2020 HYUNDAI SONATA HYBRID transmission

6-10
While Driving
ODN8069005
Automatic Transmission Operation
The automatic transmission has six forward speeds and one reverse speed. The
individual speeds are selected automatically in the D (Drive) position. The indicator in
the instrument cluster displays the shift button position when the ignition switch is in
the ON position.
WARNING
The automatic transmission shift button or interior parts might get hot when a
vehicle is parked outside during hot weather. Always be careful when the vehicle is
hot.
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

06
6-11
WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury or
death:
• ALWAYS check the surrounding
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 gear is in
the P (Park) position, then set
the parking brake, and place the
ignition switch in the LOCK/OFF
position. Unexpected and sudden
vehicle movement can occur if these
precautions are not followed.
• If equipped, do not use the engine
brake (shifting from a high gear to
lower gear using the paddle shifters)
rapidly on slippery roads.
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.
The gear must be in P (Park) before
turning the engine off.
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 gear is in P (Park),
apply the parking brake, and turn
the engine off.
• Do not use the P (Park) position in
place of the parking brake.
R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward.
NOTICE
Always come to a complete stop before
shifting into or out of R (Reverse); you
may damage the transmission if you
shift into R (Reverse) while the vehicle is
in motion.
When the vehicle is stopped in
R (Reverse) position, if you open
the driver's door with the seat belt
unfastened, the gear is shifted to P (Park)
position automatically.
However when the vehicle moves
in R (Reverse) position, if you open
the driver's door with the seat belt
unfastened, the gear may be not shifted
to P (Park) position automatically for
protecting the automatic transmission.
N (Neutral)
The wheels and transmission are not
engaged.
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.
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 and hit people or objects.

While Driving
6-12
D (Drive)
This is the normal driving position. The
transmission will automatically shift
through a 6-gear sequence, providing
the best fuel economy and power.
To start the vehicle forward, push the D
(Drive) button by depressing the brake
pedal with the engine ON. Then depress
the accelerator pedal smoothly.
For extra power when passing another
vehicle or driving uphill, depress the
accelerator fully. The transmission will
automatically downshift to the next
lower gear (or gears, as appropriate).
When the vehicle is stopped in D (Drive)
position, if you open the driver's door
with the seat belt unfastened, the gear is
shifted to P (Park) position automatically.
However when the vehicle moves in D
(Drive) position, if you open the driver's
door with the seat belt unfastened, the
gear may not shift to P (Park) position
automatically to protect the automatic
transmission.
Shift-lock system
For your safety, the automatic
transmission has a shift-lock system
which prevents shifting the gear from
P (Park) or N (Neutral) to R (Reverse)
or D (Drive) unless the brake pedal is
depressed.
To shift the gear from P (Park) or N
(Neutral) to R (Reverse) or D (Drive):
1. Depress and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine.
3. Depress the brake pedal and push the
R (Reverse) or D (Drive) button.
Stay in N (Neutral) position when
engine is Off
ODN8069006
ODN8069008
If you want to keep the N (Neutral)
position after the engine is OFF, do the
following.
1. Deactivate the AUTO HOLD and
release the parking brake when the
ignition switch or the engine is ON.
2. Push the N (neutral) button while
depressing the brake pedal. If the
message ("Press and hold OK button
to stay in Neutral when vehicle is
OFF") appears on the cluster LCD
display, press and hold the OK button
on the steering wheel for more than 1
second.

06
6-15
Shift button held down
The warning message appears on the
LCD display, when the shift button is
pressed continuously or the shift button
does not properly operate. Clean the
surroundings of gear shift button.
If this message appears again, have
the vehicle inspected by an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer.
Shifter system malfunction
The warning message appears on the
LCD display, when the transmission
or the shift button does not properly
operate in the P (Park) position.
In this case, have the vehicle inspected
by an authorized HYUNDAI dealer.
Check shift controls
The warning message appears on the
LCD display, when there is a malfunction
with transmission shift button.
In this case, have the vehicle inspected
by an authorized HYUNDAI dealer.
Good Driving Practices
• Never shift the gear from P (Park) or
N (Neutral) to any other position with
the accelerator pedal depressed.
• Never shift the gear 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 shift the gear to N (Neutral)
when driving. Doing so may result
in an accident because of a loss of
engine braking and the transmission
could be damaged.
• Driving uphill or downhill, always shift
to D (Drive) when driving forward or to
R (Reverse) when driving backwards,
and check the gear position indicated
on the cluster before driving. If you
drive in the opposite direction of the
selected gear, the engine will turn
off and a serious accident might be
occurred due to the degraded brake
performance.
• 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 the manual shift
mode, slow down before shifting to a
lower gear. Otherwise, the lower gear
may not be engaged if the engine
rpms are outside of the allowable
range.
• Always apply the parking brake when
leaving the vehicle. Do not depend on
placing the transmission 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 may cause
loss of vehicle control resulting in an
accident
• Optimum vehicle performance and
economy is obtained by smoothly
depressing and releasing the
accelerator.

