2021 HYUNDAI ELANTRA engine overheat

6-18
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
transmission could be damaged.
• When driving uphill or downhill,
always shift to D (Drive) for driving
forward or shift to R (Reverse) for
driving backwards, and check the
gear position indicated on the cluster
before driving. Driving in the opposite
direction of the selected gear, can
lead to a dangerous situation by
shutting off the engine and affecting
the braking 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.
• Do not hold the vehicle on an incline
with the accelerator pedal. This can
cause the transmission to overheat.
Always use the brake pedal or parking
brake.
• 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.
WARNING
To reduce the risk of SERIOUS INJURY
or DEATH:
• ALWAYS wear your seat belt. In a
collision, an unbelted occupant
is significantly more likely to be
seriously injured or killed than a
properly belted occupant.
• Avoid high speeds when cornering 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.
• HYUNDAI recommends you follow all
posted speed limits.
While Driving

06
6-19
Brake SyStem
Power Brakes
Your vehicle has power-assisted brakes
that adjust automatically through normal
usage.
If the engine is not running or is turned
off while driving, the power assist for
the brakes will not work. You can still
stop your vehicle by applying greater
force to the brake pedal than typical.
The stopping distance, however, will be
longer than with power brakes.
When the engine is not running, the
reserve brake power is partially depleted
each time the brake pedal is applied.
Do not pump the brake pedal when the
power assist has been interrupted.
Only pump the brakes on slippery
surfaces if the power assist has been
interrupted to maintain steering control.
Do not pump the brakes on slippery
surfaces if the brakes are operating
normally.
WARNING
Take the following precautions:
• Do not drive with your foot resting
on the brake pedal. This will create
abnormal high brake temperatures,
excessive brake lining and pad wear,
and increased stopping distances.
• When descending down a long or
steep hill, move the gear shift button
to Manual Shift Mode and manually
downshift to a lower gear in order
to control your speed without using
the brake pedal excessively. Applying
the brakes continuously will cause
the brakes to overheat and could
result in a temporary loss of braking
performance.
• Wet brakes may impair the vehicle's
ability to safely slow down; the
vehicle may also pull to one side
when the brakes are applied.
Applying the brakes lightly will
indicate whether they have been
affected in this way. Always test your
brakes in this fashion after driving
through deep water. To dry the
brakes, lightly tap the brake pedal to
heat up the brakes while maintaining
a safe forward speed until brake
performance returns to normal.
Avoid driving at high speeds until the
brakes function correctly.
Disc Brakes Wear Indicator
When your brake pads are worn and new
pads are required, you will hear a high
pitched warning sound from your front
or rear brakes. You may hear this sound
come and go or it may occur whenever
you depress the brake pedal.
Note that some driving conditions or
climates may cause a brake squeal
when you first apply (or lightly apply)
the brakes. This is normal and does not
indicate a problem with your brakes.
NOTICE
To avoid costly brake repairs, do not
continue to drive with worn brake pads.
Information
Always replace brake pads as complete
front or rear axle sets.

06
6-21
WARNING
• Whenever leaving the vehicle or
parking, always come to a complete
stop and continue to depress the
brake pedal. Move the shift lever into
P position, then apply the parking
brake, and place the ignition switch
in the LOCK/OFF position.
• Vehicles with the parking brake not
fully engaged are at risk for moving
inadvertently and causing injury to
yourself or others.
• NEVER allow anyone who is
unfamiliar with the vehicle to touch
the parking brake. If the parking
brake is released unintentionally,
serious injury may occur.
• Only release the parking brake when
you are seated inside the vehicle
with your foot firmly on the brake
pedal.
NOTICE
• Do not apply the accelerator pedal
while the parking brake is engaged.
If you depress the accelerator pedal
with the parking brake engaged, a
warning will sound. Damage to the
parking brake may occur.
• Driving with the parking brake on
can overheat the braking system and
cause premature wear or damage to
brake parts. Make sure the parking
brake is released and the Brake
Warning Light is off before driving.
Check the Parking Brake
Warning Light by placing
the ignition switch to the
ON position (do not start the
engine).
This light will be illuminated when the
parking brake is applied with the ignition
switch in the START or ON position.
Before driving, be sure the parking brake
is released and the Brake Warning Light
is OFF.
If the Parking Brake Warning Light
remains on after the parking brake is
released while the engine is running,
there may be a malfunction in the
brake system. Immediate attention is
necessary.
If at all possible, cease driving the vehicle
immediately. If that is not possible,
use extreme caution while operating
the vehicle and only continue to drive
the vehicle until you can reach a safe
location.

