2003 Hyundai Sonata ESP

DRIVING YOUR HYUNDAI 2- 13
first or reverse gear (manual transaxle) and
block the rear wheels so the car cannot roll.
Then release the parking brake.
o Do not hold the vehicle on the upgrade with
the accelerator pedal. This can cause the
transaxle to overheat. Always use the brake
pedal or parking brake.
C140A01A-AATDRIVING FOR ECONOMY
You can save fuel and get more miles from your
car if you follow these suggestions:
o Drive smoothly. Accelerate at a moderate
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 unnec-
essarily. Avoid heavy traffic whenever pos-
sible. Always maintain a safe distance from
other vehicles so you can avoid unneces-
sary braking. This also reduces brake wear.
o Drive at a moderate speed. The faster you
drive, the more fuel your car uses. Driving at
a moderate speed, especially on the high-
way, is one of the most effective ways to
reduce fuel consumption.
o Don't "ride" the brake or clutch pedal. This
can increase fuel consumption and also
increase wear on these components. In
addition, driving with your foot resting on the
brake pedal may cause the brakes to over-heat, which reduces their effectiveness and
may lead to more serious consequences.
o 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.
o Be sure that the wheels are aligned cor-
rectly. Improper alignment can result from
hitting curbs or driving too fast over irregular
surfaces. Poor alignment causes faster tire
wear and may also result in other problems
as well as greater fuel consumption.
o 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 5. If
you drive your car in severe conditions,
more frequent maintenance is required (see
Section 5 for details).
o Keep your car clean. For maximum service,
your Hyundai should be kept clean and free
of corrosive materials. It is especially impor-
tant that mud, dirt, ice, etc. not be allowed to
accumulate on the underside of the car. This
extra weight can result in increased fuel
consumption and also contribute to corro-
sion.
o Travel lightly. Don't carry unnecessary
weight in your car. Weight reduces fuel
economy.
o Don't let the engine idle longer than neces-
sary. If you are waiting (and not in traffic),
turn off your engine and restart only when
you're ready to go.o Remember, your Hyundai does not require
extended warm-up. As soon as the engine
is running smoothly, you can drive away. In
very cold weather, however, give your en-
gine a slightly longer warm-up period.
o Don't "lug" or "over-rev" the engine. Lugging
is driving too slowly in too high a gear result-
ing 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
avoided by shifting at the recommended
speeds.
o Use your air conditioning sparingly. The air
conditioning system is operated by engine
power so your fuel economy is reduced
when you use it.
C160A01A-AATWINTER DRIVING
The more severe weather conditions of winter
result in greater wear and other problems. To
minimize the problems of winter driving, you
should follow these suggestions:
C150A01A-AAT
SMOOTH CORNERING
Avoid braking or gear changing in corners,
especially when roads are wet. Ideally, corners
should always be taken under gentle accelera-
tion. If you follow these suggestions, tire wear
will be held to a minimum.

