Hyundai Sonata

515
Driving your vehicle
For smooth operation, depress the brakepedal when shifting from N (Neutral) to aforward or reverse gear. Transaxle ranges
The indicator in the instrument cluster
displays the shift lever position when the
ignition switch is in the ON position.
P (Park)
Always come to a complete stop before
shifting into P (Park). This position locks
the transaxle and prevents the drive
wheels from rotating.
WARNING
- Automatic
transaxle
• Always check the surrounding
areas near your vehicle for peo-
ple, especially children, before
shifting a car into D (Drive) or R
(Reverse).
• Before leaving the driver’s seat, always make sure the shift lever
is in the P (Park) position; then
set the parking brake fully and
shut the engine off. Unexpected
and sudden vehicle movement
can occur if these precautions
are not followed in the order iden-
tified.
CAUTION
• To avoid damage to your transaxle, do not accelerate theengine in R (Reverse) or any for-ward gear position with thebrakes on.
• When stopped on an incline, do not hold the vehicle stationarywith engine power. Use the serv-ice brake or the parking brake.
• Do not shift from N (Neutral) or P (Park) into D (Drive), or R(Reverse) when the engine isabove idle speed.
WARNING
• Shifting into P (Park) while the vehicle is in motion will cause the
drive wheels to lock which will
cause you to lose control of the
vehicle.
• Do not use the P (Park) position in place of the parking brake.
Always make sure the shift lever
is latched in the P (Park) position
and set the parking brake fully.
• Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle.

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Driving your vehicle16
5
R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward. N (Neutral)
The wheels and transaxle are not
engaged. The vehicle will roll freely even
on the slightest incline unless the parking
brake or service brakes are applied.
D (Drive)
This is the normal forward driving posi-
tion. The transaxle will automatically shift
through a 6-gear sequence, providing the
best fuel economy and power.
For extra power when passing another
vehicle or climbing grades, depress the
accelerator fully, at which time the
transaxle will automatically downshift to
the next lower gear.
✽
NOTICEAlways come to a complete stop before
shifting into D (Drive).
CAUTION
The transaxle may be damaged if
you shift into P (Park) while thevehicle is in motion.
CAUTION
Always come to a complete stopbefore shifting into or out of R (Reverse); you may damage thetransaxle if you shift into R(Reverse) while the vehicle is inmotion, except as explained in“Rocking the vehicle” in this sec- tion.

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517
Driving your vehicle
Sports mode
Whether the vehicle is stationary or in
motion, sports mode is selected by push-
ing the shift lever from the D (Drive) posi-
tion into the manual gate. To return to D
(Drive) range operation, push the shift
lever back into the main gate.
In sports mode, moving the shift lever
backwards and forwards will allow you to
make gearshifts rapidly.
Up (+) : Push the lever forward once toshift up one gear.
Down (-) : Pull the lever backwards once to shift down one gear.
✽NOTICE• In sports mode, the driver must exe-
cute upshifts in accordance with road
conditions, taking care to keep the
engine speed below the red zone.
• In sports mode, only the 6 forward gears can be selected. To reverse or
park the vehicle, move the shift lever
to the R (Reverse) or P (Park) position
as required.
• In sports mode, downshifts are made automatically when the vehicle slows
down. When the vehicle stops, 1st gear
is automatically selected.
• In sports mode, when the engine rpm approaches the red zone, the transaxle
will upshift automatically.
• To maintain the required levels of vehicle performance and safety, the
system may not execute certain
gearshifts when the shift lever is oper-
ated.
• When driving on a slippery road, push the shift lever forward into the
+(up) position. This causes the
transaxle to shift into the 2nd gear
which is better for smooth driving on
a slippery road. Push the shift lever to
the -(down) side to shift back to the 1st
gear.
Paddle shifter (if equipped)The paddle shifter is available when the
shift lever is in the D position or the sport
mode.

