2003 Hyundai Sonata sport mode

DRIVING YOUR HYUNDAI 2- 7
C090A03Y-AATAUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE
The highly efficient Hyundai automatic transaxle
has four forward speed and one reverse speed.
The individual speeds are selected automati-
cally, depending on the position of the speed
selector lever. The selector lever has 2 gates;
the main gate and the manual gate.
NOTE:For information on manual gate operation,
refer to "Sports Mode".
In the main gate, the selector lever has 4
positions, and is equipped with a button to avoid
inadvertent wrong selection.
NOTE:Depress the brake pedal and push
the button when shifting.
Push the button when shifting.
The selector lever can be shifted
freely.
The first few shifts on a new vehicle, or if the
battery has been disconnected, may be
somewhat abrupt. This is a normal condi-
tion, and the shifting sequence will adjust
after shifts are cycled a few times by the
T.C.M (Transaxle Control Module).
CAUTION:Never shift into "R" or "P" position while the
vehicle is moving.
!
The indicator lights in the instrument cluster
indicate the selector lever position when the
ignition is switched "ON". During the sports
mode operation, the gear currently in use dis-
plays in the numeral indicator.C090A01YC090A02L

2- 8 DRIVING YOUR HYUNDAI
C090E01O-AAT
o D(Drive):
Use for normal driving. The transaxle will auto-
matically shift through a four gear sequence.
C090F02O-GATSports Mode
C090D02O-AATo N (Neutral):
In the "N" position, the transaxle is in neutral,
which means that no gears are engaged. The
engine can be started with the shift lever in "N"
position, although this is not recommended
except if the engine stalls while the car is
moving.
C090B01A-AATThe function of each position is as fol-
lows:
o P (Park):
Use to hold the vehicle in place when parked or
while starting the engine; shift the selector lever
to the "P" (Park) position. Whenever parking the
car, apply the parking brake and shift the selec-
tor lever to the "P" (Park) position.
C090C01A-AATo R(Reverse):
Use for backing up the vehicle. Bring the car to
a complete stop before shifting the selector
lever to "R" position.
CAUTION:Never place the selector lever in the "P"
(Park) position unless the vehicle is fully
stopped. Failure to observe this caution
will cause severe damage to the transaxle.Whether the vehicle is stationary or in motion,
sports mode is selected by pushing the selector
lever from the "D" position into the manual gate.
To return to "D" range operation, push the
selector lever back into the main gate.
In sports mode, moving the selector lever back-
wards and forwards can make rapid gearshifts
simple. In contrast to a manual transaxle, the
sports mode allows gearshifts with the accel-
erator pedal depressed.
UP (+) : Push the lever forward once to shift up
one gear.
DOWN (-) : Pull the lever backwards once to
shift down one gear.
SKIP : By rapidly moving the selector forward or
backward twice, it is possible to skip one gear,
i.e. 1st to 3rd or 3rd to 1st .HXG200
!

DRIVING YOUR HYUNDAI 2- 9
CAUTION:o In sports mode, the driver must execute
upward shifts in accordance with pre-
vailing road conditions, taking care to
keep the engine speed below the red
zone.
o For engine protection, upward shifts are
made automatically when the engine
rpm reaches the red zone.
o By rapidly moving the selector lever back-
wards (-) twice it is possible to skip one
gear, i.e., 3rd to 1st, 4th to 2nd. Since
sudden engine braking and/or rapid ac-
celeration can cause a loss of traction,
however, downshifts must be made care-
fully in accordance with the vehicle's
speed.
!
C090H01L-GATNOTE:o For smooth and safe operation, depress
the brake pedal when shifting from "Neu-
tral" position or "Park" position to a
forward or reverse gear.
o The ignition key must be in the "ON"
position and the brake pedal fully de-
pressed in order to move the shift lever
from the "P" (Park) position to any of the
other positions.
o It is always possible to shift from "R",
"N", "D" position to "P" position. The
vehicle must be fully stopped to avoid
transaxle damage.
C090I02L-GAT
CAUTION:
o Shift into "R" and "P" position only when
the vehicle has completely stopped.
o Do not accelerate the engine in reverse
or any of the forward positions with the
brakes applied.
o Always apply the footbrake when shift-
ing from "P" or "N", to "R", "D"position.
o Do not use the "P" (Park) position in
place of the parking brake. Always set
the parking brake, shift the transaxle
into "P" (Park) position and turn off the
ignition when you leave the vehicle, even
momentarily. Never leave the vehicle
unattended while the engine is running.
o Check the automatic transaxle fluid level
regularly, and add fluid as necessary.
o See the maintenance schedule for the
proper fluid recommendation.
!
NOTE:o In sports mode, only the four forward
gears can be selected. To reverse or park
the vehicle, move the selector lever to
the "R" or "P" position as required.
o In sports mode, downward shifts are
made automatically when the vehicle
slows down. When the vehicle stops, 1st
gear is automatically selected.
o To maintain the required levels of ve-
hicle performance and safety, the sys-
tem may not execute certain gearshifts
when the selector lever is operated.o Before driving away from a stop on a
slippery road, push the selector lever
forward into the +(UP) position. This
causes the transaxle to shift into 2nd
gear which is better for smooth driving
away on a slippery road. Push the selec-
tor lever to the -(DOWN) side to shift
back to 1st gear.