[kalpeshc]

I've been looking at i20 since a long time now as my first car, but unfortunately the last 10-15 posts across TBHP on i20 are only for steering problems and nothing else !!

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by kalpeshc

I've been looking at i20 since a long time now as my first car, but unfortunately the last 10-15 posts across TBHP on i20 are only for steering problems and nothing else !!

That is because it is a major issue and Hyundai knows about it . They still haven't come up with a concrete solution for this issue. Had it been a rattle from the panels, no one would have cared much. But this rattle is from the steering which is a critical part of the car.

The EPS malfunction/failure in my car and the constant recurrence of the steering rattle for others(inspite of God knows how many fixes & experiments), proves that there is something horribly wrong with the i20's steering system design. Knowing fully well about the car's troubled history, any responsible car manufacturer would have sent company engineers to check such a critical failure. But with Hyundai, I guess it is too much to expect!!!!!!

Originally Posted by askids

Advertize it everywhere.

I already have. I have recieved many e-mails & phone calls about the issue. Almost all of them were surprised as to why Hyundai is still not responding and how could a reputed car manufacturer like Hyundai behave like this. And yes, many of them cancelled their plans to buy the i20 and chose to book some other manufacturer's car instead. it is obvious no one will want their families to go around in car which has such a critical flaw in the steering. You can spend 50K more and get some other car, but if God forbid something happens to your near & dear ones in that car because of this issue, no one can reverse what might happen.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

You can spend 50K more and get some other car, but if God forbid something happens to your near & dear ones in that car because of this issue, no one can reverse what might happen.

I think you should say 'save 50K' and buy another car! We should also take care to stay away from i20s on the roads - who knows what may happen with their steering
just kidding

[skanchan95]

Guys,
Thanks a lot for your many supportive PMs and e-mails. I appreciate it very much. This was an e-mail sent by someone amongst you that has got me interested in a possible remedy to the EPS malfunction in my car( I am marking the important part in bold)

From: XXXXX
Sent: Thursday, January 06, 2011 10:04 AM
To: skanchan95@gmail.com
Subject: your thread on team-bhp

Dear Sandesh,

I have been following your thread about your i20 on team-bhp and it is disturbing to read about the experience you are going through. I wanted to comment in your thread but could not since I am not a member of team-bhp. I got your e-mail address on the google spreadsheet on "rattled" i20 owners.

It is very disappointing to see Hyundai not responding to you and that they left you high and dry. Going through your thread, it felt as if you if you were a test driver constantly providing feedback to hyundai and I admire you for your patience and determination in trying to get the issues resolved. Shame on Hyundai for ignoring you. Your anger and frustration are well justified

Anyway, the main purpose of writing this e-mail to you was to suggest a possible remedy for the steering problem in your i20. Now, I take no responsibility if it does not work and you should you hold me responsible if something goes wrong. I want to make it very clear to you if you chose to try this. Try this only on an open road where there is no traffic and drive carefully if you choose to attempt this, but again I should not be held responsible for any accident, I am only trying to help you and I am suggesting this because I had seen a similar AC problem because of faulty fuse in a friend's Verna.

In your i20's engine bay, there should be a fuse box which contains all the fuses. Now, it may be possible the fuse which controls the power to the steering may have fused out or may need a "reset". A simple removal & re-insertion of the fuse may get your steering back online again. Try removing & re-inserting the power steering fuse(consult the manual). If you are not sure, which one it is,go for broke and remove and re-insert the fuses one by one. This may just work.If my suggestion works, atleast your car will be driveable again.Re-starting your car seems to get rid of the problem which makes me suspect that there may be something minorly wrong, but I am no expert nor should such an incident of steering problem ever be taken lightly. It is now upto you if you want to attempt this. If it works, well you will have your car back. If not, atleast you tried.

You are right in asking Hyundai to send a qualified engineer and going through your thread, it is quite clear the SAs and techs in the workshop are useless. Diagnosing the problem is the work of the workshop and Hyundai, and not you or me.

