2023 HYUNDAI SONATA Owners Manual

While Driving
6-26
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 brake pedal.
2. Start the engine or place the ignition
switch in the ON position.
3. Depress the brake 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:
You cannot shift the shift lever/button,
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 battery 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 8.
2. Release the parking brake with the ignition switch in the ON position.
3. Shift the gear to the N(Neutral) position refer to the “Stay in Neutral
when vehicle is Off” in this chapter.

06
6-27
Parking
Always come to a complete stop and
continue to depress the brake pedal.
Move the shift lever/button into the P
(Park) position, apply the parking brake,
and place the ignition switch in the
LOCK/OFF position. Take the Key with
you when exiting the vehicle.
WARNING
When you stay in the vehicle with
the engine running, be careful not to
depress the accelerator pedal for a long
period of time. The engine or exhaust
system may overheat and start a fire.
The exhaust gas and the exhaust system
are very hot. Keep away from the
exhaust system components.
Do not stop or park over flammable
materials, such as dry grass, paper or
leaves. They may ignite and cause a fire.
LCD display message (button
type)
Shifting conditions not met. Reduce speed, then shift
The warning message appears on the
LCD display, when engine RPM is too
high, or when driving speed is too fast to
shift the gear.
We recommend you decrease the engine
speed or slow down before shifting the
gear.
Press brake pedal to change gear
The warning message appears on the
LCD display, when the brake pedal is not
depressed while shifting the gear.
We recommend you to depress the brake
pedal and then shift the gear.
Shift to P after stopping
The warning message appears on the
LCD display, when the gear is shifted to P
(Park) while the vehicle is moving.
Stop the vehicle before shifting to P
(Park).
PARK engaged
The warning message appears on the
LCD display, when the gear is shifted to P
(Park) while the vehicle is moving.
Stop the vehicle before shifting to P
(Park).

While Driving
6-28
Press and hold the OK button on the
steering wheel to stay in Neutral
The warning message appears on
the LCD display, when pushing the
N(Neutral) button. If you want to stay
N(Neutral) after turning off the engine,
press and hold the “OK” button on the
steering wheel more than 1 second.
Vehicle will stay in (N). Change gear
to cancel
The warning message appears on the
LCD display, when pushing the “OK”
button on the steering wheel after the
message (“Press and hold OK button
to stay in Neutral when vehicle is Off”)
appears on the cluster LCD display. The
gear stays in N(Neutral) position after
turning off the engine. NEUTRAL engaged
The message appears on the LCD
display, when the N (Neutral) position is engaged.
Gear already selected
The message appears on the LCD
display, when pushing the current shift
button again.
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.

06
6-29
Good driving practices
• Never move the shift lever/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 lever/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.
• 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.
• 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 seatbelt. 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
6-30
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
6-31
Electronic Parking Brake (EPB)
Applying the parking brake
ODN8069012
To apply the EPB
(Electronic Parking Brake):
1. Depress the brake pedal.
2. Pull up the EPB switch.
Make sure the parking brake
warning light comes on.
WARNING
To reduce the risk of SERIOUS INJURY
or DEATH, do not operate the EPB
while the vehicle is moving except
in an emergency situation. It could
damage the brake system and lead to
an accident. Releasing the parking brake
ODN8069013
To release the EPB (Electronic Parking Brake):
•
Place the ignition switch in the ON position.
• Depress and hold the brake pedal.
• Press the EPB switch.
Make sure the Parking Brake Warning
Light goes off.
To release EPB (Electronic Parking Brake) automatically:
• Satisfy the following conditions
1. Ensure seat belts are fastened
and the doors, hood and trunk are closed.
2. With the engine running, depress the brake pedal and shift out of P
(Park) to R (Reverse), D (Drive) or Manual shift mode.
3. Depress the accelerator pedal.
Make sure the parking brake warning
light goes off.

While Driving
6-32
EPB (Electronic Parking Brake) may be automatically applied when: •
Requested by other systems
• The driver turns the engine off while
Auto Hold is operating.
• The vehicle is parked on the slope and
the Engine Start/Stop button is in the OFF position.
• The Engine is turned off when the
driver tries to park but the vehicle still
moves a bit.
Warning messages
OAEE056115L
To release EPB, fasten seatbelt, close
door, hood and trunk • If you try to drive with the EPB
applied, a warning will sound and a
message will appear.
• If the driver's seat belt is unfastened and the engine hood or trunk is
opened, a warning will sound and a
message will appear.
• If there is a problem with the vehicle,
a warning may sound and a message
may appear.
If the situation occurs, depress the brake
pedal and release EPB by pressing the
EPB switch.
WARNING
• Whenever leaving the vehicle or
parking, always come to a complete
stop and continue to depress the
brake pedal.
Shift the gear into the P (Park) position, press the EPB switch, and
set the ignition switch to the OFF
position. Take the Key with you when
exiting the vehicle.
Vehicles not fully engaged in P (Park) with the parking brake set 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 EPB switch. If the EPB is released
unintentionally, serious injury may
occur.
• Only release the EPB 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 EPB engaged, a warning will
sound and a message will appear.
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 EPB
is released and the Parking Brake
Warning Light is off before driving.

06
6-33
Information
• A clicking sound may be heard while
operating or releasing the EPB. These
conditions are normal and indicate that
the EPB is functioning properly.
• When leaving your keys with a parking
attendant or assistant, make sure to
inform him/her how to operate the EPB.
OIK057079N
AUTO HOLD turning Off!
Press brake pedal
When the conversion from Auto Hold to
EPB is not working properly a warning
will sound and a message will appear.
OIK057077N
Parking brake automatically engaged
If the EPB is applied while Auto Hold is
activated, a warning will sound and a
message will appear.
EPB malfunction indicator
ODN8069014
This warning light illuminates if the
ignition switch is set to the ON position
and goes off in approximately 3 seconds
if the system is operating normally.
If the EPB malfunction indicator
remains on, comes on while driving, or
does not come on when the ignition
switch is changed to the ON position,
this indicates that the EPB may have malfunctioned.
If this occurs, have the system checked
by an authorized HYUNDAI dealer.
The EPB malfunction indicator may
illuminate when the ESC indicator comes
on to indicate that the ESC is not working
properly, but it does not indicate a
malfunction of the EPB.
NOTICE
• If the EPB warning light is still on,
have the system checked by an
authorized HYUNDAI dealer.
• If the parking brake warning light
does not illuminate or blinks even
though the EPB switch was pulled
up, the EPB may not be applied.
• If the parking brake warning light
blinks when the EPB warning light is
on, press the switch, and then pull it
up. Repeat this one more time. If the
EPB warning does not go off, have
the system checked by an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer.