Hyundai Santa Fe 2015 Owner's Manual

Driving your vehicle
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5
Remember, your vehicle does not
require extended warm-up. After
the engine has started, allow the
engine to run for 10 to 20 seconds
prior to placing the vehicle in gear.
In very cold weather, however, give
your engine a slightly longer warm-
up period.
Don't "lug" or "over-rev" the engine. Lugging is driving too slowly in too
high a gear resulting engine buck-
ing. If this happens, shift to a lower
gear. Over-revving is racing the
engine beyond its safe limit. This
can be avoided by shifting at the
recommended speeds.
Use your air conditioning sparingly. The air conditioning system is
operated by engine power so your
fuel economy is reduced when you
use it.
Open windows at high speeds can reduce fuel economy.
Fuel economy is less in crosswinds and headwinds. To help offset
some of this loss, slow down when
driving in these conditions. Keeping a vehicle in good operating
condition is important both for econ-
omy and safety. Therefore, have an
authorized HYUNDAI dealer perform
scheduled inspections and mainte-
nance.
WARNING - Engine off
during
motion
Never turn the engine off to
coast down hills or anytime the
vehicle is in motion. The power
steering and power brakes will
not function properly without the
engine running. Instead, keep
the engine on and downshift to
an appropriate gear for engine
braking effect. In addition, turn-
ing off the ignition while driving
could engage the steering wheel
lock resulting in loss of vehicle
steering which could cause
serious injury or death.

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Driving your vehicle
Hazardous driving conditions
When hazardous driving conditions
are encountered such as water,
snow, ice, mud, sand, or similar haz-
ards, follow these suggestions:
Drive cautiously and allow extradistance for braking.
Avoid sudden braking or steering.
When braking with non-ABS brakes pump the brake pedal with
a light up-and-down motion until
the vehicle is stopped. If stalled in snow, mud, or sand, use
second gear. Accelerate slowly to
avoid spinning the drive wheels.
Use sand, rock salt, tire chains, or other non-slip material under the
drive wheels to provide traction
when stalled in ice, snow, or mud.
Reducing the risk of a rollover
This multi-purpose passenger vehicle
is defined as a Sports Utility Vehicle
(SUV). SUV’s have higher ground
clearance and a narrower track to
make them capable of performing in a
wide variety of off-road applications.
Specific design characteristics give
them a higher center of gravity than
ordinary vehicles. An advantage of the
higher ground clearance is a better
view of the road, which allows you to
anticipate problems. They are not
designed for cornering at the same
speeds as conventional passenger
vehicles, any more than low-slung
sports vehicles are designed to per-
form satisfactorily in off-road condi-
tions. Due to this risk, driver and pas-
sengers are strongly recommended to
buckle their seat belts. In a rollover
crash, an unbelted person is more like-
ly to die than a person wearing a seat
belt. There are steps that a driver can
make to reduce the risk of a rollover.
If at all possible, avoid sharp turns or
abrupt maneuvers, do not load your
roof rack with heavy cargo, and
never modify your vehicle in any way.
SPECIAL DRIVING CONDITIONS
WARNING - Downshifting
Downshifting with an automatic
transaxle, while driving on slip-
pery surfaces can cause an
accident. The sudden change in
tire speed could cause the tires
to skid. Be careful when down-
shifting on slippery surfaces.
WARNING - ABS
Do not pump the brake pedal on
a vehicle equipped with ABS.

Driving your vehicle
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Rocking the vehicle
If it is necessary to rock the vehicle to
free it from snow, sand, or mud, first
turn the steering wheel right and left
to clear the area around your front
wheels. Then, shift back and forth
between R (Reverse) and any for-
ward gear in vehicles equipped with
an automatic transaxle. Do not race
the engine, and spin the wheels as lit-
tle as possible. If you are still stuck
after a few tries, have the vehicle
pulled out by a tow vehicle to avoid
engine overheating and possible
damage to the transaxle.WARNING - Rollover
As with other Sports Utility
Vehicle (SUV), failure to operate
this vehicle correctly may result
in loss of control, an accident or
vehicle rollover.
Utility vehicles have a signifi- cantly higher rollover rate
than other types of vehicles.
Specific design characteris- tics (higher ground clearance,
narrower track, etc.) give this
vehicle a higher center of
gravity than ordinary vehicles.
A SUV is not designed for cor- nering at the same speeds as
conventional vehicles.
Avoid sharp turns or abrupt maneuvers.
In a rollover crash, an unbelt- ed person is significantly
more likely to die than a per-
son wearing a seat belt. Make
sure everyone in the vehicle is
properly buckled up.WARNING
Your vehicle is equipped with
tires designed to provide safe
ride and handling capability. Do
not use a size and type of tire
and wheel that is different from
the one that is originally
installed on your vehicle. It can
affect the safety and perform-
ance of your vehicle, which
could lead to steering failure or
rollover and serious injury.
When replacing the tires, be
sure to equip all four tires with
the tire and wheel of the same
size, type, tread, brand and
load-carrying capacity. If you
nevertheless decide to equip
your vehicle with any tire/wheel
combination not recommended
by HYUNDAI for off road driv-
ing, you should not use these
tires for highway driving.
CAUTION
Prolonged rocking may causeengine over-heating, transaxledamage or failure, and tire dam-age.

