2012 HYUNDAI TUCSON brakes

15
Introduction
As with other vehicles of this type, failure
to operate this vehicle correctly mayresult in loss of control, an accident or
vehicle rollover.
Specific design characteristics (higher
ground clearance, track, etc.) give this
vehicle a higher center of gravity than
other types of vehicles. It is not designed
for cornering at the same speeds as a
conventional 2-wheel drive sedans or
sports coupe. Avoid sharp turns or abrupt
maneuvers. Failure to operate this vehi-
cle correctly may result in loss of control,
an accident or vehicle rollover.Be sure
to read the “Reducing the risk of a
rollover” driving guidelines, in section
5 of this manual. No special break-in period is needed.
By following a few simple precautions
for the first 600 miles (1,000 km) you
may add to the performance, economy
and life of your vehicle.
Do not race the engine.
While driving, keep your engine speed
(rpm, or revolutions per minute)
between 2,000 rpm and 4,000 rpm.
Do not maintain a single speed for long periods of time, either fast or slow.
Varying engine speed is needed to
properly break-in the engine.
Avoid hard stops, except in emergen- cies, to allow the brakes to seat prop-
erly.
Don't let the engine idle longer than 3 minutes at one time.
Don't tow a trailer during the first 1,200
miles (2,000 km) of operation.
VEHICLE BREAK-IN PROCESS
VEHICLE HANDLING
INSTRUCTIONS

Features of your vehicle
42
4
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.
Your vehicle is equipped with a dual-diag-
onal braking system. This means you still
have braking on two wheels even if one of
the brake circuits is damaged or malfunc-
tions. With only one of the circuits work-
ing, 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.Seat belt warning
As a reminder to the driver, the seat belt
warning light will blink for approximately
6 seconds each time you turn the ignition
switch ON, regardless of belt fastening.
For details, refer to the seat belt on chap- ter 3.
Turn signal indicator
The blinking green arrows on the instru-
ment panel show the direction indicated
by the turn signals. If the arrow comes on
but does not blink, blinks more rapidly
than normal, or does not illuminate at all,
a malfunction in the turn signal system is
indicated. Your dealer should be consult-
ed for repairs.
This indicator also blinks when the haz-
ard warning switch is turned on.
Light on indicator
The indicator illuminates when the tail lights or headlights are ON.
High beam indicator
This indicator illuminates when the head- lights are on and in the high beam posi-
tion or when the turn signal lever is pulled
into the Flash-to-Pass position.
Front fog light indicator (if equipped)
The indicator illuminates when the front
fog lights are ON.
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.

Features of your vehicle
46
4
AWD system warning light
(if equipped)
When the ignition switch is turned to the
ON position, the AWD indicator will illu-
minate and then go off in a few seconds.
If the AWD system warning light
illuminates, this indicates that there is a
malfunction in the AWD system. If this
occurs, have your vehicle checked by an
authorized HYUNDAI dealer as soon as
possible.
AWD LOCK indicator (if equipped)
The AWD LOCK indicator light is illumi-
nated when the AWD LOCK button is
pushed. The purpose of this AWD LOCK
mode is to increase the drive power
when driving on wet pavement, snow-
covered roads and/or off-road. The AWD
LOCK indicator light is turned off by
pushing the button again.
Low tire pressure indica-tor
The low tire pressure telltale comes on
for 3 seconds after the ignition switch is
turned to the "ON" position.
The low tire pressure telltale illuminates
when one or more of your tires is signifi-
cantly underinflated.
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 section 6.
CAUTION
Do not use AWD LOCK mode on dry
paved roads or highway, it can cause noise, vibration or damage ofAWD related parts.
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.

