HYUNDAI SONATA 2023 Owners Manual

While Driving
6-14
Transmission ranges
The indicator in the instrument cluster
displays the gear position when the
ignition switch is in the ON position.
WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury or
death: • ALWAYS check the surrounding
areas near your vehicle for people,
especially children, before shifting a
vehicle into D (Drive) or R (Reverse).
• Before leaving the driver’s seat,
always make sure the gear is in
the P (Park) position, then set
the parking brake, and place the
ignition switch in the LOCK/OFF
position. Unexpected and sudden
vehicle movement can occur if these
precautions are not followed.
• If equipped, do not use the engine
brake (shifting from a high gear to
lower gear using the paddle shifters)
rapidly on slippery roads.
P (Park)
Always come to a complete stop before
shifting into P (Park).
To shift from P (Park), you must depress
firmly on the brake pedal and make sure
your foot is off the accelerator pedal.
The gear must be in P (Park) before
turning the engine off.
WARNING
• Shifting into P (Park) while the
vehicle is in motion may cause you to
lose control of the vehicle.
• After the vehicle has stopped, always
make sure the gear is in P (Park),
apply the parking brake, and turn
the engine off.
• Do not use the P (Park) position in
place of the parking brake.
R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward.
NOTICE
Always come to a complete stop before
shifting into or out of R (Reverse); you
may damage the transmission if you
shift into R (Reverse) while the vehicle is
in motion.
When the vehicle is stopped in
R (Reverse) position, if you open
the driver's door with the seat belt
unfastened, the gear is shifted to P (Park)
position automatically.
However when the vehicle moves
in R (Reverse) position, if you open
the driver's door with the seat belt
unfastened, the gear may be not shifted
to P (Park) position automatically for
protecting the automatic transmission.
N (Neutral)
The wheels and transmission are not engaged.
Use N (Neutral) if you need to restart a
stalled engine, or if it is necessary to stop
with the engine ON. Shift into P (Park)
if you need to leave your vehicle for any
reason.
Always depress the brake pedal when
you are shifting from N (Neutral) to
another gear.
WARNING
Do not shift into gear unless your foot is
firmly on the brake pedal. Shifting into
gear when the engine is running at high
speed can cause the vehicle to move
very rapidly. You could lose control of
the vehicle and hit people or objects.

06
6-15
D (Drive)
This is the normal driving position. The
transmission will automatically shift
through a 8-gear sequence, providing
the best fuel economy and power.
To start the vehicle forward, push the D
(Drive) button by depressing the brake
pedal with the engine ON. Then depress
the accelerator pedal smoothly.
For extra power when passing another
vehicle or driving uphill, depress the
accelerator fully. The transmission will
automatically downshift to the next
lower gear (or gears, as appropriate).
When the vehicle is stopped in D (Drive)
position, if you open the driver's door
with the seat belt unfastened, the gear is
shifted to P (Park) position automatically.
However when the vehicle moves in D
(Drive) position, if you open the driver's
door with the seat belt unfastened, the
gear may not shift to P (Park) position
automatically to protect the automatic
transmission.
Shift-lock system
For your safety, the automatic
transmission has a shift-lock system
which prevents shifting the gear from
P (Park) or N (Neutral) to R (Reverse)
or D (Drive) unless the brake pedal is
depressed.
To shift the gear from P (Park) or N
(Neutral) to R (Reverse) or D (Drive):
1. Depress and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine or place the ignition switch in the ON position.
3. Depress the brake pedal and push the R (Reverse) or D (Drive) button. Stay in N (Neutral) position when engine is Off
ODN8069006
ODN8069008
If you want to keep the N (Neutral)
position after the engine is OFF, do the
following.
1. Deactivate the AUTO HOLD and release the parking brake when the
ignition switch is ON.
2. Start the engine. Push the N (neutral) button while depressing the brake
pedal. If the message ("Press and
hold OK button to stay in Neutral
when vehicle is OFF") appears on the
cluster LCD display, press and hold
the OK button on the steering wheel
for more than 1 second.
3. When the message ("Vehicle will stay in (N). Change gear to cancel")
appears on the cluster LCD display,
turn off the engine.
In this situation, if you unfasten the
driver's seat belt and open the driver's
door within 3 minutes, the gear stays in
the N (Neutral) position and the ignition
switch is turned off.

