Hyundai Tucson battery and alternator

rusowski

Just spoke with a Hyundai Corp. Rep. I was advised to park Tucson the for a day or two so the battery dies, have it towed to the dealership, at my expense, so they could check the battery and charging system, again at my expense. After all that they would not even say Hyundai would pay for or replace the radio. I might have to drive to the dealership on Saturday evening, park it there so on Monday morning it will not start. At least that will save on towing. Subject at Hyundai Corp also told me that a TSB does not indicate Hyundai has accepted a problem as a recall or even to have customers bring the vehicle in to be checked only that they know there may be some problems.

cmac66

First, have them check via phone call or via VIN# if your car had installed the faulty radio. If so, it is VERY likely this is the problem. But going to Hyundai to prove the issue solves nothing. Getting a new battery will help until you get this fixed, but fix it fast (you might need the new battery anyway)

You could complain, but it is easier to replace the radio with a third party radio (I went with a bluetooth Alpine). I went to Crutchfields and did it myself (they are great if you are mechanically inclined). If not, you can find a local guy to do it.

My issue was: they said I was out of warranty anyway (36K for electrical), and they'd replace (at my cost) with the same radio (not upgrade or put in a third party). The net effect of that was I changed it myself.

But I still like the car. Since then we still drive the Tucson ('05 w/ 130K on it), bought a 2012 Tucson, and I drive a Genesis. While I DO NOT agree with Hyundai on this issue, it was not the worst issue I've been through. The TSB and web clearly show the radio firmware issue, and Hyundai did not act very good on this response. If I'd had other quality issues and they acted this way, I would not trust Hyundai and would not be buying more cars from them. So far the other quality aspects have been very good.