belt Hyundai Sonata

Safety features of your vehicle54
3
Curtain air bagCurtain air bags are located along both
sides of the roof rails above the front and
rear doors.
They are designed to help protect the
heads of the front seat occupants and
the rear outboard seat occupants in cer-
tain side impact collisions.
WARNING
• The side impact air bag is sup-
plemental to the driver's and the
passenger's seat belt systems
and is not a substitute for them.
Therefore your seat belts must be
worn at all times while the vehicle
is in motion. The air bags deploy
only in certain side impact condi-
tions severe enough to cause
significant injury to the vehicle
occupants.
• For best protection from the side impact air bag system and to
avoid being injured by the
deploying side impact air bag,
both front seat occupants should
sit in an upright position with the
seat belt properly fastened. The
driver's hands should be placed
on the steering wheel at the 9:00
and 3:00 positions. The passen-
ger's arms and hands should be
placed on their laps.
• Do not use any accessory seat covers.
(Continued)
(Continued)
• Use of seat covers could reduceor prevent the effectiveness of
the system.
• Do not install any accessories on the side or near the side air bag.
• Do not place any objects over the air bag or between the air bag
and yourself.
• Do not place any objects (an umbrella, bag, etc.) between the
front door and the front seat.
Such objects may become dan-
gerous projectiles and cause
injury if the supplemental side air
bag inflates.
• To prevent unexpected deploy- ment of the side impact air bag
that may result in personal injury,
avoid impact to the side impact
sensor when the ignition switch
is on.
• If the seat or seat cover is dam- aged, have the vehicle checked
and repaired by an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer because your
vehicle is equipped with side
impact air bags and an occupant
classification system.

OYF039026
OYF039058N

YF hma 3.qxp 11/25/2009 5:01 PM Page 54

355
Safety features of your vehicle
The curtain air bags are designed to
deploy only during certain side impact
collisions, depending on the crash sever-
ity, angle, speed and impact. The curtain
air bags are not designed to deploy in all
side impact situations, collisions from the
front or rear of the vehicle or in most
rollover situations.
WARNING
• In order for side and curtain airbags to provide the best protec-
tion, front seat occupants and
outboard rear occupants should
sit in an upright position with the
seat belts properly fastened.
Importantly, children should sit in
a proper child restraint system in
the rear seat.
• When children are seated in the rear outboard seats, they must be
seated in the proper child
restraint system. Make sure to
put the child restraint system as
far away from the door side as
possible, and secure the child
restraint system in a locked posi-
tion.
• Do not allow the passengers to lean their heads or bodies onto
doors, put their arms on the
doors, stretch their arms out of
the window, or place objects
between the doors and passen-
gers when they are seated on
seats equipped with side and/or
curtain air bags.
(Continued)
(Continued)
• Never try to open or repair anycomponents of the side curtain
air bag system. This should only
be done by an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer.
Failure to follow the above instruc-
tions can result in injury or death to
the vehicle occupants in an acci-
dent.

YF hma 3.qxp 11/25/2009 5:01 PM Page 55

Safety features of your vehicle58
3Side impact and curtain air bags
Side impact and curtain air bags are
designed to inflate when an impact is
detected by side collision sensors
depending on the strength, speed or
angles of impact resulting from a side
impact collision. Although the front air bags (driver’s and
front passenger’s air bags) are designed
to inflate only in frontal collisions, they
also may inflate in other types of colli-
sions if the front impact sensors detect a
sufficient impact. Side impact and curtain
air bags are designed to inflate only in
side impact collisions, but they may
inflate in other collisions if the side
impact sensors detect a sufficient
impact.
If the vehicle chassis is impacted by
bumps or objects on unimproved roads,
the air bags may deploy. Drive carefully
on unimproved roads or on surfaces not
designed for vehicle traffic to prevent
unintended air bag deployment.
Air bag non-inflation conditions• In certain low-speed collisions the air
bags may not deploy. The air bags are
designed not to deploy in such cases
because they may not provide benefits
beyond the protection of the seat belts
in such collisions.

