Hyundai Sonata: Transmission / Good Driving Practices

• Never move the shift lever from P (Park) or N (Neutral) to any other position with the accelerator pedal depressed.
• Never move the shift lever 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 move the shift lever 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.
• 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.
• Depressing both accelerator and brake pedals at the same time can trigger logic for engine power reduction to assure vehicle deceleration. Vehicle acceleration will resume after the brake pedal is released.
• When driving in 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.

Information - Kickdown Mechanism

Use the kickdown mechanism for maximum acceleration. Depress the accelerator pedal beyond the pressure point. The automatic transmission will shift to a lower gear depending on the engine speed.

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

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.

Moving up a steep grade from a standing start

To move up a steep grade from a standing start, depress the brake pedal, shift the shift lever to D (Drive). Depress the accelerator gradually while releasing the service brakes.