While Driving
6-30
Indicator lights
■ ESC indicator light (blinks)
■ ESC OFF indicator light (comes on)
When the ignition switch 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 whenever
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 HYUNDAI dealer as soon
as possible.
The ESC OFF indicator light comes on
when the ESC is turned off.
WARNING
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.
NOTICE
Driving with wheels and tires with
different sizes may cause the ESC
system to malfunction. Before replacing
tires, make sure all four tires and wheels
are the same 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 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.
NOTICE
To prevent damage to the transmission:
• 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 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 operation.

06
6-33
DRIVE MODE INTEGRATED CONTROL SYSTEM (IF EQUIPPED)
Drive Mode
ODN8069020
The drive mode may be selected
according to the driver’s preference or
road condition.
Information
If there is a problem with the instrument
cluster, the drive mode will be in ECO
mode and may not change to SPORT
mode.
The mode changes when you toggle the
DRIVE MODE button.
CUSTOMSPORT
ECO
SMART
• ECO mode :
ECO mode helps provides smooth
driving and high fuel efficiency.
• SPORT mode :
SPORT mode provides sporty but firm
riding.
• CUSTOM mode :
The driver can separately adjust
modes of each driving system.
The drive mode will change to ECO mode
when the engine is restarted.
When changing the drive mode setting,
the responsiveness of Smart Cruise
Control changes.
Drive mode SCC Reaction
ECO Slow
SPORT Fast
SMART Normal
In CUSTOM mode, SCC Reaction
operates according to the mode set in
the Engine/Transmission.
(e.g. in CUSTOM mode, the driver select
mode of Engine/Transmission as ECO,
SCC Reaction operates as Normal)

While Driving
6-34
CUSTOM mode
In CUSTOM mode, the driver can select separate modes
and combine them on the
infotainment system screen.
-Engine/Transmission: ECO/SPORT
-Steering wheel: SPORT
For more details, refer to the separately
supplied manual with your vehicle.
• When CUSTOM mode is selected
by using the DRIVE MODE button,
the CUSTOM mode indicator will
illuminate.
ECO mode
When the Drive Mode is set
to ECO mode, the engine and
transmission control logic are
changed to maximize fuel
efficiency.
• When the ECO mode is selected by
using the DRIVE MODE button, the
ECO indicator will illuminate.
• Whenever the engine is restarted, the
drive mode remains in ECO mode.
Information
Fuel efficiency depends on the driver’s
driving habit and road condition.
When ECO mode 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
transmission may change.
• The engine noise may get louder.
The above situations are normal
conditions when ECO mode is activated
to improve fuel efficiency.
Limitation of ECO mode operation:
If the following conditions occur while
ECO mode is operating, the system
operation is limited even though there is
no change in ECO indicator.
• When the coolant temperature is low:
The system will be limited until engine
performance becomes normal.
• When driving up a hill:
The system will be limited to gain
power when driving uphill because
engine torque is restricted.
• When the accelerator pedal is deeply
depressed for a few seconds:
The system will be limited, judging
that the driver wants to speed up.

06
6-35
SPORT mode
SPORT mode manages
the driving dynamics by
automatically adjusting the
steering effort, the engine
and transmission control
logic for enhanced driver
performance.
• When SPORT mode is selected by
using the DRIVE MODE button, the
SPORT indicator will illuminate.
• Whenever the engine is restarted, the
Drive Mode will revert back to ECO
mode. If SPORT mode is desired, re-
select SPORT mode from the DRIVE
MODE button.
• When SPORT mode is activated:
-The engine rpm will tend to remain
raised over a certain length of time
even after releasing the accelerator
-Upshifts are delayed when
accelerating
Information
In SPORT mode, the fuel efficiency may
decrease.
SMART mode
SMART mode selects the proper driving mode among
ECO and SPORT by judging
the driver’s driving habits
(i.e. Economic or Aggressive
(Sportive)) from the brake
pedal depression or the
steering wheel operation.
• Toggle the DRIVE MODE button to
select SMART mode. When SMART
mode is selected, the indicator
illuminates on the instrument cluster.
• SMART mode automatically controls
the vehicle driving, such as gear
shifting patterns and engine torque,
in accordance with the driver’s driving
habits.
Information
• When you mildly drive the vehicle
in SMART mode, the driving mode
changes to ECO mode to improve fuel
efficiency. However, the actual fuel
efficiency may differ in accordance
with your driving situations (i.e.
upward/downward slope, vehicle
deceleration/acceleration).
• When you dynamically drive the
vehicle in SMART mode by abruptly
decelerating or sharply turning the
driving mode changes to SPORT mode.
However, it may adversely affect fuel
economy.