5-35
05
Indicator lights
When the Engine Start/Stop button
is placed to the ON position, the ESC
indicator light illuminates, then goes
off if the ESC system is operating
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 your vehicle
checked by an authorized retailer of
Genesis Branded products as soon
as possible.
The ESC OFF indicator light comes
on when ESC is turned off.Driving with wheel and tire sizes
different than original-equipment
may cause the ESC system to mal-
function. Before replacing tires,
make sure all four tires and
wheels are the same as the origi-
nal size. Never drive the vehicle
with different sized wheels and
tires installed.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 trans-
mission:
• Do not allow wheel(s) of one
axle to spin excessively while
the ESC, ABS, and parking brake
warning lights are displayed.
The repairs would not be cov-
ered by the vehicle warranty.
Reduce engine power and do
not spin the wheel(s) excessive-
ly while these lights are dis-
played.
• 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.
i
NOTICE
NOTICE■ESC indicator light (blinks)
■ ESC OFF indicator light (comes on)
When the ESC is blinking, this
indicates 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
5-37
05
Driving with wheel and tire sizes dif-
ferent than original-equipment may
cause the ESC system to malfunc-
tion. Before replacing tires, make
sure all four tires and wheels are the
same as the original size. Never
drive the vehicle with different sized
tires and wheels installed.
Hill-Start Assist Control (HAC)
The Hill-Start Assist Control helps
prevent the vehicle from rolling back-
wards when starting a vehicle from a
stop on a hill. The system operates
the brakes automatically for approxi-
mately 2 seconds and releases the
brake after 2 seconds or when the
accelerator pedal is depressed.
• The HAC does not operate when
the gear is shifted to P (Park) or
N (Neutral).
• The HAC activates even though
the ESC (Electronic Stability
Control) is off but does not acti-
vate when the ESC has malfunc-
tioned.
NOTICE
If the ESC indicator light ( ) or
MDPS warning light ( ) stays
on or blinks, your vehicle may
have a malfunction with the
VSM system.When the warning
light illuminates, have your vehi-
cle checked by an authorized
retailer of Genesis Branded
products as soon as possible.
WARNING
Always be ready to depress the
accelerator pedal when starting
off on a incline. The HAC acti-
vates only for approximately 2
seconds.
WARNING
Using All Wheel Drive (AWD)
The All Wheel Drive system delivers
engine power to front and rear
wheels for maximum traction. AWD is
useful when extra traction is
required, such as when driving on,
muddy, wet, or snow-covered roads.
If the system determines there is a
need for four wheel drive, the
engine's driving power is distributed
to all four wheels automatically.
ALL WHEEL DRIVE (AWD) (IF EQUIPPED)
5-39
05
If the AWD warning light ( )
stays on the instrument cluster,
your vehicle may have a mal-
function with the AWD system.
When the AWD warning light
( ) illuminates have your
vehicle checked by an author-
ized retailer of Genesis Branded
products as soon as possible.
WARNING
To reduce the risk of SERIOUS
INJURY or DEATH:
• Do not drive in conditions that
exceed the vehicles intended
design such as challenging
off-road conditions.
• 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 a rollover is great-
ly increased if you lose con-
trol 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.
• In the event your vehicle
leaves the roadway, do not
steer sharply. Instead, slow
down before pulling back into
the travel lanes.
• Always drive safely and use
caution when driving an AWD
vehicle.
WARNING
Driving in sand or mud
• Maintain slow and constant speed.
• Keep sufficient distance between
your vehicle and the vehicle in front
of you.
• Reduce vehicle speed and always
check the road condition.
• Avoid speeding, rapid acceleration,
sudden brake applications, and
sharp turns to prevent getting
stuck.
When the vehicle is stuck in snow,
sand or mud, avoid running the
engine continuously at high rpm,
doing so may damage the tires,
transmission, differential or AWD
system.
Information
• When using Snow Tires, mount
them on all four wheels.
• When using AutoSock
®(fabric snow
chain), install them on the rear tires.
For more information on Snow Tires
and Tire Chains, refer to "Winter
Driving" in this chapter.
Driving up or down hills
• Driving uphill
- Before starting off, check if it is
possible to drive uphill.
- Drive as straight as possible.
• Driving downhill
- Do not change gear while driving
downhill. Select gear before driv-
ing downhill.
