2023 HYUNDAI SANTA FE HYBRID Owners Manual

Driving Your Vehicle6-40
All Wheel Drive (AWD) selection
OTMA060012
Press the DRIVE/TERRAIN button to
change from normal driving mode to
multi terrain mode. After the button
is pressed, rotate the knob within 3
seconds to select AUTO, SNOW or LOCK.
Selected mode Description
Auto AWD (N
ormal
driving) -
[
Use this mode when driving on normal roads.

[ Under normal operating conditions, the vehicle
operates similar to conventional 2WD vehicles. If the
system determines there is a need for four wheel drive,
the engine's driving power is distributed to all four
wheels automatically.
SNOW

[ Use this mode when driving on low traction roads.

[ The engine’s driving power is properly distributed
to the wheels, to help start the vehicle stably on low
traction roads or keep tires from slipping.
AWD LOCK
In the AWD LOCK mode, the system is deactivated when
vehicle speed is over 37 mph (60 km/h).
Use this mode when driving up or down steep inclines,
driving off-road, driving on sandy and muddy roads, etc.
to maximize traction
Be sure to maintain Auto AWD mode when driving on normal roads. If you drive with
the AWD Lock mode on normal roads or curved roads, it may damage AWD parts and
cause vibration and noise. However, vibration and noise are normal conditions that will
disappear when Auto AWD mode is selected. Also, when the vehicle is changed from
AWD Lock to Auto AWD, a sensation may be felt as driving power is delivered to the
rear wheels.

06
6-41
For safe AWD operation
Before driving

[Mak
e sure all passengers are wearing
seat belts.

[ Sit upright and closer to the steering
wheel than usual. Adjust the steering
wheel to a position comfortable for
you to drive.
Driving on snow-covered or icy roads

[ S
tart off slowly by applying the
accelerator pedal gently.

[ Use snow tires or tire chains.

[ Keep sufficient distance between your
vehicle and the vehicle in front of you.

[ Apply engine braking during
deceleration by using the paddle
shifter (manual shift mode) and
manually selecting a lower gear.

[ Avoid speeding, rapid acceleration,
sudden brake applications, and sharp
turns to prevent skids.
Information
When using Snow Tires, mount them on
all four wheels.
If a full set of chains is not available for
an AWD vehicle when using tire chains,
chains may be installed on the front wheels
only.
For more details on Snow Tires and Tire
Chains, refer to "Winter Driving" section
later in this chapter.
Driving in sand or mud

[Maintain slo
w and constant speed.

[ Use tire chains driving in mud if
necessary.

[ Keep sufficient distance between your
vehicle and the vehicle in front of you.

[Reduce vehicle speed and always
check the road condition.

[ Avoid speeding, rapid acceleration,
sudden brake applications, and sharp
turns to prevent getting stuck.
NOTICE
When the vehicle is stuck in snow, sand
or mud, place a nonslip material under
the drive wheels to provide traction
OR slowly spin the wheels in forward
and reverse directions which causes
a rocking motion that may free the
vehicle.
However, avoid running the engine
continuously at high rpm, doing so may
damage the AWD system.

Driving Your Vehicle6-42
OTMA060009
OTMA060010
Transmission overheated

[ When driving on muddy and sandy
r

oads under the severe condition, the
transmission could be overheated.

[ When the transmission is overheated,
the safe protection mode engages
and the “Transmission Hot! Park with
engine on” warning message will
appear on the cluster display with a
chime.

[ 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. To return
to the normal driving condition, stop
the vehicle and apply the foot brake
or shift into P (Park). Then allow the
transmission to cool for a few minutes
with engine on, before driving off.
[
When the message “Trans cooled.
Resume driving” appears you can
continue to drive your vehicle.

[ If the warning messages in the cluster
display continue to blink, for your
safety, have the system checked by an
authorized HYUNDAI dealer.
Driving up or down hills

[ Driving uphill
-
Before starting off, check if it is
possible to drive uphill.

- Drive as straight as possible.

[ Driving downhill
- Do not change gear while driving downhill. Select gear before driving
downhill.
- Drive slowly using engine braking while driving downhill.
- Drive straight as possible.
WARNING
Exercise extreme caution driving up or
down steep hills. The vehicle may flip
over depending on the grade, terrain,
water and mud conditions.

06
6-43
WARNING
Do not drive across the contour of steep
hills. A slight change in the wheel angle
can destabilize the vehicle, or a stable
vehicle may lose stability if the vehicle
stops its forward motion. Your vehicle
may roll over and lead to a serious injury
or death.
Driving through water

[T
ry to avoid driving in deep standing
water. It may stall your engine and
clog your exhaust pipes.

[ If you need to drive in water, stop
your vehicle, set the vehicle in Multi
Terrain mode and drive under 5 mph
(8 km/h).

[ Do not change gear while driving in
water.
CAUTION
Always drive slowly in water. If you
drive too fast, water may get into the
engine compartment and wet the
ignition system causing your vehicle to
suddenly stop.
Additional driving conditions

[Become f
amiliar with the off-road
conditions before driving.

[ Always pay attention when driving off-
road and avoid dangerous areas.

[ Drive slowly when driving in heavy
wind.

[ Reduce vehicle speed when
cornering. The center of gravity
of AWD vehicles is higher than
conventional 2WD vehicles, making
them more likely to roll over when you
rapidly turn corners.

