Browse over 9,000 car reviews

    guides

    adventureguide

    evguide

    familyguide

    tradieguide

    urbanguide

    0 Logout

    Browse over 9,000 car reviews

    What is does the plus and negative sign mean on the automatic shift in my 2010 Kia Carnival?

    Kia Kia Advice Kia Carnival Kia Carnival Advice Kia Carnival 2010
    ...

    The Automatic shift in my 2010 Kia Carnival has a plus sign and a negative sign on the side. Do we put it in the plus sign to drive? Will it still change the gears up and down, as it does in the D position? Why is it there? How does it work? Is it there to put it in overdrive? Sorry, but I’ve not seen an automatic system like that before.

    Answered by CarsGuide
    27 May 2024
    David Morley

    The shifter in your Kia is designed to be used in the normal (PRND) range in most cases. If you decide you’d like to control the gear selection yourself, you can flick the lever across to the other plane (+ /-) also called Sports mode, and control when the transmission changes gear. By pushing the lever forward in that second plane, you can force the transmission to change up a gear. Pull the selector back and it will shift down a gear. Hence the + and – symbols.

    In most cases, the transmission will stay in the gear you select in Sports mode, unless you try to take off from rest in a high gear (when it will shift down for you) or you’ve taken the engine to its maximum speed, at which point the car will automatically shift up a gear to prevent the engine from blowing up.

    The idea of this is that you can drive the car in a sportier fashion (makes little sense in a Kia Carnival, I know). But it can also be handy if you are, say, towing a trailer and need a little more engine braking, at which point you can flick across to Sports mode and force the transmission into a lower gear.

    Many owners never experiment with Sports mode and it remains a mystery to a lot of people.

    Disclaimer: You acknowledge and agree that all answers are provided as a general guide only and should not be relied upon as bespoke advice. Carsguide is not liable for the accuracy of any information provided in the answers.
    Other Kia Carnival Problems
    SELL ALL KIA CARNIVAL PROBLEMS
    Related cars for sale on CarsGuide
    See more Kia Carnivals for sale

    Comments

    Have a new question for the CarsGuide team?
    More than 9,000 questions asked and answered.
    Ask now
    Complete guide to Kia Carnival 2010
    Complete guide to Kia Carnival 2010 CarsGuide Logo
    Reviews, price, specs and more