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Driving your vehicle
✽
✽NOTICE
The ESC system should be turned
OFF prior to rocking the vehicle.
Smooth cornering
Avoid braking or gear changing in
corners, especially when roads are
wet. Ideally, corners should always
be taken under gentle acceleration. If
you follow these suggestions, tire
wear will be held to a minimum.
Driving at night
Because night driving presents more
hazards than driving in the daylight,
here are some important tips to
remember:
Slow down and keep more distance
between you and other vehicles, as
it may be more difficult to see at
night, especially in areas where
there may not be any street lights.
Adjust your mirrors to reduce the glare from other driver's headlights.
OUN056051OCM053010
WARNING- Spinning tires
Do not spin the wheels, espe-
cially at speeds more than 35
mph (56 km/h). Spinning the
wheels at high speeds when the
vehicle is stationary could
cause a tire to overheat which
could result in tire damage that
may injure bystanders.
WARNING
If your vehicle becomes stuck in
snow, mud, sand, etc., then you
may attempt to rock the vehicle
free by moving it forward and
backward. Do not attempt this
procedure if people or objects
are anywhere near the vehicle.
During the rocking operation the
vehicle may suddenly move for-
ward or backward as it becomes
unstuck, causing injury or dam-
age to nearby people or objects.

Driving your vehicle
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Keep your headlights clean and
properly aimed on vehicles not
equipped with the automatic head-
light aiming feature. Dirty or improp-
erly aimed headlights will make it
much more difficult to see at night.
Avoid staring directly at the head- lights of oncoming vehicles. You
could be temporarily blinded, and it
will take several seconds for your
eyes to readjust to the darkness.Driving in the rain
Rain and wet roads can make driving
dangerous, especially if you’re not
prepared for the slick pavement.
Here are a few things to consider
when driving in the rain:
A heavy rainfall will make it harderto see and will increase the dis-
tance needed to stop your vehicle,
so slow down.
Keep your windshield wiping equipment in good shape. Replace
your windshield wiper blades when
they show signs of streaking or
missing areas on the windshield. If your tires are not in good condi-
tion, making a quick stop on wet
pavement can cause a skid and
possibly lead to an accident. Be
sure your tires are in good shape.
Turn on your headlights to make it easier for others to see you.
Driving too fast through large pud- dles can affect your brakes. If you
must go through puddles, try to
drive through them slowly.
If you believe you may have gotten your brakes wet, apply them lightly
while driving until normal braking
operation returns.
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Driving your vehicle
Driving in flooded areas
Avoid driving through flooded areas
unless you are sure the water is no
higher than the bottom of the wheel
hub. Drive through any water slowly.
Allow adequate stopping distance
because brake performance may be
affected.
After driving through water, dry the
brakes by gently applying them sev-
eral times while the vehicle is moving
slowly.
Driving off-road
Drive carefully off-road because your
vehicle may be damaged by rocks or
roots of trees. Become familiar with
the off-road conditions where you
are going to drive before you begin
driving.
Highway driving
Tires:
Adjust the tire inflation pressures to
specification. Low tire inflation pres-
sures will result in overheating and
possible failure of the tires.
Avoid using worn or damaged tires
which may result in reduced traction
or tire failure.
✽ ✽NOTICE
Never exceed the maximum tire
inflation pressure shown on the tires.
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WARNING
Underinflated or overinflated
tires can cause poor handling,
loss of vehicle control, and
sudden tire failure leading to
accidents, injuries, and even
death. Always check the tires
for proper inflation before
driving. For proper tire pres-
sures, refer to section 8,
“Tires and wheels”.
Driving on tires with no or insufficient tread is danger-
ous. Worn-out tires can result
in loss of vehicle control, col-
lisions, injury, and even death.
Worn-out tires should be
replaced as soon as possible
and should never be used for
driving. Always check the tire
tread before driving your vehi-
cle. For further information
and tread limits, refer to sec-
tion 7, “Tires and wheels”.

Driving your vehicle
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Fuel, engine coolant and engine
oil:
High speed travel consumes more
fuel than urban motoring. Do not for-
get to check both engine coolant and
engine oil.
Drive belt:
A loose or damaged drive belt may
result in overheating of the engine.