I read that you have filed a case in the consumer court and you have done the right thing. The dealer and Hyundai must not be spared for their unacceptable behaviour. They cannot leave anyone stranded like this.I can understand how painful and irritating it must be to see your car in such a condition, if my suggestion works, it will partly help in easing your pain and make your car roadworthy. You can always fight in the court about the other issues which you mentioned in your thread.

These are only suggestions and is my attempt to help you( which should have been done by Hyundai in the first place). I will be very happy if it works but I should not be held responsible for anything goes wrong.

Good Luck!!!

XXXXX

Before even attempting this, I sent an e-mail asking the relevant people in Hyundai if I could go ahead and try this as per the precautions and suggestions mentioned in the mail. The great fellows that they are, they never bothered to respond nor are they willing to help. And no, I have not attempted this as yet( the car is still showing the same mileage as on the day of the malfunction and it has not been driven since then), I am still waiting for Hyundai's response to try this suggestion, but I think the wait will be endless as I think they will not respond.


Today I googled for "Hyundai EPS Failure" to see if this steering failure has happened on other Hyundai cars . The results were shocking!!!!

Hyundai i10 Electric Power Steering Failure Problem - Hyundai i10 Electric Power Steering Failure Problem

Hyundai / I10 Car Complaints - EPS steering system failure - Hyundai / I10 Car Complaints - EPS steering system failure

Hyundai i10 Complaints - Serious Safety problem in Hyundai i10 - Hyundai i10 Complaints - Serious Safety problem in Hyundai i10

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post1618188


All these reports have a striking similarity to what I experienced on the evening of December 17,2010 in my i20.This EPS malfunction has happened on other Hyundai cars before and I think the company already knows of this issue and are probably taking it lightly. As per one of the reports in the above links, restarting the car got rid of the EPS malfunction/failure, thereby eliminating any proof that the steering malfunction/failure ever happened.

Now comes the tricky part, if tomorrow I drive the car and if the steering starts working normally, then what ? I will look like a fool in front of the court and those Hyundai jokers. Hyundai's non-response for 3 weeks since the incident makes me suspect that they probably know that restarting the car solves the issue, but then again there is also a concern that what if this failure happens at high speeds. Going through the links above, it may be a tricky issue and may be difficult to prove or replicate( if the car starts behaving normally when driven).

[shridhar.s.i]

Hey Sandesh,
As you rightly said, there are lot of Hyundai cars having this problem right now,
And related to fusebox issue; i guess you can go ahead and give it a try because anyways the Company guys have started turning a deaf ear to you, so you can try out the option and if it does not do the trick then rollback the changes,
I dont see it as a major change though because we own a Tata car and this activity is considered normal here
All the best

[skanchan95]

I want to check the fuses in the fuse box ASAP. But before even attempting it, I wanted to get a response from Hyundai over it, as the car has not been "touched" since December 17. Whether the fuse box thingie works or not, I do not want Hyundai to make an issue about this in the future.

I did get a reply from Hyundai yesterday( which I saw this morning) about my query of whether I could check the fuse box to "fix" the steering issue. They asked me to take the car to the dealership, to which I replied
1. the car is not driveable(safely) in its present state , hence the pending request to send company engineers or qualified people from Rajkot
2. the car will never ever be taken to Om Hyundai, Junagadh nor will any of their staff be allowed to check the car.

I told them I am willing to take the car to Rajkot for a complete check-up(further 100 kms+ from Junagadh) but for that the car has to be made roadworthy first and asked them again if I can go ahead and check the fuses. I am yet to get a reply.

[skanchan95]

This is the reply I got two days back regarding my query whether I could check the fuses in the fuse box as a possible solution to the EPS malfunction in my car, also whether doing so could result in warranty being voided in the future.

The main query never was not answered, rather I am being asked to take the car AS IT IS to Rajkot, which will be madness after what I experienced on December 17 when the EPS malfunctioned.

From: XXXXX
Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2011 5:22 PM
To: Sandesh Kanchan
Cc: xxxxxx@hmil.net ; xxxx@hmil.net ; Mr. XXXXX .
Subject: Re: Fw: your thread on team-bhp

Dear Kanchan,

With respect to the concern regarding non operation of the EPS, It is just an steering assist, you can very well drive your car safely to rajkot only thing being the steering system would behave as a manual steering without power assist.

