
5-53
Driving your vehicle
5
Keep your headlights clean andproperly aimed. Dirty or improperly
aimed headlights will make it muchmore difficult to see at night.
Avoid staring directly at the head- lights of oncoming vehicles. You
could be temporarily blinded, and it
will take several seconds for your
eyes to readjust to the darkness.Driving in the rain
Rain and wet roads can make driving
dangerous. Here are a few things to
consider when driving in the rain or
on slick pavement:
Slow down and allow extra follow-ing distance. A heavy rainfall
makes it harder to see and increas-es the distance needed to stop
your vehicle.
Turn OFF your Cruise Control.
Replace your windshield wiper blades when they show signs of streaking or missing areas on thewindshield. Be sure your tires have enough
tread. If your tires do not have
enough tread, making a quick stop
on wet pavement can cause a skid
and possibly lead to an accident.
See “Tire Tread ”in chapter 7.
Turn on your headlights to make it easier for others to see you.
Driving too fast through large pud- dles can affect your brakes. If you
must go through puddles, try to
drive through them slowly.
If you believe your brakes may be wet, apply them lightly while driv-
ing until normal braking operation
returns.
OLMB053043

5-54
Driving your vehicle
Hydroplaning
If the road is wet enough and you are
going fast enough, your vehicle may
have little or no contact with the road
surface and actually ride on the
water. The best advice is SLOW
DOWN when the road is wet. The
risk of hydroplaning increases as the
depth of tire tread decreases, refer to
“Tire Tread” in chapter 7.
Driving in flooded areas
Avoid driving through flooded areas
unless you are sure the water is nohigher than the bottom of the wheel
hub. Drive through any water slowly.
Allow adequate stopping distance
because brake performance may bereduced.
After driving through water, dry the
brakes by gently applying them sev-
eral times while the vehicle is moving
slowly.
Reducing the risk of a rollover
Your multi-purpose passenger vehi-
cle is defined as a Sports Utility
Vehicle (SUV). SUV’s have higher
ground clearance and a narrower
track to make them capable of per-
forming in a wide variety of off-road
applications. The specific design
characteristics give them a higher
center of gravity than ordinary vehi-
cles making them more likely to roll
over if you make abrupt turns. Utility
vehicles have a significantly higher
rollover rate than other types of vehi-
cles. Due to this risk, driver and pas-sengers are strongly recommended
to buckle their seat belts. In a rollover
crash, an unbelted person is signifi-
cantly more likely to die than a per-
son wearing a seat belt.
There are steps that a driver can
make to reduce the risk of a rollover.
If at all possible, avoid sharp turns or
abrupt maneuvers, do not load your
vehicle with heavy cargo on the roof,
and never modify your vehicle in any
way.Utility vehicles have a signifi-
cantly higher rollover rate than
other types of vehicles. To pre-
vent rollovers or loss of control:
Take corners at slower speeds
than you would with a passen-
ger vehicle.
Avoid sharp turns and abrupt
maneuvers.
Do not modify your vehicle in
any way that you would raise
the center of gravity.
Keep tires properly inflated.
Do not carry heavy cargo on
the roof.
WARNING
In a rollover crash, an unbelted
person is significantly more
likely to die than a person wear-
ing a seat belt. Make sure all
passengers are wearing theirseat belts.
WARNING

5-55
Driving your vehicle
5
Snow or icy conditions
You need to keep sufficient distance
between your vehicle and the vehicle
in front of you.
Apply the brakes gently. Speeding,
rapid acceleration, sudden brake
applications, and sharp turns are
potentially very hazardous practices.
During deceleration, use engine
braking to the fullest extent. Sudden
brake applications on snowy or icy
roads may cause skids to occur.To drive your vehicle in deep snow, it
may be necessary to use snow tires
or to install tire chains on your tires.
Always carry emergency equipment.
Some of the items you may want to
carry include tire chains, tow straps
or chains, a flashlight, emergency
flares, sand, a shovel, jumper cables,
a window scraper, gloves, ground
cloth, coveralls, a blanket, etc.
Snow tires
WW
IINN TTEERR DD RRIIVV IINN GG
OLMB053045
Snow tires should be equivalent
in size and type to the vehicle's
standard tires. Otherwise, the
safety and handling of your
vehicle may be adversely affect-ed.
WARNING