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+ (UP)
- (DOWN)
Sports mode

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Driving your vehicle18
5With the shift lever in the D position
The paddle shifter can operate when the
vehicle speed is more than 10km/h.
Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once to
shift up or down one gear and the system
changes from automatic mode to manual
mode.
If the vehicle speed is lower than 10km/h,
if you depress the accelerator pedal for
more than 7 seconds or if you shift the
shift lever from D to sport mode and shift
it from sport mode to D again, the system
will change from manual mode to auto-
matic mode.
With the shift lever in the sport mode
Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once to
shift up or down one gear.✽
NOTICEIf you pull the [+] and [-] paddle shifters
at the same time, you can't shift the gear.
Shift lock system For your safety, the automatic transaxle
has a shift lock system which prevents
shifting the transaxle from P (Park) or N
(Neutral) into R (Reverse) unless the
brake pedal is depressed.
To shift the transaxle from P (Park) or N
(Neutral) into R (Reverse):
1. Depress and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine or turn the ignition
switch to the ON position.
3. Move the shift lever.
If the brake pedal is repeatedly
depressed and released with the shift
lever in the P (Park) position, a chattering
noise near the shift lever may be heard.
This is a normal condition. Shift-lock override
If the shift lever cannot be moved from
the P (Park) or N (Neutral) position into R
(Reverse) position with the brake pedal
depressed, continue depressing the
brake, then do the following:
1. Carefully remove the cap (1) covering
the shift-lock access hole.
2. Insert a key (or screwdriver) into the access hole and press down on the
key (or screwdriver).
3. Move the shift lever.
4. Have your vehicle inspected by an authorized HYUNDAI dealer immedi-
ately.

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WARNING
Always fully depress the brake
pedal before and while shifting out
of the P (Park) position into anoth-
er position to avoid inadvertent
motion of the vehicle which could
injure persons in or around the car.

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519
Driving your vehicle
Ignition key interlock system The ignition key cannot be removed
unless the shift lever is in the P (Park)
position. If the ignition switch is in any
other position, the key cannot be
removed.
Good driving practices• Never move the gear shift lever from P(Park) or N (Neutral) to any other posi-
tion with the accelerator pedal
depressed.
• Never move the gear shift lever into P (Park) when the vehicle is in motion.
• Be sure the car is completely stopped before you attempt to shift into R
(Reverse) or D (Drive).
• Never take the car out of gear and coast down a hill. This may be
extremely hazardous. Always leave the
car in gear when moving.
• Do not "ride" the brakes. This can cause them to overheat and malfunc-
tion. Instead, when you are driving
down a long hill, slow down and shift to
a lower gear. When you do this, engine
braking will help slow the car.
• Slow down before shifting to a lower gear. Otherwise, the lower gear may
not be engaged. • Always use the parking brake. Do not
depend on placing the transaxle in P
(Park) to keep the car from moving.
• Exercise extreme caution when driving on a slippery surface. Be especially
careful when braking, accelerating or
shifting gears. On a slippery surface,
an abrupt change in vehicle speed can
cause the drive wheels to lose traction
and the vehicle to go out of control.
• Optimum vehicle performance and economy is obtained by smoothly
depressing and releasing the accelera-
tor pedal.

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Driving your vehicle20
5
Moving up a steep grade from a stand-
ing startTo move up a steep grade from a stand-
ing start, depress the brake pedal, shift
the shift lever to D (Drive). Depress the
accelerator gradually while releasing the
service brakes.
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 forward or backward as it
becomes unstuck, causing injury
or damage to nearby people or
objects.
WARNING
• Always buckle-up! In a collision, an unbelted occupant is signifi-
cantly more likely to be seriously
injured or killed than a properly
belted occupant.
• Avoid high speeds when corner- ing or turning.
• Do not make quick steering wheel movements, such as sharp
lane changes or fast, sharp turns.
• The risk of rollover is greatly increased if you lose control of
your vehicle at highway speeds.
• Loss of control often occurs if two or more wheels drop off the
roadway and the driver over-
steers to reenter the roadway.
• In the event your vehicle leaves the roadway, do not steer sharply.
Instead, slow down before pulling
back into the travel lanes.
• Never exceed posted speed lim- its.

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521
Driving your vehicle
Power brakes Your vehicle has power-assisted brakes
that adjust automatically through normal
usage.
In the event that the power-assisted
brakes lose power because of a stalled
engine or some other reason, you can
still stop your vehicle by applying greater
force to the brake pedal than you nor-
mally would. The stopping distance, how-
ever, will be longer.
When the engine is not running, the
reserve brake power is partially depleted
each time the brake pedal is applied. Do
not pump the brake pedal when the
power assist has been interrupted.
Pump the brake pedal only when neces-
sary to maintain steering control on slip-
pery surfaces.
In the event of brake failure If service brakes fail to operate while the
vehicle is in motion, you can make an
emergency stop with the parking brake.
The stopping distance, however, will be
much greater than normal.
BRAKE SYSTEM
WARNING
-Brakes
• Do not drive with your foot rest-ing on the brake pedal. This will
create abnormal high brake tem-
peratures, excessive brake lining
and pad wear, and increased
stopping distances.
• When descending a long or steep hill, shift to a lower gear and
avoid continuous application of
the brakes. Continuous brake
application will cause the brakes
to overheat and could result in a
temporary loss of braking per-
formance.
• Wet brakes may impair the vehi- cle’s ability to safely slow down;
the vehicle may also pull to one
side when the brakes are applied.
Applying the brakes lightly will
indicate whether they have been
affected in this way. Always test
your brakes in this fashion after
driving through deep water. To
dry the brakes, apply them lightly
while maintaining a safe forward
speed until brake performance
returns to normal.
WARNING
- Parking brake
Applying the parking brake while
the vehicle is moving at normal
speeds can cause a sudden loss of
control of the vehicle. If you must
use the parking brake to stop the
vehicle, use great caution in apply-
ing the brake.

