2014 Hyundai Santa Fe gear release

Features of your vehicle
32 4
Opening the hood
1. Pull the release lever to unlatch
the hood. The hood should pop
open slightly.2. Go to the front of the vehicle, raise
the hood slightly, push up the sec-
ondary latch (1) inside of the hood
center and lift the hood (2).
3. Raise the hood. It will raise com-
pletely by itself after it has been
raised halfway.
HOOD
WARNING
Open the hood after turning off
the engine on a flat surface,
shifting the shift lever to the
P(Park) position for automatic
transaxle and to the 1(First)
gear or R(Reverse) for manual
transaxle, and setting the park-
ing brake.
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Features of your vehicle
84 4
Parking Brake & Brake
Fluid Warning Light
This warning light illuminates:
• Once you set the ignition switch or
Engine Start/Stop Button to the ON
position.
- It illuminates for approximately 3
seconds
- It remains on if the parking brake
is applied.
• When the parking brake is applied.
• When the brake fluid level in the
reservoir is low.
- If the warning light illuminates
with the parking brake released, it
indicates the brake fluid level in
reservoir is low.If the brake fluid level in the reservoir
is low:
1. Drive carefully to the nearest safe
location and stop your vehicle.
2. With the engine stopped, check
the brake fluid level immediately
and add fluid as required (For
more details, refer to “Brake Fluid”
in chapter 7). Then check all brake
components for fluid leaks. If any
leak on brake system is still found,
the warning light remains on, or
the brakes do not operate proper-
ly, do not drive the vehicle.
In this case, we recommend that
you have the vehicle towed to an
authorized HYUNDAI dealer and
inspected.Dual-diagonal braking system
Your vehicle is equipped with dual-
diagonal braking systems. This
means you still have braking on two
wheels even if one of the dual sys-
tems should fail.
With only one of the dual systems
working, more than normal pedal
travel and greater pedal pressure are
required to stop the vehicle.
Also, the vehicle will not stop in as
short a distance with only a portion
of the brake system working.
If the brakes fail while you are driv-
ing, shift to a lower gear for addition-
al engine braking and stop the vehi-
cle as soon as it is safe to do so.

57
Driving your vehicle
Starting the engineWARNING - Ignition key
• 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 acci-
dent.
• 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 1st gear for the manual
transaxle or P (Park) for the
automatic transaxle, set the
parking brake fully and shut
the engine off. Unexpected
and sudden vehicle movement
may occur if these precau-
tions are not taken.
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• Never reach for the ignition
switch, 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 driv-
er 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, accelerator
and clutch pedal (if equipped).
• Do not start the vehicle with
the accelerator pedal
depressed. The vehicle can
move and lead to an accident.
• Wait until the engine rpm is
normal. The vehicle may sud-
denly move if the brake padel
is released when the rpm is
high.

517
Driving your vehicle
Manual transaxle operation
• The manual transaxle has 6 for-
ward gears.
This shift pattern is imprinted on
the shift knob. The transaxle is fully
synchronized in all forward gears
so shifting to either a higher or a
lower gear is easily accomplished.
• Depress the clutch pedal down
fully while shifting, then release it
slowly.
If your vehicle is equipped with an
ignition lock switch, the engine will
not start when starting the engine
without depressing the clutch
pedal.
• The shift lever must return to the
neutral position before shifting into
R (Reverse). The button located
immediately below the shift knob
must be pushed upward while
moving the shift lever to the R
(Reverse) position.
•
Make sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before shifting into R
(Reverse).
Never operate the engine with the
tachometer (rpm) in the red zone.
MANUAL TRANSAXLE (IF EQUIPPED)
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The button must be pushed while mov-
ing the shift lever. The shift lever can be moved without
pushing the button.
CAUTION
• When downshifting from 5
(Fifth) gear to 4 (Fourth) gear,
caution should be taken not to
inadvertently move the shift
lever sideways in such a man-
ner that second gear is
engaged. Such a drastic
downshift may cause the
engine speed to increase to
the point that the tachometer
will enter the red-zone. Such
over-revving of the engine
may possibly cause engine
and transaxle damage.
• Do not downshift more than 2
gears or downshift the gear
when the engine is running at
high speed (5,000 RPM or
higher). Such a downshifting
may damage the engine,
clutch and the transaxle.

Driving your vehicle
18 5
• During cold weather, shifting may
be difficult until the transaxle lubri-
cant has warmed up. This is nor-
mal and not harmful to the
transaxle.
• If you've come to a complete stop
and it's hard to shift into 1 (First) or
R (Reverse), put the shift lever in
neutral position and release the
clutch. Press the clutch pedal back
down, and then shift into 1 (First)
or R (Reverse) gear position.CAUTION
• To avoid premature clutch
wear and damage, do not
drive with your foot resting on
the clutch pedal. Also, don’t
use the clutch to hold the
vehicle stopped on an uphill
grade, while waiting for a traf-
fic light, etc.
• Do not use the shift lever as a
handrest during driving, as
this can result in premature
wear of the transaxle shift
forks.
• To prevent possible damage
to the clutch system, do not
start with the 2nd (second)
gear engaged except when
you start on a slippery road.
WARNING
• Before leaving the driver’s
seat, always set the parking
brake fully and shut the
engine off. Then make sure the
transaxle is shifted into 1
(First) gear when the vehicle is
parked on a level or uphill
grade, and shifted into R
(Reverse) on a downhill grade.
Unexpected and sudden vehi-
cle movement can occur if
these precautions are not fol-
lowed in the order identified.
• If your vehicle has a manual
transaxle not equipped with a
ignition lock switch, it may
move and cause a serious
accident when starting the
engine without depressing the
clutch pedal while the parking
brake is released and the shift
lever not in the neutral posi-
tion.
• Do not use the engine brake
(shifting from a high gear to
lower gear) rapidly on slippery
roads. The vehicle may slip
causing an accident.

519
Driving your vehicle
Using the clutch
The clutch pedal should be
depressed all the way to the floor
before shifting, then released slowly.
The clutch pedal should always be
fully released while driving. Do not
rest your foot on the clutch pedal
while driving. This can cause unnec-
essary wear. Do not partially engage
the clutch to hold the vehicle on an
incline. This causes unnecessary
wear. Use the foot brake or parking
brake to hold the vehicle on an
incline. Do not operate the clutch
pedal rapidly and repeatedly.
Downshifting
When you must slow down in heavy
traffic or while driving up steep hills,
downshift 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 vehi-
cle is traveling down steep hills,
downshifting helps maintain safe
speed and prolongs brake life.
Good driving practices
• Never take the vehicle out of gear
and coast 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 mal-
function. 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 control of your vehicle.
• Be sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before you attempt to shift
into R (Reverse). The transaxle can
be damaged if you do not. To shift
into R (Reverse), depress the
clutch, move the shift lever to neu-
tral, wait three seconds, then shift
to the R (Reverse) position.
CAUTION
When operating the clutch
pedal, depress the clutch pedal
down fully. If you don’t depress
the clutch pedal fully, the clutch
may be damaged or noise may
occur.

525
Driving your vehicle
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• 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 shift
points are varied to upshift auto-
matically.
• 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 driving 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.
If the brake pedal is repeatedly
depressed and released with the
shift lever in the P (Park) position, a
chattering noise near the shift lever
may be heard. This is a normal con-
dition.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 vehicle.

Driving your vehicle
28 5
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). Select the appropriate gear
depending on load weight and steep-
ness of the grade, and release the
parking brake. Depress the accelera-
tor 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 of backward as it
becomes unstuck, causing
injury or damage to nearby peo-
ple or objects.