Hyundai Veracruz intermittent battery drain caused by stereo

disneyf1

We've had this car for a year and have loved it! It's an '08 we bought used and in great shape. The only thing we've had go wrong is the driver's door lock which would not operate via the remote - we had to reach in to unlock it. A few days after this was fixed, the battery went dead. It happened again after a few more days and then again later that week. I took it to a few places and had the battery and alternator checked, both were great and the battery was only a year old. The dealership had it a few more times and could not find the problem until today.

They said the radio was causing the drain because of a malfunction. This could not be repaired so the entire system has to be replaced at a cost of $3-4k! they said they can get a 'swap' unit for $1300-$1500, though... apparently the radio is out of warranty even though the rest of the vehicle is not? Corp Hyundai confirmed the warranty limits and now I have a huge repair staring at me. I asked if we could pull the yellow stereo kill switch in the fuse box every night and they said yes, but we'd lose all presets, etc.

Does anyone know a solution to this problem or has heard of it before?
ANY assistance is GREATLY appreciated.

Thank you,

OZ

etl

I am the original owner of a 2008 Veracruz and I have similar experience. The car had 3 batteries in my first 3 years of ownership. The first two were OEM batteries which I put the blame on. The dealer refused to pay the full price for the third battery. So, I bought an InterState battery instead. The problem persists. It had battery drainage problem since the first day I owned the car. Six years later, with 55000 miles on the odometer, the problem remains. The car would fail to start every now and then. I always keep a set of jumper cable in the trunk just in case which I have used in many occasions. Thanks, OZ, for pinpointing the issue. A couple of weeks ago, I removed the fuse for stereo system. It’s labeled Audio 2 on the fuse diagram. I have had no issue starting the car since. I miss my radio/CD player/clock/temperature display. But I’m glad that my car would start every time now. It is a known design problem. Hyundai should come up for a fix and pay for the repair. This is probably the last Hyundai that I’ll buy. The Veracruz has spent more time in the shop than my Honda with 200000 miles which I’m also the original owner.

thecardoc3

A company that we use for radio and instrument cluster repairs is United Radio in Syracuse New York. I'm not sure if they service Hyundai radio's or not but I do know you have to go through a shop because they don't work directly for the public. Have a local shop near you check with them and see if they can repair your radio.