iheartmyredcar

Ok background

i had approx. 5,500 miles on my 08 elantra and i encountered an electrical problem. granted the dealership fixed it. i was going about 60 mph when all of sudden my dash would reset. my headlights would flash and even the seat beat light would flash and dinged at me like i wasn't wearing it when i was. it was like my car was restarting at 60 mph electrically anyway. it happened several times that day so i called the dealership and took it in.they replaced a connector in my dash with out asking me any questions.

this problem, the exact same one, is back at 45,000 miles! but now here's the difference, the one time it occurred recently it was during the daytime so i had nothing lit up on dash except the D light and my TPMS light due to my winter tires. I had my radio turned down surprisingly(early morning). my seat beat light started flashing at me and every time it flashed i heard a click. probably a relay clicking. so i called the dealership up(not the dealership who previously fixed it because i dont go there anymore). they said to leave it with them for the day. they didnt give me a rental so i had to borrow someones car for the day. i got a call after 5 hours and they said to come pick it, we found nothing wrong with your car!!! so i remained calm on the phone and said i would be in. when i dropped the car off, i typed a detailed summary of what was happening including the clicking noise i heard. i also gave them the invoice from the other dealership that said exactly what they fixed. i get to the dealership and ask them exactly what they did to my car.
she said:
1) we road tested it and couldn't get it to duplicate. but heres the kicker mileage in and mileage out on my invoice was only a 1 mile difference.
2) she said they checked all connections and relays. all are working fine.....my dash is still dusty with no finger prints on it!
3) i asked her, well what if i install a video camera and video tape it then will you believe me? she said no the tech has to experience the problem!

so needless to say.....i driving a car that has major electrical issues and this dealership did a half fast job and said there was nothing wrong. i asked the lady after our little discussion, what if im going around a corner at high speeds say on a highway and my electrical system frizzes out again and i lose my power steering.....then what? she paused and said I know that is a concern but there is nothing we can do about it because the tech has to experience the problem.

so main frustration here.....it is a re-occurring problem. and i want it to be fixed! i have a warranty and i intend to use it if i need too. any ideas what it could be if they are saying all the connections and relays are fine?

i have also had another problem at 19,000 miles where i would park my car and it move forward like it wasnt going into park. it would try to catch the gear 2 times then it would stop in park. i love my car so i always come to a complete stop before shifting between gears. this problem was also fixed. in this case it was a bad brake switch. the brake switch that has been replaced in several 08 elantras that i know of.

thanks for any input!

bdiggy

Unfortunately, that's the answer you're more then likely to get at any dealership Amanda. I went through 5 or 6 problems like this when mine was newer as well. "We couldn't get the car to duplicate the problem sir." Electrical here as well, come to think of it. The sunroof switch would work when it felt like it. If you see that it happens at a frequent interval, say every 10 or 20 miles, make sure the tech takes it out long enough to experience the issue.

iheartmyredcar

its just frustrating. i think im going to call the dealership that originally fixed it tomorrow and see what they say.

HyundaiKitCoupe

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>2) she said they checked all connections and relays. all are working fine.....my dash is still dusty with no finger prints on it!
3) i asked her, well what if i install a video camera and video tape it then will you believe me? she said no the tech has to experience the problem!</div>

that's complete bull ** sh*t. you bought a brand new car, it should be thoroughly inspected and you should be 100% convinced and shown that there is no problem, and what to do in case of emergency. they should have tested all of the fuses, and diagnosed which relay circuit it's coming from.

i'm sorry, i have no idea what the problem is. my guess is that it's a loose connection somewhere, perhaps a shorted connection.
the only time something similar happened to me is when my CAI was hitting my battery terminal causing a short. this is why i think it's a short circuit.

from hearing about your problems thus far, they shouldn't have happened and this is a prime example of the treatment you get from this company and the car you put thousands of hard-earned dollars into. you aren't the first i hear of being told to go back home, as this happened to my sister's tiburon with warranty. they didn't want to replace the air conditioning unit, they put the sunroof in wrong, and scratched the paint off. i love my car too, but only because for what it used to be. i'm convinced that this is my, and my families last hyundai ever. my father is going to buy a VW, or a hybrid after this.

tibbykid91

Do you have any mods that deal with the electrical system? Because if you do you will have trouble trying to get the work covered under warranty.

happyinaz

First and formost to hyundaikitcoupe, its not hyundai thats te problem dude, vw wont help you ever not even under warrenty, check there jd power ratings, fords are even better them them second, like everyone is saying girl make sure you go with them on the drive and have it duplicated, when i had my 01.5 gt hatch the dealer in mn kept saying there was nothing wrong with the cd player wich would click as you went faster, so i rode with the tech and showed him myself,thus it got fixed. do go to the first dealer that fixed the problem the first time and ride with. good luck

iheartmyredcar

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (HyundaiKitCoupe @ Jan 25 2010, 10:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>that's complete bull ** sh*t. you bought a brand new car, it should be thoroughly inspected and you should be 100% convinced and shown that there is no problem, and what to do in case of emergency. they should have tested all of the fuses, and diagnosed which relay circuit it's coming from.</div>

i no. if they dont fix it, i really dont think my next car will be a hyundai sadly. its the second re-occurance. i already know two people who have had their HD's lemon lawed because of electrical issues. hmm i have been eying up that new WRX though.....

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (tibbykid91 @ Jan 25 2010, 10:24 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Do you have any mods that deal with the electrical system? Because if you do you will have trouble trying to get the work covered under warranty.</div>

no electrical mods. i just installed HIDs yesterday though. the problem was there before i installed them.

HyundaiKitCoupe

thank you happyinaz. i just looked at the ratings and you stand correct. the ratings for Ford are one of the top with Hyundai not far from it. i'm interested in dealership satisfaction too! if these guys: "the tech has to experience the problem" are repairing my brand new car for free then thanks but no thanks! anyway, i apologize if i've taken the thread in this direction. i just dislike hearing stuff like this, especially multiple times with one customer. a dealer should stand by its product and its customers.

if i were you i wouldn't leave until the problem is repaired. tell them you're not leaving until they do a full diagnosis, test all of the circuits. afterall, the full diagnostic is available through hmaservice. it shouldn't be difficult for them to pull it up (as they should) and find the issue. toughen up and start demanding things like a grandma from Jersey. you shouldn't have to make several trips. don't let them boss you around.

DTN

Just wait for the problem to get a bit worse. They basically told you that it has to get worse before it can get better smile.gif

187sks

If it's truly intermittent, as in it happens fairly rarely, it'll be very, very difficult to troubleshoot.

I have had bad experiences at some Hyundai dealerships, and great at others. It really varies. I do agree that it's the same for most dealerships though, not only Hyundai.

Really it will have to get worse before it gets better like DTN said. If it does it again, try jiggling the ignition a bit and see if it fixes the problem. I've dealt with similar problems which ended up being:

Bad dash ground
Bad ignition switch
Bad multifunction switch (turn signal/wiper lever)
Cracked relay
Bad battery

So overall until it is easy to reproduce it can be really hard to find. Bring it in whenever you have a problem if it bothers you and eventually they'll have to buy it back from you under the lemon law.

I know some people like them, but I've never liked the HD. A guy I know got one (also had to return it under the lemon law actually) so I went over it pretty carefully and looked things over and I really feel that mechanically it's a step backwards from the XD. The rear suspension is cheaper and inferior to the XD's and doesn't even allow for proper alignment adjustments, requiring people/companies to make replacement parts that can be adjusted. I have other issues with it, but the HD is the only current model Hyundai that I have never recommended to anyone.