2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Owner's Manual

5-35
Driving your vehicle
5
ESC operation
ESC ON condition
When the Engine Start/Stop button
is in the ON position, the ESC and
the ESC OFF indicator lights illumi-
nate for approximately three seconds
and goes off, then the ESC is turned
on.
When operating
When the ESC is in opera-
tion, the ESC indicator light
blinks:
conditions which may lock the
wheels, you may hear sounds from
the brakes, or feel a corresponding
sensation in the brake pedal. This is
normal and it means your ESC is
active.
engine may not respond to the
accelerator as it does under routine
conditions.
when the ESC activates, the Cruise
Control automatically disengages.
The Cruise Control can be reen-
gaged when the road conditions
allow. See “Cruise Control System”
later in this chapter.
driving on a slippery road, the
engine rpm (revolutions per minute)
may not increase even if you press
the accelerator pedal deeply. This is
to maintain the stability and traction
of the vehicle and does not indicate
a problem.

5-36
Driving your vehicle
ESC OFF condition
To cancel ESC operation :

Press the ESC OFF button shortly
(ESC OFF indicator light and mes-
sage illuminates). At this state, the
engine control function does not
operate. The traction control function
does not operate but only the brake
control function operates.
Press the ESC OFF button for more
than 3 seconds. ESC OFF indicator
light and message illuminates and
ESC OFF warning chime will sound.
At this state, the engine control func-
tion and brake control function does
not operate. The vehicle stability con-
trol function does not operate any
more.
If the Engine Start/Stop button is
placed to the OFF position when
ESC is off, ESC remains off. Upon
restarting the engine, the ESC will
automatically turn on again.
Indicator lights
When the Engine Start/Stop button
is pressed to the ON position, the
ESC indicator light illuminates, then
goes off if the ESC system is operat-
ing normally.
The ESC indicator light blinks when-
ever the ESC is operating.
If ESC indicator light stays on, your
vehicle may have a malfunction with
the ESC system. When this warning
light illuminates, have the vehicle
checked by an authorized HYUNDAI
dealer as soon as possible.
■
Type A■Type B
OLF054439N/OLF054101N
■Type A■Type B
OLF054438N/OLF054100N
■ ESC indicator light (blinks)
■ ESC OFF indicator light (comes on)

5-37
Driving your vehicle
5
The ESC OFF indicator light comes
on when the ESC is turned off with
the button.
Driving with tires or wheels in var-
ious sizes may fail the normal
operation of the ESC system.
Before replacing tires, make sure
they are in the same size as oth-
ers. Never drive the vehicle, which
is installed with the tires of differ-
ent diameters.ESC OFF usage
When Driving
The ESC OFF mode should only be
used briefly to help free the vehicle if
stuck in snow or mud by temporarily
stopping operation of the ESC to
maintain wheel torque.
To turn ESC off while driving, press
the ESC OFF button while driving on
a flat road surface.To prevent damage to the
transaxle:
Do not allow wheel(s) of one
axle to spin excessively while
the ESC, ABS, and parking brake
warning ( , red color) lights
are displayed. The repairs would
not be covered by the vehicle
warranty. Reduce engine power
and do not spin the wheel(s)
excessively while these lights
are displayed.
When operating the vehicle on a dynamometer, make sure the
ESC is turned off (ESC OFF light
illuminated).
Information
Turning the ESC off does not affect
ABS or standard brake system opera-
tion.
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NOTICE
NOTICE
When the ESC is blinking, this
indicates the ESC is active:
Drive slowly and NEVER
attempt to accelerate. NEVER
turn the ESC off while the ESC
indicator light is blinking or you
may lose control of the vehicle
resulting in an accident.
WARNING

5-38
Driving your vehicle
Vehicle Stability Management
Vehicle Stability Management (VSM)
helps ensure the vehicle stays stable
when accelerating or braking sud-
denly on wet, slippery and rough
roads where traction over the four
tires can suddenly become uneven.
VSM operation
VSM ON condition
The VSM operates when:
The Electronic Stability Control(ESC) is on.
Vehicle speed is approximately above 9 mph (15 km/h) on curve
roads.
Vehicle speed is approximately above 12 mph (20 km/h) when the
vehicle is braking on rough roads.
When operating
When you apply your brakes under
conditions which may activate the
ESC, you may hear sounds from the
brakes, or feel a corresponding sen-
sation in the brake pedal. This is nor-
mal and it means your VSM is active.
Information
The VSM does not operate when:
• Driving on bank road such as gradi-ent or incline
• Driving rearward.
• ESC OFF indicator light is on.
• EPS (Electric Power Steering) warn- ing light ( ) is on.
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Take the following precautions
when using the Vehicle Stability
Management (VSM):
ALWAYS check the speed and
the distance to the vehicle
ahead. The VSM is not a sub-
stitute for safe driving prac-
tices.
Never drive too fast for the
road conditions. The VSM sys-
tem will not prevent acci-
dents. Excessive speed in bad
weather, slippery and uneven
roads can result in severe
accidents.
WARNING

