2016 Hyundai Elantra Coupe Owner's Manual

Driving your vehicle
20 5
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 accidentCAUTION
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 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.
WARNING
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.

521
Driving your vehicle
WARNING
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)
(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.
• Avoid depressing the brake
and accelerator pedals simul-
taneously. If both pedals are
depressed simultaneously,
the brake system will override
the accelerator and the vehi-
cle speed will reduce.

Driving your vehicle
22 5
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.
AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE
OMD054010
+ +

( (
U U
P P
) )
- -

( (
D D
O O
W W
N N
) )
Sports mode
Move shift lever. Depress the brake pedal, then move shift lever.
Press the shift button, then move shift lever.
WARNING
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.

523
Driving your vehicle
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” on
page 5-26.
The shift lever must be in P (Park)
before turning the engine off.
R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward.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.
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.

Driving your vehicle
24 5
N (Neutral)
The wheels and transaxle are not
engaged.
Use N (Neutral) if you need to restart
a stalled engine. 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).
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.
WARNING
• 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.
• Do not drive with the shift
lever in N (Neutral). The
engine brake will not work
and lead to an accident.OMD054012
+ +

( (
U U
P P
) )
- -

( (
D D
O O
W W
N N
) )
Sports mode

525
Driving your vehicle
In Sports Mode, moving the shift
lever backwards and forwards will
allow you to select the desired range
of gears for the current driving condi-
tions.
+ (Up) : Push the lever forward once
to shift up one gear.
- (Down) : Pull the lever backwards
once to shift down one
gear.
✽NOTICE
• Only the six 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.
• Downshifts are made automatical-
ly when the vehicle slows down.
When the vehicle stops, 1st gear is
automatically selected.
• When the engine rpm approaches
the red zone the transaxle will
upshift automatically.
(Continued)(Continued)
• If the driver presses the lever to
+ (Up) or - (Down) position, the
transaxle may not make the
requested gear change if the next
gear is outside of the allowable
engine rpm range. The driver
must execute upshifts in accor-
dance with road conditions, taking
care to keep the engine rpms
below the red zone.
• When accelerating from a stop on
a slippery road, push the shift
lever forward into the + (Up) posi-
tion. 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) into R (Reverse)
unless the brake pedal is depressed.
To shift the transaxle from P (Park)
into R (Reverse):
1.Depress and hold the brake pedal.
2.Start the engine or place the igni-
tion switch in the ON position.
3.Move the shift lever.

Driving your vehicle
26 5
Shift-lock release
If the shift lever cannot be moved
from the P (Park) position into R
(Reverse) position with the brake
pedal depressed, continue depress-
ing the brake, and then do the follow-
ing:
1.Place the ignition switch in the
LOCK/OFF position.
2.Apply the parking brake.
3.Carefully remove the cap (1) cover-
ing the shift-lock access hole.
4.Insert a screwdriver into the
access hole and press down on
the screwdriver.
5.Move the shift lever while holding
down the screwdriver.
6.Remove the screwdriver from the
shift-lock access hole then install
the cap.If you need to use the shift-lock
release, have the system inspected
by an authorized HYUNDAI dealer
immediately.
OMD054031

527
Driving your vehicle
Ignition key interlock system
The ignition key cannot be removed
unless the shift lever is in the P
(Park) position.
Parking
Always come to a complete stop and
continue to depress the brake pedal.
Move the shift lever into the P (Park)
position, apply the parking brake,
and place the ignition switch in the
LOCK/OFF position. Take the Key
with you when exiting the vehicle.
Good driving practices
• Never move the shift lever from P
(Park) or N (Neutral) to any other
position with the accelerator pedal
depressed.
• Never move the shift lever into P
(Park) when the vehicle is in
motion.
Be sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before you attempt to shift
into R (Reverse) or D (Drive).
• Do not move the shift lever to N
(Neutral) when driving. Doing so
may result in an accident because
of a loss of engine braking and the
transaxle could be damaged.
• Do not drive with your foot resting
on the brake pedal. Even light, but
consistent pedal pressure can
result in the brakes overheating,
brake wear and possibly even
brake failure.
• When driving in sports mode, slow
down before shifting to a lower
gear. Otherwise, the lower gear
may not be engaged if the engine
RPM is outside of the allowable
range.
WARNING
When you stay in the vehicle
with the engine running, be
careful not to depress the accel-
erator pedal for a long period of
time. The engine or exhaust
system may overheat and start
a fire.
The exhaust gas and the
exhaust system are very hot.
Keep away from the exhaust
system components.
Do not stop or park over flam-
mable materials, such as dry
grass, paper or leaves. They
may ignite and cause a fire.