On the 1996 Hyundai Sonata, just in front of the gear shift, there is a small switch. It says ECT in the middle, with P on one side and N on the other. What the heck is this thing, and what (if anything) does it do?
ECT stands for electro-convulsive therapy, or old fashioned “shock treatments”. At least in my area of expertise it does. Not sure why you’d want extreme treatment for extreme depression while sitting in your car tho.
I don’t have one of these cars, but I’m 99.5% certain of the following:
“ECT” probably stands for something like “Electronically Controlled Transmission.”
The switch allows you to tell the computer which of two transmission “shift schedules” you want to use.
“N” would be “Normal” and “P” would be “Performance.”
Setting it to “P” would let the engine wind out more (go to higher RPM) before upshifting as you accelerate. The “P” setting will give you somewhat greater acceleration at the expense of degraded fuel economy.
On a lot of cars I’ve driven, it’s really difficult to tell any difference between the two transmission schedules, but presumably there are some differences.
- Dave
That has the ring of truth. Thanks for the quick answer.
Never owned a Hyundai, have you? 
MightyDave is right at least about ECT, according to this page.
You may very well notice a difference between N and P. In a Toyota Tercel wagon that my parents have, it is practially undrivable in N the acceleration is so slow. On P, it becomes tolerable. You may really notice a difference if you need to accelerate up hills or quickly. On N, this car would upshift far too early for my taste, and its anemic low end torque frustrated me to no end.
Does the car’s owner’s manual explain its proper use? Some owner’s manuals are singularly unhelpful on some points, I must admit, but they’re usually pretty good.
I have this on my Camry, I am not sure what the letters stand for, but it is used to increase the power of the transmission. It is great for going up steep hills. There is a different button that is used to increase pick-up when passing someone.
In the '89 Ford Probe my wife used to own, it had a small switch that was simply labeled “Power Mode” that (allegedly) served the same function. They seem to be more common in 4-cyl high(er) performance engines (higher, for example, than the 1.8 4-cyl in my Suzuki Samurai). It was most commonly used for Dramatic Effect when entering an inerstate–“Now engaging POWER MODE!”
FOR GOD’S SAKE DON’T TOUCH IT!!!
Eject.
Kryten: “Sir, are you absolutely sure? It does mean changing the bulb.”