Hence kindly make arrangement to take your car to Rajkot, since you do not want to get the job done from Om Hyundai.

Regards
XXX

Meanwhile, this is what I see daily in the porch, that our car hasn't moved an inch for nearly a month and it really hurts. The Santro is a family friend's car which we had borrowed for a trip outside Veraval and asking somone for their car is certainly not something which makes us proud.

[NutsNBolts]

That's an amazing response. Do ask them if they will take the responsibility of anything happening to the car (due to EPS0 during their suggested drive. Sad state.

[skanchan95]

Here's an update.

On January 14, 2011 in the evening, I got a mail from the RO telling me to go ahead and checked the fuses in the fuse box. The next day, on January 15, I went ahead and check the fuses. I opened up the fuse box in the engine bay and read the manual. I could not understand which fuse was meant for the steering. So I tried removing & checking the fuses(the big blue ones, i did not touch the small fuses as I felt they were brittle).

There is a white plastic pincer like thing to remove the fuses in the fuse box, but I did not find it to be of help in removing the fuses. I had to use my fingers to remove the fuses. All those big fuses seemed ok and and I simply inserted them back again into their respective slots one by one. I made sure that none of them felt loose after re-insertion.

Went ahead and started the car after nearly one month, all warning lights disappeared one by one. Mileage reading was 23076 kms. I revved the engine for a while juts to get the "juices" flowing again. Cautiously and very slowly I drove the car out. Kept driving kept on the speed below 20 kmph. Then too the car to an open ground and did all sorts of slow turns, the car seemed to be running fine and steering was behaving normally. Then took the car out to the bye pass road. All this while I kept the car below 20 kmph. After seeing a clear road, I drove at higher speeds to see if the steering locked up. It didn't and the steering seemed to normal again( though the steering rattle still is there).

Now five days and few more TDs later, the car's steering looks to have become normal again. I will be taking the car to Rajkot on Saturday for its first paid service. Seems resetting the fuse did the trick, but the EPS malfunction, for whatever reason, should not have happened in the first place.

Some pics from the Jan 15 TD. The first pic is of the speedometer console right after I started the car on January 15th.

[selfdrive]

I am sure you will drive carefully and safely. I would recommend taking someone along with you to Rajkot if this is possible. Good luck to you, I hope your problems with the car are resolved completely.

[danny25]

Hello, Are there any updates after the first service ?

[skanchan95]

I got the car serviced from Shreenath Hyundai, Rajkot on January 22nd, 2011. This was the car's first paid service. I wanted to wait for two weeks and see how the car was behaving after the service before writing this report(whether the concerns raised were solved or not).

January 20, 2011 - Booked a service with Shreenath Rajkot for 22nd, was asked to reach there by 09:30 AM. Also booked an appointment with an eye specialist in Rajkot, as my Dad was a probable Glaucoma suspect and some tests needed to be done on his eye.

January 22nd 2011, 05:30 AM, drive along with my dad to Rajkot. It normally takes three hours to reach Rajkot from veraval. But kept a cushion of one hour to drive slow and cautiously( in case the steering malfunctions enroute)

09:15 AM : reach Rajkot without any trouble(Shreenath Hyundai, Rajkot is on the highway just before entering Rajkot). Met up with an SA over there and tell him of the issues faced - Brake noise, rattles from some door panels( I did not tell them of a the buzzing sound from the dashboard, the one for which those jokers from Om Hyundai, JND opened up and wrecked the entire central console in the dashboard), rattle from the front passenger's seat and paid service. I told them specifically to check the brake pads for signs of uneven wear and to check for the brake noise problem in the car. I told them that the brake pads had been changed thrice in the car by the jokers in Om Hyundai, Junagadh over the past pone year, the shock was quite evident on their faces.

As many of you may be aware, we have filed a case in the consumer court against Om Hyundai, Junagadh and HMIL for recurrence of steering rattle in the car( inspite of numerous visits to their "authorised" workshop in Junagadh),complete lack of response when the EPS malfunctioned and the purposeful(revenge driven) damage caused to the car by those jokers at Om Hyundai Junagadh( including water leakage from the rear glass). Since we did not want to drag Shreenath Hyundai into this mess, we let the steering rattle complaint left as it is and did not tell the SA to check for it.

