2005 Hyundai Sonata Owner's Manual

DRIVING YOUR HYUNDAI
2
Engine Exhaust Can Be Dangerous! ............................ 2-2
Before Starting the Engine ............................................ 2-3
Key Positions ................................................................ 2-3
Starting .........................................................................2-4
Operating the Manual Transaxle .................................. 2-5
Automatic Transaxle ..................................................... 2-8
Power Adjustable Pedals.............................................2-11
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) ...................................2-12
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) System ..................2-13
Good Braking Practices..............................................2-14
Driving for Economy ....................................................2-15
Smooth Cornering........................................................2-16
Winter Driving..............................................................2-16
Trailer or Vehicle Towing .............................................2-19
Vehicle Load Limit........................................................2-22
2

2
DRIVING YOUR HYUNDAI
2
WARNING: ENGINE EXHAUST CAN BE DANGEROUS!
C010A03A-AATEngine exhaust fumes can be extremely dangerous. If, at any time, you smell exhaust fumes inside the vehicle, open the windows immediately.
o Do not inhale exhaust fumes.
Exhaust fumes contain carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless gas that can cause unconsciousness and death by asphyxiation.
o Be sure the exhaust system does not leak.
The exhaust system should be checked whenever the vehicle is raised to change the oil or for any other purpose. If you hear a change
in the sound of the exhaust or if you drive over something that strikes the underneath side of the car, have the exhaust system checked
as soon as possible by your Hyundai dealer.
o Do not run the engine in an enclosed area.
Letting the engine idle in your garage, even with the garage door open, is a hazardous practice. Never run the engine in your garage
any longer than it takes to start the engine and back the car out.
o Avoid idling the engine for prolonged periods with people inside the car.
If it is necessary to idle the engine for a prolonged period with people inside the car, be sure to do so only in an open area with the air
intake set at "Fresh" and fan operating at one of the higher speeds so fresh air is drawn into the interior.
If you must drive with the trunk lid open because you are carrying objects that make this necessary:
1. Close all windows.
2. Open side vents.
3. Set the air intake control at "Fresh", the air flow control at "Floor" or "Face" and the fan at one of the higher speeds.
To assure proper operation of the ventilation system, be sure the ventilation air intakes located just in front of the windshield are kept clear
of snow, ice, leaves or other obstructions.
!!
PROPOSITION 65 WARNING:
Engine exhaust and a wide variety of automobile components and parts, including components found in the interior furnishings
in a vehicle, contain or emit chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects and reproductive harm.
In addition, certain 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.

2
DRIVING YOUR HYUNDAI
3
BEFORE STARTING
THE ENGINEC020A01A-AATBefore you start the engine, you should always:
1. Look around the vehicle to be sure there are
no flat tires, puddles of oil, water or other
indications of possible trouble.
2. After entering the car, check to be sure the
parking brake is engaged.
3. Check that all windows and lights are clean.
4. Check that the interior and exterior mirrors
are clean and in position.
5. Check your seat, seatback and headrest to
be sure they are in their proper positions.
6. Lock all the doors.
7. Fasten your seat belt and be sure that all
other occupants have fastened theirs.
8. Turn off all lights and accessories that are
not needed.
9. When you turn the ignition switch to "ON",
check that all appropriate warning lights are
operating and that you have sufficient fuel.
10. Check the operation of warning lights and all
bulbs when key is in the "ON" position.
TO START THE ENGINEC030A01E-AATCOMBINATION IGNITION SWITCHo If your Hyundai is equipped with a manual
transaxle, place the shift lever in neutral and
depress the clutch pedal fully.
o If your Hyundai has an automatic transaxle,
place the shift lever in "P" (park).
o To start the engine, insert the ignition key and
turn it to the "START" position. Release it as
soon as the engine starts. Do not hold the
key in the "START" position for more that 15
seconds.NOTE:o For safety, the engine will not start if the
clutch pedal is not depressed fully
(Manual Transaxle) or the shift lever is
not in "P" or "N" Position (Automatic
Transaxle).
o The ignition key cannot be turned from
"ACC" position to "LOCK" position un-
less the shift lever is in the "P" (Park)
position or the negative battery terminal
is disconnected from the battery. To
remove the key, always confirm that the
shift lever is securely positioned in "P"
(Park) (For Automatic Transaxle).
o For additional information about start-
ing, see page 2-4.
KEY POSITIONSC040A01A-AAT
CAUTION:
The engine should not be turned off or the
key removed from the ignition key cylinder
while the car is in motion. The steering
wheel is locked by removing the key.
C040A01E
LOCKACC
ON
START!
o "START"The engine is started in this position. It will crank
until you release the key.

