Hyundai XG300 and XG350

averigejoe

It disappoints me no end the way Hyundai and KIA are apparantly making it their mission to weasel out of warranty service. I've read too many stories like this to believe otherwise.
I've never been denied a warranty service claim on many new cars I've owned.
But now, I am not so confident that these Korean warranties are worth anything at all. Which is a shame since that is why so many of us bought the Korean cars in the first place.

averigejoe

The 2005 XG 350 L has a gas cap holder integral with the gas door.
The other things you wish for would add cost to the car. I like the car very much just the way it is for the prices at which it can be bought.
Amazing car for the $.
Period.

kent

I agree about the value. I was wondering what improvements could have been made if there was to have been a 2006 XG350L. My vehicle doesn't have an "integral" gas cap holder other than the small plastic cord that allows the cap to dangle and hit against the side of my vehicle. Please advise if your XG has something different that allows you to secure the cap without it dangling from the cord while filling the tank. :{

averigejoe

The cap is gripped by a holder on the inside of the gas flap. There is also that cord you mentioned.

kent

Ummmm, I'll have to go back to the dealer because no such gripping holder exists on the inside of the gas flap on my vehicle. I didn't see any reference to it in my manual either.

kent

Kudos for Hyundai on the Fuel-Filler Flap. I'm glad I mentioned it in this Forum or I would have not known that a Cap Holder was supposed to be on the inide of the Flap. I contacted my Hyundai Dealer and they told me that they will fix/replace the Flap on my vehicle. Thanks for responding to my message about this issue!!

dbronzo

I have a 2002 XG350 with 35,000 miles and the car has been generally trouble free. My biggest gripe is the sensitive gas pedal. You would think that after 35,000 miles I would be used to it but no way. It's been in for service for that but to no avail.
I agree that the warranty is clouded by a "smoke screen". I don't blame Hyundai as much as our government for allowing such deceptive wording to be used. Have you ever heard a TV add for a car? The speaker speaks very clearly until he talks about the "small print". Than they speak so fast you can't understand anything. Printed material is the same. The small print is so small that even with a magnyfing glass you can't read it. I never hear anything except 100,000 mile warranty. 5 years 50,000 miles bumper to bumper. What exactly does that mean? Isn't the radio, cd player, battery, seals, adjustments, etc, etc between the bumpers??? Many words no longer mean what they say except "let the buyer beware".

kent

The minute I have an issue with the Warranty (I purchased the extended for $800 - 10yr B-to-B) I won't hesitate to contact my state attorney general's office. I would think such an issue may have already been addressed or in the works. If not, I would persevere all options. I'm still knocking on wood that I don't have to have such an encounter.

itch2

I used to change my spark plugs on all my past cars, but, when I took the engine cover off my XG 300 I could not see any spark plug wires anywhere. Does anyone know how to get at them and where they are? It is running a little rough at 63,000 miles and they have never been changed.

phdrashed

Hi ITCH2
I have XG30 and I change the spark plugs last week. It is a job you need to remove the intake manful to get to the back side for the other 3 spark plugs. It has and electronic spark discharge and you only need 3 wires that go from the front to the back. Good luck and take care
Phdrashed

bettersafe

We have owned our XG350L for 3 months, and really enjoy driving it. Twice in the three months the throttle response was bizarre. This happened once on my wife, and once on me. In both cases, we had diven the car to a shopping center, and gone in to shop for xx minutes. We came out, started the vehicle, backed out of the parking spot, and started to go forward. The car would accelerate very very slowly. Normally the car zooms with a minimal amount of pedal action. In this case the car was moving forward, but hardly recognizing the fact that the gas pedal was 30% depressed. Then, all at once, ZOOM !, we are off and running (leaping might be a better description !)

I want to collect as much background information on this problem before the car goes in for its 3200 mile checkup.

Any help to translate this phenomenon into mechanical terms (that the service writer or mechanic would understand) would be appreciated.

