December 30, 2020 by Anne Kelley

Kia Auto Defogging System Available in Select Kia Models

Cool, foggy weather can make the inside of your windshield impossible to see out of. If you’re just starting the car up, it’s not as big of a deal to wait for your front defrost to reveal the world outside, but what do you do when you’re already on the road and get a huge surprise obstructing your view?

Because Kia cares about your safety, we’ve come up with something you’ll never want to be without again: our new Auto Defogging System (ADS). Not only will the inside of your windshield always be clear as still waters, you won’t have to constantly fiddle with your climate control system in order to accomplish this feat. It’s just one more way Kia is taking more roadblocks out of your safe drive.

What is Auto Defogging?

Unlike in many cars, where defogging relies on your adjusting the internal controls on your climate system, auto defogging allows the car to do all the hard work for you. Like with a manual front defogger, ADS still relies on the right temperature of air being blown over the inside of your windshield, but unlike those manual defoggers, the settings are carefully controlled by an automated system that takes readings from the environment to provide optimal results.

For a first-time user of an ADS, it may feel a little like your climate control has gone haywire, but the reality is that the ADS is busy trying to find a solution for your fogged windows using data from a moisture sensor mounted just behind the rearview mirror. This sensor can tell just how much humidity is building up on the window and whether or not the problem has been resolved. It’s brilliant.

On Kias outfitted with ADS sold in the United States, the system follows these steps as it searches for an optimal solution:

1. The system switches the climate control to the outside air position. This allows internal and external temperatures to equalize quickly, thus reducing the amount of condensation building on the glass.

2. Flipping on the air conditioner. When equalizing the inside and outside temperature of your windshield doesn’t do the job, turning on the air conditioner can. Air conditioners reduce the humidity in an enclosed space, be it a house or a car, and by doing so, can remove enough moisture from the air to eliminate inside window fogging.

3. Blowing air forward toward the windshield. A cool windshield, of course, isn’t always the end all, be all solution. If it’s very cold, you may need to keep the windshield at a certain temperature to prevent additional condensation. Blowing a very small amount of air can do this without you even noticing.

4. Increasing air flow toward the windshield. In the case that condensation is still persistent and heavy, additional airflow will help push the moisture away from the glass.

Your ADS system won’t necessarily go through these steps every time your car has a foggy windshield. It’s designed to stop when your glass is clear, so if the sensor detects that moisture levels have evened out, the program will halt, though it continues to monitor for potential future problems.

ADS and Automatic Climate Control

The climate control systems in many Kia vehicles have an automatic mode that allows you to essentially “set it and forget it.” You tell the car the temperature you want in the cab, and like magic, it delivers. You don’t need to do anything else. However, if you’re the kind of driver who likes to take control of things like this, you should be aware that your ADS won’t function in manual mode. So, if you adjust your climate control, remember to turn the Automatic Climate Control (ACC) system back on when you’re finished.

You’ll know that your ADS isn’t running if the ADS OFF symbol is blinking on your dash when you move the ignition switch to the on position, or ADS OFF is displayed on the climate control information screen. Simply hold the front defogger button for three seconds, until the indicator light blinks, to turn the system back on. If you’ve switched ADS off, it’ll remain off until you turn it back on.

It’s also worth mentioning that if you’ve turned the ACC system off, you’re also indirectly turning the ADS off. Without the system being able to make its own adjustments as needed, it can’t control the many different elements needed to properly manipulate the environment.

Auto Defogging System Available in Selected Kia Vehicles

ADS isn’t available in every new Kia, but is an option for many 2021 trimlines. Look for ADS in 2021 Telluride, Stinger, Sportage, Seltos, K5, Forte, Soul, and Sedona models. It’s another great feature that adds loads of safety to cars that are already built to protect you and those you hold dear.

How to Use Kia’s Auto Defogging System

 Kia Auto Defogging System (ADS)

Automatic Climate Control Operation

Posted in: 2021 Kia Models, How to Guides, Kia Features
Tagged: ADS, Auto Defogging System

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