2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Traction

Safety features of your vehicle
23
You will find many safety precautions
and recommendations throughout
this section, and throughout this
manual. The safety precautions in
this section are among the most
important.
Always Wear Your Seat Belt
A seat belt is your best protection in
all types of accidents. Air bags are
designed to supplement seat belts,
not replace them. So even though
your vehicle is equipped with air
bags, ALWAYS make sure you and
your passengers wear your seat
belts, and wear them properly.
Restrain All Children
All children under age 13 should ride
in your vehicle properly restrained in
a rear seat, not the front seat. Infants
and small children should be
restrained in an appropriate child
restraint. Larger children should use
a booster seat with the lap/shoulder
belt until they can use the seat belt
properly without a booster seat.
Air Bag Hazards
While air bags can save lives, they
can also cause serious or fatal
injuries to occupants who sit too
close to them, or who are not prop-
erly restrained. Infants, young chil-
dren, and shorter adults are at the
greatest risk of being injured by an
inflating air bag. Follow all instruc-
tions and warnings in this manual.
Driver Distraction
Driver distraction presents a serious
and potentially deadly danger, espe-
cially for inexperienced drivers.
Safety should be the first concern
when behind the wheel and drivers
need to be aware of the wide array of
potential distractions, such as
drowsiness, reaching for objects,
eating, personal grooming, other
passengers, and using cellular
phones.
Drivers can become distracted when
they take their eyes and attention off
the road or their hands off the wheel
to focus on activities other than driv-
ing. To reduce your risk of distraction
or getting into an accident:
IMPORTANT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

Driving your vehicle
20
5
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" when the vehicle is in motion.
Be sure the vehicle is completely stopped before you attempt to shift
into R (Reverse) or D (Drive).
Never take the vehicle out of gear and coast down a hill. This may be
extremely hazardous. Always leave
the vehicle in gear when moving.
Do not "ride" the brakes. This can cause them to overheat and mal-
function. Instead, when you are
driving down a long hill, slow down,
move the shift lever to manual shift
mode and shift to a lower gear.
When using manual shift mode, slow down before shifting to a
lower gear. Always use the parking brake and
shift into P (Park) when parking the
vehicle. Do not depend on placing
the transaxle in P (Park) to keep
the vehicle from moving.
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
the vehicle to go out of control.
Optimum vehicle performance and economy is obtained by smoothly
depressing and releasing the
accelerator pedal.WARNING
Always buckle-up! In a colli-sion, an unbelted occupant is
significantly more likely to be
seriously injured or killed than
a properly belted 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.
In the event your vehicle leaves the roadway, do not
steer sharply. Instead, slow
down before pulling back into
the travel lanes.
Never exceed posted speed limits.

Driving your vehicle
22
5
Engine power can be delivered to the
front and rear wheels for maximum
traction. AWD is useful when extra
traction is required, such as, when
driving on slippery, muddy, wet, or
snow-covered roads. Occasional off-
road use such as established
unpaved roads and trails are OK. It is
always important when traveling off-
highway that the driver carefully
reduces the speed to a level that
does not exceed the safe operating
speed for those conditions. In gener-
al, off-road conditions provide less
traction and braking effectiveness
than normal road conditions. The
driver must be especially alert to
avoid driving on slopes which tilt the
vehicle to either side.
These factors must be carefully con-
sidered when driving off-road.
Keeping the vehicle in contact with
the driving surface and under control
in these conditions is always the dri-
ver's responsibility for the safety of
him/herself and passengers.Tight corner brake effect
Tight corner brake effect is a unique
characteristic of all-wheel drive vehi-
cles caused by the difference in tire
rotation at the four wheels.
Sharp turns at low speeds should be
carried out with caution.
ALL WHEEL DRIVE (AWD) (IF EQUIPPED)
WARNING - Off road
driving
This vehicle is designed prima-
rily for on road use although it
can operate effectively off road.
It was not designed to drive in
challenging off-road conditions.
Driving in conditions that
exceed the vehicle's intended
design or the driver's experi-
ence level may result in severe
injury or death.
CAUTION - AW D
When turning sharply on a paved road at low speed whilein all wheel drive, steering con-trol will be difficult.

523
Driving your vehicle
✽
✽NOTICE
• When driving on normal roads, deactivate the AWD LOCK mode by pushing the AWD LOCK button (the indi-
cator light goes off). Driving on normal roads with AWD LOCK mode(especially, when cornering) may cause
mechanical noise or vibration. The noise and vibration will disappear when the AWD LOCK mode is deactivat-
ed. Some parts of the power train may be damaged by prolonged driving with the noise and vibration.
• When the AWD LOCK mode is deactivated, a shock may be felt as the drive power is delivered entirely to the front wheels. This shock is not a mechanical failure.
ALL Wheel Drive (AWD) transfer mode selection
This mode is used for climbing or descending sharp
grades, off-road driving, driving on sandy and muddy
roads, etc., to maximize traction.
This mode automatically begins to deactivate at speeds above 30 km/h (19 mph) and is shifted to AWD
AUTO mode at speed above 40 km/h (25 mph). If the
vehicle decelerates to speeds below 30 km/h (19 mph),
however, the transfer mode is shifted into AWD LOCK
mode again.
AWD AUTO
(AWD LOCK is deactivated)
(Indicator light isnot illuminated)
Transfer mode Selection button Indicator light Description
When driving in AWD AUTO mode, the vehicle oper-
ates similar to conventional 2WD vehicles under nor-
mal operating conditions. However, if the system deter-
mines that there is a need for the AWD mode, the
engine’s driving power is distributed to all four wheels
automatically without driver intervention.
When driving on normal roads and pavement, the vehi- cle moves similar to conventional 2WD vehicles.
AWD LOCK
(Indicator light is illuminated)

