maintenance Hyundai Sonata

All information in this Owner's Manual is current at the time of publication.
However, Hyundai reserves the right to make changes at any time so that
our policy of continual product improvement may be carried out.
This manual applies to all Hyundai models and includes descriptions and
explanations of optional as well as standard equipment. As a result, you may
find material in this manual that does not apply to your specific vehicle.O
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LOperation
Maintenance
Specifications

F4FOREWORD
Thank you for choosing Hyundai. We are pleased to welcome you to the growing number of discerning people who drive Hyundais.
The advanced engineering and high-quality construction of each Hyundai we build is something of which we're very proud.
Your Owner's Manual will introduce you to the features and operation of your new Hyundai. It is suggested that you read it care-
fully because the information it contains can contribute greatly to the satisfaction you receive from your new car.
The manufacturer also recommends that all service and maintenance on your car be performed by an authorized Hyundai deal-
er. Hyundai dealers are prepared to provide high-quality service, maintenance and any other assistance that may be required.
HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA
Note
: Because future owners will also need the information included in this manual, if you sell this Hyundai, please leave the man-
ual in the vehicle for their use. Thank you.
Copyright 2011 Hyundai Motor America. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieva l
system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of Hyundai Motor America.
CAUTION
Severe engine and transaxle damage may result from the use of poor quality fuels and lubricants that do not meet Hyundai\
specifications. You must always use high quality fuels and lubricants that meet the specifications li\
sted on Page 8-4 in theVehicle Specifications and consumer information section of the Owner's Manual.

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Introduction
Your vehicle at a glanceSafety features of your vehicleFeatures of your vehicleDriving your vehicleWhat to do in an emergencyMaintenanceSpecifications, Consumer information,
Reporting safety defectsIndex
table of contents

357
Safety features of your vehicle
Air bag inflation conditionsFront air bags
Front air bags are designed to inflate in a
frontal collision depending on the intensi-
ty, speed or angles of impact of the front
collision.
WARNING
 Do not hit or allow any objects toimpact the locations where air
bags or sensors are installed.
This may cause unexpected air
bag deployment, which could
result in serious personal injury
or death.
 If the installation location or angle of the sensors is altered in
any way, the air bags may deploy
when they should not or they may
not deploy when they should,
causing severe injury or death.
Therefore, do not try to perform
maintenance on or around the air
bag sensors. Have the vehicle
checked and repaired by an
authorized HYUNDAI dealer.
(Continued)
(Continued)
 Problems may arise if the sensorinstallation angles are changed
due to the deformation of the
front bumper, body or B pillars or
front door where side collision
sensors are installed. Have the
vehicle checked and repaired by
an authorized HYUNDAI dealer.
 Your vehicle has been designed to absorb impact and deploy the
air bag(s) in certain collisions.
Installing bumper guards or
replacing a bumper with non-gen-
uine parts may adversely affect
your vehicle’s collision and air
bag deployment performance.
1JBA3513

361
Safety features of your vehicle
SRS CareThe SRS is virtually maintenance-free
and so there are no parts you can safely
service by yourself. If the SRS air bag
warning light " " does not illuminate,
when you turn the ignition on, or continu-
ously remains on, have your vehicle
immediately inspected by an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer.
Any work on the SRS system, such as
removing, installing, repairing, or any
work on the steering wheel, the front
passenger's panel, front seats and roof
rails must be performed by an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer. Improper handling of
the SRS system may result in serious
personal injury.
WARNING
 Modification to SRS componentsor wiring, including the addition
of any kind of badges to the pad
covers or modifications to the
body structure, can adversely
affect SRS performance and lead
to possible injury.
 Not only the modification of the parts where the SRS sensors are
but also the modification of other
parts of the vehicle may affect the
SRS performance and lead to
possible injury.
 For cleaning the air bag pad cov- ers, use only a soft, dry cloth or
one which has been moistened
with plain water. Solvents or
cleaners could adversely affect
the air bag covers and proper
deployment of the system.
No objects should be placed over
or near the air bag modules on the
steering wheel, instrument panel,
and the front passenger's panel
above the glove box, because any
such object could cause harm if the
vehicle is in a crash severe enough
to cause the air bags to inflate.
(Continued)
(Continued)
 If the air bags inflate, they must be replaced by an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer.
 Do not tamper with or disconnect SRS wiring, or other components
of the SRS system. Doing so
could result in injury, due to acci-
dental inflation of the air bags or
by rendering the SRS inopera-
tive.
 If components of the air bag sys- tem must be discarded, or if the
vehicle must be scrapped, certain
safety precautions must be
observed. An authorized
HYUNDAI dealer knows these
precautions and can give you the
necessary information. Failure to
follow these precautions and pro-
cedures could increase the risk
of personal injury.
 If your car was flooded and has soaked carpeting or water on the
flooring, you shouldn't try to start
the engine; have the car towed to
an authorized HYUNDAI dealer.