2
DRIVING YOUR HYUNDAI
4
NOTE:Do not hold the key in the "START" position
for more than 15 seconds.o "ON"When the key is in the "ON" position, the ignition
is on and all accessories may be turned on. If
the engine is not running, the key should not be
left in the "ON" position. This will discharge the
battery and may also damage the ignition sys-
tem.o "ACC"With the key in the "ACC" position, some elec-
trical accessories (radio, etc.) may be oper-
ated.o "LOCK"The key can be removed or inserted in this
position.
To protect against theft, the steering wheel
locks by removing the key.NOTE:To unlock the steering wheel, insert the key,
and then turn the steering wheel and key
simultaneously.
STARTING!
C070C01A-AATTo remove the ignition key
C050A01A-AAT
1. Turn the ignition key to the "ACC" position.
2. Simultaneously push and turn the ignition
key counterclockwise from the "ACC" posi-
tion to the "LOCK" position.
3. The key can be removed in the "LOCK"
position.
WARNING:
Never run the engine in a closed or poorly
ventilated area any longer than is needed to
move your car in or out of the area. The
carbon monoxide gas emitted is odorless
and can cause serious injury or death.
C070C01EC050A01E
LOCKACC
ON
START

2
DRIVING YOUR HYUNDAI
5
OPERATING THE MANUAL
TRANSAXLE (5 SPEED M/T)C070A01NF-GATThis shift pattern is imprinted on the shift knob.
The transaxle is fully synchronized in all forward
gears so shifting to either a higher or a lower
gear is easily accomplished.
C070A01NF-A
4. Turn the ignition key to the "START" position
and release it when the engine starts.
After the engine has started, allow the engine
to run for 10 to 20 seconds prior to placing
the vehicle in gear.
The starter should not be operated for more
than 15 seconds at a time. Wait 15-30
seconds between starting attempts to pro-
tect the starter from overheating.
C050B01A-AATNormal Conditions:The Starting Procedure:
1. Insert key, and fasten the seat belt.
2. Depress the clutch pedal fully and place the
gearshift lever (manual transaxle) in neutral
or the selector lever (automatic transaxle) in
"P" (park) position.
3. After turning the ignition key to the "ON"
position, make certain all warning lights and
gauges are functioning properly before start-
ing the engine.
WARNING:
Be sure that the clutch is fully depressed
when starting a manual transaxle vehicle.
Your manual transaxle equipped vehicle
will not start unless the clutch pedal is fully
depressed. On a manual transaxle equipped
vehicle that can be started without de-
pressing the clutch, there is the potential to
cause damage to the vehicle or injury to
someone inside or outside the vehicle as a
result of the forward or backward move-
ment of the vehicle that will occur if the
clutch is not depressed when the vehicle is
started.
!