If and when the need arises, this steering rattle would have to be proven in court and it is very much there and much louder than before( the jokers from Hyundai first called the same rattle as steering rattle first, did all sorts of circus to get rid of the noise, then the great WM from Junagadh called it suspension noise and then finally dashboard rattle and then stopped responding.). The other issues like purposeful damage caused to the car and leakage from the rear glass is quite evident.

09:40 AM: The repair order ( or whatever it is called ) was printed out and given to me and was told that the car would be ready by 04:30 PM. So left the workshop with Dad for the eye hospital.

Got the test done and thankfully all tests showed that my dad doesn't have Glaucoma, though the doctor advised to get the tests done again after six months to eliminate any further doubt. So I was quite happy.

02:00 PM : Back at a restaurant near the workshop. Had lunch there and reach the workshop at around 2:45 PM. The car was still being worked upon. So we waited.

04:20 PM : The car was brought out to the parking after washing for delivery.
By 4:45, we paid off the bill and left for Veraval( copy of the bill attached)

On the drive back back to Veraval, I noticed the car had become much more responsive, the pick up had improved, the clutch , brake and accelerator pedals were feeling much more smoother and crisper - This was something I had never noticed or felt during the three services with Om Hyundai, Junagadh. It proved my suspicions right that all that those idiots in Junagadh did during the services was change the fluids, they never checked anything in the name of "general check up".

There was also an old issue( which I had felt was a valid complaint then), there was this strange vibration that used to come from the clutch pedal, when it was pointed to those idiots at Om Hyundai, Junagadh during one of the service visits, they has said it is normal. Now after getting the car serviced at Shreenath, Rajkot, that vibration has gone. All rattles from door panels were eliminated( including, to my pleasant surprise, the supposed dashboard buzzing noise).

Now two weeks later(after servicing from Shreenath Hyundai Rajkot), observations are as below
1. Brake noise - Eliminated
2. Rattle from door panels - Eliminated( including dashboard buzzing noise)
3. Rattle from the front passenger seat- Eliminated
4. The car is much smoother and responsive, pedals too are much smoother. In the last two fillings, I got an average of 16.8( city + highway) and 14.1( in city) - A.C on all the time.

Thumbs up to Shreenath Hyundai, Rajkot.

Now this proves :
1. Those idiots in Om Hyundai were doing something awfully wrong which resulted in the recurrence of the brake noise issue. That they were truly incompetent in solving the issues.
2. The car is now being driven on the same roads as before. Dust, as pointed out by them to be one of the reasons for the brake noise, was certainly not the cause of the brake noise
3. The new found smoothness in the car's behaviour and pedals after servicing from Shreenath Hyundai, Rajkot proves that those Om Hyundai jokers were never actually " servicing" the car. They were only changing the fluids and that as per them meant servicing a car. They never carried out a check up or tune up of the car during its services

Flashback
Flashback to last week of November 2010 , after the jokers in Om Hyundai, Junagadh had wrecked central console in the dashboard, put scratches on the steering wheel, hatch door and fitted the rear glass so poorly that water was leaking into the cabin from the rear glass, I thought of going to another workshop in Rajkot to try and talk to them about the issues in the car. So, during a personal visit to Rajkot I dropped in at Shreenath Hyundai just find out an estimate of repairs for the damage, which included replacement of the plastics in the central console, the silver insert on the steering wheel and the passenger seatbelt display unit. I also wanted to enquire about the cost of removing and refitting the rear glass and painting the scratches on the hatch door.

