2012 Hyundai Elantra Owner's Manual

Driving your vehicle
26 5
Electronic stability control (ESC)
The Electronic Stability control (ESC)
system is designed to stabilize the vehicle
during cornering maneuvers. ESC checks
where you are steering and where the
vehicle is actually going. ESC applies the
brakes at individual wheels and
intervenes in the engine management
system to stabilize the vehicle.The Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
system is an electronic system designed
to help the driver maintain vehicle control
under adverse conditions. It is not a
substitute for safe driving practices.
Factors including speed, road conditions
and driver steering input can all affect
whether ESC will be effective in
preventing a loss of control. It is still your
responsibility to drive and corner at
reasonable speeds and to leave a
sufficient margin of safety.
When you apply your brakes under con-
ditions which may lock the wheels, you
may hear a “tik-tik’’ sound from the
brakes, or feel a corresponding sensation
in the brake pedal. This is normal and it
means your ESC is active.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
A click sound may be heard in the
engine compartment when the vehicle
begins to move after the engine is start-
ed. These conditions are normal and
indicate that the Electronic Stability
Control System is functioning properly.
WARNING
Never drive too fast for the road
conditions or too quickly when cor-
nering. Electronic stability control
(ESC) will not prevent accidents.
Excessive speed in turns, abrupt
maneuvers and hydroplaning on
wet surfaces can still result in seri-
ous accidents. Only a safe and
attentive driver can prevent acci-
dents by avoiding maneuvers that
cause the vehicle to lose traction.
Even with ESC installed, always fol-
low all the normal precautions for
driving - including driving at safe
speeds for the conditions.
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527
Driving your vehicle
ESC operation
ESC ON condition

and ESC OFF indicator lights illumi-
nate for approximately 3 seconds, then
ESC is turned on.

half a second after turning the ignition
ON to turn ESC off. (ESC OFF indica-
tor will illuminate). To turn the ESC on,
press the ESC OFF button (ESC OFF
indicator light will go off).

hear a slight ticking sound. This is the
ESC performing an automatic system
self-check and does not indicate a
problem.When operating
When the ESC is in operation,
ESC indicator light blinks.

Control is operating properly,
you can feel a slight pulsation
in the vehicle. This is only the
effect of brake control and indi-
cates nothing unusual.

or driving on a slippery road,
pressing the accelerator
pedal may not cause the
engine rpm (revolutions per
minute) to increase.
ESC operation off
ESC OFF state

press the ESC OFF button
(ESC OFF indicator light illu-
minates).

to LOCK position when ESC
is off, ESC remains off. Upon
restarting the engine, the
ESC will automatically turn
on again.
Indicator light
When ignition switch is turned to ON, the
indicator light illuminates, then goes off if
the ESC system is operating normally.
The ESC indicator light blinks whenever
ESC is operating or illuminates when
ESC fails to operate.
The ESC OFF indicator light comes on
when the ESC is turned off with the button.
■ESC indicator light
■ ESC OFF indicator light

Driving your vehicle
28 5
ESC OFF usage
When driving
ESC should remain on for daily driving
whenever possible.
To turn ESC off while driving, press the
ESC OFF button while driving on a flat
road surface.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
• When operating the vehicle on a
dynamometer, ensure that the ESC is
turned off (ESC OFF light illuminated).
• Turning the ESC off does not affect
ABS or brake system operation.
Good braking practicesCAUTION
Driving with varying tire or wheel
sizes may cause the ESC system to
malfunction. When replacing tires,
make sure they are the same size as
your original tires.
WARNING
The Electronic Stability Control sys-
tem is only a driving aid; use pre-
cautions for safe driving by slowing
down on curved, snowy, or icy
roads. Drive slowly and do not
attempt to accelerate whenever the
ESC indicator light is blinking, or
when the road surface is slippery.
WARNING
Never press the ESC OFF button
while ESC is operating (ESC indica-
tor light blinks).
If ESC is turned off while ESC is
operating, the vehicle may slip out
of control.
WARNING
Whenever you leave or park your
vehicle, always set the parking
brake as far as possible and fully
engage the vehicle's transaxle
into the P (Park) position. If the
parking brake is not fully
engaged, the vehicle may move
inadvertently and injure yourself
and others.
All vehicles should always have
the parking brake fully engaged
when parking to avoid inadver-
tent movement of the vehicle
which can injure occupants or
pedestrians.

