2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport Owner's Manual

Driving your vehicle
24 5
✽NOTICE
• Do not drive in water if the level is
higher than the bottom of the vehicle.
• Check your brake condition once
you are out of mud or water. Press
the brake pedal several times as
you move slowly until you feel nor-
mal braking forces return.
• Shorten your scheduled mainte-
nance interval if you drive in off-
road conditions such as sand, mud
or water (see “Maintenance under
severe usage conditions” in section
7). Always wash your vehicle thor-
oughly after off road use, especially
cleaning the bottom of the vehicle.
• Since the driving torque is always
applied to the 4 wheels the per-
formance of the AWD vehicle is
greatly affected by the condition of
the tires. Be sure to equip the vehi-
cle with four tires of the same size
and type.
• A full time all wheel drive vehicle
cannot be towed by an ordinary
tow truck. Make sure that the
vehicle is placed on a flat bed
truck for moving.
CAUTION - Mud or snow
If one of the front or rear wheels
begins to spin in mud, snow,
etc. the vehicle can sometimes
be driven out by depressing the
accelerator pedal further; how-
ever avoid running the engine
continuously at high rpm
because doing so could dam-
age the AWD system.
WARNING - AWD driving
• Avoid high cornering speed.
• 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 high speed.
• In a collision, an unbelted per-
son is significantly more like-
ly to die compared to a person
wearing a seat belt.
• Loss of control often occurs if
two or more wheels drop off
the roadway and the driver
over steers to re-enter the
roadway. In the event your
vehicle leaves the roadway, do
not steer sharply. Instead,
slow down before pulling
back into the travel lanes.

525
Driving your vehicle
Reducing the risk of a rollover
This multi-purpose passenger vehicle
is defined as a Sports Utility Vehicle
(SUV). SUV’s have higher ground
clearance and a narrower track to
make them capable of performing in a
wide variety of off-road applications.
Specific design characteristics give
them a higher center of gravity than
ordinary vehicles. An advantage of the
higher ground clearance is a better
view of the road, which allows you to
anticipate problems. They are not
designed for cornering at the same
speeds as conventional passenger
vehicles, any more than low-slung
sports cars are designed to perform
satisfactorily in off-road conditions.
Due to this risk, driver and passengers
are strongly recommended to buckle
their seat belts. In a rollover crash, an
unbelted person is more likely to die
than a person 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 roof rack
with heavy cargo, and never modify
your vehicle in any way.WARNING
Your vehicle is equipped with
tires designed to provide safe
ride and handling capability. Do
not use a size and type of tire
and wheel that is different from
the one that is originally
installed on your vehicle. It can
affect the safety and perform-
ance of your vehicle, which
could lead to steering failure or
rollover and serious injury.
When replacing the tires, be
sure to equip all four tires with
the tire and wheel of the same
size, type, tread, brand and
load-carrying capacity. If you
nevertheless decide to equip
your vehicle with any tire/wheel
combination not recommended
by HYUNDAI for off road driv-
ing, you should not use these
tires for highway driving.
WARNING - Rollover
As with other Sports Utility
Vehicle (SUV), failure to operate
this vehicle correctly may result
in loss of control, an accident or
vehicle rollover.
• Utility vehicles have a signifi-
cantly higher rollover rate
than other types of vehicles.
• Specific design characteris-
tics (higher ground clearance,
narrower track, etc.) give this
vehicle a higher center of
gravity than ordinary vehicles.
• A SUV is not designed for cor-
nering at the same speeds as
conventional vehicles.
• Avoid sharp turns or abrupt
maneuvers.
• In a rollover crash, an unbelt-
ed person is significantly
more likely to die than a per-
son wearing a seat belt. Make
sure everyone in the vehicle is
properly buckled up.

Driving your vehicle
26 5
• Full-time AWD vehicles must be
tested on a special four wheel
chassis dynamometer.
✽NOTICE
Never engage the parking brake
while performing these tests.
• A full-time AWD vehicle should not
be tested on a 2WD roll tester. If a
2WD roll tester must be used, per-
form the following:1. Check the tire pressures recom-
mended for your vehicle.
2. Place the front wheels on the roll
tester for a speedometer test as
shown in the illustration.
3. Release the parking brake.
4. Place the rear wheels on the tem-
porary free roller as shown in the
illustration.
WARNING - Jacked
vehicle
While a full-time AWD vehicle is
raised on a jack, never start the
engine or cause the tires to
rotate.
There is a danger that rotating
tires touching the ground could
cause the vehicle to fall off the
jack and to jump forward or
rearward.WARNING - Dynamometer
testing
Keep away from the front of the
vehicle while the vehicle is in
gear on the dynamometer. This
is very dangerous as the vehi-
cle can jump forward and cause
serious injury or death.
ODMEDR2147Roll tester (speedometer)Temporary free roller