Features of your vehicle54
4* : if equipped Odometer (mi. or km)
The odometer indicates the total dis-
tance the vehicle has been driven.
You will also find the odometer useful to
determine when periodic maintenance
should be performed.
The odometer is always displayed until
the display is turned off.
Tripmeter (mi. or km)
TRIP A : Tripmeter A
TRIP B : Tripmeter B
This mode indicates the distance of indi-
vidual trips selected since the last trip-
meter reset.
The meter's working range is from 0.0 to
9999.9 miles (0.0 to 9999.9 km).
Pressing the RESET button for more
than 1 second, when the tripmeter (TRIP
A or TRIP B) is being displayed, clears
the tripmeter to zero (0.0).
Average fuel consumption
Average speed
Instant fuel consumption
TRIP ATRIP B
Distance to empty
Elapsed timeECO ON/OFF*
OYF049050N
OYF049051N

Features of your vehicle92
4Climate control air filterThe climate control air filter installed
behind the glove box filters the dust or
other pollutants that come into the vehi-
cle from the outside through the heating
and air conditioning system. If dust or
other pollutants accumulate in the filter
over a period of time, the air flow from the
air vents may decrease, resulting in
moisture accumulation on the inside of
the windshield even when the outside
(fresh) air position is selected. If this hap-
pens, have the climate control air filter
replaced by an authorized HYUNDAI
dealer.
✽ ✽
NOTICE• Replace the filter according to the
Maintenance Schedule.
If the vehicle is being driven in severe
conditions such as dusty, rough roads,
more frequent climate control air fil-
ter inspections and changes are
required.
• When the air flow rate suddenly decreases, the system should be
checked at an authorized HYUNDAI
dealer.
Checking the amount of air con-
ditioner refrigerant and compres-
sor lubricantWhen the amount of refrigerant is low,
the performance of the air conditioning is
reduced. Overfilling also has a negative
influence on the air conditioning system.
Therefore, if abnormal operation is
found, have the system inspected by an
authorized HYUNDAI dealer.✽ ✽ NOTICEIt is important that the correct type and
amount of oil and refrigerant is used.
Otherwise, damage to the compressor
and abnormal system operation may
occur.
OMG075033
Outside air
Recirculatedair
Climate control
air filter Blower
Evaporator
coreHeater core
WARNING
The air conditioning system should
be serviced by an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer. Improper service
may cause serious injury to the
person performing the service.

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 are
easily 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
Driving while distracted can result in
a loss of vehicle control, that may
lead to an accident, severe personal
injury, and death. The driver's pri-
mary responsibility is in the safe and
legal operation of a vehicle, and use
of any handheld devices, other
equipment, or vehicle systems which
take the driver's eyes, attention and
focus away from the safe operation
of a vehicle or which are not permis-
sible by law should never be used
during operation of the vehicle.
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.
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.

Driving your vehicle36
5Your vehicle's fuel economy depends
mainly on your style of driving, where you
drive and when you drive.
Each of these factors affects how many
miles (kilometers) you can get from a gal-
lon (liter) of fuel. To operate your vehicle
as economically as possible, use the fol-
lowing driving suggestions to help save
money in both fuel and repairs:
 Drive smoothly. Accelerate at a moder-
ate rate. Don't make "jack-rabbit" starts
or full-throttle shifts and maintain a
steady cruising speed. Don't race
between stoplights. Try to adjust your
speed to that of the other traffic so you
don't have to change speeds unneces-
sarily. Avoid heavy traffic whenever
possible. Always maintain a safe dis-
tance from other vehicles so you can
avoid unnecessary braking. This also
reduces brake wear.
 Drive at a moderate speed. The faster you drive, the more fuel your car uses.
Driving at a moderate speed, especial-
ly on the highway, is one of the most
effective ways to reduce fuel consump-
tion.  Don't "ride" the brake pedal. This can
increase fuel consumption and also
increase wear on these components.
In addition, driving with your foot rest-
ing on the brake pedal may cause the
brakes to overheat, which reduces
their effectiveness and may lead to
more serious consequences.
 Take care of your tires. Keep them inflated to the recommended pressure.
Incorrect inflation, either too much or
too little, results in unnecessary tire
wear. Check the tire pressures at least
once a month.
 Be sure that the wheels are aligned correctly. Improper alignment can
result from hitting curbs or driving too
fast over irregular surfaces. Poor align-
ment causes faster tire wear and may
also result in other problems as well as
greater fuel consumption.  Keep your car in good condition. For
better fuel economy and reduced
maintenance costs, maintain your car
in accordance with the maintenance
schedule in section 7. If you drive your
car in severe conditions, more frequent
maintenance is required (see section 7
for details).
 Keep your car clean. For maximum service, your vehicle should be kept
clean and free of corrosive materials. It
is especially important that mud, dirt,
ice, etc. not be allowed to accumulate
on the underside of the car. This extra
weight can result in increased fuel con-
sumption and also contribute to corro-
sion.
 Travel lightly. Don't carry unnecessary weight in your car. Weight reduces fuel
economy.
 Don't let the engine idle longer than necessary. If you are waiting (and not
in traffic), turn off your engine and
restart only when you're ready to go.ECONOMICAL OPERATION

537
Driving your vehicle
 Remember, your vehicle does notrequire extended warm-up. After the
engine has started, allow the engine to
run for 10 to 20 seconds prior to plac-
ing 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 in the engine bucking.
If this happens, shift to a lower gear.
Over-revving is racing the engine
beyond its safe limit. This can be avoid-
ed by shifting at the recommended
speeds.  Use your air conditioning sparingly.
The air conditioning system is operat-
ed by engine power so your fuel econ-
omy 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 con-
dition is important both for economy and
safety. Therefore, have an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer perform scheduled
inspections and maintenance.
WARNING
- Engine off dur- ing 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 run-
ning. Instead, keep the engine on
and downshift to an appropriate
gear for engine braking effect. In
addition, turning off the ignition
while driving could engage the
steering wheel lock resulting in
loss of vehicle steering which
could cause serious injury or
death.