While Driving
6-16
When the battery is discharged:
You cannot shift the gear when the
battery is discharged.
In emergencies, do the following to
move the shift button to N (Neutral) on a
level ground.
1. Connect the battery cables from
another vehicle or from a another
battery to the jump-starting terminals
inside the engine compartment.
For more information refer to "Jump Starting" in chapter 7.
2. Release the parking brake with the Engine Start/Stop button in the ON position.
3. Shift the gear to the N(Neutral) position. Refer to the "Stay in Neutral
when vehicle is Off" in this chapter.
Parking
Always come to a complete stop and
continue to depress the brake pedal.
Press the P button, apply the parking
brake, and place the ignition switch in
the LOCK/OFF position. Take the Key
with you when exiting the vehicle. • The gear is shifted to P (Park) position
automatically for safety under the
following conditions.
- When the driver unfastens the seat belt and opens the driver’s door.
- When the engine is turned off with the gear shifted to R (Reverse), D
(Drive) or N (Neutral).
WARNING
When you stay in the vehicle with
the engine running, be careful not to
depress the accelerator pedal for a long
period of time. The engine or exhaust
system may overheat and start a fire.
The exhaust gas and the exhaust system
are very hot. Keep away from the
exhaust system components.
Do not stop or park over flammable
materials, such as dry grass, paper or
leaves. They may ignite and cause a fire.

06
6-17
LCD Display Message
Shifting conditions not met
The warning message appears on the
LCD display, when engine RPM is too
high, or when driving speed is too fast to
shift the gear.
We recommend you decrease the engine
speed or slow down before shifting the
gear.
Press brake pedal to change gear
The warning message appears on the
LCD display, when the brake pedal is not
depressed while shifting the gear.
We recommend you to depress the brake
pedal and then shift the gear.
Shift to P after stopping
The warning message appears on the
LCD display, when the gear is shifted to P
(Park) while the vehicle is moving.
Stop the vehicle before shifting to P
(Park).
PARK engaged
The message appears on the LCD display
when the P (Park) position is engaged.
Stop the vehicle before shifting to P
(Park).
Press and hold OK button to stay in
Neutral when vehicle is Off
The warning message appears on
the LCD display, when pushing the N
(Neutral) button. If you want to stay N
(Neutral) after turning off the engine,
press and hold the “OK” button on the
steering wheel more than 1 second.Vehicle will stay in (N). Change gear
to cancel
The warning message appears on the
LCD display, when depressing the "OK"
button on the steering wheel after the
message ("Press and hold OK button
to stay in Neutral when vehicle is Off")
appears on the cluster LCD display. The
gear stays in N(Neutral) position after
turning off the engine. NEUTRAL engaged
The message appears on the LCD
display, when the N (Neutral) position is engaged.
Gear already selected
The message appears on the LCD
display, when pushing the current shift
button again.
Shift button held down
The warning message appears on the
LCD display, when the shift button is
pressed continuously or the shift button
does not properly operate. Clean the
surroundings of gear shift button.
If this message appears again, have
the vehicle inspected by an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer.
Shifter system malfunction
The warning message appears on the
LCD display, when the transmission
or the shift button does not properly
operate in the P (Park) position.
In this case, have the vehicle inspected
by an authorized HYUNDAI dealer.
Check shift controls
The warning message appears on the
LCD display, when there is a malfunction
with transmission shift button.
In this case, have the vehicle inspected
by an authorized HYUNDAI dealer.