527
Driving your vehicle
BRAKE SYSTEM
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.
Pump the brake pedal only when
necessary to maintain steering con-
trol on slippery surfaces.(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 affect-
ed in this way. Always test your
brakes in this fashion after
driving through deep water. To
dry the brakes, apply them
lightly while maintaining a safe
forward speed until brake per-
formance 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.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
and avoid continuous applica-
tion of the brakes. Continuous
brake application will cause
the brakes to overheat and
could result in a temporary
loss of braking performance.
(Continued)

Driving your vehicle
28 5
In the event of brake failure
If service brakes fail to operate while
the vehicle is in motion, you can
make an emergency stop with the
parking brake. The stopping dis-
tance, however, will be much greater
than normal.
Disc brakes wear indicator
When your brake pads are worn and
new pads are required, you will hear
a high-pitched warning sound from
your front brakes or rear brakes (if
equipped). You may hear this sound
come and go or it may occur when-
ever you depress the brake pedal.
Please remember that some driving
conditions or climates may cause a
brake squeal when you first apply (or
lightly apply) the brakes. This is nor-
mal and does not indicate a problem
with your brakes.
WARNING - Parking
brake
Applying the parking brake
while the vehicle is moving at
normal speeds can cause a
sudden loss of control of the
vehicle. If you must use the
parking brake to stop the vehi-
cle, use great caution in apply-
ing the brake.WARNING - Brake wear
This brake wear warning sound
means your vehicle needs serv-
ice. If you ignore this audible
warning, you will eventually
lose braking performance,
which could lead to a serious
accident.
CAUTION
• To avoid costly brake repairs,
do not continue to drive with
worn brake pads.
• Always replace the front or
rear brake pads as pairs.

529
Driving your vehicle
Parking brake
Applying the parking brake
Foot type
To engage the parking brake, first
apply the foot brake and then
depress the parking brake pedal
down as far as possible.
Releasing the parking brake
Foot type
To release the parking brake,
depress the parking brake pedal a
second time while applying the foot
brake. The pedal will automatically
extend to the fully released position.OCM050015
CAUTION
• Driving with the parking brake
applied will cause excessive
brake pad and brake rotor wear.
• Do not operate the parking
brake while the vehicle is
moving except in an emer-
gency situation. It could dam-
age the vehicle system and
make endanger driving safety.
OCM050016

Driving your vehicle
30 5
If the parking brake does not release
or does not release all the way, have
the system checked by an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer.
Check the brake warning light by
turning the ignition switch ON (do not
start the engine). This light will be
illuminated when the parking brake is
applied with the ignition switch in the
START or ON position.
Before driving, be sure the parking
brake is fully released and the brake
warning light is off.
If the brake warning light remains on
after the parking brake is released
while engine is running, there may be
a malfunction in the brake system.
Immediate attention is necessary.
WARNING
• To prevent unintentional
movement when stopped and
leaving the vehicle, do not use
the gearshift lever in place of
the parking brake. Set the
parking brake AND make sure
the gearshift lever is securely
positioned in P (Park) for
automatic transaxle equipped
vehicles.
• Never allow anyone who is
unfamiliar with the vehicle to
touch the parking brake. If the
parking brake is released
unintentionally, serious injury
may occur.
(Continued)
(Continued)
• All vehicles should always
have the parking brake fully
engaged when parking to
avoid inadvertent movement
of the vehicle which can injure
occupants or pedestrians.
W-75

531
Driving your vehicle
If at all possible, cease driving the
vehicle immediately. If that is not pos-
sible, use extreme caution while
operating the vehicle and only con-
tinue to drive the vehicle until you
can reach a safe location or repair
shop.Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
WARNING
ABS (or ESC) will not prevent
accidents due to improper or
dangerous driving maneuvers.
Even though vehicle control is
improved during emergency
braking, always maintain a safe
distance between you and
objects ahead. Vehicle speeds
should always be reduced dur-
ing extreme road conditions.
The braking distance for vehi-
cles equipped with an anti-lock
braking system or (Electronic
Stability Control System) may be
longer than for those without it
in the following road conditions.
During these conditions the
vehicle should be driven at
reduced speeds:
(Continued)
(Continued)
• Rough, gravel or snow-cov-
ered roads.
• On roads where the road sur-
face is pitted or has different
surface height.
The safety features of an ABS
(or ESC) equipped vehicle
should not be tested by high
speed driving or cornering.
This could endanger the safe-
ty of yourself or others.