5-39
Driving your vehicle
5
VSM OFF condition
To cancel VSM operation, press the
ESC OFF button. ESC OFF indicator
light ( ) will illuminate.
To turn on VSM, press the ESC OFF
button again. The ESC OFF indicator
light will go out.
Driving with varying tire or wheel
sizes may cause the ESC system
to malfunction. When replacing
tires, make sure they are the same
size as your original tires for this
vehicle.
Hill-Start Assist Control (HAC)
A vehicle has the tendency to slide
backwards on a steep slope, before
depressing the accelerator after a
stop. The HAC helps prevent the
vehicle from sliding backwards by
automatically operating the brake
systems for about 2 seconds. The
brake systems are automatically
released, when the accelerator pedal
is depressed.
Information
• The HAC does not operate when theshift lever is in P (Park) or N (Neutral).
• The HAC activates even when the ESC (Electronic Stability Control) is
off. However, it does not activate,
when the ESC does not normally
operate.
i
NOTICE
If ESC indicator light ( ) or
EPS warning light ( ) stays
on, your vehicle may have a mal-
function with the VSM system.
When the warning light illumi-
nates have the vehicle checked
by an authorized HYUNDAI deal-
er as soon as possible.
WARNING
The HAC is activated only for
about 2 seconds, so always
depress the accelerator pedal
to begin driving upwards after a
stop.
WARNING

5-40
Driving your vehicle
Good braking practices Wet brakes can be dangerous! The
brakes may get wet if the vehicle is
driven through standing water or if it
is washed. Your vehicle will not stop
as quickly if the brakes are wet. Wet
brakes may cause the vehicle to pull
to one side.
To dry the brakes, apply the brakes
lightly until the braking action returns
to normal, taking care to keep the
vehicle under control at all times. If
the braking action does not return to
normal, stop as soon as it is safe to
do so and call an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer for assistance.
DO NOT drive with your foot resting
on the brake pedal. Even light, but
constant pedal pressure can result in
the brakes overheating, brake wear,
and possibly even brake failure.If a tire goes flat while you are driv-
ing, apply the brakes gently and
keep the vehicle pointed straight
ahead while you slow down. When
you are moving slowly enough for it
to be safe to do so, pull off the road
and stop in a safe location.
Keep your foot firmly on the brake
pedal when the vehicle is stopped to
prevent the vehicle from rolling for-
ward.
Whenever leaving the vehicle or
parking, always come to a com-
plete stop and continue to
depress the brake pedal. Move
the shift lever into the P (Park)
position, then apply the parking
brake, and place the Engine
Start/Stop button in the OFF
position.
Vehicles with the parking brake
not fully engaged are at risk for
moving inadvertently and caus-
ing injury to yourself or others.
WARNING

5-41
Driving your vehicle
5
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The drive mode may be selected
according to the driver’s preference
or road condition.
The system resets to be in the ECO
mode, when the hybrid system is
restarted.
Information
If there is a problem with the instru-
ment cluster, the drive mode will be in
ECO mode and may not change to
NORMAL mode or SPORT mode. The mode changes, as below,
whenever the DRIVE MODE button
is pressed.
When NORMAL mode is selected,
it is not displayed on the instrument
cluster.
ECO mode (Active ECO)
The ECO mode is a guid- ance for fuel efficient driv-
ing.
When the ECO mode is selected by
pressing the DRIVE MODE button,
the ECO indicator (green color) will
illuminate.
Information
Fuel efficiency depends on the driver's
driving habit and road condition.
Information
The ECO mode will provide best effi-
ciency for customer driving habits
that are not aggressive in accelerating
and in conditions not involving many
rolling hills to drive through. Under
situation of aggressive driving style or
driving conditions involving rolling
hills causing frequent gear shifts you
should try NORMAL mode instead as
it may actually yield your best econo-
my and drivability. Compare between
the 2 modes.
i
i
i
NORMAL
ECO SPORT
ECO
OLF054141L

5-42
Driving your vehicle
When Active ECO is activated:
The acceleration response may be slightly reduced as the accelerator
pedal is depressed moderately.
The air conditioner performance may be limited.
The shift pattern of the automatic transaxle may change.
The engine noise may get louder.
The above situations are normal
conditions when the Active ECO sys-
tem is activated to improve fuel effi-
ciency.
SPORT mode
SPORT mode manages the driving dynamics by
automatically adjusting
the steering wheel and
hybrid system.
When the SPORT mode is select- ed by pressing the DRIVE MODE
button, the SPORT indicator (yel-
low color) will illuminate.
Restarting of the hybrid system in the SPORT mode resets the
DRIVE mode to the ECO mode.
Thus, when necessary, reselect
the SPORT mode.
Information
In the SPORT mode, the fuel efficien-
cy may decrease.
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SPORT