1JBA3514
1LDA2057

1JBA3515

YF hma 3.qxp 11/25/2009 5:01 PM Page 58

Safety features of your vehicle62
3Additional safety precautions• Never let passengers ride in the
cargo area or on top of a folded-
down back seat. All occupants should
sit upright, fully back in their seats with
their seat belts on and their feet on the
floor.
• Passengers should not move out of
or change seats while the vehicle is
moving. A passenger who is not wear-
ing a seat belt during a crash or emer-
gency stop can be thrown against the
inside of the vehicle, against other
occupants, or out of the vehicle.
• Each seat belt is designed to
restrain one occupant. If more than
one person uses the same seat belt,
they could be seriously injured or killed
in a collision.
• Do not use any accessories on seat
belts. Devices claiming to improve
occupant comfort or reposition the seat
belt can reduce the protection provided
by the seat belt and increase the
chance of serious injury in a crash.
• Passengers should not place hard
or sharp objects between them-
selves and the air bags. Carrying
hard or sharp objects on your lap or in
your mouth can result in injuries if an
air bag inflates. •
Keep occupants away from the air
bag covers. All occupants should sit
upright, fully back in their seats with
their seat belts on and their feet on the
floor. If occupants are too close to the
air bag covers, they could be injured if
the air bags inflate.
• Do not attach or place objects on or
near the air bag covers. Any object
attached to or placed on the front or
side air bag covers could interfere with
the proper operation of the air bags.
• Do not modify the front seats.
Modification of the front seats could
interfere with the operation of the sup-
plemental restraint system sensing
components or side air bags.
• Do not place items under the front
seats. Placing items under the front
seats could interfere with the operation
of the supplemental restraint system
sensing components and wiring har-
nesses.
• Never hold an infant or child on your
lap. The infant or child could be seri-
ously injured or killed in the event of a
crash. All infants and children should
be properly restrained in appropriate
child safety seats or seat belts in the
rear seat.
Adding equipment to or modifying
your air bag-equipped vehicleIf you modify your vehicle by changing
your vehicle's frame, bumper system,
front end or side sheet metal or ride
height, this may affect the operation of
your vehicle's air bag system.
WARNING
• Sitting improperly or out of posi- tion can cause occupants to be
shifted too close to a deploying
air bag, strike the interior struc-
ture or be thrown from the vehicle
resulting in serious injury or
death.
• Always sit upright with the seat- back in an upright position, cen-
tered on the seat cushion with
your seat belt on, legs comfort-
ably extended and your feet on
the floor.
• Be careful not to cause impact to the doors when the ignition is
ON. The air bags may inflate.

YF hma 3.qxp 11/25/2009 5:02 PM Page 62

Features of your vehicle56
4Electronic brake force distri-
bution (EBD) system warning
light
If these two warning lights illuminate at
the same time while driving, your vehicle
may have a malfunction with the ABS
and EBD system.
In this case, your ABS and regular brake
system may not work normally. Have the
vehicle checked by an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer as soon as possible.
✽
NOTICEIf the ABS warning light or EBD warn-
ing light is on and stays on, the
speedometer or odometer/tripmeter
may not work. In this case, have your
vehicle checked by an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer as soon as possible.Seat belt warning The driver's seat belt warning light and
chime will activate to the following table
when the ignition switch is in "ON" posi-
tion.
*
1Warning pattern repeats 11 times with
interval 24 seconds. If the driver's seat
belt is buckled, the light will stop within
6 seconds and chime will stop immedi-
ately.
*2The light will stop within 6 seconds and
chime will stop immediately.

WARNING
If the both ABS and brake warning
lights are on and stay on, your vehi-
cle’s brake system will not work
normally during sudden braking. In
this case, avoid high speed driving
and abrupt braking. Have your vehi-
cle checked by an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer as soon as possi-
ble.

Conditions
Warning Pattern
Seat Belt
Vehicle
Speed
Light-Blink
Chime-Sound
Unbuckled
6 seconds
Buckled
6 seconds
None
Buckled o
Unbuckled
Below 3 mph (5 km/h)
6 seconds
None
3 mph~6 mph
6 seconds
Above 6 mph (10 km/h)
6 sec. on / 24 sec. off (11 times)
Unbuckled
Above 6 mph(10 km/h)
p
Below 3 mph (5 km/h)
6 seconds *
1
p
Stop *
2

