2023 HYUNDAI SANTA FE four wheel drive

06
6-57
For safe 4WD 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 4WD 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.
CAUTION
Mud or snow
If one of the front or rear wheels
begins to spin in mud, snow, etc., the
vehicle can sometimes be driven out by
engaging the accelerator pedal further;
however avoid running the engine
continuously at high rpm because doing
so could damage the AWD system.
Driving in sand or mud

[Maintain slo
w and constant speed.
Operate the accelerator pedal slowly
to ensure safe driving (wheel-slip
prevention).

[ 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.

[ When the vehicle is stuck in snow,
sand or mud, the tires may not
operate.

[ This is to protect the transmission and
not a malfunction.
NOTICE
Moving the vehicle forcibly to get out
of mud or sand can cause damage/
overheat of the engine or damage/
breakdown of the transmission,
differential or 4WD system as well as
damage to tires. If excessive wheel slip
occurs after entering a sandy/muddy
road, the vehicle may fall into the sand/
mud. When it happens, put a stone or
a tree branch under the tire, and then
try to pull out the vehicle, or try to get it
unstuck by repeatedly moving forwards
and backwards.

06
6-59
Driving through water

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

[ 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 4WD 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 4WD system.
WARNING
Never start or run the engine while
an 4WD 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.

Driving your vehicle6-60
Towing
4WD 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 4WD system.

[ Never engage the parking brake while
running the engine on a car lift. This
may damage the 4WD system.
Dynamometer testing
An 4WD vehicle must be tested on a
special four wheel chassis dynamometer.
OTM060016L[A] : Roll tester (Speedometer),
[B] : Temporary free roller
An 4WD 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.
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.
There are steps that a driver can make
to reduce the risk of a rollover. If at all
possible, avoid sharp turns or abrupt
maneuvers, do not load your roof rack
with heavy cargo, and never modify your
vehicle in any way.

Driving your vehicle6-76
The severe weather conditions of winter quickly wear out tires and cause other
problems. To minimize winter driving problems, you should take the following
suggestions:
Snow or icy conditions
You need to keep sufficient distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of
you.
Apply the brakes gently. Speeding, rapid acceleration, sudden brake applications, and
sharp turns are potentially very hazardous practices. During deceleration, use engine
braking to the fullest extent. Sudden brake applications on snowy or icy roads may
cause the vehicle to skid.
To drive your vehicle in deep snow, it may be necessary to use snow tires or to install
tire chains on your tires.
Always carry emergency equipment. Some of the items you may want to carry include
tire chains, tow straps or chains, a flashlight, emergency flares, sand, a shovel, jumper
cables, a window scraper, gloves, ground cloth, coveralls, a blanket, etc.
Snow tires
WARNING
Snow tires should be equivalent in size and type to the vehicle’s standard tires.
Otherwise, the safety and handling of your vehicle may be adversely affected.
We recommend that you use snow tires when road temperature is below 45°F (7°C).
If you mount snow tires on your vehicle, make sure to use the same Inflation pressure
as the original tires. Mount snow tires on all four wheels to balance your vehicle’s
handling in all weather conditions. The traction provided by snow tires on dry roads
may not be as high as your vehicle’s original equipment tires. Check with the tire dealer
for maximum speed recommendations.
WINTER DRIVING

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6-77
Tire chains
„Type A
OTM060025
„Type B
OTM060045
Since the sidewalls of radial tires are
thinner than other types of tires, they
may be damaged by mounting some
types of tire chains on them. Therefore,
the use of snow tires is recommended
instead of tire chains. If tire chains must
be used, use genuine HYUNDAI Parts
and install the tire chain after reviewing
the instructions provided with the tire
chains. Damage to your vehicle caused
by improper tire chain use is not covered
by your vehicle manufacturer’s warranty.
Fabric-type chains must be used on the
vehicle with 19”/20” tires.When using tire chains, attach them to
the drive wheels as follows.
2WD : Front wheels
4WD : All four wheels
If a full set of chains is not
available for an 4WD vehicle,
chains may be installed on the
front wheels only.
WARNING
The use of tire chains may adversely
affect vehicle handling:

[Drive less than 20 mph (30 km/h)
or the chain manufacturer’s
recommended speed limit,
whichever is lower.

[ Drive carefully and avoid bumps,
holes, sharp turns, and other road
hazards, which may cause the
vehicle to bounce.

[ Avoid sharp turns or locked wheel
braking.
Information

[Install tire chains only in pairs and on
the front tires. It should be noted that
installing tire chains on the tires will
provide a greater driving force, but will
not prevent side skids.

[ Do not install studded tires without
first checking local and municipal
regulations for possible restrictions
against their use.

Maintenance9-44
All Season Tires
HYUNDAI specifies all season tires
on some models to provide good
performance for use all year round,
including snowy and icy road conditions.
All season tires are identified by ALL
SEASON and/or M+S (Mud and Snow) on
the tire sidewall. Snow tires have better
snow traction than all season tires and
may be more appropriate in some areas.
Snow Tires
If you equip your car with snow tires,
they should be the same size and have
the same load capacity as the original
tires. Snow tires should be installed on
all four wheels; otherwise, poor handling
may result. Snow tires should carry 4
psi (28 kPa) more air pressure than the
pressure recommended for the standard
tires on the tire label on the driver’s
side of the center pillar, or up to the
maximum pressure shown on the tire
sidewall, whichever is less. Do not drive
faster than 75 mph (120 km/h) when your
vehicle is equipped with snow tires.
Radial-Ply Tires
Radial-ply tires provide improved tread
life, road hazard resistance and smoother
high speed ride. The radial-ply tires used
on this vehicle are of belted construction,
and are selected to complement the
ride and handling characteristics of your
vehicle.
Radial-ply tires have the same load
carrying capacity, as bias-ply or bias
belted tires of the same size, and use the
same recommended inflation pressure.
Mixing of radial-ply tires with bias-ply or
bias belted tires is not recommended.
Any combinations of radial-ply and bias-
ply or bias belted tires when used on the
same vehicle will seriously deteriorate
vehicle handling. The best rule to follow
is: Identical pairs of radial-ply tires
should always be used as a set for the
front tires and a set for the rear tires.
Longer wearing tires can be more
susceptible to irregular tread wear. It is
very important to follow the tire rotation
interval in this chapter to achieve the
tread life potential of these tires. Cuts
and punctures in radial-ply tires are
repairable only in the tread area, because
of sidewall flexing. Consult your tire
dealer for radial-ply tire repairs.
WARNING
Do not mix bias ply and radial ply tires
under any circumstances. This may
cause unusual handling characteristics
that may cause loss of vehicle control
resulting in an accident.