Hyundai Problems

These modern active cruise control system rely on lots and lots of information from around the car to function properly. And unless all those camera, steering, braking and throttle position (and more) sensors are playing as a team, the car’s computer - acting as the onboard relationship manager - has no option but to disable some functions, as they become potentially flawed without the correct inputs.

That’s why the connection between the power steering and the cameras on your car is so critical, and also why the systems have shut down. The actual failure could be with either the steering or camera system, but it will need a deep dive at the dealership to figure out what element has caused the shutdown of the other.

In any case, this is pretty clearly a warranty job (unless the camera has been damaged by hitting something) but you need to be fair about it and give Hyundai every chance to make it right.

It could be a single oil leak that is showing up in more than one place. The first place to check would be the rocker cover gasket which are prone to leaks (not just on Hyundais). If this has failed, oil could be leaking along the edge of the rocker cover and on to the gearbox, while the same leak could appear as though it’s coming from the spark plug socket (as well as a variety of other places).

The best way to find the location of an oil leak, is usually to clean the engine thoroughly, removing all the build-up oil, grease and dirt. Allow the engine to dry and then take the car for a drive. By continually checking the engine over the next few days you might be able to spot the source when the oil leak reappears.

I can understand why the crank angle sensor was the first thing to be changed. These often start to die and the first symptom is an engine that stops after running for a while. But you’re right to be sceptical about the timing chain as there’s a theory that says if the engine runs properly at all, then the issue won’t be anything fundamental. Which is to say, if the timing chain was stretched beyond the point at which the engine could function properly, it wouldn’t function properly at all, regardless of how long it had been running.

A good workshop should be able to scan the car’s computer. If the timing chain really is stretched, then the computer should have logged this as a problem. If not, then you’re looking for something else. Of course, what that something else is the million-dollar question. Don’t rule out basic things like a dirty fuel filter which can allow fuel to flow for a while before the rubbish in it clogs the flow after a few minutes running.

That said, if the engine can’t locate the correct signal from the camshaft (which is controlled by the timing chain) it will sometimes look for a stand-in signal somewhere else on the engine, allowing it to start but not run properly. An electronic scan is definitely the way forward.

Car makers will sometimes help out with such problems provided the car has been serviced correctly and not abused throughout its life. I agree that 40,000km is not a reasonable expectation for a modern automatic transmission, so I’d be contacting Hyundai Australia’s customer service division to see if anything can be done. Experience tells me that Hyundai takes its obligations in this area pretty seriously, so you may be offered some help with the cost of repairs.

You could also have the transmission inspected to see what went wrong (your state motoring club is a good place to start for independent inspections like this one) as this information might be very useful if you decide to take the matter further. The ACCC would be the final step in this process, and Australian Consumer Law deals with what is fit for purpose and what is not.

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.

When a bunch of electrical functions all go out at once (or within a short space of time of each other) suspicions are always drawn to the car’s body computer. This computer controls all the functions you mentioned as well as dozens of others from the heating and cooling, central locking, lights, wipers, dashboard and much, much more. When the computer starts to die (as most computers eventually do) these functions will start dropping one by one and sometimes in simultaneous batches of failures. Eventually, pretty much nothing will work and the car will not even respond to the key’s inputs.

An auto electrician is the best place to take the car, and as well as the computer, they will also check the car’s battery and charging system and the quality (or otherwise) of the car’s earthing points. Bad earths can cause similar problems to this, but the body computer remains a likely culprit.

It’s very possible that this is a problem with the brake’s booster system. To give the braking system extra oomph, it uses a vacuum operated booster unit that multiplies the force in your leg. The vacuum comes from the engine’s intake system. If this booster develops a vacuum leak, it can allow excess air into the engine’s intake manifold. This extra air messes up the air-fuel mixture and the engine can start to rev up.

The brake booster is the first place a mechanic will check when presented with this problem.

The ABS warning is for a problem with the anti-lock braking system (that's what it stands for) and the image of a serving car is to warn you that there’s also potentially a problem with the car’s stability control. So, no, it’s not the transmission at fault here.

Both the ABS and stability control are crucial safety systems and the car really shouldn’t be driven until these problems have been checked out and rectified. The first thing to do is take the car to a workshop and have it electronically scanned. The onboard computer will have logged the faults as they were detected and will be able to identify the problem areas to give the mechanic a head-start on working out what’s wrong.