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

    Asked by Len

    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.

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