Hyundai Sonata

553
Driving your vehicle
Turn signals when towing a trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has
to have a different turn signal flasher and
extra wiring. The green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash whenever you
signal a turn or lane change. Properly
connected, the trailer lights will also flash
to alert other drivers you’re about to turn,
change lanes, or stop.
When towing a trailer, the green arrows
on your instrument panel will flash for
turns even if the bulbs on the trailer are
burned out. Thus, you may think drivers
behind you are seeing your signals
when, in fact, they are not. It’s important
to check occasionally to be sure the trail-
er bulbs are still working. You must also
check the lights every time you discon-
nect and then reconnect the wires.
Do not connect a trailer lighting system
directly to your vehicle’s lighting system.
Use only an approved trailer wiring har-
ness.
An authorised HYUNDAI dealer can
assist you in installing the wiring harness.
Driving on grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear
before you start down a long or steep
downgrade. If you don’t shift down, you
might have to use your brakes so much
that they would get hot and no longer
operate efficiently.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and
reduce your speed to around 70 km/h (45mph) to reduce the possibility of engine
and transaxle overheating.
If your trailer weighs more than the max-
imum trailer weight without trailer brakes
and you have an automatic transaxle,
you should drive in D (Drive) when tow-
ing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle in D (Drive) when
towing a trailer will minimise heat build up
and extend the life of your transaxle.WARNING
Failure to use an approved trailer wiring harness could result in dam-
age to the vehicle electrical system
and/or personal injury.

Driving your vehicle
54
5
Parking on hills
Generally, if you have a trailer attached to
your vehicle, you should not park your
vehicle on a hill. People can be seriously
or fatally injured, and both your vehicle
and the trailer can be damaged if unex-
pectedly roll down hill. However, if you ever have to park your
trailer on a hill, here's how to do it:
1. Pull the vehicle into the parking space.
Turn the steering wheel in the direction
of the kerb (left if headed down hill,
right if headed up hill).
2. If the vehicle has a manual transaxle, place the car in neutral. If the vehicle
has an automatic transaxle, place the
car in P (Park).
3. Set the parking brake and shut off the vehicle.
4. Place chocks under the trailer wheels on the down hill side of the wheels.
5. Start the vehicle, hold the brakes, shift to neutral, release the parking brake
and slowly release the brakes until the
trailer chocks absorb the load.
6. Reapply the brakes, reapply the park- ing brake and shift the vehicle to R
(Reverse) for manual transaxle or P
(Park) for automatic transaxle.
7. Shut off the vehicle and release the vehicle brakes but leave the parking
brake set.CAUTION
When towing a trailer on steep
grades (in excess of 6%) pay
close attention to the enginecoolant temperature gauge toensure the engine does not over- heat.
If the needle of the coolant tem-perature gauge moves across thedial towards “H” (HOT), pull overand stop as soon as it is safe to
do so, and allow the engine to idleuntil it cools down. You may pro-ceed once the engine has cooledsufficiently.
You must decide driving speed depending on trailer weight anduphill grade to reduce the possi-bility of engine and transaxle overheating.
WARNING - Parking on a
hill
Parking your vehicle on a hill with a
trailer attached could cause seri-
ous injury or death, should the trail-
er break loose.

555
Driving your vehicle
When you are ready to leave after park-
ing on a hill
1. With the manual transaxle in Neutralor automatic transaxle in P (Park),
apply your brakes and hold the brake
pedal down whilst you:

and

2. Slowly remove your foot from the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks. Maintenance when trailer towing
Your vehicle will need service more often
when you regularly pull a trailer.
Important items to pay particular atten-tion to include engine oil, automatic
transaxle fluid, axle lubricant and cooling
system fluid. Brake condition is another
important item to frequently check. Each
item is covered in this manual, and the
Index will help you find them quickly. If
you’re trailering, it’s a good idea to review
these sections before you start your trip.
Don’t forget to also maintain your trailer
and towbar. Follow the maintenance
schedule that accompanied your trailer
and check it periodically. Preferably, con-
duct the check at the start of each day’s
driving. Most importantly, all towbar nutsand bolts should be tight.
CAUTION
Due to higher load during trailer
usage, overheating might occurin hot days or during uphill driv- ing. If the coolant gauge indicatesover-heating, switch off the A/C
and stop the vehicle in a safe area to cool down the engine.
When towing check transaxle fluid more frequently.
WARNING - Parking brake
It can be dangerous to get out of
your vehicle if the parking brake is
not firmly set.
If you have left the engine running,
the vehicle can move suddenly. You
or others could be seriously or
fatally injured.