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Driving your vehicle
WINTER DRIVING
Severe weather conditions in the
winter result in greater wear and
other problems. To minimize the
problems of winter driving, you
should follow these suggestions:
Snowy or Icy conditions
To drive your vehicle in deep snow, it
may be necessary to use snow tires
or to install tire chains on your tires.
If snow tires are needed, it is neces-
sary to select tires equivalent in size
and type of the original equipment
tires. Failure to do so may adversely
affect the safety and handling of your
vehicle. Furthermore, speeding,
rapid acceleration, sudden brake
applications, and sharp turns are
potentially very hazardous practices.
During deceleration, use engine
braking to the fullest extent. Sudden
brake applications on snowy or icy
roads may cause skids to occur. You
need to keep sufficient distance
between the vehicle in operation in
front and your vehicle. Also, apply
the brake gently. It should be noted
that installing tire chains on the tire
will provide a greater driving force,
but will not prevent side skids.
✽ ✽NOTICE
Tire chains are not legal in all states.
Check the state laws before fitting
tire chains.
Snow tires
If you mount snow tires on your vehi-
cle, make sure they are radial tires of
the same size and load range as the
original tires. Mount snow tires on all
four wheels to balance your vehicle’s
handling in all weather conditions.
Keep in mind that the traction provid-
ed by snow tires on dry roads may
not be as high as your vehicle's orig-
inal equipment tires. You should drive
cautiously even when the roads are
clear. Check with the tire dealer for
maximum speed recommendations.
Do not install studded tires without
first checking local, state and munic-ipal regulations for possible restric-tions against their use.
WARNING- Snow tire size
Snow tires should be equivalent
in size and type to the vehicle's
standard tires. Otherwise, the
safety and handling of your vehi-
cle may be adversely affected.
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Driving your vehicle
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Tire chains
Since the sidewalls of radial tires are
thinner, they can be damaged by
mounting some types of snow chains
on them. Therefore, the use of snow
tires is recommended instead of
snow chains. Do not mount tire
chains on vehicles equipped with
aluminum wheels; snow chains may
cause damage to the wheels. If snow
chains must be used, use wire-type
chains with a thickness of less than
0.59 in (15 mm). Damage to your
vehicle caused by improper snow
chain use is not covered by your
vehicle manufacturers warranty. When using tire chains, attach them
to the drive wheels as follows.
2WD : Front wheels
AWD : All four wheels
If a full set of chains is not
available for an AWD vehicle,
chains may be installed on
the front wheels only.
CAUTION
Make sure the snow chains arethe correct size and type foryour tires. Incorrect snowchains can cause damage tothe vehicle body and suspen-sion and may not be coveredby your vehicle manufacturerwarranty. Also, the snow chainconnecting hooks may be dam-aged from contacting vehiclecomponents causing the snowchains to come loose from thetire. Make sure the snow chainsare SAE class “S” certified.
Always check chain installa- tion for proper mounting afterdriving approximately 0.3 to0.6 miles (0.5 to 1 km) toensure safe mounting.Retighten or remount thechains if they are loose.
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Driving your vehicle
Chain installation
When installing chains, follow the
manufacturer's instructions and
mount them as tightly as you can.
Drive slowly with chains installed. If
you hear the chains contacting the
body or chassis, stop and tighten
them. If they still make contact, slow
down until it stops. Remove the
chains as soon as you begin driving
on cleared roads.Use high quality ethylene gly-
col coolant
Your vehicle is delivered with high
quality ethylene glycol coolant in the
cooling system. It is the only type of
coolant that should be used because
it helps prevent corrosion in the cool-
ing system, lubricates the water
pump and prevents freezing. Be sure
to replace or replenish your coolant
in accordance with the maintenance
schedule in section 7. Before winter,
have your coolant tested to assure
that its freezing point is sufficient for
the temperatures anticipated during
the winter.
CAUTION
Chains that are the wrong sizeor improperly installed candamage your vehicle's brakelines, suspension, body andwheels.
Stop driving and retighten the chains any time you hear themhitting the vehicle.
WARNING- Tire chains
The use of chains may adversely affect vehicle han-
dling.
Do not exceed 20 mph (30 km/h) or the chain manufac-
turer’s recommended speed
limit, whichever is lower.
Drive carefully and avoid bumps, holes, sharp turns, and
other road hazards, which may
cause the vehicle to bounce.
Avoid sharp turns or locked- wheel braking.
WARNING - Mounting
chains
When mounting snow chains,
park the vehicle on level ground
away from traffic. Turn on the
vehicle Hazard Warning flashers
and place a triangular emer-
gency warning device behind
the vehicle if available. Always
place the vehicle in P (Park),
apply the parking brake and
turn off the engine before
installing snow chains.