BetterSafe

papaect

I read your post before I posted mine. I think our problem is different. My problem does not happen with my foot on the brake. Occasionally, when you start from a dead stop, forward or reverse, the car "jerks/lunges" forward/backwards with the slightest touch to the accelerator. This is followed by no power, as if there is a surge of gas, followed by no gas. It will do this 1 - 3 times in a row, then it may not do it for a week or more. This 2005XG replaces a 2002 which did not do it. I know the accelerator has a hair trigger, but this is not the cause. The 2002 also had a hair trigger.

papaect

I have taken it back to the dealer several times. They can never find anything wrong. They reset the "fuzzy logic" so the car could "re-learn" my driving habits. I figured this was BS, but maybe not. Anyway, it hasn't learned anything better. It still lunges/jerks. There is a young man with a Toyota Pick-up that can attest to that as I shot into the side of his truck the first time this happened.

whitetop

If you will read back a few pages in this forum you will find that a lot of people have reported the same problem. I am one of them. Most of us have had the same experience at the dealer where they are unable to "duplicate" the experience so they do nothing about it. It apparently has something to do with the electronic acceleration, but Hyundai doesn't have a fix yet. So I think they just remain in denial. I am going to call Customer Service if it happens to me again so at least they will have a record of it happening. It is very disconcerting to say the least when your car won't go down the road. I had traffic backing up after me for several blocks before I pulled off the road and gunned the pedal a few times. Everything went back to normal after that. If your dealer says anything other than what you've seen on here please post it. It's such a shame that such a great car can have a problem like this. Best of luck.

tinydog1

I have had a problem with the throttle response on my 2004 a few times, not a no go situation, but more of a sluggish initial response followed by a sudden surge of power, which makes you panic, release the pedal and reapply. I noticed that I was applying the throttle with the tip of my foot and thought that may be my problem. Well I have not experienced this any more since I began to set my foot more squarely on the pedal and applying gentle, smooth, even pressure. Give it a try see if it helps.

350gx

I purchased a 2005 gx350 at the end of 2005 and have taken the car back to two different dealers reporting the exact same situation as you reported. All to no avail. Have you been able to resolve your situation? How? Are we the only ones with this problem?

bettersafe

You may have something . . . I read something similar in an Avalon forum as well. I suspect that there are two sensors to read the throttle position, and if they do not agree, the computer probably does not trust either sensor, and thus it may choose to remain at idle. There are times when I drive with only the tip of the toe of my shoe on the gas pedal. As I said, this has only happened once to me, and once to my wife. It is hard to draw any conclusions on such a small sample. My wife claims to always start the start with her foot off the gas, and let the engine run for a minute or two before she places the car into gear. I tend to start and zoom. If I hear anything from the dealer I definately will let you know.

bettersafe

Back from the dealer. Dealer said that there were no recalls or TSB on this accelerator problem. They found no computer codes stored in the car computer. They did reset the accelerator "algorithm" so the car would relearn our driving pattern. {not sure how they did that ???} My wife did not want them to randomly start to change out any sensors, since she loves the car. It has now been 4 months, and only 2 cases of throttle non-response. Otherwise car has been great... . . First car with heated seats that I have owned, and certainly not the last. We get 25-26 MPG on the highway. I have not found out how to get the trip computer to show real-time MPG. . . but to be honest I have yet to set down with the owners manual. I think Hyundai will become more and more sucessful in the US.
BetterSafe

johnap2

I took my 2006 Sonata to get a remote start put on it and they gave me a 2005 XG350 as a loaner. My first thought was, "wow, Hyundai has sure come a long way with the '06 Sonata!" I can't believe the XG350 was Hyundai's flagship car! I liked the heated & memory seats, the thick leather, and the very spacious trunk, but it is a very awkward feeling car.

I had several people approach me and ask if it was a Daewoo. A pleasant loaner, but I can see why the sales of the XG were lackluster over the past few years.

