Consumers want vehicles that can help them drive safely. But it’s difficult to keep up with safety innovations and harder still to understand what all the new terms mean.

Electronic Stability Control* (ESC) is a complicated term for a new technology that can help reduce the risk of accidents. Hyundai believes in ESC and is making it a standard safety feature on many models, including the 2006 Azera, Sonata and Tucson.

How does it work?
ESC is a revolutionary system that takes conventional Anti-lock Braking Systems (ABS) and Traction Control Systems (TCS) to the next level by automatically enhancing stability and control. ESC compares a driver’s intended course with the vehicle’s actual movement. When a path deviation or instability is detected, ESC automatically applies brakes to individual wheels to help steer the vehicle, also reducing engine torque as required to help keep you on track.

When drivers begin to lose control, they encounter either an oversteer or an understeer condition. When a vehicle starts to oversteer, the rear wheels begin to slip and the car begins to turn more than intended, which can create fishtailing.  When a vehicle understeers, the front wheels begin to slip and the car is turning less than intended, shown top right. These conditions are where ESC may come in to help.

ESC Fundamentals
If the wheel-speed sensors detect one wheel is slowing at a different rate than the others (i.e. the wheel is about to lock up), ESC activates ABS. If the TCS sensors note that one of the wheels is rotating faster (i.e. the wheel is about to spin), TCS is activated.

ESC transmits commands to the braking system, which applies precisely defined brake pressure on appropriate wheels, and it reduces engine output if it detects understeering or oversteering. ESC also responds when you jerk the steering wheel as you would to avoid an object in your path. Severe actions like that can cause a vehicle to roll, but ESC tempers your response by helping to prevent the vehicle from going sideways or skidding. Here’s how it breaks down:  

• ESC focuses on stopping oversteering and understeering.
• TCS monitors and corrects wheel spin.
• ABS maintains speed control and keeps the wheels from locking up.

The bottom line
Just how effective is ESC? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that vehicles equipped with ESC and TCS report a 35 percent reduction in single-vehicle crashes for passenger cars and a 30 percent reduction in fatal single-vehicle crashes. For SUVs, the numbers are even higher, with a 67 percent reduction in single-vehicle crashes and a 63 percent reduction in fatalities.**

ESC will be a standard safety feature on the 2007 Santa Fe and Entourage, Hyundai’s first minivan. So whether driving on pavement, sand, gravel, ice or snow, more Hyundai owners than ever will experience the peace of mind that ESC offers.

*Electronic Stability Control (ESC) cannot control your vehicle’s stability under all driving situations. ESC is not a substitute for safe driving practices. No system, no matter how advanced, can overcome physics or correct poor driving. The driver is always responsible for controlling the vehicle and must use caution to avoid loss of control in all driving conditions. Speed, road conditions and driver steering input will affect whether ESC can help prevent loss of control. See Owner’s Manual for details.

**NHTSA’s Light Vehicle ESC Research Program, June 9, 2005, at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Research and Test Center.

Tucson & Sonata Both Earn All-Star CRASH Test Ratings

Each year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducts frontal and side-impact crash tests on new vehicles.

• A frontal crash test is the equivalent of a head-on collision between two identical vehicles that are each moving at 35 mph. 
• A side-impact crash test represents an intersection-type collision, with a 3,015-pound barrier moving at 38.5 mph into a standing vehicle.

To determine the level of protection for drivers and passengers, vehicles are rated on a five-star rating system—with five stars indicating the highest safety rating. Hyundai Motor America is proud to announce that the all-new 2006 Sonata and Tucson both earned NHTSA five-star ratings* for both tests, further proof of the company’s commitment to leading-edge safety engineering. Check out the NHTSA’s crash test ratings at safercar.gov.

*NHTSA five-star rating for frontal and side-impact crashes.