2008 Hyundai Accent Owner's Manual

2
DRIVING YOUR HYUNDAI6
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OPERATING THE MANUAL
TRANSAXLEC070A01MC-GATYour Hyundai's manual transaxle has
five forward gears and one reverse gear.
This shift pattern is also imprinted on the
shift knob. The transaxle is fully synchro-
nized in all forward gears so shifting to
either a higher or a lower gear is easily
accomplished.
When shifting into reverse gear, pull the
mis-shift prevention tab and shift into re-
verse gear position.
OMC035013
!
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 movement
of the vehicle that will occur if the clutch
is not depressed when the vehicle is
started.
4. Turn the ignition key to the "Start" po-
sition 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 at-
tempts to protect the starter from over-
heating.
WARNING:WARNING:
Always fully depress the brake pedal
before and while shifting out of the "P"
Park position into another position to
avoid inadvertent motion of the vehicle
which could injure persons in or around
the car.

DRIVING YOUR HYUNDAI
72
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 po-
sition.
o During cold weather, shifting may be
difficult until the transaxle lubricant
has warmed up. This is normal and
not harmful to the transaxle.
o If you've come to a complete stop
and it's hard to shift into 1
st 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.
o Do not use the shift lever as a
handrest during driving, as this can
result in premature wear of the
transaxle shift forks.
!
CAUTION:
o Do not downshift more than 2 gears
or downshift the gear when the en-
gine is running at high speed (5,000
RPM or higher). Such downshifting
may damage the engine.
o When downshifting from fifth gear to
fourth gear, caution should be taken
not to inadvertently press the gear
shift lever sideways in such a man-
ner that second gear is engaged.
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 possibly cause en-
gine damage.
The shift points as shown above are
recommended for optimum fuel economy
and performance.
C070E03A-AATRECOMMENDED SHIFT POINTSC070B01A-AATUsing the ClutchThe clutch should be pressed all the way
to the floor before shifting, then released
slowly. Do not rest your foot on the clutch
pedal while driving. This can cause un-
necessary wear.
Do not partially engage the clutch to hold
the car on an incline. This causes unnec-
essary wear. Use the parking brake to
hold the car on an incline. Do not operate
the clutch pedal rapidly and repeatedly.
Shift
from-toRecommended
mph(km/h)
15 (20)
25 (40)
35 (55)
45 (75) 1-2
2-3
3-4
4-5

2
DRIVING YOUR HYUNDAI8
!
o In the event your vehicle leaves the
roadway, do not steer sharply. In-
stead, slow down before pulling back
into the travel lanes.
o Never exceed posted speed limits.
WARNING:
!
o Exercise extreme caution when driv-
ing on a slippery surface. Be espe-
cially careful when braking, accelerat-
ing or shifting gears. On a slippery
surface, an abrupt change in vehicle
speed can cause the drive wheels to
lose traction and the vehicle to go out
of control.
WARNING:
o Always buckle-up! In a collision, an
unbelted occupant is significantly
more likely to be seriously injured or
killed than a properly belted occu-
pant.
o Avoid high speeds when cornering
or turning.
o Do not make quick steering wheel
movements, such as sharp lane
changes or fast, sharp turns.
o The risk of rollover is greatly in-
creased if you lose control of your
vehicle at highway speeds.
o Loss of control often occurs if two or
more wheels drop off the roadway
and the driver oversteers to reenter
the roadway.
C070D03O-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. In-
stead, when you are driving down a
long hill, slow down and shift to a lower
gear. When you do this, engine brak-
ing 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 neu-
tral, wait three seconds, then shift to
the reverse position.

DRIVING YOUR HYUNDAI
92
AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLEC090A01A-AATThe highly efficient Hyundai automatic
transaxle has four forward speeds and
one reverse speed. It has a conventional
shift pattern as shown in the illustration.
OMC035014
CAUTION:
Never shift into "R" or "P" position
while the car is moving.
!
NOTE:
Depress the brake pedal and push
the button when shifting
Push the button when shifting
The selector lever can be shifted
freely.
For optimum fuel economy, accelerate
gradually. The transaxle will automati-
cally shift to the second, third and over-
drive gears.
C090B02A-AATThe function of each position is as
follows:
o P (Park):Use to hold the vehicle in place when
parking or while starting the engine.
Whenever parking the car, apply the park-
ing brake and shift the selector 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.
!

2
DRIVING YOUR HYUNDAI
10
C090H01A-AATNOTE:o For smooth and safe operation, de-
press the brake pedal when shifting
from "Neutral" 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
depressed 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", "2", "L" position to "P"
position.
C090G01A-AATo L (Low gear):Use for driving up a very steep grade or
for engine braking when descending
steep hills. When downshifting to "L", the
transaxle will temporarily remain in sec-
ond gear until the vehicle has slowed
enough for low gear to engage. Do not
exceed 31 mph (50 km/h) in low gear.C090F01A-AATo 2 (Second gear):Use for driving on a slippery road, hill
climbing or engine braking downhill. "2"
automatically shifts between first and
second gears.
This means that no shift-up to 3rd gear is
performed. However, the shift-up to third
gear is done when the car speed ex-
ceeds a certain value to prevent the en-
gine from over-revving.
Manually move the selector to "D" return-
ing to normal driving condition.
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.C090D02A-AATo N (Neutral):In the "N" position, the transaxle is in
neutral position, 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 mov-
ing.C090E02A-AATo D (Drive):Use for normal driving. Bring the car to a
complete stop before shifting the selector
to "D" position. The transaxle will auto-
matically shift through a four-gear se-
quence. Never downshift manually to "2"
position or "L" position when vehicle
speed is more than 60 mph (96 km/h).