5-59
Driving your vehicle
5
If you decide to pull a trailer?
Here are some important points if
you decide to pull a trailer:
Consider using a sway control. Youcan ask a trailer hitch dealer about
sway control.
Do not do any towing with your vehicle during its first 1,200 miles
(2,000 km) in order to allow the
engine to properly break in. Failure
to heed this caution may result in
serious engine or transaxle dam-
age.
When towing a trailer, be sure to consult an authorized HYUNDAI
dealer for further information onadditional requirements such as a
towing kit, etc.
Always drive your vehicle at a mod- erate speed (less than 60 mph
(100 km/h)) or posted towingspeed limit.
On a long uphill grade, do not exceed 45 mph (70 km/h) or the
posted towing speed limit,
whichever is lower.
Carefully observe the weight and load limits provided in the following
pages.
Total trailer weight
What is the maximum safe weight of
a trailer? It should never weigh more
than the maximum trailer weight with
trailer brakes. But even that can be
too heavy. It depends on how you
plan to use your trailer. For example,
speed, altitude, road grades, outside
temperature and how often your
vehicle is used to pull a trailer are all
important. The ideal trailer weight
can also depend on any special
equipment that you have on your
vehicle.
Tongue load
The tongue load is an important
weight to measure because it affects
the total Gross Vehicle Weight
(GVW) of your vehicle. The trailer
tongue should weigh a maximum of
10% of the total loaded trailer weight,
within the limits of the maximum trail-
er tongue load permissible.
After you've loaded your trailer,
weigh the trailer and then the tongue,
separately, to see if the weights are
proper. If they aren’t, you may be
able to correct them simply by mov-
ing some items around in the trailer.
OLMB053047
Tongue Load Total Trailer Weight
OLMB053048
Gross Axle WeightGross Vehicle Weight

5-61
Driving your vehicle
5
Trailer towing equipment
Hitches
It's important to have the correct
hitch equipment. Crosswinds, large
trucks going by, and rough roads are
a few reasons why you’ll need the
right hitch. Here are some rules to
follow:
Do you have to make any holes inthe body of your vehicle when you
install a trailer hitch? If you do, thenbe sure to seal the holes later
when you remove the hitch. If you
don’t seal them, carbon monoxide
(CO) from your exhaust can get
into your vehicle, as well as dirt
and water.
The bumpers on your vehicle are not intended for hitches. Do notattach rental hitches or other
bumper-type hitches to them. Use
only a frame-mounted hitch that
does not attach to the bumper.
A HYUNDAI trailer hitch accessory is available at an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer.
Safety chains
You should always attach chains
between your vehicle and your trail-
er. Cross the safety chains under the
tongue of the trailer so that thetongue will not drop to the road if it
becomes separated from the hitch.
Instructions about safety chains may
be provided by the hitch manufactur-
er or trailer manufacturer. Follow the
manufacturer’s recommendation for
attaching safety chains. Always leave
just enough slack so you can turn
with your trailer. And, never allow
safety chains to drag on the ground.
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a brak-
ing system, make sure it conforms to
federal and/or local regulations and
that it is properly installed and oper-
ating correctly.
If your trailer weighs more than the
maximum trailer weight without trail-
er brakes loaded, then it needs its
own brakes and they must be ade-
quate. Be sure to read and follow the
instructions for the trailer brakes so
you’ll be able to install, adjust and
maintain them properly. Be sure not
to tap into your vehicle's brake sys-tem.
Do not use a trailer with its own
brakes unless you are absolute-
ly certain that you have proper-
ly set up the brake system. Use
an experienced, competent
trailer shop for this work.
WARNING

