Hyundai Hatchback Range

This is probably a case of a bad brake light switch inside the car (usually attached to the brake pedal mechanism itself). These switches can fail in the on or off position, leaving you with either no brake lights at all, or the problem you now have.

The good news is that it’s not a tough thing to fix, nor should it be expensive. The average mechanical workshop should be able to do it, and the new switch should be readily available from auto parts stores and online.

At more than 10 years old, your car is well and truly out of warranty, even though it hasn’t covered a huge distance. You could certainly contact Hyundai Australia’s customer service department and ask the question. In my experience, Hyundai has taken its customer complaints very seriously and has a good track record of putting things right.

Most of this series of Hyundai Accents had a conventional automatic transmission which seems pretty good on the reliability front. But if your car is a Series 2 Accent, then it might be fitted with the company’s CVT transmission. These have been known to give trouble due to input shaft failures, and this could certainly cause the death rattle you’re hearing. Again, though, you’re a long way out of the five-year warranty your car was sold new with.

What you haven’t told me is whether your car has an automatic or manual transmission. And that means different things if the transmission has somehow been over-filled.

In the case of a manual gearbox, you’ll find that the extra oil will probably soon be evenly distributed across the bottom of your car as the excess exits the scene through either a breather tube or a seal or gasket.

But if it’s an automatic, the extra fluid could cause the entire transmission to behave strangely, as this type of gearbox relies on the correct internal fluid pressure to select gears, change gears and, in fact, make the car move at all. Again, though, the extra will probably force its way out through a seal or gasket and then you have a much more complicated repair to make.

The best advice is to check the level of the fluid as set out in the owner’s handbook and make sure the level is correct before driving anywhere else.