2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Owner's Manual

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.

Driving your vehicle
45
Before starting
Close and lock all doors.
Position the seat so that all controls areeasily reached.
Adjust the inside and outside rearview mirrors.
Be sure that all lights work.
Check all gauges.
Check the operation of warning lights when the engine start/stop button is
turned to the ON position.
Release the parking brake and make sure the brake warning light goes out.
For safe operation, be sure you are famil-
iar with your vehicle and its equipment.
WARNING- Driving under
the influence of alcohol or
drugs
Drinking and driving is dangerous.
Drunk driving is the number one
contributor to the highway death
toll each year. Even a small amount
of alcohol will affect your reflexes,
perceptions and judgment. Driving
while under the influence of drugs
is as dangerous or more dangerous
than driving drunk.
You are much more likely to have a
serious accident if you drink or
take drugs and drive.
If you are drinking or taking drugs,
don’t drive. Do not ride with a driv-
er who has been drinking or taking
drugs. Choose a designated driver
or call a cab.
WARNING
All passengers must be properly
belted whenever the vehicle is mov-
ing. Refer to “Seat belts” in section
3 for more information on their
proper use.
WARNING
Always check the surrounding
areas near your vehicle for people,
especially children, before putting a
car into D (Drive) or R (Reverse).
WARNING
When you intend to park or stop
the vehicle with the engine on, be
careful not to depress the accel-
erator pedal for a long period of
time. It may overheat the engine
or exhaust system and cause fire.
When you make a sudden stop or turn the steering wheel rapidly,
loose objects may drop on the
floor and it could interfere with
the operation of the foot pedals,
possibly causing an accident.
Keep all things in the vehicle
safely stored.
If you do not focus on driving, it may cause an accident. Be care-
ful when operating what may dis-
turb driving such as audio or
heater. It is the responsibility of
the driver to always drive safely.

55
Driving your vehicle
Illuminated engine start/stop but-
ton
Whenever the front door is opened, the
engine start/stop button will illuminate for
your convenience. The light will go off
after about 30 seconds when the door is
closed.
HEV system start/stop button
position
OFF
To turn off the system, press the engine
start/stop button with the engine
start/stop button in the ON position and
the shift lever in P(Park). When you press
the engine start/stop button without the
shift lever in P(Park), the engine
start/stop button does not turn to the
OFF position, but turns to the ACC posi-
tion.
✽ ✽NOTICE
When you turn off the HEV system, the
vehicle should be stopped.
ACC(Accessory)
Press the HEV system start/stop button
while it is in the OFF position without
depressing the brake pedal.
The electrical accessories are operative.
If you leave the HEV system start/stop
button in the ACC position for more than
1 hour, the battery power will turn off
automatically to prevent the battery from
discharging.
ON
Press the HEV system start/stop button
while the button is in the ACC position
without depressing the brake pedal.
The warning lights can be checked
before the HEV system is started. Do not
leave it in the ON position if the HEV sys-
tem is not running to prevent battery dis-
charge.
START
To start the hybrid system, press the
brake pedal and press the HEV system
start/stop button with the shift lever in the
P(Park).
ENGINE START/STOP BUTTON
OYF059001
WARNING
In an emergency situation while the
vehicle is moving, you can turn off
the engine and turn the engine
start/stop button to the ACC position
by pressing the engine start/stop
button for more than 2 seconds or 3
times successively within 3 sec-
onds. If the vehicle is moving over
10km/h, you can restart the engine
without pressing the brake pedal by
pressing the engine start/stop but-
ton regardless of transaxle position.

Driving your vehicle
65
✽
✽NOTICE
• If you press the HEV system start/stop
button without depressing the brake
pedal, the HEV system does not start
and the HEV system start/stop button
changes as follows :
OFF → →
ACC →
→
ON →
→
OFF
• If you leave the engine start/stop but- ton in the ACC or the ON position for
a long time, the battery will be dis-
charged.
Starting the hybrid system
1. Carry the smart key or leave it inside
the vehicle.
2. Make sure the parking brake is firmly applied.
3. Place the shift lever in the P(Park) position. In N(Neutral) position, you
can not start the vehicle.
4. Depress the brake pedal.
5. Press the HEV system start/stop but- ton.
WARNING
Except in an emergency, neverpress the engine start/stop but-
ton while the vehicle is in motion.
The may result in higher braking
effort and steering, which could
cause an accident.
Before leaving the driver’s seat, always make sure the shift lever
is engaged in P (Park), set the
parking brake fully and shut the
engine off. Unexpected and sud-
den vehicle movement may occur
if these precautions are not
taken.
Never reach for the engine start/stop button, or any other
controls through the steering
wheel while the vehicle is in
motion. The presence of your
hand or arm in this area could
cause a loss of vehicle control,
an accident and serious bodily
injury or death.
Do not place any movable objects around the driver’s seat as they
may move while driving, interfere
with the driver and lead to an
accident.WARNING
Always wear appropriate shoes
when operating your vehicle.
Unsuitable shoes (high heels, ski
boots, etc.) may interfere with your
ability to use the brake and acceler-
ator pedal.
Before starting the vehicle in slope
area, even if you depress the brake
pedal, the vehicle may be moved
downward when the parking brake
released.
For your safety, after starting the
vehicle firmly, release the parking
brake.

