2021 HYUNDAI SANTA FE LIMITED transmission

Driving your vehicle
6-20
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, we
recommend you to have the vehicle
inspected by an authorized HYUNDAI
dealer.
Shifter system malfunction! Service
immediately
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, we recommend you to
immediately 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, we recommend you to
immediately have the vehicle inspected
by an authorized HYUNDAI dealer.
Paddle shifter (Manual shift
mode)
OTM058130L
The paddle shifter is available when the
shift button is in the D (Drive) position or
the manual shift mode.
With the shift lever/button in the D
position
The paddle shifter will operate when the
vehicle speed is more than 6 mph.
Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once
to shift up or down one gear and the
system changes from automatic mode to
manual shift mode.
In the manual shift mode, pull the [+]
or [-] paddle shifter once to shift up or
down one gear.
To change back to automatic shift mode
from manual shift mode, do one of the
followings :
- Pull the [+] paddle shifter f
or more
than one second
- Press the D butt

on.

06
6-21
The manual shift mode also changes
back to automatic shift mode in one of
following situations
- When the accelera
tor pedal is gently
depressed for more than 6 seconds
while driving
- When the vehicle s

tops
Information
If the [+] and [-] paddle shifters are pulled
at the same time, gear shift may not occur.
Good driving practices
• Never move the shift button from
P (Park) or N (Neutral) to any other
position with the accelerator pedal
depressed.
• Never move the shift lever/button 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 button 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, Shift
to D (Drive) to drive forward or R
(Reverse) to drive 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 with shifter paddles,
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.

06
6-23
DUAL CLUTCh TRAnsmIssIOn (IF EQUIppED)
OTM060005
Dual clutch transmission operation
The dual clutch transmission has eight forward speeds and one reverse speed.
The individual speeds are selected automatically when the shift button is in the D
(Drive) position.

Driving your vehicle
6-24
• The dual clutch transmission can be
thought of as an automatically shifting
manual transmission. It gives the
driving feel of a manual transmission,
yet provides the ease of a fully
automatic transmission.
• When D (Drive) is selected, the
transmission will automatically
shift through the gears similar to a
conventional automatic transmission.
Unlike a traditional automatic
transmission, the gear shifting can
sometimes be felt and heard as the
actuators engage the clutches and the
gears are selected.
• The dual clutch transmission
incorporates a wet-type dual clutch
mechanism, which allows for better
acceleration performance and
increased fuel efficiency while driving.
But it differs from a conventional
automatic transmission because
it does not incorporate a torque
converter. Instead, the transition from
one gear to the next is managed by
clutch slip, especially at lower speeds.
As a result, shifts are sometimes more
noticeable, and a light vibration can
be felt as the transmission shaft speed
is matched with the engine shaft
speed. This is a normal condition of
the dual clutch transmission.
• The wet-type clutch transfers torque
more directly and provides a direct-
drive feeling which may feel different
from a conventional automatic
transmission. This may be more
noticeable when launching the vehicle
from a stop or when traveling at low,
stop-and-go vehicle speeds. •
When rapidly accelerating from a
lower vehicle speed, the engine
rpm may increase dramatically as a
result of clutch slip as the dual clutch
transmission selects the correct gear.
This is a normal condition.
• When accelerating from a stop on
an incline, press the accelerator
smoothly and gradually to avoid any
shudder feeling or jerkiness.
• When traveling at a lower vehicle
speed, if you release the accelerator
pedal quickly, you may feel engine
braking before the transmission
changes gears. This engine braking
feeling is similar to operating a
manual transmission at low speed.
• When driving downhill, you may wish
to move the gear shift lever/button to
Manual Shift mode and downshift to
a lower gear in order to control your
speed without using the brake pedal
excessively.
• When you turn the engine on and off,
you may hear clicking sounds as the
system goes through a self-test. This
is a normal sound for the dual clutch
transmission.
• During the first 1000 miles (1,500km),
you may feel that the vehicle may not
be smooth when accelerating at low
speed. During this break-in period, the
shift quality and performance of your
new vehicle is continuously optimized.

06
6-25
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 shift button
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.
• Do not use aggressive engine braking
(shifting from a higher gear to a
lower gear) on slippery roads. This
could cause the tires to slip and may
result in an accident.
NOTICE
• Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into D (Drive) or R
(Reverse).
• Do not put the shift lever/button in N
(Neutral) while driving.
WARNING
Due to transmission failure, you may
not continue to drive and the position
indicator and the position indicator (D,
P) on the instrument cluster will blink.
We recommend that you contact an
authorized HYUNDAI dealer and have
the system checked.
DCT warning messages
This warning message is displayed when
vehicle is driven slowly on a grade and
the vehicle detects that the brake pedal
is not applied.
OOSH069010L
Steep grade! Press brake pedal
Driving up hills or on steep grades:
• To hold the vehicle on an incline use
the foot brake or the parking brake.
• When in stop-and-go traffic on an
incline, allow a gap to form ahead
of you before moving the vehicle
forward. Then hold the vehicle on the
incline with the foot brake.
• If the vehicle is held or creeping
forward on an incline by applying
the accelerator pedal, the clutch and
transmission may overheat which
can result in damage. At this time, a
warning message will appear on the
LCD display.
• If the LCD warning is active, the foot
brake must be applied.
• Ignoring the warnings can lead to
damage to the transmission.

