6-month old Hyundai Creta 1.4 DCT develops powertrain failure

The car displayed a message on the touchscreen saying that there is a malfunction with the emission control system and the check engine light on the MID lit up.

BHPian iamitp recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I bought my Hyundai Creta 1.4 DCT SX(O) on October 20, 2020 from Himgiri Hyundai, Dilshad Garden. I chose the dealer-provided insurance with all the options and opted for the 5 year / 50,000 km warranty. I had not modified or accessorised it in any way, apart from a ceramic coating over the car's painted exterior and usage of a dash-cam powered by the interior 12V socket. I had taken my car for its 1st service at the 1500 km mark within 1 month of ownership. I had mostly refuelled the car at IOCL COCO petrol pump and periodically used Xtrapremium petrol with additives for cleaning the engine. I covered my car at all times TPH Pilot 373 when parked in the open. The car has always been washed at detailing studios on a monthly basis and 'dry-washed' personally on a weekly basis. There is no rodent infestation in my residential area - I have never seen rodent footmarks or droppings on this car or any of my other two cars parked in the same location. I never raced the car or drove it in an overtly aggressive manner. I never took the car to a water-logged or an off-road environment.

On the day of the incident:

I had scheduled my 10,000 km service at Lamba Hyundai (HASS) in Okhla the previous day. On 07.06.2021, I drove it to the service station and was attended by Mr. R.K. Shukla who was appointed as Service Advisor (SA). Over the course of the next 3 hours at HASS, my car underwent Hyundai's standard 10,000 km 2nd scheduled service SOP, with me bearing the cost of the engine oil replacement with IOCL Servo 5W30 fully synthetic lubricant, the Hyundai OEM Air and engine oil replacement. Pre-service slip and final service invoice is attached. The car was handed over to me after servicing, technician test-drive and cleaning, by the SA. I was told that there were no technical issues with my car. I was requested for feedback via a video and feedback-form which I obliged with an excellent 10/10 rating.

I drove the car back from HASS to my home (near Lodhi colony) where it remained stationary for 2 hours. After that I drove it from my home to Connaught Place - Gurgaon - Connaught Place - Home in Eco mode including parking it for a couple of hours at Ambience Mall. The drive statistics from Bluelink application are also attached. There were no adverse events whatsoever during the course of my 94 km post-service drive. On the way back to my house from Connaught Place, at a distance of less than 1 km from my home, as I pulled away from the Aurobindo Marg - Lodhi Road traffic signal, the car displayed a message on the touchscreen saying that there is a malfunction with the emission control system and the check engine light on MID lit up. The car refused to engage D2 (2nd gear) and only moved forward in D1 (first gear). I pulled aside, took a picture of the touchscreen and MID, which is attached, and restarted the car but the behaviour continued. The message disappeared after that but the check engine light stayed on. I drove the car in D1 for 5 mins and arrived home. When I attempted to parallel park my car in front of the house, it refused to engage R (reverse gear). I was thus stranded in a diagonal position on the colony road, unable to go anywhere as the car was between parallel walls, and blocking all vehicular traffic.

Fortunately, I was able to call my father and brother for help before the situation created a major ruckus in the neighbourhood. With their assistance I engaged N (neutral gear) and manually pushed the car back enough to manoeuvre it into a parking position on D1. I immediately called my SA and messaged him and the HASS escalation team pictures I had taken earlier via a Whatsapp group created by the SA at the time of delivery. He immediately answered my call and committed to sending over a technician the next morning.

Next morning:

Mr. Prabhat, Service Technician (ST) called me at 9 AM and informed that he will reach in 20 mins. At around 9:30 AM, me and ST stepped into the car where the problems from last night persisted, i.e. the check engine light was on, the car did not engage any other gear other than P,N and D1. ST checked if there was any issue with the Electronic Parking Brake or Auto Hold function and found none. He peeked inside the bonnet and didn't find anything wrong either. ST attached an OBD scanning tool and it returned an error code P060194. An internet search came back with this result for the said code-

The P0601 diagnostic trouble code is set when a memory check sum error is detected with the internal control module. This is an error internal to the ECU and is found when the ECU performs self-checks.