Driving your vehicle
56
5
If you do decide to pull a trailer
Here are some important points if you
decide to pull a trailer:
Do not do any towing with your car dur-
ing its first 2,000 km (1,200 miles) in
order to allow the engine to properly
break in. Failure to heed this caution
may result in serious engine or
transaxle damage.
When towing a trailer, be sure to con- sult an authorised HYUNDAI dealer for
further information on additional
requirements such as a towing kit, etc.
Always drive your vehicle at a moder- ate speed (less than 100 km/h (60mph)).
On a long uphill grade, do not exceed 70 km/h (45 mph) or the posted towing
speed limit, whichever is lower.
The chart contains important consider- ations that have to do with weight:Engine
Item2.0L2.4L
M/T A/T M/T A/T
Maximum trailer weight kg (Ibs.)
Without brake
System 650
(1433) 400
(882) 650
(1433) 400
(882)
With brake System 1300
(2866) 800
(1764) 1700
(3748) 800
(1764)
Maximum permissible static
vertical load on the coupling
device kg (Ibs.)130
(287) 80
(76) 170
(375) 80
(76)
Recommended distance fromrear wheel centre to couplingpoint mm (inch) 1185 (46.7)
WARNING
HYUNDAI DO NOT recommend the use of load levelling devices of anytype.
The use of a load levelling devices may place undue stress on the chassis
causing chassis or mounting point failure.
M/T : Manual transaxle
A/T : Automatic transaxle

557
Driving your vehicle
Weight of the trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be? It
should never weigh more than the maxi-
mum trailer weight with trailer brakes. But
even that can be too heavy.
It depends on how you plan to use your
trailer. For example, speed, altitude, road
grades, outside temperature and how
often your vehicle is used to pull a trailer
are all important. The ideal trailer weight
can also depend on any special equip-
ment that you have on your vehicle.
Weight of the trailer tongue
The tongue load of any trailer is an
important weight to measure because it
affects the total gross vehicle weight
(GVW) of your vehicle. This weight
includes the kerb weight of the vehicle,
any cargo you may carry in it, and the
people who will be riding in the vehicle.
And if you will tow a trailer, you must addthe tongue load to the GVW because
your vehicle will also be carrying that
weight.
The trailer tongue should weigh within
the limits of the maximum permissible
trailer tongue load. After you've loaded
your trailer, weigh the trailer and then the
tongue, separately, to see if the weightsare within specification.If they aren’t, you may be able to correct
them simply by moving some items
around in the trailer.
Tongue loads can be increased or
decreased by redistributing the load in
the trailer. This can be verified by check-
ing the total weight of the loaded trailer
and then checking the load on the
tongue.
WARNING -
Trailer
Never load a trailer with more weight in the rear than in the
front. The front should be loaded
with approximately 60% of the
total trailer load; the rear should
be loaded with approximately40% of the total trailer load.
Never exceed the maximum weight limits of the trailer or trail-
er towing equipment. Improper
loading can result in damage to
your vehicle and/or personal
injury. Check weights and loading
at a commercial scale or public
weighbridge.
An improperly loaded trailer can cause loss of vehicle control.
C190E02JM
Gross Axle WeightGross Vehicle Weight
C190E01JM
Tongue Load Total Trailer Weight

This section will guide you in the proper
loading of your vehicle and/or trailer, to
keep your loaded vehicle weight within its
design rating capability, with or without a
trailer. Properly loading your vehicle will
provide maximum return of the vehicle
design performance. Before loading your
vehicle, familiarize yourself with the fol-
lowing terms for determining your vehi-
cle's weight ratings, with or without a
trailer, from the vehicle's specifications
and the certification label: Base kerb weight
This is the weight of the vehicle including a full tank of fuel and all standard equip-
ment. It does not include passengers,
cargo, or optional equipment.
Vehicle kerb weight
This is the weight of your new vehicle
when you picked it up from your dealer
plus any aftermarket equipment.
Cargo weight
This figure includes all weight added to
the Base Kerb Weight, including cargoand optional equipment.GAW (Gross axle weight)
This is the total weight placed on each
axle (front and rear) - including vehicle
kerb weight and all payload.
GAWR (Gross axle weight rating)
This is the maximum allowable weight
that can be carried by a single axle (front
or rear). These numbers are shown on
the certification label.
The total load on each axle must never
exceed its GAWR.
GVW (Gross vehicle weight)
This is the Base Kerb Weight plus actual
Cargo Weight plus passengers.
GVWR (Gross vehicle weight rat- ing)
This is the maximum allowable weight of
the fully loaded vehicle (including all
options, equipment, passengers and
cargo). The GVWR is shown on the cer-tification label.
Overloading
VEHICLE WEIGHT
WARNING -
Vehicle weight
The gross axle weight rating
(GAWR) and the gross vehicle
weight rating (GVWR) for your vehi-
cle are on the certification label
attached to the driver's (or front
passenger’s) door. Exceedingthese ratings can cause an acci-
dent or vehicle damage. You can
calculate the weight of your load byweighing the items (and people)
before putting them in the vehicle.
Be careful not to overload your
vehicle.
558
Driving your vehicle