Driving your vehicle
6-26
OOSH069012L
Transmission high temperature
• Under certain conditions, such as
repeated stop-and-go launches
on steep grades, sudden take off
or acceleration, or other harsh
driving conditions, the transmission
clutch temperatures will increase
excessively.
• When the clutch temperatures are too
high, the “Transmission temp. is high!
Stop safely” warning message will
appear on the LCD display, a chime
will sound, and the transmission
shifting may not be smooth.
• If this occurs, pull over to a safe
location, stop the vehicle with the
engine running, apply the brakes and
shift the vehicle to P (Park), and allow
the transmission to cool.
• If you ignore this warning, the driving
condition may become worse.
You may experience abrupt shifts,
frequent shifts, or jerkiness.
• When the message “Trans cooled.
Resume driving.” appears you can
continue to drive your vehicle.
• When possible, drive the vehicle
smoothly.
„„Type A „„Type B
OTMA060009OOSH069013L
OTMA060010
Transmission overheated
• If the vehicle continues to be driven
and the clutch temperatures reach
the maximum temperature limit, the
“Transmission Hot! Park with engine
on” warning will be displayed. When
this occurs the clutch is disabled
until the clutch cools to normal
temperatures.
• The warning will display a time to wait
for the transmission to cool.
• If this occurs, pull over to a safe
location, stop the vehicle with the
engine running, apply the brakes and
shift the vehicle to P (Park), and allow
the transmission to cool.

06
6-27
• When the message “Trans cooled.
Resume driving.” appears you can
continue to drive your vehicle.
• When possible, drive the vehicle
smoothly.
If any of the warning messages in the
LCD display continue to blink, for your
safety, we recommend that you contact
an authorized HYUNDAI dealer and have
the system checked.
Transmission ranges
The indicator in the instrument cluster
displays the shift le ver⁄button position when the ignition swit

ch is in the ON
position.
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 shift lever/button 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 shift lever/button is in
P (Park), apply the parking brake, and
turn the engine off.
• When parking on an incline, place
the shift lever/button in P (Park) and
apply the parking brake to prevent
the vehicle from rolling downhill.
• For safety, always engage the
parking brake with the shift lever/
button in the P (Park) position except
for the case of emergency parking.
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 if the vehicle is moving in
R(Reverse) position, if the driver's door
is opened with the seat belt unfastened,
the gear may not be shifted into P (Park)
position automatically to protect the dual
clutch transmission.
N (Neutral)
The wheels and transmission are not
engaged.
Use N (Neutral) if you need to restart a
stalled engine, or if it is necessary to stop
with the engine ON. 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.

06
6-29
D (Drive)
This is the normal driving position. The
transmission will automatically shift
through a 8-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 be not shifted to P (Park)
position automatically for protecting the
dual clutch transmission.
The DRIVE MODE switch, located on
the shift lever/button console, allows
the driver to switch from NORMAL/
COMFORT mode to SPORT or ECO mode.
(if equipped)
For more details, refer to “Drive Mode
Integrated Control System” later in this
chapter. Shift-lock system
For your safety, the automatic
transmission has a shift-lock system
which prevents shifting the transmission
from P (Park) or N (Neutral) to R
(Reverse) or D (Drive) unless the brake
pedal is depressed.
To shift the transmission from P (Park)
into R (Reverse):
1.
Depress and hold the br
ake pedal.
2.
Start the engine or place the ignition
s

witch in the ON position.
3.
Depress the br

ake pedal and move the
shift lever to R (Reverse). (shift lever
type)
Depress the brake pedal and push the
R (Reverse) button. (shift button type)
When the battery is discharged:
The shift buttons will not function when
the battery is discharged.
In emergencies, do the following
to move the shift lever/button to N
(Neutral) on a level ground.
1.
Connect the batt

ery cables from
another vehicle or from a another
battery to the jump-starting terminals
inside the engine compartment.
For more details, refer to “Jump
Starting” in chapter 7.
2.
Release the parking br

ake with the
ignition switch in the ON position.
3.
Shift the gear to the N(N

eutral)
position refer to the “Stay in Neutral
when vehicle is Off” in this chapter.