57
Driving your vehicle
6. In extremely cold weather (below -18°C / 0°F) or after the vehicle has not
been operated for several days, let the
engine warm up without depressing
the accelerator.
Whether the engine is cold or warm, itshould be started without depressing
the accelerator.
Even if the smart key is in the vehicle,
if it is far away from you, the HEV sys-
tem may not start.
When the HEV system start/stop button
is in the ACC or ON position, if any door
is open, the system checks for the
smart key. If the smart key is not in the
vehicle, the warning, "Key not in vehi-
cle" will come on, and if all doors are
closed, the chime will also sound for
about 5 seconds. The indicator will turn
off while the vehicle is moving. Keep the
smart key in the vehicle when using the
ACC position or if the vehicle HEV sys-
tem is on.✽ ✽ NOTICE
If ambient temperature is low, the
"READY" symbol may stay illuminated
longer than the normal amount of time.
Before starting the vehicle, if you
depress the brake pedal, you may feel
the stumbling feeling while depressing
the brake pedal. However, if the warn-
ing indicator is not turned on, it is nor-
mal.
WARNING
The HEV system will start only
when the smart key is in the vehi-
cle. Never allow children or any per-
son who is unfamiliar with the vehi-
cle to touch the HEV system
start/stop button or related parts.
CAUTION
If the "READY" is turned off while
you are in motion, do not attempt tomove the shift lever to the P(Park)position. If traffic and road condi- tions permit, you may keep the pre-vious lever position while the vehi-cle is still moving and press theengine start/stop button in anattempt to restart the hybrid systemwithout pressing the brake pedal.
If the hybrid system starts, the "READY" symbol comes on. If the"READY" symbol does not comeon, have the vehicle checked andrepaired by an authorized HYUNDAI dealer.

Driving your vehicle
85
✽
✽NOTICE
• If the battery is weak or the smart key
does not work correctly, you can start
the engine by inserting the smart key
into the smart key holder. To eject the
smart key from the smart key holder,
press the smart key inward past the
detent and then pull the key outward.
• When the stop lamp fuse is blown, you can't start the engine normally.
Replace the fuse with a new one. If you
are not able to replace the fuse, you
can start the engine by pressing the
engine start/stop button for 10 seconds
with the engine start/stop button in the
ACC mode. Always depress the brake
pedal before starting the engine.
CAUTION
Do not press the HEV system
start/stop button for more than 5seconds except when the stoplamp fuse is disconnected.
When you eject the smart key from the smart key holder, pressthe smart key inward and pull it out. If you pull out the smart keyforcibly without first pushing thesmart key, the smart key holdermay be damaged and will notoperate normally.
OYF059002N

59
Driving your vehicle
Automatic transaxle operation
The automatic transaxle has 6 forward
speeds and one reverse speed. The indi-
vidual speeds are selected automatically,
depending on the position of the shift
lever.
To move the shift lever from the P (Park)
position, the brake pedal must be
depressed and the shift lock release but-
ton must be pressed.
✽ ✽NOTICE
The first few shifts on a new vehicle may
be somewhat abrupt. This is a normal
condition, and the shifting sequence will
adjust after shifts are cycled a few times
by the TCM (Transaxle Control
Module) or PCM (Powertrain Control
Module).
AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE
OYFH051006N
+ (UP)
- (DOWN)
Depress the brake pedal and the lock release button (1) when shifting. The shift lever can be shifted without depressing the shift lock release button (1).
The shift lock release button (1) must be depressed while moving the shift lever.

Driving your vehicle
10
5
For smooth operation, depress the brake
pedal when shifting from N (Neutral) to aforward or reverse gear. Transaxle ranges
The indicator in the instrument cluster
displays the shift lever position when the
engine start/stop button is in the ON
position.
P (Park)
Always come to a complete stop before
shifting into P (Park). This position locks
the transaxle and prevents the drive
wheels from rotating.
WARNING- Automatic
transaxle
Always check the surrounding
areas near your vehicle for peo-
ple, especially children, before
shifting a car into D (Drive) or R
(Reverse).
Before leaving the driver’s seat, always make sure the shift lever
is in the P (Park) position; then
set the parking brake fully and
shut the HEV system off.
Unexpected and sudden vehicle
movement can occur if these pre-
cautions are not followed in the
order identified.
CAUTION
To avoid damage to your transaxle, do not accelerate theengine in R (Reverse) or any for-ward gear position with thebrakes on.
When stopped on an incline, do not hold the vehicle stationarywith engine power. Use the serv-ice brake or the parking brake.
WARNING
Shifting into P (Park) while the vehi- cle is in motion will cause the drive
wheels to lock which will cause you
to lose control of the vehicle.
Do not use the P (Park) position in place of the parking brake.
Always make sure the shift lever
is latched in the P (Park) position
and set the parking brake fully.
Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle.
CAUTION
The transaxle may be damaged ifyou shift into P (Park) while thevehicle is in motion.