Kia Sorento: Brake Assistant System (BAS). Good braking practices

Brake Assistant System (BAS)

The Brake Assistant System integrated into your Kia Sorento delivers crucial supplemental hydraulic pressure whenever you apply a sudden, forceful input to the brake pedal during emergency stopping scenarios.

By providing immediate extra force right up to the threshold of Anti-lock Brake System activation, the BAS significantly minimizes the reaction time required for ABS engagement and shortens your overall stopping distance.

BAS operation

The BAS functions actively when specific driving criteria are fulfilled:

• Your Kia Sorento is traveling at a forward velocity exceeding 20 mph (30 km/h) while standard ABS control is inactive.

• You apply a rapid, high-pressure command to the brake pedal that surpasses the system's threshold.

• Road surface friction levels provide sufficient traction for effective high-force braking.

BAS operation OFF

The BAS remains inactive under the following specific operating states:

• Your vehicle speed drops below 6 mph (10 km/h).

• You apply braking inputs under specialized, low-traction or unstable road conditions.

• The underlying road surface friction falls below the necessary operating threshold.

TIP

Good braking practices

Adopting proper braking techniques ensures the safety of all vehicle occupants while maximizing the service life of your Kia Sorento brake components.

• Always verify that the mechanical parking brake is completely disengaged and that the corresponding dashboard warning light is unlit before setting your vehicle in motion.

• Driving through deep standing water or running your vehicle through an automatic car wash can saturate the brake rotors and pads. Wet brakes create hazardous driving conditions because your Kia Sorento will require a longer distance to stop, and moisture can cause the vehicle to pull toward one side.

  To dry saturated brakes safely, apply light, consistent pressure to the brake pedal while maintaining absolute control until normal stopping friction returns. If braking performance does not recover promptly, pull over safely at the earliest opportunity and have your vehicle inspected by an authorized Kia dealer.

• Never coast down long descents with the transmission shifted out of gear. This dangerous practice compromises vehicle control; always keep your Kia Sorento in gear, use the service brakes to manage speed, and manually select a lower gear to leverage engine braking.

• Avoid resting your foot lightly on the brake pedal while driving, commonly known as brake riding. Continuous pad contact generates excessive thermal buildup, reducing stopping efficiency and accelerating wear on critical friction components.

• If a tire suffers a blowout or goes flat while traveling at speed, maintain a firm grip on the steering wheel, apply gentle pressure to the brake pedal, and keep the vehicle tracking straight ahead. Once deceleration brings you to a manageable speed, guide the car off the roadway into a secure location.

• Exercise extreme caution when parking your Kia Sorento on a slope. Fully engage the parking brake and shift the transmission into P (Park). When facing downhill, angle your front wheels inward toward the curb; when facing uphill, turn the front wheels away from the curb to provide a physical rolling block. Use wheel chocks if no curb is available.

• Under freezing weather conditions, moisture, snow, or ice accumulation around the rear assemblies can cause the parking brake to freeze in place if left applied. To prevent this, block the wheels securely and only apply the parking brake briefly while shifting into P (Park) before releasing it.

• Never use the accelerator pedal to hold your Kia Sorento stationary on an uphill incline, as this places severe thermal stress on the transmission torque converter. Always rely on the service foot brake or parking brake.

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