2007 Hyundai Elantra brakes

Driving your vehicle42 5Driving on grades Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear
before you start down a long or steep
downgrade. If you don’t shift down, you
might have to use your brakes so much
that they would get hot and no longer
operate efficiently.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and
reduce your speed to around 18.6 mph
(30 km/h) to reduce the possibility of
engine and transaxle overheating.
If your trailer weighs more than the max-
imum trailer weight without trailer brakes
and you have an automatic transaxle,
you should drive in D (Drive) when tow-
ing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle in D (Drive) when
towing a trailer will minimize heat build up
and extend the life of your transaxle.
Parking on hills Generally, you should not park your vehi-
cle, with a trailer attached, on a hill.
People can be seriously or fatally injured,
and both your vehicle and the trailer can
be damaged if they begin a downhill tra-
jectory.
However, if you ever have to park your
trailer on a hill, here’s how to do it:
1. Apply your brakes, but don’t shift into
gear.
2. Have someone place chocks under
the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place,
release the brakes until the chocks
absorb the load.
4. Reapply the brakes. Apply your park-
ing brake, and then shift to R
(Reverse) for a manual transaxle or P
(Park) for an automatic transaxle.
5. Release the brakes.
CAUTION
When towing a trailer on steep
grades (in excess of 6%) pay
close attention to the engine
coolant temperature gauge to
ensure the engine does not over-
heat. If the needle of the coolant
temperature gauge moves across
the dial towards “H” (HOT), pull
over and stop as soon as it is safe
to do so, and allow the engine to
idle until it cools down. You may
proceed once the engine has
cooled sufficiently.
You must decide driving speed
depending on trailer weight and
uphill grade to reduce the possi-
bility of engine and transaxle
overheating.
WARNING
- Parking on a
hill
Parking your vehicle on a hill with a
trailer attached could cause seri-
ous injury or death, should the trail-
er break lose.

543
Driving your vehicle
When you are ready to leave after park-
ing on a hill
1. With the manual transaxle in Neutral
or automatic transaxle in P (Park),
apply your brakes and hold the brake
pedal down while you:

and

2. Slowly remove your foot from the
brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of
the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and
store the chocks.
Maintenance when trailer towing Your vehicle will need service more often
when you regularly pull a trailer.
Important items to pay particular atten-
tion to include engine oil, automatic
transaxle fluid, axle lubricant and cooling
system fluid. Brake condition is another
important item to frequently check. Each
item is covered in this manual, and the
Index will help you find them quickly. If
you’re trailering, it’s a good idea to review
these sections before you start your trip.
Don’t forget to also maintain your trailer
and hitch. Follow the maintenance
schedule that accompanied your trailer
and check it periodically. Preferably, con-
duct the check at the start of each day’s
driving. Most importantly, all hitch nuts
and bolts should be tight.
WARNING
- Parking brake
It can be dangerous to get out of
your vehicle if the parking brake is
not firmly set.
If you have left the engine running,
the vehicle can move suddenly. You
or others could be seriously or
fatally injured.
CAUTION
Due to higher load during trailer
usage, overheating might occur
in hot days or during uphill driv-
ing. If the coolant gauge indicates
over-heating, switch off the A/C
and stop the vehicle in a safe area
to cool down the engine.
When towing check transaxle
fluid more frequently.
If your vehicle is not equipped
with the air conditioner, you
should install a condenser fan to
improve engine performance
when towing a trailer.

545
Driving your vehicle
Weight of the trailerHow heavy can a trailer safely be? It
should never weigh more than the maxi-
mum trailer weight with trailer brakes. But
even that can be too heavy.
It depends on how you plan to use your
trailer. For example, speed, altitude, road
grades, outside temperature and how
often your vehicle is used to pull a trailer
are all important. The ideal trailer weight
can also depend on any special equip-
ment that you have on your vehicle.
Weight of the trailer tongueThe tongue load of any trailer is an
important weight to measure because it
affects the total gross vehicle weight
(GVW) of your vehicle. This weight
includes the curb weight of the vehicle,
any cargo you may carry in it, and the
people who will be riding in the vehicle.
And if you will tow a trailer, you must add
the tongue load to the GVW because
your vehicle will also be carrying that
weight.
The trailer tongue should weigh a maxi-
mum of 10% of the total loaded trailer
weight. After you've loaded your trailer,
weigh the trailer and then the tongue,
separately, to see if the weights are prop-
er. If they aren’t, you may be able to cor-
rect them simply by moving some items
around in the trailer.
WARNING -
Trailer
Never load a trailer with more
weight in the rear than in the
front. The front should be loaded
with approximately 60% of the
total trailer load; the rear should
be loaded with approximately
40% of the total trailer load.
(Continued)
C190E02JM
Gross Axle Weight
Gross Vehicle Weight
C190E01JM
Tongue Load Total Trailer Weight