ST told me that it is the first time he is seeing such an issue. After consulting with his senior who was also clueless about this issue, the ST advised towing the vehicle back to HASS using Hyundai Road Side Assistance (RSA). I pushed the RSA button on the IRVM (Inner rear view mirror) but the call didn't go through a couple of times due to poor network reception for Bluelink. I pushed the Bluelink button instead and the call got connected to Hyundai's assistance team. My Bluelink advisor (BA) verified name, registration, covid details and location before confirming the issue as a powertrain issue, as visible to him via remote diagnostics. He connected the call to an RSA advisor who confirmed the car's condition and location access before offering to tow the car back to Himgiri Hyundai, where I had purchased it. I insisted that the car be towed back to Lamba Hyundai as the issue had clearly occurred immediately after their 10K service and they had been involved and supportive thus far. The pick-up was scheduled for 12 noon but I got a call from the RSA service team (Bajaj Allianz as per Truecaller) that the pickup truck will reach by 2 PM. I signed off on the visit form with ST and a copy is also attached.

Next steps:

While I await the pick-up truck, I am extremely shaken by what has transpired over the past 24 hours. How is it that a flawless 6 month old car which has been meticulously maintained, developed such a serious issue right after company scheduled service? What if the car had broken-down in the middle of a highway or an unsafe part of town? Why was HASS not trained to immediately diagnose this issue? Can I now drive peacefully knowing that such an issue can occur without warning? Needless to say, I am also concerned about the resolution of the issue. Whether it would be replaced or repaired. How long will it be before I get my car back? How will I commute in the intervening period? Whether I will have to bear cost for a problem which has is solely due to Hyundai's manufacturing and/or servicing?

The Creta has recently emerged as India's no. 1 best-selling car. It goes without saying that thousands of existing and potential buyers could be sensitised about this issue and should keep my experience at the back of their mind while purchasing and servicing their vehicles.

I am also writing an email to Hyundai services about this issue in detail. If you feel that I should mark this email to any relevant Hyundai officials, please do let me know. If you believe I should take any other steps please do reply for the benefit of me and other Creta owners/potential buyers. I hope this expedites and aids in a 'frustration-free' resolution of the issue.

Here's what BHPian Mr.Boss had to say on the matter:

I know how it feels when a relatively brand new car (or any machine) that fails. But after all it's a machine and it is bound to happen. OEs do extensive testing and validation but couldn't simulate the real life usage or the quality level of each and every component and process.

IMO what is not expected is a repeated failure making the ownership troublesome.

From the above statements it is evident that the SA or A.S.S or RSA is helpful so far, which itself is a big welcome note considering few pathetic experiences posted by our fellow members.

Some issues are new to them (when I say them, it includes A.S.S. or the OE development and diagnostics team as well) and needs a deep analysis to narrow down at the issue and make sure the right solution is provided.

I suggest you to wait for the next action from H.A.S.S

If that is not satisfactory, you can try escalating further.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Sucks to hear about this! Imagine if that had to happen on a highway trip - just imagine the inconvenience. I have said this before and will say this again. Hyundai & Kia have sacrificed quality for growth. They have significantly ramped up their manufacturing volumes, but it has come at the cost of quality & reliability (much like Toyota a decade ago). Even our media cars from Hyundai & Kia have had a few niggles, details of which are in their respective Official Reviews.

My worry is how these cars are going to age, and what kind of problems will come up. These turbo-charged direct-injection engines are extremely complex, and equally complicated are the dual-clutch ATs. There is no such thing as a reliable dual-clutch AT in my opinion. VW, Skoda, Ford (google up DCT lawsuits) and now Hyundai-Kia...all of them have issues. Not to mention, the heavy electronics these cars are coming with. Today's complicated cars are designed for just 10 years of life. Throw them away after that. Unlike the 15 - 20 year old Honda Citys you still see running on our roads, you won't these cars. When the cost of overhauling a turbo-petrol direct-injection engine or dual-clutch AT exceeds the book value of the 11-year old car, they will be junked. Much like the old luxury cars. Today's Hyundai Creta is more mechanically & electronically complex than a 10-year old C-Class.

This is why I have always maintained that the Diesel AT is the combination to pick for the Creta & Seltos. Robust and far simpler.

Am sending a link of this thread to some people I know at Hyundai. Hopefully, your case is prioritised.

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