2023 HYUNDAI KONA Owners Manual

Driving your vehicle6-24
ESC operation
ESC ON condition
When the engine is turned off and then
on again, ESC oper
ation is enabled,
and it is activated in the ESC operating
mode (not in ESC Sport mode or ESC
OFF mode) regardless of the ESC mode
before turning off the engine.
You may select between the following
state of ESC:

[ ESC NORMAL activated (ESC ON)

[ ESC SPORT activated (ESC SPORT
indicator illuminates)

[ ESC deactivated (ESC OFF indicator
illuminates)
When operating
When ESC is in operation, the
ESC indicator light blinks:

[ When you apply your brakes under
conditions which may lock the wheels,
you may hear sounds from the brakes,
or feel a corresponding sensation in
the brake pedal. This is normal and it
means your ESC is active.

[ When ESC activates, the engine may
not respond to the accelerator as it
does under routine conditions.

[ If Cruise Control was in use when ESC
activates, Cruise Control automatically
disengages. Cruise Control can be
reengaged when the road conditions
allow. See “Cruise Control (CC)” later
in this chapter.

[ When moving out of the mud or
driving on a slippery 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
problem.
Indicator lights

v
ESC indicator light (blinks)

v ESC OFF indicator light (comes on)
When the Engine Start/Stop button is
in the ON position, the ESC indicator
light illuminates, then goes off if the ESC
system is operating normally.
The ESC indicator light blinks whenever
ESC is operating.
If the ESC indicator light stays on, your
vehicle may have a malfunction with
the ESC system. When this warning light
illuminates have the vehicle be checked
by an authorized HYUNDAI dealer as
soon as possible.
The ESC OFF indicator light comes on
when ESC is turned off.
WARNING
When ESC is blinking, this indicates ESC
is active:
Drive slowly and NEVER attempt to
accelerate. NEVER turn ESC off while
the ESC indicator light is blinking or you
may lose control of the vehicle resulting
in an accident.

06
6-25
Deactivating / Activating ESC
OOSN061005L
You may select between the following
state of ESC:

[ESC NORMAL activated

[ ESC SPORT activated (ESC SPORT
indicator illuminates)

[ ESC deactivated (ESC OFF indicator
illuminates)
WARNING

[If you deactivate ESC, ESC no longer
stabilizes the vehicle. There is an
increased risk of skidding and an
accident.

[ When ESC SPORT mode is activated,
the stability support from ESC will
be less than in "ESC ON mode", there
is a greater risk of skidding and an
accident.
Only deactivate ESC or activate ESC
SPORT in the situations described in the
following. In the following situations, it may
be better to activate ESC SPORT or
deactivate ESC (ESC OFF):

[
When using snow chains

[ Driving in deep snow

[ Driving in sand or gravel

[ Driving on specially designed roads
where oversteering and understeering
characteristics are desired
We recommend only qualified and
experienced drivers to drive the vehicle
with the ESC deactivated or ESC SPORT
activated.
CAUTION
After the above situations are over,
activate ESC immediately. If not, the
vehicle can be unstable due to vehicle
slip or wheel spin.

Driving your vehicle6-26
OCN7N061247N
ESC SPORT
To activate ESC SPORT mode

[ Pr

ess the ESC OFF button briefly. The
ESC SPORT indicator light illuminates
on the cluster LCD display. In this
state, ESC only stabilizes the vehicle
to a limited degree.
When ESC SPORT mode is activated:

[ ESC only improves driving stability to
a limited degree.

[ Traction control is still activated, but
with less wheel control (more slip).

[ Engine torque can partially be limited
for the vehicle's stability and the
driving wheel spin may be restricted
for better traction.
To deactivate ESC SPORT mode

[ Press the ESC OFF button briefly. The
ESC SPORT indicator light will go off
on the cluster LCD display.
To deactivate ESC (ESC OFF)
Press and hold the ESC OFF
button continuously for more
than 3 seconds. The ESC OFF
indicator light and message
"Traction & Stability Control
disabled" illuminates and a
warning chime sounds. In
this state, both the traction
control function of ESC (engine
management) and the brake
control function of ESC (braking
management) are disabled. To
activate the ESC again, briefly
press the ESC OFF button. The
ESC OFF indicator light will go
off.
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.
WARNING
Don't use ESC SPORT mode or ESC OFF
while using a mini spare tire or a tire
repair kit is in use!