While Driving
6-18
Good Driving Practices
• Never shift the gear from P (Park) or
N (Neutral) to any other position with
the accelerator pedal depressed.
• Never shift the gear into P (Park) when
the vehicle is in motion.
Be sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before you attempt to shift
into R (Reverse) or D (Drive).
• Do not shift the gear to N (Neutral)
when driving. Doing so may result
in an accident because of a loss of
engine braking and the transmission could be damaged.
• While driving up or downhill, check
the gear position, indicated on the
cluster, to ensure the vehicle is
driving forward while in D (Drive), or
backward while in R (Reverse). If you
drive in the opposite direction of the
selected gear, the engine will turn off
and a serious accident may occur due
to the degraded brake performance.
• Do not drive with your foot resting
on the brake pedal. Even light, but
consistent pedal pressure can result
in the brakes overheating, brake wear
and possibly even brake failure.
• When driving in the manual shift
mode, slow down before shifting to a
lower gear. Otherwise, the lower gear
may not be engaged if the engine
rpms are outside of the allowable
range.
• Always apply the parking brake when
leaving the vehicle. Do not depend on
placing the transmission in P (Park) to
keep the vehicle 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 may cause
loss of vehicle control resulting in an
accident •
Optimum vehicle performance and
economy is obtained by smoothly
depressing and releasing the
accelerator.
WARNING
To reduce the risk of SERIOUS INJURY
or DEATH: • ALWAYS wear your seatbelt. In a
collision, an unbelted occupant
is significantly more likely to be
seriously injured or killed than a
properly belted occupant.
• Avoid high speeds when cornering 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.
• HYUNDAI recommends you follow all
posted speed limits.
Information
Kickdown Mechanism (if equipped)
If you depress the accelerator pedal equipped with Kickdown device beyond
the pressure point, it maximizes the engine
power. You may feel when the Kickdown
equipment starts to work and hear the sound of Kickdown operation. It is normal
operation, not a failure.

06
6-19
Paddle Shifter
(Manual Shift Mode) (if equipped)
ODN8069009
The paddle shifter is available when the
gear is in the D (Drive) position.
Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once to
shift up or down one gear and the system
changes from automatic shift mode to manual shift mode.
To change back to the automatic shift
mode from manual shift mode, do one of
the following: • Gently depress the accelerator pedal
for more than 5 seconds.
• Drive the vehicle under 10 km/h (6
mph).
• Pull and hold the right side paddle
shifter.
Information
If the [+] and [-] paddle shifters are pulled
at the same time, gear shift may not occur.

While Driving
6-20
Dual clutch transmission (if equippeD)
ODN8069005
Dual clutch transmission operation
The dual clutch transmission has eight forward speeds and one reverse speed.
The individual speeds are selected automatically when the shift button is in the D
(Drive) position.

06
6-21
•
The dual clutch transmission can be
thought of as an automatically shifting
manual transmission. It gives the
driving feel of a manual transmission,
yet provides the ease of a fully
automatic transmission.
• When D (Drive) is selected, the
transmission will automatically
shift through the gears similar to a
conventional automatic transmission.
Unlike a traditional automatic
transmission, the gear shifting can
sometimes be felt and heard as the
actuators engage the clutches and the
gears are selected.
• The dual clutch transmission
incorporates a wet-type dual clutch
mechanism, which allows for better
acceleration performance and
increased fuel efficiency while driving.
But it differs from a conventional
automatic transmission because
it does not incorporate a torque
converter. Instead, the transition from
one gear to the next is managed by
clutch slip, especially at lower speeds.
As a result, shifts are sometimes more
noticeable, and a light vibration can
be felt as the transmission shaft speed
is matched with the engine shaft
speed. This is a normal condition of
the dual clutch transmission.
• The wet-type clutch transfers torque
more directly and provides a direct-
drive feeling which may feel different
from a conventional automatic
transmission. This may be more
noticeable when launching the vehicle
from a stop or when traveling at low,
stop-and-go vehicle speeds. •
When rapidly accelerating from a
lower vehicle speed, the engine
rpm may increase dramatically as a
result of clutch slip as the dual clutch
transmission selects the correct gear. This is a normal condition.
• When accelerating from a stop on
an incline, press the accelerator
smoothly and gradually to avoid any
shudder feeling or jerkiness.
• When traveling at a lower vehicle
speed, if you release the accelerator
pedal quickly, you may feel engine
braking before the transmission
changes gears. This engine braking
feeling is similar to operating a
manual transmission at low speed.
• When driving downhill, you may wish
to move the gear shift lever/button to
Manual Shift mode and downshift to
a lower gear in order to control your
speed without using the brake pedal
excessively.
• When you turn the engine on and off,
you may hear clicking sounds as the
system goes through a self-test. This
is a normal sound for the dual clutch
transmission.
• During the first 1,500 km (1000 miles),
you may feel that the vehicle may not
be smooth when accelerating at low
speed. During this break-in period, the
shift quality and performance of your
new vehicle is continuously optimized.

