2014 Hyundai Sonata Owner's Manual

5-16
Driving your vehicle
Information
If the smart key battery is weak or the
smart key does not work correctly,
you can start the engine by pressing
the Engine Start/Stop button with the
smart key in the direction of the pic-
ture above.
i
OLF054009

5-17
Driving your vehicle
5
Manual transaxle operation
The manual transaxle has 6 forward
gears. The transaxle is fully synchro-
nized in all forward gears so shifting
to either a higher or a lower gear is
easily accomplished.
To shift to R (Reverse), make sure
the vehicle has completely stopped,
and then move the shift lever to neu-
tral before moving into R (Reverse).
When you've come to a complete
stop and it's hard to shift into 1st gear
or R (Reverse):
1. Put the shift lever in neutral and
release the clutch pedal.
2. Depress the clutch pedal, and
then shift into first or R (Reverse)
gear.
Information
During cold weather, shifting may be
difficult until the transaxle lubricant
has warmed up.
i
MANUAL TRANSAXLE (IF EQUIPPED)
Before leaving the driver’s seat,
always make sure the shift lever
is in 1st gear when the vehicle
is parked on a uphill and in R
(Reverse) on a downhill, set the
parking brake, and place the
ignition switch in the LOCK/OFF
position. Unexpected vehicle
movement may occur if these
precautions are not followed.
WARNING
OLF054011
The shift lever can be moved without
pressing the button (1).
The button (1) must be pressed while
moving the shift lever.

5-18
Driving your vehicle
Using the clutch
The clutch pedal should be
depressed all the way to the floor
before:
-Starting the engine
The engine will not start without
depressing the clutch pedal.
-Shifting
When releasing the clutch pedal,
release it slowly. The clutch pedal
should always be released while
driving.
To prevent unnecessary wear or
damage to the clutch:
•Do not rest your foot on the
clutch pedal while driving.
•Do not hold the vehicle with the
clutch on an incline, while wait-
ing for the traffic light, etc.
•Always depress the clutch pedal
down fully to prevent noise or
damage.
•Do not start with the 2nd (sec-
ond) gear engaged except when
you start on a slippery road.
Downshifting
Downshift when you must slow down
in heavy traffic or drive up a steep hill
to prevent engine load.
Also, downshifting reduces the
chance of stalling and can accelerate
when you need to increase your
speed again.
When the vehicle is going downhill,
downshifting helps maintain safe
speed by providing brake power from
the engine and enables less wear on
the brakes.
NOTICE

5-19
Driving your vehicle
5
To prevent damage to the engine,
clutch and transaxle:
•When downshifting from 5th
gear to 4th gear, be careful not
to inadvertently push the shift
lever sideways engaging the 2nd
gear. A drastic downshift may
cause the engine speed to
increase to the point the
tachometer will enter the red-
zone.
•Do not downshift more than two
gear at a time 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.
Good driving practices
•Never take the vehicle out of gear
and coast down a hill. This is
extremely dangerous.
•Don't "ride" the brakes.This can
cause the brakes and related parts
to overheat and malfunction.
When you are driving down a long
hill, slow down and shift to a lower
gear. 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 shift into R
(Reverse) to prevent damage to
the transaxle.
•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
may cause loss of vehicle control
resulting in an accident
NOTICE
Do not use the engine brake
(shifting from a higher gear to
lower gear) rapidly on slippery
roads. The vehicle may slip
causing an accident.
WARNING

5-20
Driving your vehicle
To reduce the risk of SERIOUS
INJURY or DEATH:
•ALWAYS wear your seatbelt.
In a collision, an unbelted
occupant is significantly more
likely to be seriously injured
or killed than a properly belt-
ed occupant.
•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
over steers to reenter the
roadway.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
•In the event your vehicle
leaves the roadway, do not
steer sharply. Instead, slow
down before pulling back into
the travel lanes.
•HYUNDAI recommends you
follow all posted speed limits.

5-21
Driving your vehicle
5
AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE (IF EQUIPPED)
OLF054012/OLF054012R
■Left-hand drive■Right-hand drive
Move shift lever.
Depress the brake pedal, press the shift button, and then move shift lever.
Press the shift button, then move shift lever.
Sports modeSports mode
++ ((UUPP))
-- ((DDOOWWNN))
++ ((UUPP))
-- ((DDOOWWWNN))

5-22
Driving your vehicle
Automatic transaxle operation
The automatic transaxle has six for-
ward speeds and one reverse speed.
The individual speeds are selected
automatically in the D (Drive) posi-
tion.
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).
To shift from P (Park), you must
depress firmly on the brake pedal
and make sure your foot is off the
accelerator pedal.
If you have done all of the above
and still cannot shift the lever out
of P (Park), see “Shift-Lock
Release” in this chapter.
The shift lever must be in P (Park)
before turning the engine off.
To reduce the risk of serious
injury or death:
•ALWAYS check the surround-
ing areas near your vehicle for
people, 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, and place the ignition
switch in the LOCK/OFF posi-
tion. Unexpected and sudden
vehicle movement can occur
if these precautions are not
followed.
(Continued)
(Continued)
•Do not use the engine brake
(shifting from a high gear to
lower gear) rapidly on slip-
pery roads. The vehicle may
slip causing an accident.
WARNING
•Shifting into P (Park) while the
vehicle is in motion may
cause you to lose control of
the vehicle.
•After the vehicle has stopped,
always make sure the shift
lever is in P (Park), apply the
parking brake, and turn the
engine off.
•Do not use the P (Park) posi-
tion in place of the parking
brake.
WARNING

5-23
Driving your vehicle
5
R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward.
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.
N (Neutral)
The wheels and transaxle are not
engaged.
Use N (Neutral) if you need to restart
a stalled engine, or if it is necessary
to stop with the engine ON. Shift into
P (Park) if you need to leave your
vehicle for any reason.
Always depress the brake pedal
when you are shifting from N
(Neutral) to another gear.
D (Drive)
This is the normal driving position.
The transaxle will automatically shift
through a 6-gear sequence, provid-
ing the best fuel economy and
power.
For extra power when passing anoth-
er vehicle or driving uphill, depress
the accelerator fully. The transaxle
will automatically downshift to the
next lower gear (or gears, as appro-
priate).
The DRIVE MODE switch, located on
the shift lever console, allows the driv-
er to switch from NORMAL mode to
SPORT or ECO mode. (if equipped)
For more information, refer to
"Drive Mode Integrated Control
System" later in this chapter.
NOTICE
Do not shift into gear unless
your foot is firmly on the brake
pedal. Shifting into gear when
the engine is running at high
speed can cause the vehicle to
move very rapidly. You could
lose control of the vehicle and
hit people or objects.
WARNING