5-62
Driving your vehicle
Driving with a trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain
amount of experience. Before setting
out for the open road, you must get
to know your trailer. Acquaint your-
self with the feel of handling and
braking with the added weight of the
trailer. And always keep in mind that
the vehicle you are driving is now
longer and not nearly as responsive
as your vehicle is by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer
hitch and platform, safety chains,
electrical connector(s), lights, tires
and brakes.
During your trip, occasionally check
to be sure that the load is secure,
and that the lights and trailer brakes
are still working.
Distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the
vehicle ahead as you would when
driving your vehicle without a trailer.
This can help you avoid situations
that require heavy braking and sud-
den turns.
Passing
You will need more passing distance
up ahead when you’re towing a trail-
er. And, because of the increased
vehicle length, you’ll need to go
much farther beyond the passed
vehicle before you can return to your
lane.
Backing up
Hold the bottom of the steering
wheel with one hand. Then, to move
the trailer to the left, move your hand
to the left. To move the trailer to the
right, move your hand to the right.
Always back up slowly and, if possi-
ble, have someone guide you.
Making turns
When you’re turning with a trailer,
make wider turns than normal. Do
this so your trailer won’t strike soft
shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees,
or other objects. Avoid jerky or sud-
den maneuvers. Signal well in
advance.

5-63
Driving your vehicle
5
Turn signals
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle
has to have a different turn signal
flasher and extra wiring. The green
arrows on your instrument panel will
flash whenever you signal a turn or
lane change. Properly connected,
the trailer lights will also flash to alert
other drivers you’re about to turn,
change lanes, or stop.
When towing a trailer, the green
arrows on your instrument panel will
flash for turns even if the bulbs on
the trailer are burned out. Thus, you
may think drivers behind you are
seeing your signals when, in fact,
they are not. It’s important to check
occasionally to be sure the trailer
bulbs are still working. You must also
check the lights every time you dis-connect and then reconnect the
wires.
Driving on hills
Reduce speed and shift to a lower
gear before you start down a long or
steep downgrade. If you don’t shift
down, you might have to use your
brakes so much that they would get
overheated and may not operate effi-
ciently.
On a long uphill grade, shift down
and reduce your speed to around 45mph (70 km/h) to reduce the possi-
bility of engine and transaxle over-heating.
If your trailer weighs more than the
maximum trailer weight without trail-
er brakes and you have an automat-
ic transaxle , you should drive in D
(Drive) when towing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle in D (Drive)
when towing a trailer will minimize
heat build-up and extend the life of
your transaxle .
Do not connect a trailer lighting
system directly to your vehi-
cle’s lighting system. Use an
approved trailer wiring harness.
Failure to do so could result in
damage to the vehicle electrical
system and/or personal injury.
Consult an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer for assistance.WARNING

5-64
Driving your vehicle
Parking on hills
Generally, if you have a trailer
attached to your vehicle, you should
not park your vehicle on a hill.
However, if you ever have to park your
trailer on a hill, here's how to do it:
1.Pull the vehicle into the parkingspace.
Turn the steering wheel in the
direction of the curb (right if head-
ed down hill, left if headed up hill).
2.Shift the vehicle to P (Park).
3.Set the parking brake and shut off the vehicle.
4.Place wheel chocks under the trail- er wheels on the down hill side of
the wheels. 5.Start the vehicle, hold the brakes,
shift to neutral, release the parking
brake and slowly release the
brakes until the trailer chocksabsorb the load.
6.Reapply the brakes and parking brakes.
7.Move the shift lever to P (Park, for automatic transaxle vehicle) or 1st
gear when the vehicle is parked on
a uphill grade and in R (Reverse)
on a downhill (for manual transaxle
vehicle).
8.Shut off the vehicle and release the vehicle brakes but leave the park-
ing brake set.
To prevent engine and/or
transaxle overheating:
When towing a trailer on steep
grades (in excess of 6%) pay
close attention to the engine
coolant temperature gauge toensure the engine does not
overheat. If the needle of the
coolant temperature gauge
moves towards “H” (HOT), pull
over and stop as soon as it is
safe to do so, and allow theengine to idle until it cools
down. You may proceed oncethe engine has cooled suffi-
ciently.
You must decide your vehicle
speed according to the trailer
weight and uphill grade.
CAUTION
Do not get out of the vehicle
without the parking brake firmly
set. If you have left the engine
running, the vehicle can move
suddenly. You and others could
be seriously or fatally injured.
WARNING