FIRST INCIDENT: 3/18/2011 & 16638 MILEAGE : ALTERNATOR SHORTED OUT AT 65 MPH ON INTERSTATE 95 RESULTING IN EXTREME POWER LOSS, VERY HARD STEERING AND DIFFICULT, UNSAFE VEHICLE CONTROL WHICH FINALLY ENDED IN COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER. CAR TOWED TO DEALER WHICH DIAGNOSED AN UNDETECTED OIL LEAK FROM THE VALVE COVER DRIPPED INTO ALTERNATOR CAUSING IT TO SHORT OUT. VALVE GASKET WAS CHANGED AND ALTERNATOR REPLACED. SECOND INCIDENT 1/23/2012 & 26000 MILEAGE: SAME SCENARIO, ALTERNATOR SHORTED OUT UPON ACCELERATING ON TO FL STATE ROAD IN HEAVY TRAFFIC RESULTING IN EXTREME POWER LOSS, VERY HARD STEERING AND DIFFICULT, UNSAFE VEHICLE CONTROL WHICH FINALLY ENDED IN COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER. CAR TOWED TO DEALER WHICH DIAGNOSED AN UNDETECTED OIL LEAK FROM THE VALVE COVER DRIPPED INTO THE ALTERNATOR CAUSING IT TO SHORT OUT. VALVE GASKET WAS CHANGED AND ALTERNATOR REPLACED A SECOND TIME. NOTE THERE WAS ONLY 9362 MILEAGE BETWEEN INCIDENTS.THE DEALER SAYS THERE IS NO FIX FOR THIS OTHER THAN REPLACING VALVE COVER GASKET AND ALTERNATOR WHEN IT HAPPENS AGAIN.THIS CANNOT BE DETECTED BY DEALER VISUAL INSPECTION PRIOR TO FAILURE. THIS IS VERY UNSAFE. I HAVE ALL MAINTENANCE DONE AT THE DEALERSHIP I PURCHASED THE CAR AT ACCORDING TO THE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE AND THE DEALER RECOMMENDATIONS. ALSO NOTE THAT VEHICLE AT DEALER 3 MONTHS BEFORE THE SECOND INCIDENT. THIS REQUIRES A RECALL BEFORE SOME DIES IN AN ACCIDENT. *TR
2009
POWER TRAIN
WHILE DRIVING AT 70 THE CAR JERKED, COMPLETELY STOPPED ACCELERATING. THERE WAS NO RESPONSE WHEN PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL. LUCKILY WE WERE NEAR AN EXIT, WE WERE NOT REAR ENDED BY A TRUCK AND WERE ABLE SHIFT LANES AND TO ROLL OFF AND PUT OUR HAZARD LIGHTS ON. AFTER CHECKING THE ENGINE, A LOCAL SERVICE MECHANIC WAS ABLE TO DETERMINE THERE WAS AN ERROR CODE RELATED TO THE THROTTLE CONTROL. ON RESTARTING THE CAR THE ENGINE LIGHTS RESET AND THE CAR RAN NORMALLY. RETURNING HOME WE BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO HYUNDAI. WE WERE TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO AS THERE WERE NO ERROR CODES IN MEMORY EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN REGARDING THE THROTTLE SENSOR. I WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING UNTIL AN ERROR WAS RECORDED IN THE MEMORY OF THE COMPUTER BECAUSE HYUNDAI USA WOULD NOT COVER ANYTHING UNDER WARRANTY. WHEN I ASKED IF IT WAS LIKELY TO OCCUR AGAIN, I WAS TOLD IT MOST LIKELY WOULD HAPPEN SOON AND TOO BE CAREFUL. A MONTH LATER IT HAPPENED AGAIN TRAVELING AT ABOUT 65 MILE PER HOUR. THIS TIME THERE WAS NO SHOULDER BUT I WAS ABLE TO PARTIALLY PULL OFF THE ROAD AND PUT ON MY HAZARD LIGHTS AS CARS DROVE BY AND AVOIDED HITTING MINE. THIS SAME SITUATION OCCURRED FOUR (4) MORE TIMES AS I WAS ABLE TO GET MY CAR FINALLY BACK HOME TO THE HYUNDAI DEALER TO SERVICE THE CAR. THE HYUNDAI DEALER REPLACED BOTH THE THROTTLE SENSOR AND THE PEDAL ASSEMBLY. HAVING RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM WITH ACCELERATION, I HAVE LEARNED THAT MANY OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SIMILAR AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. AFTER SPEAKING WITH OTHER HYUNDAI SERVICE TECHNICIANS I WAS TOLD OFF THE RECORD THAT THIS WAS NOT AN UNCOMMON PROBLEM. AS THE THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR IS LESS THAN $29 I AM NOT SURE WHY HYUNDAI DID NOT ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM WHEN I FIRST BROUGHT THE CAR OR AS A RECALL AS THE CONSEQUENCES COULD BE MUCH MORE SERIOUS. *KB