Hyundai Problems

This is still a very new model, so there’s not a whole lot of reliability intelligence available yet. Even so, I’m surprised that such a new vehicle has such a glaring problem just a couple of weeks or so out from its delivery as a brand-new car.

The reason the car won’t start when you open the door with the manual key is that the remote should not only unlock the car, but also deactivate the immobiliser and switch on the main electrical circuits that power the Kona. If the remote isn’t unlocking the doors, then it probably isn’t turning on the main systems either, and that’s why you need to reset the battery each time. Hyundai tells me that this car actually has a conventional 12-volt battery, mounted in the conventional place (under the bonnet, just behind the headlight) that powers the functions you’re missing. If this battery has a dud cell or isn’t charging (and it’s just spent several weeks on a ship getting to Australia, remember) then the car will exhibit the symptoms you’re seeing. A trip to the dealer is in order, but your problem is definitely a warranty issue.

By the way, your car is actually not a hybrid at all. It’s a plug-in electric vehicle. A hybrid uses a combination of a petrol engine and electric motor, your car is purely electric.

It sounds like the brake-light switch is at fault. These are usually located somewhere in the pedal assembly under the dashboard and, when you push the brake pedal, this simple on-off switch activates the brake lights. If the switch is jammed or stuck, it could cause the brake lights to remain on and cause your flat battery. I’d go with this theory first since a short, sharp whack on the brake pedal turns the lights off, suggesting that it’s a sticky switch that’s your problem.

You could try to lubricate the switch with a spray lubricant, but in most cases, the permanent fix is to replace the actual switch. It’s not a huge job and shouldn’t cost too much. That said, your car should still be under factory warranty, so it’s the dealer’s job to fix it.

I don’t think you have anything to worry about, Yash. Oil seals often weep a bit of oil and it’s good to see that the dealership has noticed it and wants to change the seal, rather than ignore it and make it your problem once the car is out of warranty. Speaking of warranty, your car came with six years of factory cover, so even if the seal leaks again in that time, it won’t cost you anything to have it fixed.

As for your other concerns; an oil seal is not a big problem and won’t cause any other damage (unless the oil is pouring out and leaving the engine without sufficient oil (which it isn’t in your case). Changing the seal will have no effect on the rest of the car, the problem will probably never occur again (not in the 10 years you plan to own it, anyway), the seal can be changed simply without opening the engine, and the cause is probably something as simple as a seal with a small manufacturing defect or one that was accidentally `pinched’ during assembly at the Hyundai factory.

Modern cars are incredibly complex machines consisting of thousands of parts. Even the best models from the best makes can have small defects like this one. Don’t sweat it.

Boy, the world is your oyster, Elizabeth. There are literally dozens of options when it comes to a compact SUV. If you’re otherwise happy with the Hyundai, then maybe look at the Hyundai Kona. It’s available as a turbo all-wheel-drive or as a non-turbo front-drive car (not to mention the Kona Electric, an all-electric version) and will come with Hyundai’s great factory warranty and reliability that you’ve already experienced with the Tucson. The other option would the equivalent from Hyundai’s sister company, Kia. The Kia Sportage an also be had as a turbo-diesel, although for normal suburban driving, a petrol is probably your best bet.

Then, you have all the various offerings from the Japanese makers as well as left-field entrants from MG, Fiat, Mini and more. But you need to be careful, because there isn’t always a whole lot of difference between the width of a compact SUV and a mid-sizer. Sure, there’s generally more space inside the bigger car, but it’s often the result of extra length and height rather than width. For instance, your Tucson (assuming it’s the current model) has a width of 1850mm while the Kona is just 50mm (about two inches) narrower. That may not be enough of a difference and you may need to go down two sizes to, say, a Hyundai Venue which is smaller and narrower again with a width of 1770mm.

The engine in your car uses a rubber timing belt which requires replacement every 90,000km. The design of this engine means a broken timing belt will likely destroy the entire engine, so it’s not something to ignore.

A lack of power from the battery to the starter motor can be caused by a range of things starting with the physical stuff like the cabling, terminals or ignition switch, and winding up with a fault in the immobiliser or the on-board computer, for instance. Sluggish performance, meantime, can be any number of things, and just to list them all would take hours.

So, before you go out and spend more money replacing components that may or may not be at fault, have the car scanned at a workshop and see what fault codes it throws up. From there, you’ll have a much better idea of what’s going wrong.