bettersafe

Hyundai really has come a long way. Wife and I debated a long time between the '06 Sonata, the '06 Azera and the '05 XG350L. Two things came to make the decision. The '05 XG was about the same price as the '06 Sonata, and we wanted a car with some track history. In the past I have been bitten with bugs in the "first" year of production. Even Acura, Toyota and Honda have had first year bugs. The XG has had years for Hyundai to work out the major kinks. In November, the Azera was not available, whereas the XG's had a lot of factory support to move off the sales floor. We got ours for $21,xxx. I think the new Sonata and Azera will do a lot to help Hyundai's reputation in the US. The only negative that I keep hearing about Hyundai is "what about the resale value?" This is not an issue for me since I tend to keep cars forever, and then donate them to charity. The 10 year/100,000 mile factory warranty speaks loudly to my ears.
I hope you enjoy your Sonata.
BetterSafe

chesterva

I to have a 2005 XG350L Hyundai and experienced the same problem. The first time this happened I reported it to the dealership. They said this is an unknown problem, But if it happened again I was to reset the fussy- box by doing the following:
1) turn car eng off.
2) Turn eng key to start; BUT,do NOT start the car, then turn off.
3) Wait a few seconds (15) should hear a click that appears to come from the glove box.

When this happens the fussy- box is reset. You may need to do this servial times to reset the box.

The second time this problem happened I took the car in for them to check out. They found no problems or error codes. It has happened several more times. I called the dealership again, to report the problem and see if their was anything they could do. They were willing to check out car again but that was all they could do. I was trying to get problem fixed before it caused me to have an accident. The dealership suggested that the problem be reported to HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA (1-800-633-5151). This I did. HYUNDAI said to have the dealer check out car again. This I did. The dealership checked for error codes and test drove car. They found nothing to indicate any problems with car. I called HYUNDAI MOTOR again and reported the dealer's findings and wanted to know what else could be done to resolve this problem. They said that I should leave the car with the dealership to drive until the problem reaccures, which could be a short time or a long time (hours, days or months). HYUNDAI MOTOR
said they were willing to fix any defects with car, BUT, would do NOTHING until the dealership experienced this problem in MY car. I hope you have better LUCK at getting this fixed than I did. You should report this problem to the dealership and HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA (1-800-633-5151). Maybe if enough people complained they will look into fixing this problem. I know of at least one other XG350L from this dealership that has this problem also.

averigejoe

I have had this problem too with my 2005 XG 350 L. It is an accident waiting to happen. I hope the words do not prove prophetic for me or anyone else.
But if it does, I can imagine Hyundai will have a hard time defending the lawsuit if enough owners have the "unfixable" problem.
Good luck.

bettersafe

I just got off the phone with "Bonnie" at American Hyundai. She took down all the details of my throttle response problem and assigned me a case number. All you other drivers with misbehaving vehicles out there need to make the call ! You will need your vehicle ID number and a few minutes of time. It is option "8" to speak to a customer affairs person.

BetterSafe

dseefeldt1

we have had our XG350L To the dealer 4 times. One time they kept it over a weekend and one time they had it for a week. they could not duplicate the problem. I have called customer support at HYUNDAI. The dealer now admits that they realize the problem but dont know how to correct it. We had the car from June 2005 to October 2005 before we had the problem. It is a safety problem and a shame because the car is a great car in every other aspect.

bettersafe

I do not wish to lecture, but here is my 3 cents: I am an optimist until proven otherwise. I think Hyundai will respond if enough folks officially report it to Hyundai. Hyundai seems to be really trying to make a turn-around in perception within the US. I would like to think that if 10 people report the same problem, that they would do something about it. . . However, I understand the problem from the point of view of the service techs. Without an error code or a TSB, they probably do not know where to start to correct the problem. They do not want to waste your money changing random parts, and Hyundai will not pay them to replace random parts without an error code.

The XG is so complex with computer technology, there could be several factors at play. Since the XG has drive-by-wire fuel control, there are several possibilities: 1) the computer is being told bogus information about the position of the gas pedal. 2) the computer commands to the engine's throttle are being ignored. or 3) the computer algorithm is flawed. or 4) the computer itself is flawed.

If I ran the service shop, and I had an irate customer, I would replace the accelerator position sensors by the gas pedal first. They are most likely to get wet and dirty, and most likely to be bumped by shoes /canes / packages / dogs / cats / etc. {My cat loves to snoop around the gas pedal for some reason.} If that did not fix the problem, I would change the wiring from these sensors to the computer. There could be an intermittent wiring fault that was random, or temperature sensitive. If that did not fix the problem I change the throttle control valves which are operated by the computer.