- Drive slowly and select Manual
Shift Mode to provide engine
braking while driving downhill.
- Drive straight as possible.
i
NOTICE
5-41
05
Exercise extreme caution driv-
ing up or down steep hills. The
vehicle may flip depending on
the grade, terrain and water/
mud conditions.
WARNING
5-153
05
The severe weather conditions of winter quickly wear out tires and cause
other problems. To minimize winter driving problems, you should take the fol-
lowing suggestions:
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 applica-
tions, and sharp turns are potentially very hazardous practices. During decel-
eration, use engine braking to the fullest extent. Sudden brake applications on
snowy or icy roads may cause the vehicle to skid.
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
We recommend you use snow tires when road temperature is below 45°F
(7°C). Refer to the below chart, and mount the recommended snow tire for
your vehicle.
If you mount snow tires on your vehicle, make sure to use the same inflation
pressure as the original tires. However, if you mount 245/45R19 size tire on
the rear, the tire inflation pressure should maintain 35psi. Mount snow tires on
all four wheels to balance your vehicle's handling in all weather conditions.
The traction provided by snow tires on dry road may not be as high as your
vehicle's original equipment tires. Check with the tire dealer for maximum
speed recommendations.
Information
Do not install studded tires without first checking local, state and municipal reg-
ulations for possible restrictions against their use.
i
WINTER DRIVING
Standard tire Recommended snow tire
Front Rear Front Rear
Tire sizeWheel
sizeTire sizeWheel
sizeTire size
Wheel
sizeTire sizeWheel
size
245/45R19 8.5Jx19 275/40R19 9.5Jx19 245/45R19
8.5Jx19 275/40R19 9.5Jx19
7-50
Maintenance
All Season Tires
Genesis Branded Vehicle specifies
all season tires on some models to
provide good performance for use all
year round, including snowy and icy
road conditions. All season tires are
identified by ALL SEASON and/or
M+S (Mud and Snow) on the tire
sidewall. Snow tires have better
snow traction than all season tires
and may be more appropriate in
some areas.
Summer Tires
Genesis Branded Vehicle specifies
summer tires on some models to
provide superior performance on dry
roads. Summer tire performance is
substantially reduced in snow and
ice. Summer tires do not have the tire
traction rating M+S (Mud and Snow)
on the tire side wall. If you plan to
operate your vehicle in snowy or icy
conditions, Genesis Branded Vehicle
recommends the use of snow tires or
all season tires on all four wheels.
Snow Tires
If you equip your car with snow tires,
they should be the same size and
have the same load capacity as the
original tires. Snow tires should be
installed on all four wheels; other-
wise, poor handling may result. Snow
tires should carry 4 psi (28 kPa)
more air pressure than the pressure
recommended for the standard tires
on the tire label on the driver’s side of
the center pillar, or up to the maxi-
mum pressure shown on the tire
sidewall, whichever is less. Do not
drive faster than 75 mph (120 km/h)
when your vehicle is equipped with
snow tires.
Radial-Ply Tires
Radial-ply tires provide improved
tread life, road hazard resistance and
smoother high speed ride. The radi-
al-ply tires used on this vehicle are of
belted construction, and are selected
to complement the ride and handling
characteristics of your vehicle.
Radial-ply tires have the same load
carrying capacity, as bias-ply or bias
belted tires of the same size, and use
the same recommended inflation
pressure. Mixing of radial-ply tires
with bias-ply or bias belted tires is
not recommended. Any combina-
tions of radial-ply and bias-ply or bias
belted tires when used on the same
vehicle will seriously deteriorate
vehicle handling. The best rule to fol-
low is: Identical pairs of radial-ply
tires should always be used as a set
for the front tires and a set for the
rear tires.
Longer wearing tires can be more
susceptible to irregular tread wear. It
is very important to follow the tire
rotation interval in this chapter to
achieve the tread life potential of
these tires. Cuts and punctures in
radial-ply tires are repairable only in
the tread area, because of sidewall
flexing. Consult your tire dealer for
radial-ply tire repairs.
Do not mix bias ply and radial
ply tires under any circum-
stances. This may cause unusu-
al handling characteristics that
may cause loss of vehicle con-
trol resulting in an accident.
WARNING