59
Driving your vehicle
Downshifting
When you must slow down in heavy traf-
fic or while driving up steep hills, down-
shift before the engine starts to labor.
Downshifting reduces the chance of
stalling and gives better acceleration
when you again need to increase your
speed. When the vehicle is traveling
down steep hills, downshifting helps
maintain safe speed and prolongs brake
life.
This vehicle is geared for improved fuel
economy and may need to be driven in a
lower gear when driving up hills or into
high winds. Using top gear is best for fuel
economy, but you should use the best
gear for the road conditions.
Good driving practices
Never take the vehicle out of gear andcoast down a hill. This is extremely
hazardous. Always leave the vehicle in
gear.
Don't "ride" the brakes. This can cause them to overheat and malfunction.
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 down the vehicle.
Slow down before shifting to a lower gear. This will help avoid over-revving
the engine, which can cause damage.
Slow down when you encounter cross winds. This gives you much better con-
trol of your vehicle.
Be sure the vehicle is completely stopped before you attempt to shift into
reverse. The transaxle can be dam-
aged if you do not. To shift into reverse,
depress the clutch, move the shift lever
to neutral, then shift to the reverseposition.
Exercise extreme caution when driving on a slippery surface. Be especially
careful when braking, accelerating 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
Always buckle-up! In a collision, an unbelted occupant is signifi-
cantly more likely to be seriously
injured or killed than a properly belted occupant.
Avoid high speeds when corner- ing or turning.
Do not make quick steering wheel movements, such as sharp
lane changes or fast, sharp turns.
The risk of rollover is greatly increased if you lose control of
your vehicle at highway speeds.
Loss of control often occurs if two or more wheels drop off the
roadway and the driver over-
steers to reenter the roadway.
In the event your vehicle leaves the roadway, do not steer sharply.
Instead, slow down before pulling
back into the travel lanes.
Never exceed posted speed lim- its.

511
Driving your vehicle
For smooth operation, depress the brakepedal when shifting from N (Neutral) to a
forward 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 frontwheels from rotating.
WARNING- Automatic
transaxle
Always check the surrounding areas near your vehicle for peo-
ple, especially children, before
shifting a vehicle 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 movementcan 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 stationary
with 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.

Driving your vehicle
12
5
R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward. N (Neutral)
The wheels and transaxle are not
engaged. The vehicle will roll freely even
on the slightest incline unless the parking
brake or service brakes are applied.
D (Drive)
This is the normal forward driving posi-
tion. The transaxle will automatically shift
through a 6-gear sequence, providing the
best fuel economy and power.
For extra power when passing another
vehicle or climbing grades, depress the
accelerator fully, at which time the
transaxle will automatically downshift to
the next lower gear (or gears, as appro-
priate).
✽✽
NOTICE
Always come to a complete stop before
shifting into D (Drive).
CAUTION
The transaxle may be damaged if you shift into P (Park) while thevehicle is in motion.
CAUTION
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into or out of R(Reverse); you may damage the transaxle if you shift into R whilethe vehicle is in motion, except as
explained in “Rocking the vehicle”in this section.

515
Driving your vehicle
Good driving practices
Never move the gear shift lever from P(Park) or N (Neutral) to any other posi-
tion with the accelerator pedaldepressed.
Never move the gear shift lever into P (Park) when the vehicle is in motion.
Be sure the vehicle is completely stopped before you attempt to shift into
R (Reverse) or D (Drive).
Never take the vehicle out of gear and coast down a hill. This may be
extremely hazardous. Always leave the
car in gear when moving.
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 down the vehicle.
Slow down before shifting to a lower gear. Otherwise, the lower gear may not be engaged. Always use the parking brake. Do not
depend on placing the transaxle in P
(Park) to keep the vehicle from moving.
Exercise extreme caution when driving on a slippery surface. Be especially
careful when braking, accelerating 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.
Optimum vehicle performance and economy is obtained by smoothly
depressing and releasing the accelera-tor pedal.WARNING
Always buckle-up! In a collision, an unbelted occupant is signifi-
cantly more likely to be seriously
injured or killed than a properly belted occupant.
Avoid high speeds when corner- ing or turning.
Do not make quick steering wheel movements, such as sharp
lane changes or fast, sharp turns.
The risk of rollover is greatly increased if you lose control of
your vehicle at highway speeds.
Loss of control often occurs if two or more wheels drop off the
roadway and the driver over-
steers to reenter the roadway.
In the event your vehicle leaves the roadway, do not steer sharply.
Instead, slow down before pulling
back into the travel lanes.
Never exceed posted speed lim- its.

Driving your vehicle
16
5
Moving up a steep grade from a stand-
ing start
To move up a steep grade from a stand-
ing start, depress the brake pedal, shift
the shift lever to D (Drive). Release the
brake pedal and gradually press the
accelerator pedal.
The Hill-start Assist Control(HAC) will
hold the vehicle brakes for up to 2 sec-
onds on grades steeper than 8° uphill.
WARNING
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
operation the vehicle may suddenly
move forward or backward as it
becomes unstuck, causing injury
or damage to nearby people or objects.
WARNING
The HAC is activated only for about
2 seconds, so when the vehicle is
starting off always depress the accelerator pedal.