Since the dealer cannot recreate the problem, the solution may require you to record every detail of when the car misbehaves to try to get some correlation. And the next step may be to complain, and complain, and complain until something is done. Ask to speak to the regional service rep. Ask to speak to the national service rep. Join every Hyundai web site and forum to give voice to the problem. If my car was seriously misbehaving, I might even offer to pay for the replacement sensors if the dealer would pay for the time to replace the sensors.

I now have the habit of starting the car with both feet on the floor. (i.e., neither foot on the brake or gas) I then tap the gas pedal and insure the RPMs move. Then I put the car into gear, normally reverse to back out of my driveway or parking spot. The problem has not reoccurred in two months. Trying to debug a problem on my vehicle would be nearly impossible if it only happens once per two months.

Hopefully this will not be like the transmission hesitation problems reported in Toyota/Lexus forums, where very little has been done by the manufacturer for several years.

I wish you success.
BetterSafe

dseefeldt1

well, it did it again. It would only go about 15mph then just as a car was backing out of a parallel parking place, the car went into gear, speeded up, I swerved to miss the car backing out almost hit a car backing out on the other side of the street. Coincidentally, i went to a funeral visitation tonight, there was another car like it there from another state...I asked them how they liked their car...the woman responded "I just love it" I said I do too except for this one problem....then, she said they were having exactly the same problem and were taking it to the dealer tomorrow. It has happened 3times to the wife and the last time to the husband. That is my problem also, it has happened to me 7 times now, I think, but never when my husband is driving it....but he seldom drives it. I have called Hyundai rep...the dealer General Manager, the Service Manager. It is a serious accident waiting to happen

bettersafe

We all need to work to get other XG owners to be bold enough to give Hyundai America a call.

One odd thing about your story, which relates to my experience, is that the problem did not happen after the initial start of the morning. In both cases, we had started the car, driven for miles without any problem, parked the XG in a store parking lot. . . . . did some shopping, and then returned to the car. The problem happened after we backed out of the parking spot, and tried to go forward in the parking lot. Backing up is ususally done without any gas pedal pressure. The car normally backs up by itself. In both cases, the engine should have still been "warm" and ready to go.

Do your problems happen first thing in the morning or after a bit of driving?

dseefeldt1

The problem always happens like you say....on the second time we start it up. I did meet a couple from Missouri who are having the same problem. I did stop by the dealership last week to tell them that it had happened again and they put it in their computer. I have filed with Auto Line with the Better Business Bureau. We have followed all the steps to declare this car a "lemon".

bettersafe

Well then. . . Maybe we are onto something. If the car always starts fine in the morning with the engine cold, and always performs fine when cold. . . but it occasionally acts "throttle-impaired" when warm...... Are there any Hyundai mechanics out there listening in ???

whitetop

It has happened to me only once, but I don't drive the car all that often since I have another car I drive to work most of the time. The time it happened to me it was a bitter cold day. I had driven the car long enough for it to warm up twice that day. The third time I started it I was parked alongside a curb so I didn't have to use the reverse. When I pulled away from the curb is when it started. The whole thing lasted around 2 minutes. I was trying to get to the dealer but had to pull over to let people get by me. While I was parked I revved the engine a few times and it started working fine again. I agree about calling Hyundai and letting them know.

arnier

I have not noticed the the shifting being sluggish but I do notice a grinding noise in second and third gears. Hyundai says that this is normal.

papaect

I don't believe this is normal. My transmission was replaced at 10,000 miles. It was doing the same thing, then the noise would go away in 4th. In auto machanics 101 they teach you to say, "They all do that".

Back to another point. My car still lurches/lunges several times a week. I can only wonder if the cause is the same as the problem so many of you seem to have with no power. Something with the electronics?

averigejoe

At what speeds does it lurch or lunge? I have noticed it a few times under 15 mph or so. Feels like the transmission slips and then catches, making a little jerk.

dseefeldt1

It stayed at about 15 mph or so for a few blocks and then it would slip into gear.....I think we have solved the problem for us....the dealer that we bought the xg took it in on a trade this week. We bought the 2006 Azera Limited.
Thanks for all the interest in this problem and I only hope that Hyundai will be a big enough company to offer a recall on them soon.

