2012 Hyundai Sonata check engine

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 starting  Close and lock all doors.
 Position the seat so that all controls are
easily 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 ignition switch 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.
BEFORE DRIVING
WARNING
Driving while distracted can result in
a loss of vehicle control, that may
lead to an accident, severe personal
injury, and death. The driver's pri-
mary responsibility is in the safe and
legal operation of a vehicle, and use
of any handheld devices, other
equipment, or vehicle systems which
take the driver's eyes, attention and
focus away from the safe operation
of a vehicle or which are not permis-
sible by law should never be used
during operation of the vehicle.
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
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.

Driving your vehicle45
Illuminated ignition switch Whenever a front door is opened, the
ignition switch will be illuminated for your
convenience, provided the ignition switch
is not in the ON position. The light will go
off immediately when the ignition switch
is turned on or go off after about 30 sec-
onds when the door is closed.
OYF059017N
WARNING
Always check the surrounding
areas near your vehicle for people,
especially children, before putting a
car into D (Drive) or R (Reverse).
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.
KEY
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
Ignition switch positionLOCKWithout the immobilizer
The steering wheel locks to protect
against theft. The ignition key can be
removed only in the LOCK position.
When turning the ignition switch to the
LOCK position, push the key inward at
the ACC position and turn the key toward
the LOCK position.
With the immobilizer
The ignition key can be removed only in
the LOCK position.
ACC (Accessory)Without the immobilizer
The steering wheel is unlocked and elec-
trical accessories are operative.✽ ✽NOTICEIf difficulty is experienced in turning the
ignition switch to the ACC position, turn
the key while turning the steering wheel
right and left to release the tension.With the immobilizerThe electrical accessories are opera-
tive.ONThe warning lights can be checked
before the engine is started. This is the
normal running position after the engine
is started.Do not leave the ignition switch ON if the
engine is not running to prevent battery discharge. START
Turn the ignition switch to the START
position to start the engine. The engine
will crank until you release the key; then
it returns to the ON position. The brake
warning lamp can be checked in this
position.
WARNING -
Ignition
switch
 Never turn the ignition switch to
LOCK or ACC while the vehicle is
moving. This would result in loss
of directional control and braking
function, which could cause an
accident.
 The anti-theft steering column lock is not a substitute for the parking
brake. 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.
(Continued)
OYF059016

Driving your vehicle85ACC(Accessory)Press the engine start/stop button while it
is in the OFF position without depressing
the brake pedal.
The electrical accessories are operative.
If you leave the engine start/stop button
in the ACC position for more than 1 hour,
the battery power will turn off automati-
cally to prevent the battery from dis-
charging.ONPress the engine start/stop button while it
button is in the ACC position without
depressing the brake pedal.
The warning lights can be checked
before the engine is started. Do not leave
the ON position if the engine is not run-
ning to prevent battery discharge.STARTTo start the engine, press the brake
pedal and press the engine start/stop
button with the shift lever in the P(Park)
or the N(Neutral) position.
For your safety, start the engine with the
shift lever in the P(Park) position.
✽ ✽NOTICE• If you press the engine start/stop but-
ton without depressing the brake
pedal, the engine does not start and
the engine 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.
WARNING
 Never press the engine start/stop
button while the vehicle is in
motion. This would result in loss
of directional control and braking
function, 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.

59
Driving your vehicle
Starting the engine1. Carry the smart key or leave it insidethe vehicle.
2. Make sure the parking brake is firmly applied.
3. Place the shift lever in the P(Park) position.
4. Depress the brake pedal.
5. Press the engine start/stop button.
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 engine
may not start.
 When the engine 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 vehi-
cle, the warning, "Key is not in vehicle"
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
engine is on.
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.
WARNING
The engine will start only when the
smart key is in the vehicle. Never
allow children or any person who is
unfamiliar with the vehicle to touch
the engine start/stop button or
related parts.
CAUTION
If the engine stalls while you are in
motion, do not attempt to move theshift lever to the P (Park) position. Iftraffic and road conditions permit, you may put the shift lever in theN(Neutral) position while the vehi-cle is still moving and press theengine start/stop button in an attempt to restart the engine.