529
Driving your vehicle
After parking the vehicle, check to be
sure the parking brake is not engaged
and that the parking brake indicator
light is out before driving away.
Driving through water may get the
brakes wet. They can also get wet when
the car is washed. Wet brakes can be
dangerous! Your car will not stop as
quickly if the brakes are wet. Wet brakes
may cause the car to pull to one side.
To dry the brakes, apply the brakes light-
ly until the braking action returns to nor-
mal, taking care to keep the car under
control at all times. If the braking action
does not return to normal, stop as soon
as it is safe to do so and call an author-
ized HYUNDAI dealer for assistance.
Do not coast down hills with the car out
of gear. This is extremely hazardous.
Keep the car in gear at all times, use
the brakes to slow down, then shift to a
lower gear so that engine braking will
help you maintain a safe speed.
Do not "ride" the brake pedal. Resting
your foot on the brake pedal while driv-
ing can be dangerous because it can
result in the brakes overheating and los-
ing their effectiveness. It also increases
the wear of the brake components. If a tire goes flat while you are driving,
apply the brakes gently and keep the
car pointed straight ahead while you
slow down. When you are moving slow-
ly enough for it to be safe to do so, pull
off the road and stop in a safe place.
If your vehicle is equipped with an auto-
matic transaxle, don't let your vehicle
creep forward. To avoid creeping for-
ward, keep your foot firmly on the brake
pedal when the vehicle is stopped.
Use caution when parking on a hill.
Firmly engage the parking brake and
place the shift lever in P (automatic
transaxle) or in first or reverse gear
(manual transaxle). If your vehicle is
facing downhill, turn the front wheels
into the curb to help keep the vehicle
from rolling. If your vehicle is facing
uphill, turn the front wheels away from
the curb to help keep the vehicle from
rolling. If there is no curb or if it is
required by other conditions to keep
the vehicle from rolling, block the
wheels. Under some conditions your parking
brake can freeze in the engaged posi-
tion. 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 that the
parking brake may freeze, apply it only
temporarily while you put the gear
selector 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.
Do not hold the vehicle on the upgrade
with the accelerator pedal. This can
cause the transaxle to overheat.
Always use the brake pedal or parking
brake.

Driving your vehicle
30 5
Vehicle stability management
(VSM) (if equipped)
This system provides further enhance-
ments to vehicle stability and steering
responses when a vehicle is driving on a
slippery road or a vehicle detected
changes in coefficient of friction between
right wheels and left wheels when braking.
VSM operation
When the VSM is in operation, ESC indi-
cator light ( ) blinks.
When the vehicle stability management
is operating properly, you can feel a slight
pulsation in the vehicle and/or abnormal
steering responses (EPS). This is only
the effect of brake and EPS control and
indicates nothing unusual.
The VSM does not operate when:
Driving on bank road such as gradient
or incline
Driving rearward
ESC OFF indicator light ( ) remains
on the instrument cluster
EPS indicator light remains on the
instrument cluster
VSM operation off
If you press the ESC OFF button to turn
off the ESC, the VSM will also cancel and
the ESC OFF indicator light ( ) illumi-
nates.
To turn on the VSM, press the button
again. The ESC OFF indicator light goes
out.
Malfunction indicator
The VSM can be deactivated even if you
don’t cancel the VSM operation by press-
ing the ESC OFF button. It indicates that
a malfunction has been detected some-
where in the Electric Power Steering sys-
tem or VSM system. If the ESC indicator
light ( ) or EPS warning light remains
on, take your vehicle to an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer and have the system
checked.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
• The VSM is designed to function
above approximately 9 mph (15 km/h)
on curves.
• The VSM is designed to function
above approximately 18 mph (30
km/h) when a vehicle is braking on a
split-mu road. The split-mu road is
made of surfaces which have different
friction forces.
WARNING
The Vehicle Stability Management
system is not a substitute for
safe driving practices but a sup-
plementary function only. It is the
responsibility of the driver to
always check the speed and the
distance to the vehicle ahead.
Always hold the steering wheel
firmly while driving.
Your vehicle is designed to acti-
vate according to the driver’s
intention, even with installed
VSM. Always follow all the normal
precautions for driving at safe
speeds for the conditions –
including driving inclement
weather and on a slippery road.
Driving with varying tire or wheel
sizes may cause the VSM system
to malfunction. When replacing
tires, make sure they are the
same size as your original tires.