gli4213

$17490 + $50 document fee + licence + title fees for 2005 XG350L.

gli4213

Do you still have the full warranty ?

memo1

Where did you get this deal? Was it new, demo, Brass Hat? Did you have any special discounts, college grad, military, owner loyalty? Thanks for the help!

papaect

It lurches/lunges from a dead stop. Both forward & reverse. I will back out of my driveway, put it into drive, lurch! I will start out of a parking space, lurch! In the past 3 weeks it did not do it for 7 days, did it 5 of the next 6 (2 times in 2 of the days & 3 times in one of the days), then did not do it again for 8 days. There does not seem to be a common denominator. Because I tend to yank my foot of the pedal when it happens, I have tried to keep it on, as long as there is no one in front of me, to see if the following loss of power is real, or just the result of my taking my foot of the pedal. After the lurch, there is no power for a second. Three lurches, 3 no powers, folowed by normal runing. Once you are moving normally it does not do it again. My 2002 did not do this.

averigejoe

Its a nice car. I bet you'll like it. When did you get it? Did you have a trade-in? What color did you choose?

averigejoe

Yep. Sounds familiar.

averigejoe

Sounds like a good price. Of course, if you just made that deal, then your car was already about 15 months older than the $18738 car.
What is 15 months of depreciation on an XG350L ?
Probably more than $1248 is my guess, but then again, your dollars are worth less now than those paid back then. Its always nice to buy with cheaper dollars if the price does not go up.

gli4213

I bought it in Ron Tokin of Portland, Oregon.
The rebates are: $3000 from Hyundai, $5000 from dealer.
The car was a demo one, with 3251 miles on it.
I am not qualified for any other discounts.

gli4213

Yes, I have the full warranty, it was sold as a new car, even though 3k+ miles on it.

gli4213

Why depreciation ? I don't understand your logic.
It is a new car, and the color is my favor one, bright silver.
Also, due to the inflation factor, it is supposed to be more expensive than 15 month ago.

averigejoe

In January of 2005, the other car was a current year model. In April of 2006, your car was already 15 months older on its purchase date compared to the January, 05 purchased car.
Or, said another way, if the January car was traded in the day after it was bought, it would be a new model year car with less than 100 miles on it compared to other cars for sale at that time. If your car was traded in a day after you bought it, it would be a fifteen month older car with over 3000 miles and not be as new compared to other cars on the market because the 2006 models are out, and even some 2007 models. I am talking about depreciation due to time here, not only miles. Get it?
And yes, I understand that your car was "new" at purchase since you are the first registered owner, and that you probably negotiated for a full factory warranty too (to 63,000+ miles and 103,000+ miles?).
I already touched on the dollar devaluation (inflation) issue in my previous answer. So far as car sales go, the devalued dollar has not hurt U.S. buyers much yet, since other nations are also devaluing their currencies to gain or maintain desirability of their exports.
The silver is a very pretty color on the XG.

averigejoe

Just saw an ad today for a new 2005 XG: $10,000 off MSRP. Anyone get one for that deal? Or, if you could get that deal, would you buy one?

lizard24

To averigejoe:

Was the 10,000 off of a 350 or 350L? Where did you see this ad? I am looking for a 350L right now and need to know the best price it is selling for. Thanks

350gx

I have a xg350 that surges ahead unexpectantly and at times lacks power when pressing the acclerator and running engine up to 3000 rpm. Previous postings indicate I am not dreaming up these unsafe situatios. Any suggestions as I move forward with BBB arbitration under FL lemon law procedures

350gx

With 4000 miles on the car and same problems they offered to trade for $6000.00
I'm on my way to arbitration...any advice?

papaect

As I have posted before, I have had this problem almost since bying the car in October '05. It has been in the shop several times with no positive results. They were finally able to duplicate the problem & with "authorization" from Hyundai, replaced the Throttle Body Assembly the week of April 28. The jury is still out as, due to ilness, I have driven very little since then. The instruction book says to let the car idle for 10-20 seconds before putting it in gear. My wife always starts the car & then puts on her seat belt, etc. She has never experienced the problem. I usually start moving immediately. My problem only occurs within a minute or so of starting up. Maybe???? My 2002 XG did not do this.