06
6-43
Hazardous Driving Conditions
When hazardous driving elements
are encountered such as water, snow,
ice, mud and sand, take the below
suggestions:
• Drive cautiously and keep a longer
braking distance.
• Avoid abrupt braking or steering.
• When your vehicle is stuck in
snow, mud, or sand, use second
gear. Accelerate slowly to avoid
unnecessary wheel spin.
• Put sand, rock salt, tire chains or other
non-slip materials under the wheels to
provide additional traction while the
vehicle becomes stuck in ice, snow,
or mud.
WARNING
Downshifting with an intelligent
variable transmission while driving on
slippery surfaces can cause an accident.
The sudden change in tire speed could
cause the tires to skid. Be careful when
downshifting on slippery surfaces.
Rocking the Vehicle
If it is necessary to rock the vehicle to
free it from snow, sand, or mud, first turn
the steering wheel right and left to clear
the area around your front wheels. Then,
shift back and forth between R (Reverse)
and a forward gear.
Try to avoid spinning the wheels, and do
not race the engine.
To prevent transmission wear, wait until
the wheels stop spinning before shifting
gears. Release the accelerator pedal
while shifting, and press lightly on the
accelerator pedal while the transmission
is in gear. Slowly spinning the wheels in
forward and reverse directions causes a
rocking motion that may free the vehicle.
WARNING
If the vehicle is stuck and excessive
wheel spin occurs, the temperature
of the tires can increase very quickly.
If the tires become damaged, a tire
blow out or tire explosion can occur.
This condition is dangerous - you and
others may be injured. Do not attempt
this procedure if people or objects are
anywhere near the vehicle.
If you attempt to free the vehicle, the
vehicle can overheat quickly, possibly
causing an engine compartment fire
or other damage. Try to avoid spinning
the wheels as much as possible to
prevent overheating of either the tires
or the engine. DO NOT allow the vehicle
to spin the wheels above 35 mph (56
km/h).
Information
The ESC system must be turned OFF
before rocking the vehicle.
NOTICE
If you are still stuck after rocking the
vehicle a few times, have the vehicle
pulled out by a tow vehicle to avoid
engine overheating, possible damage to
the transmission, and tire damage. See
"Towing" in chapter 7.
speCIal drIvIng C ondItIons

06
6-45
Driving in Flooded Areas
Avoid driving through flooded areas
unless you are sure the water is no
higher than the bottom of the wheel hub.
Drive through any water slowly. Allow
adequate stopping distance because
brake performance may be reduced.
After driving through water, dry the
brakes by gently applying them several
times while the vehicle is moving slowly.
Highway Driving
Tires
Adjust the tire inflation, as specified.
Under-inflation may overheat or damage
the tires.
Do not install worn-out or damaged tires,
which may reduce traction or adversely
affect vehicle handling. This could lead
to sudden tire failure that may cause
loss of vehicle control resulting in an
accident.
Information
Never over-inflate your tires above the
maximum inflation pressure, as specified
on your tires.
Fuel, engine coolant and engine oil
Driving at higher speeds on the highway
consumes more fuel and is less efficient
than driving at a slower, more moderate
speed. Maintain a moderate speed in
order to conserve fuel when driving on
the highway.
Be sure to check both the engine coolant
level and the engine oil before driving.
Drive belt
A loose or damaged drive belt may
overheat the engine.