6
Road warning / 6-2
In case of an emergency whilst driving / 6-3
If the engine will not start / 6-4
Emergency starting / 6-5
If the engine overheats / 6-7
If you have a flat tyre / 6-8
Towing / 6-16
What to do in an emergency

What to do in an emergency
2
6
ROAD WARNING
Hazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher serves as a
warning to other drivers to exercise
extreme caution when approaching,
overtaking, or passing your vehicle. It should be used whenever emergency
repairs are being made or when the vehi-cle is stopped near the edge of a road-
way.
Depress the flasher switch with the igni-
tion switch in any position. The flasher
switch is located in the centre console
switch panel. All turn signal lights will
flash simultaneously.
• The hazard warning flasher operates
whether your vehicle is running or not.
The turn signals do not work when the hazard flasher is on.
Care must be taken when using the hazard warning flasher whilst the vehi-
cle is being towed.
OYF049084R

63
What to do in an emergency
IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY WHILST DRIVING
If the engine stalls at a crossroad
or crossing
If the engine stalls at a crossroad or crossing, set the shift lever in the N
(Neutral) position and then push the
vehicle to a safe place.
If your vehicle has a manual transaxle not equipped with a ignition lock
switch, the vehicle can move forward
by shifting to the 2(second) or 3(third)
gear and then turning the starter with-out depressing the clutch pedal. If you have a flat tyre whilst driv- ing
If a tyre goes flat whilst you are driving:
1. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal
and let the car slow down whilst driving
straight ahead. Do not apply the brakesimmediately or attempt to pull off the
road as this may cause a loss of con-
trol. When the car has slowed to such
a speed that it is safe to do so, brake
carefully and pull off the road. Drive off
the road as far as possible and park on
firm, level ground. If you are on a divid-
ed highway, do not park in the median
area between the two traffic lanes.
2. When the vehicle is stopped, turn on your emergency hazard flashers, set
the parking brake and put the transaxle
in P (automatic transaxle) or reverse
(manual transaxle).
3. Have all passengers get out of the car. Be sure they all get out on the side of
the car that is away from traffic.
4. When changing a flat tyre, follow the instruction provided later in this sec-tion. If engine stalls whilst driving
1. Reduce your speed gradually, keeping
a straight line. Move cautiously off the
road to a safe place.
2. Turn on your emergency flashers.
3. Try to start the engine again. If your vehicle will not start, contact an autho-
rised HYUNDAI dealer or seek other
qualified assistance.

What to do in an emergency
4
6
IF THE ENGINE WILL NOT START
If engine doesn't turn over or
turns over slowly
1. If your vehicle has an automatic
transaxle, be sure the shift lever is in N
(Neutral) or P (Park) and the emer-
gency brake is set.
2. Check the battery connections to be sure they are clean and tight.
3. Turn on the interior light. If the light dims or goes out when you operate the
starter, the battery is discharged.
4. Check the starter connections to be sure they are securely tightened.
5. Do not push or pull the vehicle to start it. See instructions for "Jump starting". If engine turns over normally but
does not start
1. Check fuel level.
2. With the ignition switch in the LOCK
/OFF position, check all connectors at
the ignition coils and spark plugs.
Reconnect any that may be discon-
nected or loose.
3. If the engine still does not start, call an authorised HYUNDAI dealer or seek
other qualified assistance.
WARNING
If the engine will not start, do not
push or pull the vehicle to start it.This could result in a collision or
cause other damage. In addition,
push or pull starting may cause the
catalytic converter to be over-
loaded and create a fire hazard.