2012 Hyundai Tucson Owner's Manual - Page 222

Driving your vehicle ✽ NOTICE • Do not drive in water if the level is higher than the bottom of the vehicle. • Check your brake condition once you are out of mud or water. Press the brake pedal several times as you move slowly until you feel normal braking forces return. • Shorten your scheduled maintenance interval if you drive in off-road conditions such as sand, mud or water (see "Maintenance under severe usage conditions" in section 7). Always wash your vehicle thoroughly after off road use, especially cleaning the bottom of the vehicle. • Since the driving torque is always applied to the 4 wheels the performance of the AWD vehicle is greatly affected by the condition of the tires. Be sure to equip the vehicle with four tires of the same size and type. • A full time four wheel drive vehicle cannot be towed by an ordinary tow truck. Make sure that the vehicle is placed on a flat bed truck for moving. Reducing the risk of a rollover WARNING - AWD driving • Avoid high cornering speed. • 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 high speed. • In a collision, an unbelted person is significantly more likely to die compared to a person wearing a seat belt. • Loss of control often occurs if two or more wheels drop off the roadway and the driver over steers to re-enter the roadway. In the event your vehicle leaves the roadway, do not steer sharply. Instead, slow down before pulling back into the travel lanes. 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 depressing the accelerator pedal further; however avoid running the engine continuously at high rpm because doing so could damage the AWD system. This 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. Specific design characteristics give them a higher center of gravity than ordinary vehicles. An advantage of the higher ground clearance is a better view of the road, which allows you to anticipate problems. They are not designed for cornering at the same speeds as conventional passenger vehicles, any more than low-slung sports cars are designed to perform satisfactorily in off-road conditions. Due to this risk, driver and passengers are strongly recommended to buckle their seat belts. In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is 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. 5 21