Emergency Situations
8-6
If your temperature gauge indicates
overheating, you experience a loss of
power, or hear loud pinging or knocking,
the engine may be overheating. If this
happens, you should:
1.
Pull off the r
oad and stop as soon as it
is safe to do so.
2.
Put the vehicle in P (P

ark), and set the
parking brake. If the air conditioning is
ON, turn it OFF.
3.
If engine coolant is running out under
the v

ehicle or steam is coming out
from the hood, stop the engine. Do
not open the hood until the coolant
has stopped running or the steaming
has stopped. If there is no visible
loss of engine coolant and no steam,
leave the engine running and check
to be sure the engine cooling fan is
operating. If the fan is not running,
turn the engine off.
WARNING
While the engine is running,
keep hands, clothing and tools
away from the moving parts
such as the cooling fan and
drive belt to prevent serious
injury. 4.
Check to see if the w

ater pump drive
belt is missing.
(1)
If it is not missing, check t
o see that
it is tight.
(2)
If the drive belt seems t
o be
satisfactory, check for coolant leaking
from the radiator, hoses or under
the vehicle. (If the air conditioning
had been in use, it is normal for cold
water to be draining from it when you
stop.)
5.
If the wa
ter pump drive belt is
broken or engine coolant is leaking
out, stop the engine immediately
and we recommend that you call
an authorized HYUNDAI dealer for
assistance.
WARNING
NEVER remove the radiator
cap or the drain plug while
the engine and radiator are
hot. Hot coolant and steam
may blow out under pressure,
causing serious injury.
Turn the engine off and wait until the
engine cools down. Use extreme care
when removing the radiator cap. Wrap
a thick towel around it, and turn it
counterclockwise slowly to the first
stop. Step back while the pressure is
released from the cooling system. When
you are sure all the pressure has been
released, press down on the cap, using
a thick towel, and continue turning
counterclockwise to remove it.
If the engIne overheats

08
8 -7
6. If you cannot find the cause of the
overheating, wait until the engine
temperature has returned to normal.
Then, if coolant has been lost,
carefully add coolant to the reservoir
to bring the fluid level in the reservoir
up to the halfway mark.
7.
Proceed with caution, k

eeping alert
for further signs of overheating.
If overheating happens again,
we recommend that you call an
authorized HYUNDAI dealer for
assistance.NOTICE
• Serious loss of coolant indicates a
leak in the cooling system and we
recommend the system be checked
by an authorized HYUNDAI dealer.
• When the engine overheats from
low engine coolant, suddenly adding
engine coolant may cause cracks
in the engine. To prevent damage,
add engine coolant slowly in small
quantities.

Maintenance
9-16
The high-pressure cooling system has a
reservoir filled with year-round antifreeze
coolant. The reservoir is filled at the
factory.
Check the antifreeze protection and
coolant level at least once a year, at
the beginning of the winter season and
before traveling to a colder climate.
NOTICE
• When the engine overheats from
low engine coolant, suddenly adding
engine coolant may cause cracks
in the engine. To prevent damage,
add engine coolant slowly in small
quantities.
• Do not drive with no engine coolant.
It may cause water pump failure and
engine seizure, etc.
Checking the Engine Coolant
Level
OCN7080004
Check the condition and connections
of all cooling system hoses and
heater hoses. Replace any swollen or
deteriorated hoses.
The coolant level should be filled
between the F and the L marks on the
side of the coolant reservoir when the
engine is cool.
If the coolant level is low, add enough
distilled (deionized) water to bring the
level to the F mark, but do not overfill. If
frequent additions are required, see an
authorized HYUNDAI dealer for a cooling
system inspection.
WARNING
OCN7080005
1. Check if the radia tor cap label is
straight In front.
2.
Mak

e sure that the tiny protrusions
inside the radiator cap should be
securely interlocked.
EnginE Coolant