To my pleasant surprise, I found that the Works Manager was the same person who was there in Shreenath, Hyundai when we used to have an Accent and used to get the car serviced there till 2006. He is quite polite and down to earth, unlike the great "owner" WM at Om Hyundai, Junagadh. I told him of the issues we faced with Om Hyundai, Junagadh and he said that all the issues would be addressed but that the car would have to be left for a day. I obviously would have had to pay for the repairs. I told him that when I get the car for its next service, I would think of leaving the car there.Later I came to know that the cost of repairs would be in tune of Rs 10,000+. We were just contemplating whether to get the car repaired or go to court over the issue when the EPS malfunctioned on December 17, 2010. This malfunction, coupled by
1. Complete lack of response from Hyundai's side about the comprehensive report about Om Hyundai's "greatness" and the issues faced with the car since its first service.
2. Absolute lack of sense and sensitivity shown by those Hyundai greats when the EPS malfunction issue was pointed the them,

forced us to got the consumer court against Om Hyundai and HMIL.

Conclusions/Reflections
Now, I have come to know why the RO is reluctant to take action Om Hyundai Junagadh. They probably painted a bleak picture of us in front of the company, if at all an enquiry came from above( That I am a jhik jhik wala and a paagal). Now that one of the long pending issues with car has been solved( brake noise issue - after people from Shreenath hyundai worked on the car), who is the paagal and jhik jhik wala? Those RO people fully know how good Om Hyundai really is, but when these RO wallahs get royally entertained by the Junagadh workshop, why would one take action against them? Such people who do no do their duty honestly disgust me.

I also came to know of many Hyundai owners in Veraval and adjoining areas who do not take the car to Junagadh for servicing, rather they drive double the distance to Rajkot to get their car serviced. Hyundai should be ashamed of calling Om Hyundai as one its "authorised" service stations. I am mapping out the route for you all to see( in green). Junagadh falls exactly in the centre of the highway between Veraval and Rajkot.

Meanwhile, I waxed the car and took it out for a drive along the sea shore. In one of the pictures, you can see Somnath temple in the back ground.

A bit OT, but quite near to this place, there is a Marine police station in which six Somalis are locked up. Theirs is an amazing story of survival. They were fishermen who drifted to the Veraval coast after pirates looted them and destroyed the engine

ICG vessels rescue Somali fishermen distressed at sea

As for the case, well Hyundai( OM Hyundai JND, RO A'bad and their factory/HQ in Tamil Nadu) were supposed to reply to the legal notice by February 01, 2011.

[theoriginal9321]

congrats, it must be a great relief for you that all those problems are gone!! Your patience worked out pretty well for you.

[download2live]

Well good thing that some issues have been sorted out.
But what about Hyundai?
I hope that they know what has happened here. Word of mouth is a very strong thing in India. In fact I have prevented two people from going for i20 on the basis of the issues you have reported. Hope that Hyundai feels the pinch where it hurts and takes the dealership to task.
Proves the point that it makes sense to ask for the competency of a service center before taking the car to it.

Should we have a Team-BHP list of trusted service station for various brands? Something on lines of the thread "Trusted Petrol bunks"?
I know it sounds comical but hey "This is India".

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by theoriginal9321

congrats, it must be a great relief for you that all those problems are gone!! Your patience worked out pretty well for you.

It is a relief that the long standing brake noise issue has gone.
But, the big issues which still persist are for which we are fighting against HMIL and Om Hyundai Junagadh are
1. Steering Rattle - very much there & much louder than before
2. Water leakage from the rear glass - still leaking ( had enclosed a video clip & photographs in my report sent to Hyundai)
3. Purposeful Damage caused to the car by those jokers from Om Hyundai, Junagadh- had enclosed photographs in my report sent to Hyundai) Refer to this post :http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ml#post2107001

While some of you may suggest(as many of my friends had suggested), to get the car repaired in Rajkot and get on with it, but that would have been letting those criminals in Junagadh get away with their act of damaging the car on purpose. We wanted them to know that you can't get away by keeping incompetent people in your workshops who do not do their job properly. Besides, the steering rattle issue is a manufacturing defect in the car and the company should stand by the customer when he is in trouble with the car. Rather, when the car was standing still in the porch for nearly one month, we were asked to pay up for a visit by specialists from Rajkot to check the EPS malfunction issue!!!!!!

The most important point is that neither Hyundai nor its RO nor its good for nothing dealership in Junagadh should take any of its customers for granted. A customer raises a complaint because there are genuine issues in the car, not because he has penchant for doing so. It is important that they realise this before calling a customer a jhik jhik wala and a paagal before others.