2- 18 DRIVING YOUR HYUNDAI
CAUTION:If overheating should occur when towing,
(the temperature gauge reads near red zone),
taking the following action may reduce or
eliminate the problem.
1. Turn off the air conditioner.
2. Reduce highway speed.
3. Select a lower gear when going uphill.
4. While in stop and go traffic, place the gear
selector in park or neutral and idle the engine
at a higher speed.
!
C190F01S-AATTrailer or Vehicle Towing Tips
1. Before towing, check hitch and safety chain
connections as well as proper operation of
the trailer running lights, brake lights, and
turn signals.
2. Always drive your vehicle at a moderate
speed (Less than 60 mph)
3. Trailer towing requires more fuel than normal
conditions.
4. To maintain engine braking efficiency and
electrical charging performance, do not use
fifth gear (manual transaxle) or overdrive
(automatic transaxle).
5. Always secure items in the trailer to prevent
load shift while driving.
6. Check the condition and air pressure of all
tires on the trailer and your car. Low tire
pressure can seriously affect the handling.
Also check the spare tire.
7. The vehicle/trailer combination is more af-
fected by crosswind and buffeting.
When being passed by a large vehicle, keep
a constant speed and steer straight ahead.
If there is too much wind buffeting slow down
to get out of the other vehicle's air turbulence.
8. When parking your car and trailer, especially
on a hill, be sure to follow all the normal
precautions. Turn your front wheel into the
curb, set the parking brake firmly, and put the
transaxle in 1st or Reverse (manual) or Park
(automatic). In addition, place wheel chocks
at each of the trailer's tires.9. If the trailer has electric brakes, start your
vehicle and trailer moving, and then apply the
trailer brake controller by hand to be sure the
brakes are working. This lets you check
your electrical connection at the same time.
10.During your trip, check occasionally to be
sure that the load is secure, and that the
lights and any trailer brakes are still working.
11.Avoid jerky starts, sudden acceleration or
sudden stops.
12.Avoid sharp turns and rapid lane changes.
13.Avoid holding the brake pedal down too long
or too frequently. This could cause the brakes
to overheat, resulting in reduced braking
efficiency.
14.When going down a hill, shift into a lower gear
and use the engine braking effect.
When ascending a long grade, downshift the
transaxle to a lower gear and reduce speed
to reduce chances of engine overloading
and/or overheating.
15.If you have to stop while going uphill, do not
hold the vehicle in place by pressing on the
accelerator. This can cause the automatic
transaxle to overheat. Use the parking brake
or footbrake.
NOTE:When towing check transaxle fluid more
frequently.

5- 2 VEHICLE MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS
F010D01A-AATGeneral Checks
These are the regular checks you should per-
form when you drive your Hyundai or you fill the
fuel tank. A list of these items will be found on
page 6-4.
F010C01A-AATSpecified Scheduled Procedures
These are the procedures such as inspections,
adjustments and replacements that are listed in
the maintenance charts starting on page 5-4.
These procedures must be performed at the
intervals shown in the maintenance schedule to
assure that your warranty remains in effect.
Although it is strongly recommended that they
be performed by the trained technicians at your
Hyundai dealer, these procedures may be per-
formed at any qualified service facility.
It is suggested that genuine Hyundai service
parts be used for any required repairs or re-
placements. Other parts of equivalent quality
such as engine oil, engine coolant, manual or
auto transaxle oil, brake fluid and so on which
are not supplied by Hyundai Motor Company or
its distributor may be used without affecting
your warranty coverage but you should always
be sure these are equivalent to the quality of the
original Hyundai parts. Your Owner's Hand-
book provides further information about your
warranty coverage.
F010A01A-AATMAINTENANCE INTERVALS
Service Requirements
To ensure that you receive the greatest number
of miles of satisfying operation from your Hyundai,
certain maintenance procedures must be per-
formed. Although careful design and engineer-
ing have reduced these to a minimum, those that
are required are of the utmost importance.
It is your responsibility to have these mainte-
nance procedures performed to comply with
the terms of the warranties covering your new
Hyundai. The Owner's Handbook supplied with
your new vehicle provides further information
about these warranties.
F010B01A-AATMaintenance Requirements
The maintenance required for your Hyundai
can be divided into three main areas:
o Specified scheduled procedures
o General checks
o Do-it-yourself maintenance
F010E01A-AATDo-It-Yourself Maintenance
If you are mechanically inclined, own a few tools
that are required and want to take the time to do
so, you can inspect and service a number of
items. For more information about doing it your-
self, see Section 6.
F010F01A-AATA Few Tips
o Whenever you have your Hyundai serviced,
keep copies of the service records in your
glovebox. This will help ensure that you can
document that the required procedures have
been performed to keep your warranties in
effect. This is especially important when
service is not performed by an authorized
Hyundai dealer.
o If you choose to do your own maintenance
and repairs, you may find it helpful to have
an official Hyundai Shop Manual. A copy of
this publication may be purchased at your
Hyundai dealer's parts department.

