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Hyundai Problems

Are you having problems with your Hyundai? Let our team of motoring experts keep you up to date with all of the latest Hyundai issues & faults. We have gathered all of the most frequently asked questions and problems relating to the Hyundai in one spot to help you decide if it's a smart buy.

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Hyundai's family SUV hit with urgent recall
By Dom Tripolone · 03 Mar 2025
Hyundai has issued a recall notice for SUVs due to a fire risk. More than 8700 ix35 mid-size SUVs built between 2012 and 2013 are affected. The notice issued by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts said a manufacturing defect could lead to a fire while the car was driving or parked.
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My 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe won't move in Drive
Answered by David Morley · 23 Apr 2025

A modern automatic transmission is a very complex piece of equipment with a whole bunch of parts that have to be talking to each other for it to work properly. Your best plan of attack is to have the vehicle inspected by a transmission specialist who is familiar with this transmission and should be able to diagnose the fault.

But it sounds like there’s something broken or loose inside that is not allowing the engine’s power to be transferred to the car’s wheels. This could be anything form an input or output shaft, a clutch assembly, torque converter or even the gearsets themselves. Perhaps the fault is in the valve body (the part that actually selects each gear) but until it’s torn down and inspected, you won’t know what’s going on.

The other major cause of a car not moving when it’s in gear is that there’s a broken driveshaft or CV joint. The symptoms can be very similar, so check the whole driveline before committing to repairs.

It’s possible – although pretty unlikely - that a modern car still uses bronze bushings somewhere in the differential or drive-axle assembly. The material is likely to be bronze or phosphor-bronze.

I’m tipping you’ve performed a differential-oil drain and found a few metallic-looking bits in the bottom of the rain pan. This is never a good thing to find, as it suggests that something is wearing inside the diff and shedding these filings. It’s actually not abnormal for a few tiny fragments to appear in the oil, but if the bottom of the drain pan glitters like you’re panning for gold, then you have a potential problem.

Even though the fragments might look yellowish, they could have started out silver (like normal bearing material) but have become discoloured due to time and heat in the environment in which they operate. So, just because they look like bronze or brass, they could be made from any type of bearing material. At which point you need to investigate further.

2004 Hyundai Getz manual no longer goes into gear
Answered by David Morley · 01 Jul 2025

It sounds like the transmission has broken something internally. It could be that the clutch assembly is smashed, or the input or output shafts have snapped. It could even be the actual gearsets that have failed, leaving you with no mechanical connection between the engine and the gearbox.

Either way, it sounds like it needs a new clutch and/or gearbox which may be more than the market value of the car. That said, wrecking yards are full of Hyundai Getzes, so a second-hand, tested transmission might save the day.

Why does my 2007 Hyundai Tucson shudder?
Answered by David Morley · 07 Apr 2025

That’s a pretty comprehensive rebuild of the fuel system, so it’s possible that something that was removed at the time has gone back on not quite the way it was. A shuddering as you slow down suggests that the idle speed is perhaps a touch low. You should be able to adjust the ide speed fairly simply, so the first thing to try is to creep it up, say, 100rpm and see if the shudder goes away.

A mechanic will be able to do this quickly and easily. If that’s not the problem, you need to go back and double check every fitting and fastener to make sure there’s no air or fuel leak that is causing the engine to develop the staggers. Were the new injector seals treated to a dollop of rubber grease before they were installed? If not, there’s a chance that fitting them may have put a small tear in the rubber seal which is now leaking.

Best EV options under $65,000
Answered by David Morley · 27 Jun 2025

Your budget puts you into some good EVs with decent range including the BYD Seal, Cupra Born, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Polestar 2 (just outside your budget), Tesla Model 3 and others.

Resale value is the big unknown at the moment with many used-car buyers wary of the potential costs of replacing the EV battery sometime in the future.

The future-proofing thing is debatable, too, and experts reckon EV technology is still in its infancy and has a long way to go. If that’s the case, then today’s EVs might seem like Model T Fords in the near future. It all remains to be seen and rests partly on the willingness of the Australian government to get serious about the EV infrastructure necessary for the tech to become viable for more people.

The radio in my 2015 Hyundai ix35 has lost all sound
Answered by David Morley · 30 Apr 2025

I’m not sure that this is a common fault, but it’s certainly not unheard of. The stereo in a modern car is like any other electrical appliance; it has the potential to just up and die for no good reason.

But rather than simply replace the unit you have, why not shop around for an improvement. There are many, many, aftermarket stereo systems that will fit your car and will have superior Bluetooth functionality and more features than the stock head unit from 2015. You might find they’re cheaper, too.

The dipstick is blowing out in my 2022 Hyundai Tucson diesel
Answered by David Morley · 24 Jan 2025

It sounds very much like there’s a blow-by problem with this engine. The pressure created by the combustion process is somehow getting past the pistons and into the crankcase, causing the dipstick to leave its tube and blowing oil all around the engine bay.

Blow-by is often caused by worn or broken piston rings or a damaged piston itself. But modern turbo-diesels are also prone to problems with their crankcase ventilation and emissions-control systems which can become full of gunk and not allow the crankcase to breathe properly. At which point, the same symptoms can occur.

A mechanic will be able to do some tests and determine what’s causing the pressure build-up inside the crankcase. If it’s internal wear, a rebuild may be required. But if it’s a build-up of crud inside the emissions-control systems, a manual disassembly and clean might be required. Either way, your car’s warranty might cover you for this, so the Hyundai dealer is your first port of call.

My 2017 Hyundai i30 is losing a lot of oil between services
Answered by David Morley · 10 Mar 2025

I’ll assume it’s a Hyundai dealership that wants to charge you to assess the car. And I hear what you’re saying about the car’s service history and the fact that some of these engines have been fixed by Hyundai because they were faulty from new. So, the best advice is to forget about the dealership and go straight to Hyundai’s customer service department at head office.

That cuts out the middle man at the dealership and should get you in touch with somebody who knows whether your car was one of the affected ones or whether you’ve just been unlucky in this instance. My experience has been that Hyundai takes this stuff very seriously and has helped other owners in the past. However, your case will still be assessed according to the service history and how many kilometres the car has covered.

The gearbox in my 2009 Hyundai iLoad clunks going into gear
Answered by David Morley · 02 May 2025

There’s every chance this is caused by a small amount of wear and slack in one of the joints in the driveline. If that’s the case, those joints and couplings need to be checked and the worn one(s) replaced, as continuing to drive as it is could see the driveline fail spectacularly at speed.

The reason you feel the jolt on the flat and not when you’re parked on a hill is that the driveline is relaxed on the flat, leaving a little slack for the thump to occur. When parked downhill, gravity has caused the driveline to take up that slack (plus your foot is probably on the brake, preventing the car rocking or moving at all) so the thump can’t occur and, therefore, isn’t felt.

Disclaimer: You acknowledge and agree that all answers are provided as a general guide only and should not be relied upon as bespoke advice. Carsguide is not liable for the accuracy of any information provided in the answers.
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