving fatigue, it is not a good idea to utilize cruise control. Many motorists believe that being able to unwind their legs while driving and not having to pay strict attention to their speed increases the risk of driver tiredness.

Finally, here is a video about adaptive cruise control, which you can find in more and more new cars each year, as a step to driverless cars in the future:

What about cruise control on Kias?

This device essentially functions as a cruise control feature that makes driving seem straightforward. Your Kia vehicle will handle the throttle for you, even slowing down to keep up with traffic ahead and coming to a complete stop when necessary. All you have to do is specify the speed and distance you wish to maintain from traffic ahead.

The cruise control sign is what?

The controls needed to operate it are often located on the steering wheel or one of the car’s indicator stalks.

You’ll frequently need to depress a button labelled with the cruise control icon, which is a speedometer symbol with an arrow pointing in a specific direction (seen on the stalk below).

The following buttons are typically used to activate cruise control:

Cancel Instead of the off switch, there should be a button that just pauses the system, in case you get stopped behind a slower vehicle. The similar effect is produced by pressing the brake pedal.

Resume or Res After pausing the cruise control, press here to resume it. The vehicle will resume moving at the predetermined pace.

Up and Down, plus and minus These change the preset speed of the cruise control. You can hit the minus button to slow down, for instance, if you’re on a highway and come to a set of roadworks with a lower speed restriction.

Using the brake pedal will immediately pause the system and cause the car to slow down just as if the system were turned off, allowing you to override cruise control whenever necessary. The speed of the car will rise if the accelerator is pressed. The cruise control typically stays on when you release the gas pedal and brings the vehicle back to its predetermined pace.

Can cruise control reduce fuel use?

Yes, generally speaking. Due to its capacity to maintain a constant pace, cruise control can help you drive more fuel-efficiently and can help you save 714% on gas on average. In contrast, the constant acceleration and deceleration caused by the driver’s foot on the pedals might use up more gas.

In my Kia, how do I activate cruise control?

What distinguishes Smart Cruise Control from standard cruise control?

Conventional cruise control allows you to select a constant speed. A development of standard cruise control is adaptive cruise control (ACC). With ACC, your car’s speed is automatically adjusted to keep up with the vehicle in front of you. ACC can automatically slow down the vehicle in front of it. Your ACC enables your automobile to return to the speed that you have chosen once the vehicle in front of you pulls out of your lane or accelerates past it. You merely need to turn on the system and choose your chosen following distance after choosing your pace.

How to Use It?

Depending on the type of your car, the precise controls will vary, but typically you must first set a cruising speed and a following distance from the vehicle in front of you.

Controls on the steering wheel are used to operate most systems. The brake and accelerator pedals can also be used at any time to make an intervention.

Using the +/- speed button, you may adjust the speed. Alternatively, you can keep accelerating until you reach the desired speed. The ACC is instructed to “remember the speed” once you push a button. Most ACC systems can operate at speeds as low as 25 MPH.

You can set a following distance, or time interval, between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you using ACC systems. Car-to-car distance options from ACC systems include short, medium, and long distances. In response to shifting traffic conditions, you can always adjust the setting. The majority of driving situations call for a lengthier setting.

How Does it Work?

As with conventional cruise control systems, ACC maintains your vehicle at the speed you specify as long as nothing is in front of you. To measure the distance between your automobile and the vehicles in front of it, a sensor unit has been fitted.

sensors for distance and speed. Two sensors are used by ACC to gather data: a distance sensor that measures the distance between your car and the car in front of it and a speed sensor that regulates your car’s speed. These sensors provide data that ACC utilizes to alter your speed and maintain the predetermined separation from the vehicle in front of you.

A closer look at radar-based systems Let’s examine one ACC innovation: radar-based ACC. Some ACC systems send out waves of radar that bounce off the things in front of your automobile. The ACC system determines whether the car is inside the prescribed distance based on the radar reflection by using distance, direction, and relative speed. After predicting your car’s route, ACC determines whether any of the vehicles in front of you are closer than the predetermined distance.

What’s going on with my cruise control?

Today, it would be challenging to find a car on the road without cruise control. Driving long distances is made easy because to this useful feature, but when it breaks down, it can also be problematic. Knowing the causes of your cruise control’s malfunction will help you have the issue rectified fast for a better ride.

Your car’s acceleration could be affected by this problem, which can potentially affect the cruise control system itself. The moment you become aware of a problem, you should have it examined. Let’s quickly review the causes first.

A blown fuse or a broken brake pedal switch are the two main causes of cruise control malfunctions. Problems with the ABS or the throttle control system may also be to blame. In earlier cruise control systems, a broken vacuum line may be to blame.