Driving your vehicle
24
5
For safe all wheel drive opera-
tion
Do not try to drive in deep standing
water or mud since such conditions
can stall your engine and clog your
exhaust pipes. Do not drive down
steep hills since it requires extreme
skill to maintain control of the vehi-
cle. When you are driving up or down
hills drive as straight as possible.
Use extreme caution in going up or
down steep hills, since you may flip
your vehicle over depending on the
grade, terrain and water/mud con-
ditions.
WARNING - All wheel
driving
When conditions demand the
use of four-wheel drive, all func-
tions of your vehicle are
exposed to extreme stress.
Slow down and be ready for
changes in the composition and
traction of the surface under
your tires. If you have any
doubt about the safety of the
conditions you are facing, stop
and consider the best way to
proceed. Do not exceed the abil-
ity of yourself or your vehicle to
operate safely.
WARNING - Hills
Driving across the contour of
steep hills can be extremely
dangerous. This danger can
come from slight changes in the
wheel angle which can destabi-
lize the vehicle or, even if the
vehicle is maintaining stability
under power, it can lose that
stability if the vehicle stops its
forward motion. Your vehicle
may roll over without warning
and without time for you to cor-
rect a mistake that could cause
serious injury or death.
HILL1HILL2

Driving your vehicle
46
5
✽
✽
NOTICE
When you jump start your vehicle
because of a drained battery, the
engine may not run as smoothly and
the ABS warning light may turn on
at the same time. This happens
because of the low battery voltage. It
does not mean your ABS is malfunc-
tioning.
• Do not pump your brakes!
• Have the battery recharged before
driving the vehicle.
Electronic Stability Control
(ESC)
The Electronic Stability Control
(ESC) system helps to stabilize the
vehicle during cornering maneuvers.
ESC checks where you are steering
and where the vehicle is actually
going. ESC applies braking pressure
to any one of the vehicle's brakes
and intervenes in the engine man-
agement system to assist the driver
with keeping the vehicle on the
intended path. It is not a substitute
for safe driving practices. Always
adjust your speed and driving to the
road conditions.
ODM052046
CAUTION
When the brakes are operated
continuously on a road havingpoor traction, the ABS will beactive and the ABS warninglight may illuminate. Pull yourvehicle over to a safe placeand stop the engine.
Restart the engine. If the ABS warning light is off, then yourABS system is normal.Otherwise, you may have aproblem with the ABS. Contactan authorized HYUNDAI dealeras soon as possible.

Driving your vehicle
48
5

mud or driving on a slip-
pery 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 prob-
lem. ESC OFF condition
To cancel ESC operation :

Press the ESC OFF button shortly
(ESC OFF indicator light illumi-
nates). At this state, the engine con-
trol function does not operate. In
other words, 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 illuminates and ESC OFF warn-
ing chime will sound. At this state,
the engine control function and brake
control function does not operate. In
other words, the vehicle stability con-
trol function does not operate any
more.
If the ignition switch is placed to the
LOCK/OFF position when ESC is off,
ESC remains off. Upon restarting the
engine, the ESC will automatically
turn on again.

5103
Driving your vehicle
Hazardous driving conditions
When hazardous driving conditions
are encountered such as water,
snow, ice, mud, sand, or similar haz-
ards, follow these suggestions:
Drive cautiously and allow extradistance for braking.
Avoid sudden braking or steering.
When braking with non-ABS brakes pump the brake pedal with
a light up-and-down motion until
the vehicle is stopped. If stalled in snow, mud, or sand, use
second gear. Accelerate slowly to
avoid spinning the drive wheels.
Use sand, rock salt, tire chains, or other non-slip material under the
drive wheels to provide traction
when stalled in ice, snow, or mud.
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 vehicles are designed to per-
form satisfactorily in off-road condi-
tions. Due to this risk, driver and pas-
sengers are strongly recommended to
buckle their seat belts. In a rollover
crash, an unbelted person is more like-
ly 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.
SPECIAL DRIVING CONDITIONS
WARNING - Downshifting
Downshifting with an automatic
transaxle, while driving on slip-
pery surfaces can cause an
accident. The sudden change in
tire speed could cause the tires
to skid. Be careful when down-
shifting on slippery surfaces.
WARNING - ABS
Do not pump the brake pedal on
a vehicle equipped with ABS.