DRIVING YOUR HYUNDAI
112
C090I05A-AAT
CAUTION:
o Shift into "R", "D" and "P" position
only when the vehicle has completely
stopped.
o Do not accelerate the engine in re-
verse or any of the forward positions
with the brakes applied.
o Always apply the footbrake when
shifting from "P" or "N", to "R", "D",
"2" or "L" 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 When accelerating from a stop on a
steep hill, the vehicle may have a
tendency to roll backwards. Shifting
the shift lever into 2nd gear will help
prevent the vehicle from rolling back-
wards.
!
o Check the automatic transaxle fluid
level regularly, and add fluid as nec-
essary.
o See the maintenance schedule for
the proper fluid recommendation.
C090P01A-AATOverdrive SwitchWhen the overdrive switch is turned on,
the transaxle will automatically upshift to
the second, third and overdrive gears.
When the overdrive switch is turned off,
the transaxle will not upshift to the over-
drive gear. For normal driving, the selec-
tor lever should be left in the "D" position
and the overdrive switch turned on.
If you need to accelerate rapidly, press
the accelerator pedal all the way to the
floor. The transaxle will automatically shift
to a lower gear, depending on the vehicle
speed and load.
OMC035016

2
DRIVING YOUR HYUNDAI
12
WARNING:
o Always buckle-up! In a collision, an
unbelted occupant is significantly
more likely to be seriously injured or
killed than a properly belted occu-
pant.
o Avoid high speeds when cornering
or turning.
o Do not make quick steering wheel
movements, such as sharp lane
changes or fast, sharp turns.
o The risk of rollover is greatly in-
creased if you lose control of your
vehicle at highway speeds.
o Loss of control often occurs if two or
more wheels drop off the roadway
and the driver oversteers to reenter
the roadway.
o In the event your vehicle leaves the
roadway, do not steer sharply. In-
stead, slow down before pulling back
into the travel lanes.
o Never exceed posted speed limits.
!
o Exercise extreme caution when driv-
ing on a slippery surface. Be espe-
cially careful when braking, accelerat-
ing or shifting gears. On a slippery
surface, an abrupt change in vehicle
speed can cause the drive wheels to
lose traction and the vehicle to go out
of control.
o Optimum vehicle performance and
economy is obtained by smoothly de-
pressing and releasing the accelera-
tor pedal.
o Turn the overdrive switch on for good
fuel economy and smooth driving. If
engine braking is needed in the "D"
range or if repeated upshifting and
downshifting between the 3rd and 4th
gear is needed when climbing a gentle
slope, it is recommended that the over-
drive switch be turned off. Turn the
overdrive switch back on immediately
afterward.
C090N07A-AATGood Driving Practiceso Never move the gear selector lever
from "P" or "N" to any other position
with the accelerator pedal depressed.
o Never move the gear selector lever
into "P" when the vehicle is in motion.
o Be sure the car is completely stopped
before you attempt to shift into "R" or
"D".
o Never take the car out of gear and
coast down a hill. This may be ex-
tremely hazardous. Always leave the
car in gear when moving.
o Do not "ride" the brakes. This can
cause them to overheat and malfunc-
tion. 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. Otherwise, the lower gear may
not be engaged.
o Always use the parking brake. Do not
depend on placing the transaxle in "P"
to keep the car from moving.

DRIVING YOUR HYUNDAI
132
!
o 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 opera-
tion the vehicle may suddenly move
forward of backward as it becomes
unstuck, causing injury to nearby
people or damage to objects.
WARNING:
!
WARNING:
ABS will not prevent accidents due to
improper or dangerous driving maneu-
vers. Even though vehicle control is
improved during emergency braking,
always maintain a safe distance be-
tween you and objects ahead. Vehicle
speeds should always be reduced dur-
ing extreme road conditions.
The braking distance for cars equipped
with an anti-lock braking system may
be longer than for those without it in the
following road conditions.
During these conditions the veicle
should be driven at reduced speeds.
o Rough, gravel or snow-covered
roads.
o With tire chains installed.
o On roads where the road surface is
pitted or has different surface height.
These roads should be driven at re-
duced speeds. The safety features of
an ABS equipped vehicle should not be
tested by high speed driving or corner-
ing. This could endanger the safety of
yourself or others.
ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYS-
TEMC120A01MC-AAT(If Installed)The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) is
designed to prevent wheel lock-up dur-
ing sudden braking or on hazardous road
surfaces. The ABS control module moni-
tors the wheel speed and controls the
pressure applied to each brake. Thus, in
emergency situations or on slick roads,
ABS will increase vehicle control during
braking.NOTE:o A click sound may be heard in the
engine compartment when the ve-
hicle begins to move after the engine
is started. These conditions are nor-
mal and indicate that the anti-lock
brake system is functioning prop-
erly.
o During ABS operation, a slight pulsa-
tion may be felt in the brake pedal
when the brakes are applied. Also, a
noise may be heard in the engine
compartment while braking. These
conditions are normal and indicate
that the anti-lock brake system is
functioning properly.