[GKR9900]

Hello everyone,

My Dad is using a 2012 Hyundai Elantra 1.6CRDi SX MT. The car so far has run about 14000 kms. 2 days back, after starting the car and taking it out of the garage, he noticed that the steering was very firm. Also, the steering icon was lit in the instrument cluster. As he was in a hurry, he turned the car off and left. He came back after an hour or so, turned on the car and the steering was fine. The lit icon was also gone. Yesterday, he took the car out, went to a nearby home and parked it there. When he returned, the same problem had cropped up again! This time, inspite of turning on and off the car multiple times, the problem persisted. Apparently, the power steering had failed again.

Contacted Popular Hyundai, Perumbavoor. They sent their mechanic. He did an OBD scan and took the car to the service centre. Service execs said that most probably the power steering motor has failed. But, they needed to confirm that the issue is with the motor itself as the cost of one is upwards of Rs 90,000/-. As the car is under warranty, they said that they will replace it free of cost. They also said that confirming requires the test car from Kochi to be summoned and the motor from that car to be installed in ours to see if the problem is rectified. As they don't have the spare readily available for Elantra, they would have to order one from Chennai,and that this would take about 2 weeks. I was out of station when the incident happened. Planning to pay a visit to the Hyundai service centre today evening and do an OBD scan using Torque app to see if anything pops up. As I'm not so well-versed with the car's mechanical and electronic workings, I request fellow BHP-ians to kindly shine some light on this issue.

[GKR9900]

Went to the Hyundai service center. The service execs were a cordial lot. Examined the car and it's the EPS light that stays on now. Tried my luck with Torque but no fault codes showed up. Steering felt like it belonged to a truck! Waiting for more info after swapping the unit from the TD Elantra.

[Nissan1180]

Good Lord!
This is something that should not happen in a tried and tested premium product like the Elantra. Yet, there are people all over the world who have experienced the same problem in the same car

This is the thread that I am talking about.

You are so fortunate to have your warranty cover on- 90k is quite a high figure for something that is fundamentally a electric motor.
Were there any signs of the failure before this incident (apart from the ones you have already mentioned)? Also, did the technicians tell you why this happened- as in perform a Root Cause Analysis on the failed part? I could not find the engineering behind the failure anywhere.

I hope Hyundai localises these critical components in the near future... The cost of a failure/accident outside the warranty is very scary.

[GKR9900]

Originally Posted by Nissan1180

Good Lord!
This is something that should not happen in a tried and tested premium product like the Elantra. Yet, there are people all over the world who have experienced the same problem in the same car

This is the thread that I am talking about.

OMG! That's a lot of people complaining about the steering issue. Most of them have very few kms on the odo as well. If this is the case, I wonder why Hyundai hasn't made any recalls related to the problem. Elantra is a CKD in India, so the issue should be the same as the ones reported by our international counterparts. Are there any t-bhpians who have faced a similar problem in their Elantra??

Originally Posted by Nissan1180

Were there any signs of the failure before this incident (apart from the ones you have already mentioned)? Also, did the technicians tell you why this happened- as in perform a Root Cause Analysis on the failed part? I could not find the engineering behind the failure anywhere.

I'm afraid not. No other signs of failure. technicians didn't seem to have an idea why this component might have failed. Hopefully tomorrow they get to confirm the problem when they swap the TD Elantra's unit with mine. In any case, replacing the steering column is the only viable option.

Come to think of it, if it's an engineering defect, wouldn't replacing the component with another 'supposedly' defective component present the same risk of failure ?

Originally Posted by Nissan1180

I hope Hyundai localises these critical components in the near future... The cost of a failure/accident outside the warranty is very scary.

Indeed! I shudder to think what the outcome would be , had the component failed on the fly!! Not to mention the costs involved.

[1self]

Originally Posted by GKR9900

Indeed! I shudder to think what the outcome would be , had the component failed on the fly!! Not to mention the costs involved.

Actually, the power steering assist above 40kmph is zero. So nothing would seem amiss even if the EPS failed at speed. You only ever need assist at parking speeds.

That said, I hope this matter gets solved ASAP.

[GKR9900]

Originally Posted by 1self

Actually, the power steering assist above 40kmph is zero. So nothing would seem amiss even if the EPS failed at speed. You only ever need assist at parking speeds.

I see. That should calm my nerves a bit In the link provided by Nissan1180, few owners have mentioned crashing into something because the steering locked and they were unable to make a turn in time. Hence the worry.

[Catalyst_delhi]

Originally Posted by GKR9900

I see. That should calm my nerves a bit In the link provided by Nissan1180, few owners have mentioned crashing into something because the steering locked and they were unable to make a turn in time. Hence the worry.

