2003 Hyundai Santa Fe Owner's Manual - Page 128

2- 6 DRIVING YOUR HYUNDAI C070B01A-AAT NOTE: o To shift into reverse, rest the lever in neutral for at least 3 seconds after your car is completely stopped. Then move the lever into the reverse position. o During cold weather, shifting may be difficult until the transaxle lubricant has warmed up. This is normal and not harmful to the transaxle. o If you've come to a complete stop and it's hard to shift into 1st or R(Reverse), put the shift lever in N(Neutral) position and release the clutch. Press the clutch pedal back down, and then shift into 1st or R(Reverse) gear position. o Do not use the shift lever as a handrest during driving, as this can result in premature wear of the transaxle shift forks. Using the Clutch The clutch should be pressed all the way to the floor before shifting, then released slowly. The clutch pedal should always be used after fully returning to the original position. Do not rest your foot on the clutch pedal while driving. This can cause unnecessary wear. Do not partially engage the clutch to hold the car on an incline. This causes unnecessary wear. Use the parking brake to hold the car on an incline. Do not operate the clutch pedal rapidly and repeatedly. C070D02A-AAT shift into reverse, depress the clutch, move the shift lever to neutral, wait three seconds, then shift to the reverse position. o 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. ! WARNING: Good Driving Practices o Never take the car out of gear and coast down a hill. This is extremely hazardous. Always leave the car in gear. o Don't "ride" the brakes. This can cause them to overheat and malfunction. Instead, when you are driving down a long hill, slow down and shift to a lower gear. When you do this, engine braking will help slow the car. o Slow down before shifting to a lower gear. This will help avoid over-revving the engine, which can cause damage. o Slow down when you encounter cross winds. This gives you much better control of your car. o Be sure the car is completely stopped before you attempt to shift into reverse. The transaxle can be damaged if you do not. To ! CAUTION: When downshifting from fifth gear to fourth gear, caution should be taken not to inadvertently press the gear lever sideways in such a manner that second gear is engaged. Such a drastic downshift may cause the engine speed to increase to the point that the tachometer will enter the red-zone. Such over-revving of the engine may possibly cause engine damage. o Avoid high cornering speeds. o Do not make quick steering wheel movements, such as sharp lane changes or fast, sharp turns. o Always wear your seat belts. o The risk of rollover is greatly increased if you lose control of your vehicle at highway speeds. o Loss of control often occurs if two or more wheels drop off the roadway and the driver oversteers to reenter the roadway. o In the event your vehicle leaves the roadway, do not steer sharply. Instead, slow down before pulling back into the travel lanes. o In a collision crash, un unbelted person is significantly more likely to die than a person wearing a seatbelt. o Never exceed posted speed limits.