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Driving your vehicle22
5Disc brakes wear indicator Your vehicle has disc brakes.
When your brake pads are worn and new
pads are required, you will hear a high-
pitched warning sound from your front
brakes or rear brakes. You may hear this
sound come and go or it may occur
whenever you depress the brake pedal.
Please remember that some driving con-
ditions or climates may cause a brake
squeal when you first apply (or lightly
apply) the brakes. This is normal and
does not indicate a problem with your
brakes.
Parking brake Applying the parking brake■Foot type
To engage the parking brake, first apply
the foot brake and then depress the park-
ing brake pedal down as far as possible.
WARNING
- Brake wear
This brake wear warning sound
means your vehicle needs service.
If you ignore this audible warning,
you will eventually lose braking
performance, which could lead to a
serious accident.
CAUTION
• To avoid costly brake repairs, do not continue to drive with wornbrake pads.
• Always replace the front or rear brake pads as pairs.

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523
Driving your vehicle
■Hand type
To engage the parking brake, first apply
the foot brake and then pull up the park-
ing brake lever as far as possible.
In addition it is recommended that when
parking the vehicle on an incline, the shift
lever should be in the appropriate low
gear on manual transaxle vehicles or in
the P (Park) position on automatic
transaxle vehicles.
Releasing the parking brake■Foot type
To release the parking brake, depress
the parking brake pedal a second time
while applying the foot brake. The pedal
will automatically extend to the fully
released position.
■Hand type
To release the parking brake, first apply
the foot brake and pull up the parking
brake lever slightly. Secondly press the
release button (1) and lower the parking
brake lever (2) while holding the button.

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CAUTION
Driving with the parking brake applied will cause excessive brakepad and brake rotor wear.

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Driving your vehicle24
5
WARNING
• To prevent unintentional move-
ment when stopped and leaving
the vehicle, do not use the
gearshift lever in place of the
parking brake. Set the parking
brake AND make sure the
gearshift lever is securely posi-
tioned in 1st (First) gear or R
(Reverse) for manual transaxle
equipped vehicles and in P (Park)
for automatic transaxle equipped
vehicles.
• Never allow anyone who is unfa- miliar with the vehicle to touch
the parking brake. If the parking
brake is released unintentionally,
serious injury may occur.
• All vehicles should always have the parking brake fully engaged
when parking to avoid inadver-
tent movement of the vehicle
which can injure occupants or
pedestrians.If the parking brake does not release or
does not release all the way, have the
system checked by an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer.
Check the brake warning light by turning
the ignition switch ON (do not start the
engine). This light will be illuminated when
the parking brake is applied with the igni-
tion switch in the START or ON position.
Before driving, be sure the parking brake
is fully released and the brake warning
light is off.
If the brake warning light remains on after
the parking brake is released while the
engine is running, there may be a mal-
function in the brake system. Immediate
attention is necessary.
If at all possible, cease driving the vehi-
cle immediately. If that is not possible,
use extreme caution while operating the
vehicle and only continue to drive the
vehicle until you can reach a safe loca-
tion or repair shop.
Anti-lock brake system (ABS)

W-75
WARNING
ABS (or ESC) will not prevent acci-
dents due to improper or danger-
ous driving maneuvers. Even
though vehicle control is improved
during emergency braking, always
maintain a safe distance between
you and objects ahead. Vehicle
speeds should always be reduced
during extreme road conditions.
The braking distance for cars
equipped with an anti-lock braking
system (or Electronic Stability
Control system) may be longer than
for those without it in the following
road conditions.
During these conditions the vehicle
should be driven at reduced
speeds:
• Rough, gravel or snow-coveredroads.
• With tire chains installed. (Continued)

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