If the driver is used to the PS for a while and drives mostly in cities below 40 then it is and can be dangerous. I lost my PS suddenly on my santro once in crowded town area - it was indeed panicky

[GTO]

It's an electrical part. Can fail anytime. That said, if this was an isolated incident, we could ignore it. Just the fact that so many Elantra & Sonata owners are complaining worldwide of EPS failures means there is more to it than meets the eye. Clearly, it's a quality lapse on what is a very critical component. Am shocked at how Hyundai is still handling it on a case by case basis. They should ideally issue a recall.

Originally Posted by 1self

Actually, the power steering assist above 40kmph is zero.

For some cars, maybe, but this is certainly not a blanket rule. Most new cars still offer electric assistance well over 40 kph.

[GKR9900]

Contacted the service manager at the Hyundai service center. They swapped the components between my car and the test vehicle and confirmed that the issue is with the unit assembly of the motor. Although I don't have much idea what it is, they said that the only viable solution is replacement of the whole steering assembly (to be brought in from Chennai) which will be done under warranty. The part would take about 2 weeks to arrive. Leaving the car there for 2 weeks is hard to digest, so they have agreed to bring her home tomorrow. Will be taking her back once the part arrives. They were really professional and cordial in their dealings. So no worries there.

What I'm worried about is the possibility of this being an engineering problem because of the large number of customers complaining about the same in international forums.

[vnabhi]

@GKR9900--I feel sorry for this issue, which I thought was a one-off case initially. But after reading the comments, I realized that this is not so.

As the Elantra is a premium product in India from the Hyundai stable, didn't Hyundai offer a substitute car for the waiting period?

[GKR9900]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

@GKR9900--I feel sorry for this issue, which I thought was a one-off case initially. But after reading the comments, I realized that this is not so.

Thank you for sharing my concern sir. It indeed is a problem worldwide with many Elantra and Sonata owners complaining about the same issue. There aren't any reports on the same from Indian owners although Elantra garnered some good sales numbers here. I don't think Hyundai has addressed the issue either. Wonder if shooting an email to Hyundai will bring this to their attention.

Originally Posted by vnabhi

As the Elantra is a premium product in India from the Hyundai stable, didn't Hyundai offer a substitute car for the waiting period?

Come to think of it, they hadn't offered a substitute car as such. Neither did we demand one, as our daily chores will be taken care of by other rides in the garage.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by GKR9900

Thank you for sharing my concern sir. It indeed is a problem worldwide with many Elantra and Sonata owners complaining about the same issue. There aren't any reports on the same from Indian owners although Elantra garnered some good sales numbers here. I don't think Hyundai has addressed the issue either. Wonder if shooting an email to Hyundai will bring this to their attention.

Do shoot a mail to Hyundai Head Office outlining your problem as well current situation with the way action forward given by HASS.

May be Hyundai is sitting silent over the issue as it would damage the sales + reputation that they have gained. Only saving grace is the HASS engineers attitude of being able to understand the seriousness and way to tackle it the right way.

This is indeed a serious issue.

[GKR9900]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Do shoot a mail to Hyundai Head Office outlining your problem as well current situation with the way action forward given by HASS.

Ofcourse sir. I intend to do that once I reach home after collecting the VIN number etc. Will sending an email to the Hyundai service ID 'crservice@hmil.net' help? Don't they usually forward it to the dealers?

[arnabchak]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Do shoot a mail to Hyundai Head Office outlining your problem as well current situation with the way action forward given by HASS.

May be Hyundai is sitting silent over the issue as it would damage the sales + reputation that they have gained. Only saving grace is the HASS engineers attitude of being able to understand the seriousness and way to tackle it the right way.

This is indeed a serious issue.

Originally Posted by GKR9900

Ofcourse sir. I intend to do that once I reach home after collecting the VIN number etc. Will sending an email to the Hyundai service ID 'crservice@hmil.net' help? Don't they usually forward it to the dealers?

Suggest you hold on to your horses.

The dealer has till now dealt professionally and shooting a mail to the higher ups can probably flutter too many feathers.

Get the car back after a complete replacement under warranty, drive it for a couple pf days and then shoot a mail to Hyundai officials about the issues faced.

Also, if the dealer has dealt it professionally, add in a word of thanks!!

[GKR9900]

Well, she's back home now. The exec who brought her said that the problem is with a module only(?). They were able to replicate the problem in the TD Elantra after swapping the component. Everything else seems to be fine. They say they're trying to source the module if it is available as a standalone component, in which case replacement can be done before 10th.