515
Driving your vehicle
For smooth operation, depress the brakepedal 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
ignition switch 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 engine off. Unexpected
and sudden vehicle movement
can occur if these precautions
are not followed in the order iden-
tified.
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.
 Do not shift from N (Neutral) or P (Park) into D (Drive), or R(Reverse) when the engine isabove idle speed.
WARNING
 Shifting into P (Park) while the vehicle 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.

521
Driving your vehicle
Power brakes Your vehicle has power-assisted brakes
that adjust automatically through normal
usage.
In the event that the power-assisted
brakes lose power because of a stalled
engine or some other reason, you can
still stop your vehicle by applying greater
force to the brake pedal than you nor-
mally would. The stopping distance, how-
ever, will be longer.
When the engine is not running, the
reserve brake power is partially depleted
each time the brake pedal is applied. Do
not pump the brake pedal when the
power assist has been interrupted.
Pump the brake pedal only when neces-
sary to maintain steering control on slip-
pery surfaces.
In the event of brake failure If service brakes fail to operate while the
vehicle is in motion, you can make an
emergency stop with the parking brake.
The stopping distance, however, will be
much greater than normal.
BRAKE SYSTEM
WARNING
- Brakes
 Do not drive with your foot rest-ing on the brake pedal. This will
create abnormal high brake tem-
peratures, excessive brake lining
and pad wear, and increased
stopping distances.
(Continued)
(Continued)
 When descending a long or steephill, shift to a lower gear and
avoid continuous application of
the brakes. Continuous brake
application will cause the brakes
to overheat and could result in a
temporary loss of braking per-
formance.
 Wet brakes may impair the vehi- cle’s ability to safely slow down;
the vehicle may also pull to one
side when the brakes are applied.
Applying the brakes lightly will
indicate whether they have been
affected in this way. Always test
your brakes in this fashion after
driving through deep water. To
dry the brakes, apply them lightly
while maintaining a safe forward
speed until brake performance
returns to normal.
 Always, confirm the position of the brake and accelerator pedal
before driving. If you don't check
the position of the accelerator
and brake pedal before driving,
you may depress the accelerator
instead of the brake pedal. It may
cause a serious accident.
WARNING
- Parking brake
Applying the parking brake while
the vehicle is moving at normal
speeds can cause a sudden loss of
control of the vehicle. If you must
use the parking brake to stop the
vehicle, use great caution in apply-
ing the brake.

Driving your vehicle24
5
WARNING
 To prevent unintentional move-
ment when stopped and leaving
the vehicle, do not use the
gearshift lever in place of the
parking brake. Set the parking
brake AND make sure the
gearshift lever is securely posi-
tioned in 1st (First) gear or R
(Reverse) for manual transaxle
equipped vehicles and in P (Park)
for automatic transaxle equipped
vehicles.
 Never allow anyone who is unfa- miliar with the vehicle to touch
the parking brake. If the parking
brake is released unintentionally,
serious injury may occur.
 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.If the parking brake does not release or
does not release all the way, have the
system checked by an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer.
Check the brake warning light by turning
the ignition switch ON (do not start the
engine). This light will be illuminated when
the parking brake is applied with the igni-
tion switch in the START or ON position.
Before driving, be sure the parking brake
is fully released and the brake warning
light is off.
If the brake warning light remains on after
the parking brake is released while the
engine is running, there may be a mal-
function in the brake system. Immediate
attention is necessary.
If at all possible, cease driving the vehi-
cle immediately. If that is not possible,
use extreme caution while operating the
vehicle and only continue to drive the
vehicle until you can reach a safe loca-
tion or repair shop.
Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
W-75
WARNING
ABS (or ESC) will not prevent acci-
dents due to improper or danger-
ous driving maneuvers. Even
though vehicle control is improved
during emergency braking, always
maintain a safe distance between
you and objects ahead. Vehicle
speeds should always be reduced
during extreme road conditions.
The braking distance for cars
equipped with an anti-lock braking
system (or Electronic Stability
Control system) may be longer than
for those without it in the following
road conditions.
During these conditions the vehicle
should be driven at reduced
speeds:
 Rough, gravel or snow-coveredroads.
 With tire chains installed. (Continued)