Hyundai Santa Fe (DM): Good driving practices - Automatic transaxle - Driving your vehicleHyundai Santa Fe (DM): Good driving practices

  • Never move the shift lever from P (Park) or N (Neutral) to any other position with the accelerator pedal depressed.
  • Never move the shift lever into "P" when the vehicle is in motion.
  • Be sure the vehicle is completely stopped before you attempt to shift into R (Reverse) or D (Drive).
  • Never take the vehicle out of gear and coast down a hill. This may be extremely hazardous. Always leave the vehicle in gear when moving.
  • Do not "ride" the brakes. This can cause them to overheat and malfunction. Instead, when you are driving down a long hill, slow down, move the shift lever to sports mode and shift to a lower gear.
  • When using soprts mode, slow down before shifting to a lower gear.
  • Always use the parking brake and shift into P (Park) when parking the vehivle. Do not depend on placing the transaxle 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 the vehicle to go out of control.
  • Optimum vehicle performance and economy is obtained by smoothly depressing and releasing the accelerator pedal.

WARNING

  • Always buckle-up! 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 oversteers 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.
  • Never exceed posted speed limits.

WARNING

If your vehicle becomes stuck in snow, mud, sand, etc., then you may attempt to rock the vehicle free by moving it forward and backward. Do not attempt this procedure if people or objects are anywhere near the vehicle. During the rocking operation the vehicle may suddenly move forward or backward as it becomes unstuck, causing injury or damage to nearby people or objects.

Moving up a steep grade from a standing start

To move up a steep grade from a standing start, depress the brake pedal, move the shift lever to D (Drive) and release the parking brake. Depress the accelerator gradually while releasing the service brakes.

Shift lock system
For your safety, the automatic transaxle has a shift lock system which prevents shifting the transaxle from P (Park) or N (Neutral) into R (Reverse) unless the brake pedal is depressed. To shift the transaxle ...

All wheel drive (AWD)
Engine power can be delivered to all front and rear wheels for maximum traction. AWD is useful when extra traction is required, such as, when driving on slippery, muddy, wet, or snow-covered roads. These ...

See also:

Front Fog Indicator Light
This indicator light illuminates: • When the front fog lights are on. ...

Recommended cold tire inflation pressures
All tire pressures (including the spare) should be checked when the tires are cold. “Cold Tires” means the vehicle has not been driven for at least three hours or driven less than 1 mile (1.6 km). ...

Checking tire inflation pressure
Check your tires once a month or more. Also, check the tire pressure of the spare tire. How to check Use a good quality gage to check tire pressure.You can not tell if your tires are properly inflated ...