Here is a more thorough list of the potential reasons why a cruise control may not be functioning:

How fast should you set the cruise control?

Drivers who frequently travel long distances on the road can benefit from cruise control. Cruise control can eliminate the tiresome task of keeping your foot on the gas pedal for individuals who commute over long distances on roads. If you keep your speed within the posted limit, it may even prevent you from exceeding it.

However, using cruise control has disadvantages. It is not appropriate for all driving conditions, and relying only on it can lead to dangerous situations. Knowing when and when not to use cruise control, as well as how to be safe, will help you prevent accidents.

When Shouldn’t You Use Cruise Control?

Although cruise control can be useful, it should only be used in certain circumstances. Relying on cruise control for anything other than an open, clear, and long stretch of road will decrease its effectiveness and raise your risk of getting into an accident. There are some situations where you shouldn’t utilize cruise control:

Slippery and Wet Roads All drivers should take extra caution on the road while it is raining, snowing, icy, or hailing. Safe vehicle maneuvering requires driving at a moderate speed and adjusting accordingly. Utilizing cruise control on slick roads increases the likelihood of hydroplaning. If you are using cruise control while you approach slick conditions, be cautious to reduce your speed gradually rather than abruptly turning it off to prevent a rapid change in speed.
High Traffic Volume
Slow-moving traffic cannot use cruise control since it is not designed for low speeds. When you need to start and stop frequently on the road, like in heavy traffic, cruise control may result in you rear-ending another car.
Mountains and Curvy Roads
To make the turn safely, you must slow down and alter your speed when driving around bends and curves. Additionally, when going downhill, you need to reduce your pace. On twisting roads, cruise control makes it dangerous to change your pace quickly.

Make sure the road conditions permit safe use before choosing to utilize cruise control to prevent any potential mishaps.

Staying Safe While Using Cruise Control

Even if you elect to utilize cruise control because you believe the road conditions are adequate, you still have a duty to pay attention to the road. Some people believe that using cruise control gives them the freedom of an autopilot, allowing them to do whatever they want. This is untrue, and carelessness might result in mishaps.

Learn how your cruise control works before you start driving. Learn how to turn it off in addition to turning it on. Some cruise controls feature distinct controls, while others have a single button for both stops and starts.

Before turning on cruise control, get to a safe speed. If the speed is too low, many cars won’t even use cruise control. Only use the adjustment controls to make necessary modifications while traveling at the designated speed after building up to it. Between 55 and 70 mph is when cruise control is most useful for keeping your car fuel-efficient.

Make careful you keep an eye on the road. Even in perfect circumstances, other vehicles might drive too close to you or make errors. It’s crucial to pay attention to traffic and road conditions so that you can respond as necessary because using cruise control increases your risk of becoming drowsy.

Although using cruise control improperly can make it risky, it is not necessarily dangerous. Accidents and damage can result from using cruise control improperly or when distracted. Regardless of whether you were using cruise control at the time of the collision, speaking with a lawyer will help you better understand your legal alternatives.

When is cruise control never a good idea?

Even though modern vehicles have numerous safety measures, it’s still crucial to understand when to avoid using the cruise control. This is due to the fact that cruise controlyes, even ACCis solely intended for long-distance travel on an interstate or other major roadway.

Avoid using cruise control when:

when the weather is slick or damp outside. Never use cruise control on slick surfaces, even if your car has functions like ACC or traction control. This is because utilizing cruise control while driving in slick weather may cause your wheels to spin more quickly than they should, which could lead to hydroplaning or shorter stopping distances.
when you are sleepy The distinction between cruise control and autopilot is one of the most crucial things to keep in mind. In most cars, cruise control does not operate the brakes or the steering of the vehicle. You might not be able to dodge a hazard on the road in time if you’re drowsy and your reaction times are slow.
when you’re operating a vehicle in a city or town. As we’ve previously stated, cruise control is only designed for one scenario. There are many unpredictable bikers, pedestrians, and other roadblocks in the city that aren’t present on the interstate. Additionally, cruise control cannot be used below a particular speed in most cars, making it hard to utilize it at city speeds.
when there is a lot of traffic. Like in the city, there is still a good chance of traffic if you are on the highway. You must turn off your cruise control whenever the flow of traffic slows down so that you may manually regulate your speed and use the brakes as necessary.
when you come upon curvy roadways. Last but not least, if you’re on a curving road, you should never utilize cruise control. This is so you can maneuver corners and curves safely and manually, as maintaining a steady acceleration could result in a loss of control.

After talking about when to avoid using cruise control, let’s examine when it’s okay to use cruise control.