YF HMA 4-103.QXP 12/24/2009 5:13 PM Page 56

Features of your vehicle60
4Charging system warning
lightThis warning light indicates a malfunction
of either the generator or electrical
charging system.
If the warning light comes on while the
vehicle is in motion:
1. Drive to the nearest safe location.
2. With the engine off, check the genera- tor drive belt for looseness or break-
age.
3. If the belt is adjusted properly, a prob- lem exists somewhere in the electrical
charging system. Have an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer correct the problem
as soon as possible.Front fog light indicator (if equipped)This light comes on when the front fog
lights are ON.
Trunk lid open warninglightThis warning light illuminates when the
trunk lid is not closed securely with the
ignition in any position.Door open position indica-
torThis indicator illuminates when a door is
not closed securely.
The indicator displays which door is
opened.
Immobilizer indicator Without smart key system
This light illuminates when the immobiliz-
er key is inserted and turned to the ON
position to start the engine.
At this time, you can start the engine. The
light goes out after the engine is running.
If this light blinks when the ignition switch
is in the ON position before starting the
engine, have the system checked by an
authorized HYUNDAI dealer.
With smart key system (if equipped)
If any of the following occurs in a vehicle
equipped with the smart key, the immobi-
lizer indicator illuminates, blinks or the
light goes off.

YF HMA 4-103.QXP 12/24/2009 5:13 PM Page 60

53
Driving your vehicle
Before entering vehicle• Be sure that all windows, outside mir-ror(s), and outside lights are clean.
• Check the condition of the tires.
• Check under the vehicle for any sign of leaks.
• Be sure there are no obstacles behind you if you intend to back up.Necessary inspections Fluid levels, such as engine oil, engine
coolant, brake fluid, and washer fluid
should be checked on a regular basis,
with the exact interval depending on the
fluid. Further details are provided in sec-
tion 7, “Maintenance”.
Before starting • Close and lock all doors.
• Position the seat so that all controls areeasily reached.
• Adjust the inside and outside rearview mirrors.
• Be sure that all lights work.
• Check all gauges.
• Check the operation of warning lights when the ignition switch is turned to
the ON position.
• Release the parking brake and make sure the brake warning light goes out.
For safe operation, be sure you are famil-
iar with your vehicle and its equipment.
BEFORE DRIVING
WARNING
All passengers must be properly
belted whenever the vehicle is mov-
ing. Refer to “Seat belts” in section
3 for more information on their
proper use.
CALIFORNIA PROPOSI-
TION 65 WARNING
Engine exhaust and a wide variety
of automobile components and
parts, including components found
in the interior furnishings in a vehi-
cle, contain or emit chemicals
known to the State of California to
cause cancer and birth defects and
reproductive harm. In addition, cer-
tain fluids contained in vehicles
and certain products of component
wear contain or emit chemicals
known to the State of California to
cause cancer and birth defects or
other reproductive harm.

YF hma 5.qxp 11/25/2009 5:42 PM Page 3

513
Driving your vehicle
Good driving practices• Never take the vehicle out of gear andcoast down a hill. This is extremely
hazardous. Always leave the vehicle in
gear.
• Do not "ride" the brakes. This can cause them to overheat and malfunc-
tion. Instead, when you are driving
down a long hill, shift to a lower gear.
When you do this, engine braking will
help slow down the vehicle.
• Slow down before shifting to a lower gear. This will help avoid over-revving
the engine, which can cause damage.
• Slow down when you encounter cross winds. This gives you much better con-
trol of your vehicle.
• Be sure the vehicle is completely stopped before you attempt to shift into
R (Reverse). The transaxle can be
damaged if you do not. To shift into R
(Reverse), depress the clutch, move
the shift lever to neutral, wait three sec-
onds, then shift to the R (Reverse)
position.
• 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.
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.

YF hma 5.qxp 11/25/2009 5:43 PM Page 13

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.

YF hma 5.qxp 11/25/2009 5:44 PM Page 20

Driving your vehicle40
5Highway drivingTiresAdjust the tire inflation pressures to
specification. Low tire inflation pressures
will result in overheating and possible
failure of the tires.
Avoid using worn or damaged tires which
may result in reduced traction or tire fail-
ure.✽
NOTICENever exceed the maximum tire inflation
pressure shown on the tires.
Fuel, engine coolant and engine oilHigh speed travel consumes more fuel
than urban motoring. Do not forget to
check both engine coolant and engine
oil.Drive beltA loose or damaged drive belt may result
in overheating of the engine.
WARNING
• Underinflated or overinflated
tires can cause poor handling,
loss of vehicle control, and sud-
den tire failure leading to acci-
dents, injuries, and even death.
Always check tires for proper
inflation before driving. For prop-
er tire pressures, refer to “Tires
and wheels” in section 8.
• Driving on tires with no or insuffi- cient tread is dangerous. Worn-
out tires can result in loss of
vehicle control, collisions, 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
car. For further information and
tread limits, refer to “Tires and
wheels” in section 7.

OMG015008

YF hma 5.qxp 11/25/2009 5:47 PM Page 40