CONSUMER INFORMATION & REPORTING SAFETY DEFECTS 8- 3
!
!
I050A02Y-AATTIRE CHAINS
Tire chains, if necessary, should be installed on
the front wheels. Be sure that the chains are the
proper size and that they are installed in accor-
dance with the manufacturer's instructions.
To minimize tire and chain wear, do not continue
to use tire chains when they are no longer
needed.
I040A01S-AATSNOW TIRES
If you equip your car with snow tires, they should
be the same size and have the same load
capacity as the original tires. Snow tires should
be installed on all four wheels; otherwise, poor
handling may result.
Snow tires should carry 4 psi (28 kPa) more air
pressure than the pressure recommended for
the standard tires on the tire label on the driver's
door edge , or up to the maximum pressure
shown on the tire sidewall whichever is less.
Do not drive faster than 75 mph (120 km/h)
when your car is equipped with snow tires. These pressures were chosen to provide the
most satisfactory combination of ride comfort,
tire wear and stability under normal conditions.
Tire pressures should be checked at least
monthly. Proper tire inflation pressures should
be maintained for these reasons:
o Lower-than-recommended tire pressures
cause uneven tread wear and poor handling.
o Higher-than-recommended tire pressures
increase the chance of damage from im-
pacts and cause uneven tread wear.
!
WARNING:When driving on roads covered with snow
or ice, drive at less than 20 mph (30 km/h).
I060A02A-AATTIRE ROTATION
Tires should be rotated every 7,500 miles
(12,000 km). If you notice that tires are wearing
unevenly between rotations, have the car
checked by a Hyundai dealer so the cause may
be corrected.
After rotating, adjust the tire pressures and be
sure to check the wheel nut tightness.
CAUTION:Always observe the following:
o Check pressures when the tires are cold.
That is, after the car has been parked for
at least three hours and hasn't been
driven more than one mile or 1.6 km since
starting up.
o Check the pressure of your spare tire
each time you check the pressure of
other tires.
o Never overload your car. Be especially
careful about overloading if you equip
your car with a luggage rack or car top
carrier.
WARNING:o Do not use the temporary spare tire for
tire rotation.
o Do not mix bias ply and radial ply tires
under any circumstances. This may
cause unusual handling characteristics
that could result in death, serious injury,
or property damage.
HEF-241

8- 6 CONSUMER INFORMATION & REPORTING SAFETY DEFECTS
!
I130D01A-AATHyundai motor vehicles are designed and manu-
factured to meet or exceed all applicable safety
standards.
For your safety, however, we strongly urge you
to read and follow all directions in this Owner's
Manual, particularly the information under the
headings "NOTE", "CAUTION" and "WARN-
ING".
If, after reading this manual, you have any
questions regarding the operation of your ve-
hicle, please contact your nearest Hyundai
Motor America Regional Office as listed below:
Eastern Region : Connecticut, Delaware, Maine,
Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvanina, Rhode
Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia.
Eastern Region
1100 Cranbury South River Road
Jamesburg, NJ 08831
(800) 633-5151
Southern Region: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida,
Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Caro-
lina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee,
Texas. Traction AA, A, B, C - The traction grades,
from highest to lowest, are AA, A, B, and C.
Those grades represent the tire's ability to stop
on wet pavement as measured under controlled
conditions on specified government test sur-
faces of asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C
may have poor traction performance.
WARNING:The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak traction
characteristics.
Temperature A, B, C - The temperature grades
are A (the highest), B, and C, representing the
tire's resistance to the generation of heat and
its ability to dissipate heat when tested under
controlled conditions on a specified indoor labo-
ratory test wheel. Sustained high temperature
can cause the material of the tire to degenerate
and reduce tire life, and excessive temperature
can lead to sudden tire failure. The grade C
corresponds to a level of performance which all
passenger car tires must meet under the Fed-
eral Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 109.
Grades B and A represent higher levels of
performance on the laboratory test wheel than
the minimum required by law.
WARNING:The temperature grade for this tire is estab-
lished for a tire that is properly inflated and
not overloaded. Excessive speed,
underinflation, or excessive loading, either
separately or in combination, can cause
heat buildup and possible tire failure.
!