531
Driving your vehicle
➀CRUISE indicator
➁SET indicator
The cruise control system allows you to
program the vehicle to maintain a con-
stant speed without resting your foot on
the accelerator pedal.
This system is designed to function
above approximately 25 mph (40 km/h).
✽ ✽
NOTICE
During normal cruise control operation,
when the SET switch is activated or
reactivated after applying the brakes,
the cruise control will energize after
approximately 3 seconds. This delay is
normal.
CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM (IF EQUIPPED)
WARNING
If the cruise control is left on,
(CRUISE indicator light in the
instrument cluster illuminated)
the cruise control can be activat-
ed unintentionally. Keep the
cruise control system off
(CRUISE indicator light OFF)
when the cruise control is not in
use, to avoid inadvertently set-
ting a speed.
Use the cruise control system
only when traveling on open
highways in good weather.
Do not use the cruise control
when it may not be safe to keep
the car at a constant speed, for
instance, driving in heavy or
varying traffic, or on slippery
(rainy, icy or snow-covered) or
winding roads or over 6% up-hill
or down-hill roads.
Pay particular attention to the
driving conditions whenever
using the cruise control system.
Be careful when driving downhill
using the cruise control system,
which may increase the vehicle
speed.
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CAUTION
During cruise-speed driving of a
manual transaxle vehicle, do not
shift into neutral without depress-
ing the clutch pedal, since the
engine will be overrevved. If this
happens, depress the clutch pedal
or release the cruise control ON-
OFF switch.

Driving your vehicle
32 5
To set cruise control speed:
1. Push the cruise ON-OFF button on the
steering wheel to turn the system on.
The CRUISE indicator light in the
instrument cluster will illuminate.
2. Accelerate to the desired speed, which
must be more than 25 mph (40 km/h).3. Push the SET- switch, and release it at
the desired speed. The SET indicator
light in the instrument cluster will illumi-
nate. Release the accelerator at the
same time. The desired speed will auto-
matically be maintained.
On a steep grade, the vehicle may slow
down or speed up slightly while going
uphill or downhill.
To increase cruise control set
speed:
Follow either of these procedures:
Push the RES+ switch and hold it. Your
vehicle will accelerate. Release the
switch at the speed you want.
Push the RES+ switch and release it
immediately. The cruising speed will
increase 1.0 mph (1.6 km/h) each time
the RES+ switch is operated in this
manner.
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533
Driving your vehicle
To decrease the cruising speed:
Follow either of these procedures:
Pushthe SET- switch and hold it. Your
vehicle will gradually slow down.
Release the switch at the speed you
want to maintain.
Push the SET- switch and release it
immediately. The cruising speed will
decrease 1.0 mph (1.6 km/h) each
time the SET- switch is operated in this
manner.
To temporarily accelerate with the
cruise control on:
If you want to speed up temporarily when
the cruise control is on, depress the
accelerator pedal. Increased speed will
not interfere with cruise control operation
or change the set speed.
To return to the set speed, take your foot
off the accelerator.
To cancel cruise control, do one
of the following:
Press the brake pedal.
Press the clutch pedal with a manual
transaxle.
Shift the shift lever into N (Neutral) with
an automatic transaxle
Press the CANCEL switch located on
the steering wheel.
Decrease the vehicle speed lower than
the memory speed by 9 mph (15
km/h).
Decrease the vehicle speed to less
than approximately 25 mph (40 km/h).
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