2013 Hyundai Elantra GT Owner's Manual

517
Driving your vehicle
Automatic transaxle operation
The automatic transaxle has 6 for-
ward speeds and one reverse speed.
The individual 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 lock release
button 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
OGD051011
+ (UP)
- (DOWN)
Depress the brake pedal and the lock release button (1) when shifting, if your vehicle
is equipped shift lock system.
The shift lever can be shifted without depressing the lock release button (1).
The lock release button (1) must be depressed while moving the shift lever.

Driving your vehicle
18 5
For smooth operation, depress the
brake pedal when shifting from N
(Neutral) to a forward or reverse gear.Transaxle ranges
The indicator in the instrument clus-
ter 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 pre-
vents the drive wheels from rotating.
WARNING- Automatic
transaxle
Always check the surrounding
areas near your vehicle for
people, 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
identified.
CAUTION
To avoid damage to your
transaxle, do not accelerate
the engine in R (Reverse) or
any forward gear position with
the brakes on.
When stopped on an incline,
do not hold the vehicle sta-
tionary with engine power.
Use the service brake or the
parking brake.
Do not shift from N (Neutral)
or P (Park) into D (Drive), or R
(Reverse) when the engine is
above idle speed.

519
Driving your vehicle
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
position. The transaxle will automati-
cally shift through a 6-gear
sequence, providing the best fuel
economy and power.
For extra power when passing anoth-
er vehicle or climbing grades,
depress the accelerator fully, at
which time the transaxle will auto-
matically downshift to the next lower
gear.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into D (Drive).
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
(Reverse) while the vehicle is in
motion, except as explained in
“Rocking the vehicle” in this
section.
WARNING
Shifting into P (Park) while the
vehicle is in motion will cause
the drive wheels to lock which
may cause you to lose control
of the vehicle.
Do not use the P (Park) posi-
tion 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 unattend-
ed in a vehicle.
CAUTION
The transaxle may be damaged
if you shift into P (Park) while
the vehicle is in motion.

Driving your vehicle
20 5
Sports mode
Whether the vehicle is stationary or
in motion, sports mode is selected by
pushing the shift lever from the D
(Drive) position into the manual gate.
To return to D (Drive) range opera-
tion, push the shift lever back into the
main gate.
In sports mode, moving the shift
lever backwards and forwards will
allow you to make gearshifts rapidly.
Up (+) : Push the lever forward
once to shift up one gear.
Down (-) : Pull the lever backwards
once to shift down one
gear.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
• In sports mode, the driver must
execute upshifts in accordance
with road conditions.
• In sports mode, only the 6 forward
gears can be selected. To reverse
or park the vehicle, move the shift
lever to the R (Reverse) or P
(Park) position as required.
• In sports mode, downshifts are
made automatically when the
vehicle slows down. When the
vehicle stops, 1st gear is automati-
cally selected.
• In sports mode, when the engine
rpm approaches the red zone, the
transaxle will upshift automatically.
• To maintain the required levels of
vehicle performance and safety,
the system may not execute cer-
tain gearshifts when the shift lever
is operated.
• When accelerating from a stop on a
slippery road, push the shift lever
forward into the +(up) position.
This causes the transaxle to shift
into the 2nd gear which is better for
smooth driving on a slippery road.
Push the shift lever to the -(down)
side to shift back to the 1st gear.
Shift lock system
For your safety, the automatic
transaxle has a shift lock system
which prevents shifting the transaxle
from P (Park) or N (Neutral) into R
(Reverse) unless the brake pedal is
depressed.
To shift the transaxle from P (Park) or
N (Neutral) into R (Reverse):
1. Depress and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine or turn the ignition
switch to the ON position.
3. Move the shift lever.
WARNING
Always fully depress the brake
pedal before and while shifting
out of the P (Park) position into
another position to avoid inad-
vertent motion of the vehicle
which could injure persons in
or around the car.
OGD051013
+ (UP)
- (DOWN)
Sports mode

521
Driving your vehicle
Shift-lock override
If the shift lever cannot be moved
from the P (Park) or N (Neutral) posi-
tion into R (Reverse) position with
the brake pedal depressed, continue
depressing the brake, then do the fol-
lowing:
1. Carefully remove the cap (1) cov-
ering the shift-lock access hole.
2. Insert a key (or screwdriver) into
the access hole and press down
on the key (or screwdriver).
3. Move the shift lever.
4. Have your vehicle inspected by an
authorized HYUNDAI dealer as
soon as possible.
Ignition key interlock system
The ignition key cannot be removed
unless the shift lever is in the P
(Park) position. Even if the ignition
switch is in the LOCK position, the
key also cannot be removed.
If your vehicle is equipped with
ENGINE START/STOP button, the
button will not change to the OFF
position unless the shift lever is in the
P (Park) position.
Good driving practices
Never move the gear shift lever
from P (Park) or N (Neutral) to any
other position with the accelerator
pedal depressed.
Never move the gear shift lever into
P (Park) when the vehicle is in
motion.
Be sure the car is completely
stopped before you attempt to shift
into R (Reverse) or D (Drive).
Never take the car 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 mal-
function. Instead, when you are driv-
ing down a long hill, move the shift
lever to sports mode and shift to a
lower gear. When you do this,
engine braking will help slow the car.
When driving in sports mode, slow
down before shifting to a lower
gear. Otherwise, the lower gear
may not be engaged.
OGD051014

Driving your vehicle
22 5
Always use the parking brake. Do
not depend on placing the
transaxle in P (Park) to keep the
car 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
accelerator pedal.
WARNING
Always buckle-up! In a colli-
sion, an unbelted occupant is
significantly more likely to be
seriously injured or killed
than a properly belted occu-
pant.
Avoid high speeds when cor-
nering 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
oversteers to reenter the road-
way.
(Continued)
(Continued)
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
limits.

523
Driving your vehicle
Moving up a steep grade from a
standing start
To move up a steep grade from a
standing start, depress the brake
pedal, shift the shift lever to D
(Drive). Depress the accelerator
gradually while releasing the service
brakes.
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 peo-
ple or objects.
Do not rev up the engine. This
may cause engine over-heating,
transaxle damage or failure, and
tire damage.

Driving your vehicle
24 5
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 normally would. The
stopping distance, however, 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.
BRAKE SYSTEM
WARNING- Brakes
Do not drive with your foot
resting on the brake pedal.
This will create abnormal high
brake temperatures, exces-
sive brake lining and pad
wear, and increased stopping
distances.
When descending a long or
steep hill, shift to a lower gear
(for automatic transaxle,
move the shift lever to sports
mode) and avoid continuous
application of the brakes.
Continuous brake application
will cause the brakes to over-
heat and could result in a tem-
porary loss of braking per-
formance.
(Continued)(Continued)
Wet brakes may impair the
vehicle’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 fash-
ion 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.