06
6-27
ESC OFF usage
When Driving
The ESC OFF mode should only be used
brie
fly to help free the vehicle if stuck in
snow or mud, by temporarily stopping
operation of 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
ESC is turned off (ESC OFF light
illuminated).
Information
Turning ESC off does not affect ABS or
standard brake system operation.
Drive mode selection
When the ESC is on, the characteristic
of ESC varies according to which drive
mode is selected by pressing the DRIVE
MODE or N1 or N2 button on the steering
wheel.
Mode
button Selected
mode Characteristic
of ESC
DRIVE
MODE
butt

on ECO mode NORMAL
NORMAL mode NORMAL
SPORT mode NORMAL
N button N mode SPORT
N CUSTOM mode NORMAL/
SPORT/OFF
For more details, refer to "Drive Mode
Integrated Control System" in this
chapter.

Driving your vehicle6-28
CUSTOM mode
You may select the drive mode you
pr
efer from the infotainment system
screen.

[ Select CUSTOM mode by pressing
the N button on the steering wheel.
The infotainment system screen will
display the CUSTOM mode menu.
From the CUSTOM mode menu, select

(6&

06
6-29
VSM operation
When operating
When you apply your brakes under
conditions which ma
y activate ESC, you
may hear sounds from the brakes, or feel
a corresponding sensation in the brake
pedal. This is normal and it means your
VSM is active.
Information
VSM does not operate when:

[ Driving through banked corners might
result in a ESC system shut down,
due to system self-diagnostics and an
assumption of a sensor failure. In the
next ignition cycle, the ESC system is
available again.

[ Driving in reverse.

[ The ESC OFF indicator light is on.

[ The EPS (Electric power steering)
warning light (
) is on or blinks.
VSM OFF condition
To cancel VSM operation, press the ESC
OFF butt

on. ESC OFF () indicator light
will illuminate.
To turn on VSM, press the ESC OFF
button again. The ESC OFF indicator light
will go out.
WARNING
If the ESC () indicator light or EPS
() warning light stays illuminated
or blinks, your vehicle may have a
malfunction with the VSM system.
When the warning light illuminates
have the vehicle be checked by an
authorized HYUNDAI dealer as soon as
possible.
NOTICE
Driving with wheels and tires with
different sizes may cause the VSM
system to malfunction. Before replacing
tires, make sure all four tires and wheels
are the same size. Never drive the
vehicle with different sized tires and
wheels installed.

Driving your vehicle6-30
Hill-Start Assist Control (HAC)
Hill-Start Assist Control helps prevent
the vehicle from rolling backwards
when starting a vehicle from a stop on
a hill. The system operates the brakes
automatically for approximately 2
seconds and releases the brake after 2
seconds or when the accelerator pedal is
depressed.
WARNING
Always be ready to depress the
accelerator pedal when starting off
an incline. The HAC activates only for
approximately 2 seconds.
Information

[ The HAC does not operate when
the gear is shifted to P (Park) or N
(Neutral).

[ The HAC activates even when the ESC
(Electronic Stability Control) is off.
However, it does not activate, when
ESC does not operate normally.
Downhill Brake Control (DBC)
OOSN061006L
The Downhill Brake Control (DBC) feature
assists the driver to descend down a
steep hill without having to depress the
brake pedal. The system automatically
applies the brakes to maintain the
vehicle speed below 5 mph (8 km/h)
and allows the driver to concentrate on
steering the vehicle down hill.
WARNING
Always turn off the DBC on normal
roads. The DBC might activate
inadvertently from the standby mode
when driving through speed bumps or
making sharp curves.
NOTICE

[The DBC defaults to the OFF position
whenever the Engine Start/Stop
button is placed in the ON position.

[ Noise or vibration may occur
from the brakes when the DBC is
activated.

[ The rear stop light comes on when
DBC is activated.

06
6-31
DBC operation
Mode Indicator lightDescription
Standby
illuminated Press the DBC button when vehicle speed is under
25 mph (40 km/h). The DBC system will turn ON and
enter the standby mode.
The system does not turn ON if vehicle speed is over
25 mph (40 km/h).
Activated
blinks In the standby mode, if vehicle speed is under 22 mph
(35 km/h) while driving down a steep hill, the DBC will
activate automatically.
Temporarily deactivated
illuminated In the activated mode, the DBC will temporarily
deactivate under the following conditions:

[
The hill is not steep enough.

[ The brake pedal or accelerator pedal is depressed.
If the above conditions are not met, the DBC will
automatically activate again.
OFF
not illuminated The DBC will turn OFF under the following conditions:

[
The DBC button is pressed again.

[ Vehicle speed is over 38 mph (60 km/h).