2
DRIVING YOUR HYUNDAI
6
!
WARNING:
Do not downshift more than 2 gears or
downshift the gear when the engine is
running at high speed (5,000 RPM or higher).
Such a downshifting may damage the en-
gine.
C070B02A-AATUsing the ClutchThe clutch should be pressed all the way to the
floor before shifting, then released slowly. The
clutch pedal should always be fully released
while driving. Do not rest your foot on the clutch
pedal while driving. This can cause unneces-
sary wear. Do not partially engage the clutch to
hold the car on an incline. This causes unnec-
essary wear. Use the foot brake or parking
brake to hold the car on an incline. Do not
operate the clutch pedal rapidly and repeatedly. o Do not use the shift lever as a handrest
during driving, as this can result in pre-
mature wear of the transaxle shift forks.
!
CAUTION:
When downshifting from fifth gear to fourth
gear, caution should be taken not to inad-
vertently press the gear shift lever sideways
in such a manner that second gear is en-
gaged. Such a drastic downshift may cause
the engine speed to increase to the point
that the tachometer will enter the red-zone.
Such over-revving of the engine may pos-
sibly cause engine damage.
When shifting into reverse gear, pull the mis-
shift prevention tab and shift into reverse gear
position.NOTE:o To shift into reverse, rest the lever in
neutral for at least 3 seconds after your
car is completely stopped. Then move
the lever into the reverse position.
o During cold weather, shifting may be
difficult until the transaxle lubricant has
warmed up. This is normal and not harm-
ful to the transaxle.
o If you've come to a complete stop and
it's hard to shift into 1st or R(Reverse),
put the shift lever in N(Neutral) position
and release the clutch. Press the clutch
pedal back down, and then shift into 1st
or R(Reverse) gear position.Mis-shift
prevention
tab
HNF3020

2
DRIVING YOUR HYUNDAI
7
!
WARNING:
o Avoid high cornering speeds.
o Do not make quick steering wheel move-
ments, such as sharp lane changes or
fast, sharp turns.
o Always wear your seat belts.
In a collision, an unbelted person is
significantly more likely to die than a
person wearing a seat belt.
o The risk of rollover is greatly increased if
you lose control of your vehicle at high-
way speeds.
o Loss of control often occurs if two or
more wheels drop off the roadway and
the driver oversteers to reenter the road-
way.
o In the event your vehicle leaves the road-
way, do not steer sharply. Instead, slow
down before pulling back into the travel
lanes.
o Never exceed posted speed limits.
C070D02O-AATGood Driving Practiceso Never take the car out of gear and coast
down a hill. This is extremely hazardous.
Always leave the car in gear.
o Don't "ride" the brakes. This can cause them
to overheat and malfunction. Instead, when
you are driving down a long hill, slow down
and shift to a lower gear. When you do this,
engine braking will help slow the car.
o Slow down before shifting to a lower gear.
This will help avoid over-revving the engine,
which can cause damage.
o Slow down when you encounter cross winds.
This gives you much better control of your
car.
o Be sure the car is completely stopped before
you attempt to shift into reverse. The
transaxle can be damaged if you do not. To
shift into reverse, depress the clutch, move
the shift lever to neutral, wait three seconds,
then shift to the reverse position.
o 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 ve-
hicle speed can cause the drive wheels to
lose traction and the vehicle to go out of
control.
C070E02O-AATRECOMMENDED SHIFT POINTSThe shift points as shown on the chart are
recommended for optimum fuel economy and
performance.
Shift from-to
1-2
2-3
3-4
4-5Recommended
15 mph (20 km/h)
25 mph (40 km/h)
35 mph (55 km/h)
45 mph (75 km/h)

2
DRIVING YOUR HYUNDAI
8
NOTE:
Depress the brake pedal when shift-
ing.
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).
!
C090A02NF
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 sports mode
operation, the gear currently in use displays in
the numeral indicator.C090B02A-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. Whenever parking the
car, apply the parking brake and shift the selec-
tor lever to the "P" (Park) 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.
!
AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE
(4 SPEED A/T, 5 SPEED A/T)C090A01NF-GAT(If Installed)The highly efficient Hyundai automatic transaxle
has four/five forward speeds and one reverse
speed. The individual speeds are selected au-
tomatically, 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.
C090A01NF