While Driving
6-22
WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury or
death: • ALWAYS check the surrounding
areas near your vehicle for people,
especially children, before shifting a
vehicle into D (Drive) or R (Reverse).
• Before leaving the driver’s seat,
always make sure the shift lever/
button is in the P (Park) position,
then set the parking brake, and place
the ignition switch in the LOCK/OFF
position. Unexpected and sudden
vehicle movement can occur if these
precautions are not followed.
• Do not use aggressive engine braking
(shifting from a higher gear to a
lower gear) on slippery roads. This
could cause the tires to slip and may
result in an accident.
NOTICE
• Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into D (Drive) or R
(Reverse).
• Do not put the shift lever/button in N
(Neutral) while driving.
WARNING
Due to transmission failure, you may
not continue to drive and the position
indicator and the position indicator (D,
P) on the instrument cluster will blink.
We recommend that you contact an
authorized HYUNDAI dealer and have
the system checked. DCT warning messages
This warning message is displayed when
vehicle is driven slowly on a grade and
the vehicle detects that the brake pedal
is not applied.
OOSH069010L
Steep grade! Press brake pedal
Driving up hills or on steep grades: •
To hold the vehicle on an incline use
the foot brake or the parking brake.
• When in stop-and-go traffic on an
incline, allow a gap to form ahead
of you before moving the vehicle
forward. Then hold the vehicle on the
incline with the foot brake.
• If the vehicle is held or creeping
forward on an incline by applying
the accelerator pedal, the clutch and
transmission may overheat which
can result in damage. At this time, a
warning message will appear on the
LCD display.
• If the LCD warning is active, the foot
brake must be applied.
• Ignoring the warnings can lead to
damage to the transmission.

06
6-23
OOSH069012L
Transmission high temperature
• Under certain conditions, such as
repeated stop-and-go launches
on steep grades, sudden take off
or acceleration, or other harsh
driving conditions, the transmission
clutch temperatures will increase
excessively.
• When the clutch temperatures are too
high, the “Transmission temp. is high!
Stop safely” warning message will
appear on the LCD display, a chime
will sound, and the transmission
shifting may not be smooth.
• If this occurs, pull over to a safe
location, stop the vehicle with the
engine running, apply the brakes and
shift the vehicle to P (Park), and allow
the transmission to cool.
• If you ignore this warning, the driving
condition may become worse.
You may experience abrupt shifts,
frequent shifts, or jerkiness.
• When the message “Trans cooled.
Resume driving.” appears you can
continue to drive your vehicle.
• When possible, drive the vehicle
smoothly.
„„Type A „„Type B
OOSH069007LOOSH069013L
OOSH069014L
Transmission overheated
• If the vehicle continues to be driven
and the clutch temperatures reach
the maximum temperature limit, the
“Transmission Hot! Park with engine
on” warning will be displayed. When
this occurs the clutch is disabled
until the clutch cools to normal
temperatures.
• The warning will display a time to wait
for the transmission to cool.
• If this occurs, pull over to a safe
location, stop the vehicle with the
engine running, apply the brakes and
shift the vehicle to P (Park), and allow
the transmission to cool.