2012 Hyundai Elantra brake fluid

17
Introduction
INDICATOR SYMBOLS ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER
Seat belt warning light
High beam indicator
Turn signal indicator
ABS warning light
Parking brake & Brake fluid
warning light
Engine oil pressure warning light
Malfunction indicator light
Air bag warning light
Cruise indicator
Cruise SET indicator
Immobilizer indicator
Low fuel level warning light
* For more detailed explanations, refer
to “Instrument cluster” in section 4.
Charging system warning light
Tail light indicator
Trunk open warning light
Front fog light indicator
(if equipped)
Door open position indicator
(if equipped) Low tire pressure telltale
(TPMS malfunction indicator)
(if equipped)
ECO indicator (if equipped)ECO
Electric power steering (EPS)
system warning light
(if equipped)EPS
ESC indicator
(ESC malfunction indicator)
ESC OFF indicator

Your vehicle at a glance
4 2
ENGINE COMPARTMENT
OMD070047N
* The actual engine room in the vehicle may differ from the illustration.1. Engine oil filler cap ...........................7-21
2. Engine oil dipstick .............................7-21
3. Brake/clutch fluid reservoir ...............7-25
4. Positive battery terminal ...................7-33
5. Negative battery terminal..................7-33
6. Fuse box ...........................................7-50
7. Air cleaner.........................................7-27
8. Radiator cap .....................................7-24
9. Engine coolant reservoir ...................7-23
10. Windshield washer fluid reservoir ...7-26

453
Features of your vehicle
Engine oil pressure
warning light
This warning light indicates the engine oil
pressure is low.
If the warning light illuminates while driv-
ing:
1. Drive safely to the side of the road and
stop.
2. With the engine off, check the engine
oil level. If the level is low, add oil as
required.
If the warning light remains on after
adding oil or if oil is not available, call an
authorized HYUNDAI dealer.
Parking brake & brake fluid
warning light
Parking brake warning
This light is illuminated when the parking
brake is applied with the ignition switch in
the START or ON position. The warning
light should go off when the parking
brake is released.
Low brake fluid level warning
If the warning light remains on, it may
indicate that the brake fluid level in the
reservoir is low.
If the warning light remains on:
1. Drive carefully to the nearest safe
location and stop your vehicle.
2. With the engine stopped, check the
brake fluid level immediately and add
fluid as required. Then check all brake
components for fluid leaks.
3. Do not drive the vehicle if leaks are
found, the warning light remains on or
the brakes do not operate properly.
Have the vehicle towed to any author-
ized HYUNDAI dealer for a brake sys-
tem inspection and necessary repairs.
CAUTION
If the engine is not stopped imme-
diately after the engine oil pressure
warning light is illuminated, severe
damage could result.
CAUTION
If the oil pressure warning light
stays on while the engine is run-
ning, serious engine damage may
result. The oil pressure warning
light comes on whenever there is
insufficient oil pressure. In normal
operation, it should come on when
the ignition switch is turned on,
then go out when the engine is
started. If the oil pressure warning
light stays on while the engine is
running, there is a serious malfunc-
tion.
If this happens, stop the car as
soon as it is safe to do so, turn off
the engine and check the oil level. If
the oil level is low, fill the engine oil
to the proper level and start the
engine again. If the light stays on
with the engine running, turn the
engine off immediately. In any
instance where the oil light stays on
when the engine is running, the
engine should be checked by an
authorized HYUNDAI dealer before
the car is driven again.

Features of your vehicle
54 4
WARNING - Safe stopping
The TPMS cannot alert you to
severe and sudden tire damage
caused by external factors.
If you feel any vehicle instability,
immediately take your foot off the
accelerator, apply the brakes
gradually and with light force,
and slowly move to a safe posi-
tion off the road.
Your vehicle is equipped with a dual-
diagonal braking system. This means you
still have braking on two wheels even if
one of the brake circuits is damaged or
malfunctions. With only one of the circuits
working, more than normal pedal travel
and greater pedal pressure are required
to stop the car. Also, the car will not stop
in as short a distance with only a portion
of the brake system working. If the
brakes fail while you are driving, shift to a
lower gear for additional engine braking
and stop the car as soon as it is safe to
do so.
To check bulb operation, check whether
the parking brake and brake fluid warning
light illuminates when the ignition switch
is in the ON position.Low tire pressure
telltale (if equipped)
The low tire pressure telltale illuminates
when one or more of your tires is signifi-
cantly underinflated.
Inflate your tires to the correct inflation
pressure.
The low tire pressure telltale will illumi-
nate after it blinks for approximately one
minute when there is a problem with the
Tire Pressure Monitoring System.
If this occurs, have the system checked
by an authorized HYUNDAI dealer as
soon as possible.
For details, refer to the TPMS on chapter 6.
WARNING
Driving the vehicle with a warning
light on is dangerous. If the brake
warning light remains on, have the
brakes checked and repaired imme-
diately by an authorized HYUNDAI
dealer.
WARNING - Low tire pres-
sure
Significantly low tire pressure
makes the vehicle unstable and can
contribute to loss of vehicle control
and increased braking distances.
Continued driving on tires with low
pressure will cause the tires to
overheat and fail.