[ Always hold the steering wheel firmly
when you are driving off-road.
WARNING
Do hold the steering wheel tightly
when you are driving off-road. You may
hurt your arm by a sudden steering
maneuver or from steering wheel
rebound due to an impact with objects
on the ground. You could lose control
of the steering wheel which may lead to
serious injury or death.
Emergency Precautions
Tires
When replacing tires, be sure to equip
all four tires with the same size, type,
tread patterns, brand and load-carrying
capacity.
WARNING
Do not use tire and wheel with different
size and type from the one originally
installed on your vehicle. It can affect
the safety and performance of your
vehicle, which could lead to steering
failure or rollover causing serious injury.
In an emergency situation, a compact
spare tire (if equipped) or Tire Mobility
Kit (if equipped) may be used. But,
do not use the compact spare tire
continuously. Repair or replace the
original tire as soon as possible to avoid
failure of the differential or AWD system.

Driving Your Vehicle6-44
WARNING
Never start or run the engine while
an AWD vehicle is raised on a jack.
The vehicle can slip or roll off of a jack
causing serious injury or death to you or
those nearby.
Towing
AWD vehicles must be towed with
a wheel lift and dollies or flatbed
equipment with all the wheels off the
ground. For more details, refer to
"Towing" section in chapter 8.
Vehicle inspection

[ If the vehicle needs to be operated on
a vehicle lift do not attempt to stop
any of the four wheels from turning.
This could damage the AWD system.

[ Never engage the parking brake while
running the engine on a car lift. This
may damage the AWD system.
Dynamometer testing
A AWD vehicle must be tested on a
special four wheel chassis dynamometer.
OTMH060001[A] : Roll tester (Speedometer),
[B] : Temporary free roller
A AWD vehicle should not be tested on
a 2WD roll tester. If a 2WD roll tester
must be used, perform the following
procedure:
1. Check the tire pressures
recommended for your vehicle.
2. Place the rear wheels on the roll tester for a speedometer test as shown in
the illustration.
3. Release the parking brake.
4. Place the front wheels on the temporary free roller as shown in the
illustration.
WARNING
Keep away from the front of the vehicle
while the vehicle is in gear on the
dynamometer. The vehicle can jump
forward and cause serious injury or
death.

06
6-45
Reducing the Risk of a Rollover
Your 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. The specific
design characteristics give them a higher
center of gravity than ordinary vehicles
making them more likely to roll over if
you make abrupt turns. Utility vehicles
have a significantly higher rollover rate
than other types of vehicles. Due to this
risk, driver and passengers are strongly
recommended to buckle their seat belts.
In a rollover crash, an unbelted person
is significantly more likely to die than a
person wearing a seat belt.
WARNING
Rollover
As with other Sports Utility Vehicle
(SUV), failure to operate this vehicle
correctly may result in loss of control,
an accident or vehicle rollover.

[Utility vehicles have a significantly
higher rollover rate than other types
of vehicles.

[ Specific design characteristics
(higher ground clearance, narrower
track, etc.) give this vehicle a higher
center of gravity than ordinary
vehicles.

[ A SUV is not designed for cornering
at the same speeds as conventional
vehicles.

[ Avoid sharp turns or abrupt
maneuvers.

[ In a rollover crash, an unbelted
person is significantly more likely to
die than a person wearing a seat belt.
Make sure everyone in the vehicle is
properly buckled up.
WARNING
Your vehicle is equipped with tires
designed to provide safe ride and
handling capability. Do not use a size
and type of tire and wheel that is
different from the one that is originally
installed on your vehicle. It can affect
the safety and performance of your
vehicle, which could lead to steering
failure or rollover and serious injury.
When replacing the tires, be sure to
equip all four tires with the tire and
wheel of the same size, type, tread,
brand and load-carrying capacity.
If you nevertheless decide to equip
your vehicle with any tire/wheel
combination not recommended by
HYUNDAI for off road driving, you
should not use these tires for highway
driving.
WARNING
Jacked vehicle
While a full-time AWD vehicle is being
raised on a jack, never start the engine
or cause the tires to rotate.
There is a danger that rotating tires
touching the ground could cause the
vehicle to fall off the jack and to jump
forward or rearward.

Driving Your Vehicle6-46
'5,9(02'(,17(*5$7('&21752/6<67(0

06
6-47
Limitations of ECO mode
If the following conditions occur while
E
CO mode is operating, the system
operation is limited even though there is
no change in the ECO indicator.

[ When 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 driving the vehicle in manual
shift mode using the paddle shifter.
The system will be limited according to
the shift location.
SPORT mode
SPORT mode provides sporty
but firm riding.
In SPORT mode, the fuel
efficiency may decrease.

[ When SPORT mode is selected, the
SPORT indicator will illuminate on the
instrument cluster.

[ Whenever the engine is restarted, the
drive mode will revert back to ECO
mode. If SPORT mode is desired, re-
select SPORT mode.

[ 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
SMART mode
SMART mode selects the
proper driving mode among
ECO, COMFORT and SPORT
by judging the driver's
driving habits (i.e. mild or
dynamic) from the brake pedal
depression or the steering
wheel operation.

[ Press the DRIVE MODE button to
activate SMART mode. When SMART
mode is activated, the indicator
illuminates on the instrument cluster.

[ The vehicle starts in SMART mode,
when the engine was turned OFF in
SMART mode.

[ SMART mode automatically controls
gear shifting patterns, 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 (for
example, upward/downward slope,
vehicle deceleration/acceleration).

[ When you dynamically drive the
vehicle in SMART mode by abruptly
decelerating or sharply curving, the
driving mode changes to SPORT mode.
However, it may adversely affect fuel
economy.