Either the Santa Fe or its close cousin, the Kia Sorento are good choices for a seven-seat SUV. In fact, they’ve risen to the top of the heap when it comes to a seven-seater within your budget. Both offered petrol engines, but in this type of vehicle, the turbo-diesels probably did a better job.

Unfortunately, the top end of your budget rules out all but the tattiest current-shape Kias and Hyundais. If you can stretch to maybe $3000 or $4000 more, you’ll get into good-condition examples of the current version of either and, thanks to the great factory warranties offered by the South Korean brands, you might even find one with some factory cover left to run.

If $20,000 is your absolute limit, that’s not the end of the world, as it will still get you into a very useable vehicle with lots of life left in it. Make sure you check the service record and only buy a car with a documented history of preventative maintenance.

Both the petrol and diesel engines available in the current-generation Tucson have enviable records and reputations for reliability and longevity. Perhaps the factor that will ultimately sway your decision will be the driveline layout, because the all-wheel-drive version of the Tucson is available only with the turbo-diesel or turbo-petrol engine; the normally aspirated engine is available only in front-wheel-drive. To be honest, both the turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol and the turbo-diesel are the natural choices, and the non-turbocharged two-litre petrol engine is very much an also-ran in this model line-up.

That covers the Hyundai Tucson petrol vs diesel debate on a driveability basis, but in other aspects, the question is harder to answer. The petrol turbo is known to be a reliable unit but, in reality, the turbo-diesel probably suits this style of vehicle better with its relaxed feel and effortless nature. That said, if you’re only going to do suburban miles, then rule the diesel out as modern, common-rail diesels with their DPFs really don’t like that type of use. Unless you’re going to drive a decent distance at highway speeds every couple of weeks, the diesel can wind up costing a lot more to maintain.

Even used properly, a diesel engine can be costlier to own and service in the long run and, in the case of the Tucson’s unit, there have been reports of black sludge forming in the intake system, caused by a combination of soot and oil mist which are by-products of the engine’s emissions control. In extreme cases, this black ooze needs to be manually cleaned and that’s a big and expensive job.

But, to confuse things even further, the only transmission available with the turbocharged petrol Tucson is a seven-speed double-clutch unit. Hyundai’s seems better than a lot of such transmissions out there, but many feel this technology is less than perfect and some owners avoid these transmissions at all costs. The turbo-diesel Tucson, in contrast, uses a conventional automatic.

Hyundai’s diesel engines are generally regarded as being among the better ones on the market. That’s probably because the South Korean domestic market has been switched on to small capacity diesels for decades and, as a result, Hyundai has been building them just as long.

But, like any modern turbo-diesel, the iLoad’s diesel can be prone to a build-up of black gunk in the intake system, a result of diesel soot and oil mist mixing as part of the vehicle’s own emissions-control systems. The other problem that has cropped up a few times now is a failed turbocharger unit. Generally, this has been the result of a blocked oilway that feeds lubricating oil to the turbo’s bearing. This is a narrow oilway and any sludge in the engine can block it and starve the turbo of its oil. Which is when the turbo itself fails.

That’s far more likely to happen in a vehicle that has not had the correct maintenance with regards oil changes. So check the service handbook before handing over the cash and only buy a second-hand iLoad with a full and correct service history.

Finding critical safety information like this online can be fraught with danger. There are simply too many self-appointed geniuses out there who have little to no idea of what they’re talking about. Other times, you’ll be unwittingly reading about a vehicle specification from overseas that isn’t relevant to us, even though the badge is the same. And getting a bum steer on something like towing limits has awful potential consequences. Stick with websites like CarsGuide that you can trust.

On that basis, the Hyundai iX35 in question has a towing capacity of 750kg for an unbraked trailer and a 1600kg limit for a braked load. The tow-ball down-load limit is 140kg, the Gross Vehicle Mass is 2170kg and the Gross Combination Mass (the vehicle, trailer and all its occupants and luggage) is 3770kg. And just to cover all the bases, the factory roof-rack has a 100kg limit.

Checked against your choice of camper-trailer, you’ll find that the electrically-braked Road Trotter camper has a tare mass of 1090kg and can be loaded to a combined trailer-and-luggage weight of 1500kg. Its tow-ball download figure of 90kg is within the Hyundai’s capacity as well.