53
Driving your vehicle
Before entering vehicle
• Be sure that all windows, outside mir-
ror(s), and outside lights are clean.
Check the condition of the tires.
Check under the vehicle for any sign of
leaks.
Be sure there are no obstacles behind
you if you intend to back up.
Necessary inspections
Fluid levels, such as engine oil, engine
coolant, brake fluid, and washer fluid
should be checked on a regular basis,
with the exact interval depending on the
fluid. Further details are provided in sec-
tion 7, “Maintenance”.
BEFORE DRIVING
CALIFORNIA PROPOSI-
TION 65 WARNING
Engine exhaust and a wide variety
of automobile components and
parts, including components found
in the interior furnishings in a vehi-
cle, contain or emit chemicals
known to the State of California to
cause cancer and birth defects and
reproductive harm. In addition, cer-
tain 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.
WARNING
Driving while distracted can result
in a loss of vehicle control, that
may lead to an accident, severe
personal injury, and death. The dri-
ver’s primary responsibility is in
the safe and legal operation of a
vehicle, and use of any handheld
devices, other equipment, or vehi-
cle systems which take the driver’s
eyes, attention and focus away
from the safe operation of a vehicle
or which are not permissible by law
should never be used during oper-
ation of the vehicle.

545
Driving your vehicle
To keep locks from freezing
To keep the locks from freezing, squirt an
approved de-icer fluid or glycerine into
the key opening. If a lock is covered with
ice, squirt it with an approved de-icing
fluid to remove the ice. If the lock is
frozen internally, you may be able to thaw
it out by using a heated key. Handle the
heated key with care to avoid injury.
Use approved window washer
anti-freeze in system
To keep the water in the window washer
system from freezing, add an approved
window washer anti-freeze solution in
accordance with instructions on the con-
tainer. Window washer anti-freeze is
available from an authorized HYUNDAI
dealer and most auto parts outlets. Do
not use engine coolant or other types of
anti-freeze as these may damage the
paint finish.
Don't let your parking brake
freeze
Under some conditions your parking
brake can freeze in the engaged position.
This is most likely to happen when there
is an accumulation of snow or ice around
or near the rear brakes or if the brakes
are wet. If there is a risk of the parking
brake may freezing, apply it only tem-
porarily while you put the shift lever in P
(automatic transaxle) or in first or reverse
gear (manual transaxle) and block the
rear wheels so the vehicle cannot roll.
Then release the parking brake.
Don't let ice and snow accumu-
late underneath
Under some conditions, snow and ice
can build up under the fenders and inter-
fere with the steering. When driving in
severe winter conditions where this may
happen, you should periodically check
underneath the car to be sure the move-
ment of the front wheels and the steering
components is not obstructed.
Carry emergency equipment
Depending on the severity of the weath-
er where you drive your car, you should
carry appropriate emergency equipment.
Some of the items you may want to carry
include tire chains, tow straps or chains,
flashlight, emergency flares, sand, a
shovel, jumper cables, a window scraper,
gloves, ground cloth, coveralls, a blanket,
etc.

What to do in an emergency
6 6
IF THE ENGINE OVERHEATS
If your temperature gauge indicates over-
heating, you experience a loss of power,
or hear loud pinging or knocking, the
engine is probably too hot. If this hap-
pens, you should:
1. Pull off the road and stop as soon as it
is safe to do so.
2. Place the shift lever in P (automatic
transaxle) or neutral (manual transaxle)
and set the parking brake. If the air con-
ditioning is on, turn it off.
3. If engine coolant is running out under
the car or steam is coming out from
the hood, stop the engine. Do not open
the hood until the coolant has stopped
running or the steaming has stopped.
If there is no visible loss of engine
coolant and no steam, leave the
engine running and check to be sure
the engine cooling fan is operating. If
the fan is not running, turn the engine
off.4. Check to see if the water pump drive
belt is missing. If it is not missing,
check to see that it is tight. If the drive
belt seems to be satisfactory, check for
coolant leaking from the radiator,
hoses or under the car. (If the air con-
ditioning had been in use, it is normal
for cold water to be draining from it
when you stop.)
5. If the water pump drive belt is broken
or engine coolant is leaking out, stop
the engine immediately and call the
nearest authorized HYUNDAI dealer
for assistance.6. If you cannot find the cause of the
overheating, wait until the engine tem-
perature has returned to normal. Then,
if coolant has been lost, carefully add
coolant to the reservoir to bring the
fluid level in the reservoir up to the
halfway mark.
7. Proceed with caution, keeping alert for
further signs of overheating. If over-
heating happens again, call an author-
ized HYUNDAI dealer for assistance.
WARNING
While the engine is running, keep
hair, hands and clothing away from
moving parts such as the fan and
drive belts to prevent injury.CAUTION
Serious loss of coolant indicates
there is a leak in the cooling system
and this should be checked as soon
as possible by an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer.
WARNING
Do not remove the radiator cap
when the engine is hot. This may
result in coolant being blown out of
the opening and cause serious
burns.

629
What to do in an emergency
Emergency 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.CAUTION - Automatic
transaxle
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 neu-
tral. Be sure the steering is
unlocked by placing the ignition
switch in the ACC position. A
driver must be in the towed vehi-
cle to operate the steering and
brakes.
To avoid serious damage to the
automatic transaxle, limit the
vehicle speed to 10 mph (15 km/h)
and drive less than 1 mile (1.5
km) when towing.
Before towing, check the auto-
matic transaxle fluid leak under
your vehicle. If the automatic
transaxle fluid is leaking, a
flatbed equipment or towing dolly
must be used.