547
Driving your vehilcle
Tire and loading information label
The label located on the driver's door
sill gives the original tire size, cold
tire pressures recommended for your
vehicle, the number of people that
can be in your vehicle and vehicle
capacity weight.
Vehicle capacity weight:850 lbs (385 kg)
Vehicle capacity weight is the maxi-
mum combined weight of occupants
and cargo. If your vehicle is equipped
with a trailer, the combined weight
includes the tongue load.Seating capacity:Total : 5 persons
(Front seat : 2 persons,
Rear seat : 3 persons)
Seating capacity is the maximum
number of occupants including a
driver, your vehicle may carry.
However the seating capacity may
be reduced based upon the weight of
all of the occupants, and the weight
of the cargo being carried or towed.
Do not overload the vehicle as there
is a limit to the total weight, or load
limit including occupants and cargo,
the vehicle can carry.
Towing capacity:Without trailer brakes:
750 lbs (340 kg)
With trailer brakes:
1500 lbs (680 kg)
Towing capacity is the maximum
trailer weight including its cargo
weight, your vehicle can tow.Cargo capacity:The cargo capacity of your vehicle
will increase or decrease depending
on the weight and the number of
occupants and the tongue load, if
your vehicle is equipped with a trail-
er.
VEHICLE LOAD LIMIT
OHD056900N

What to do in an emergency2 6ROAD WARNING Hazard warning flasher The hazard warning flasher serves as a
warning to other drivers to exercise
extreme caution when approaching,
overtaking, or passing your vehicle.It should be used whenever emergency
repairs are being made or when the vehi-
cle is stopped near the edge of a road-
way.
Depress the flasher switch with the igni-
tion switch in any position. The flasher
switch is located in the center console
switch panel. All turn signal lights will
flash simultaneously.
• The hazard warning flasher operates
whether your vehicle is running or not.
The turn signals do not work when the
hazard flasher is on.
Care must be taken when using the
hazard warning flasher while the vehi-
cle is being towed.
If you have a flat tire while drivingIf a tire goes flat while you are driving:
1. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal
and let the car slow down while driving
straight ahead. Do not apply the brakes
immediately or attempt to pull off the
road as this may cause a loss of con-
trol. When the car has slowed to such
a speed that it is safe to do so, brake
carefully and pull off the road. Drive off
the road as far as possible and park on
firm, level ground. If you are on a divid-
ed highway, do not park in the median
area between the two traffic lanes.
2. When the car is stopped, turn on your
emergency hazard flashers, set the
parking brake and put the transaxle in
P (automatic transaxle) or reverse
(manual transaxle).
3. Have all passengers get out of the car.
Be sure they all get out on the side of
the car that is away from traffic.
4. When changing a flat tire, follow the
instruction provided later in this sec-
tion.IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY
WHILE DRIVING
OHD046044L

What to do in an emergency16 6When towing your vehicle in an emer-
gency without wheel dollies :
1. Set the ignition switch in the ACC posi-
tion.
2. Place the transaxle shift lever in N
(Neutral).
3. Release the parking brake.
Emergency towingIf towing is necessary, we recommend
you to have it done by an authorized
Hyundai dealer or a commercial tow
truck service.
If towing service is not available in an
emergency, your vehicle may be tem-
porarily towed using a cable or chain
secured to the emergency towing hook
under the front (or rear) of the vehicle.Use extreme caution when towing the
vehicle. A driver must be in the vehicle to
steer it and operate the brakes.
Towing in this manner may be done only
on hard-surfaced roads for a short dis-
tance and at low speeds. Also, the
wheels, axles, power train, steering and
brakes must all be in good condition.
Do not use the tow hooks to pull a vehi-
cle out of mud, sand or other condi-
tions from which the vehicle cannot be
driven out under its own power.
Avoid towing a vehicle heavier than the
vehicle doing the towing.
The drivers of both vehicles should
communicate with each other frequent-
ly.
CAUTION
Failure to place the transaxle shift
lever in N (Neutral) may cause inter-
nal damage to the transaxle.
OHD066005OMG065013
FrontRear

What to do in an emergency18 6Emergency towing precautions Turn the ignition switch to ACC so the
steering wheel isn’t locked.
Place the transaxle shift lever in N
(Neutral).
Release the parking bake.
Press the brake pedal with more force
than normal since you will have
reduced brake performance.
More steering effort will be required
because the power steering system
will be disabled.
If you are driving down a long hill, the
brakes may overheat and brake per-
formance will be reduced. Stop often
and let the brakes cool off.
Tie-down hook
(for flatbed towing)
OHD066006L
WARNING
Do not use the hooks under the
front of the vehicle for towing pur-
poses. These hooks are designed
ONLY for transport tie-down. If the
tie-down hooks are used for tow-
ing, the tie-down hooks or front
bumper will be damaged and this
could lead to serious injury.
CAUTION
If the car is being towed with all four
wheels on the ground, it can be
towed only from the front. Be sure
that the transaxle is in neutral. Do
not tow at speeds greater than 25
mph (40 km/h) and for more than 15
miles (25 km). Be sure the steering
is unlocked by placing the ignition
switch in the ACC position. A driver
must be in the towed vehicle to
operate the steering and brakes.

7
Engine compartment / 7-2
Maintenance services / 7-3
Owner maintenance / 7-5
Scheduled maintenance service / 7-7
Explanation of scheduled maintenance items / 7-12
Engine oil / 7-15
Engine coolant / 7-16
Brakes and clutch fluid / 7-19
Automatic transaxle fluid / 7-20
Washer fluid / 7-22
Parking brake / 7-22
Air cleaner / 7-23
Climate control air filter / 7-25
Wiper blades / 7-27
Battery / 7-29
Tires and wheels / 7-32
Fuses / 7-45
Light bulbs / 7-54
Appearance care / 7-59
Emission control system / 7-65
Maintenance