Hyundai Tucson battery and alternator
I had read many posts on the Tucson Battery and Alternator problems on the internet and think they deserve a thread dedicated to the two parts. We wish to identify which one of the two or both have fault for the hard or failed start in order to replace the right one instead of waste money on the scapegoated part. A bad battery can fail you and even a good working alternator can't charge it; And a bad alternator is unable to charge even an excellent battery and the battery would be depleted after some period of running or idling the car.
Here is my case (I had posted in the engine thread and just move dit to here):
I have 2005 Tucson and had only a little more than 10000 miles. Last month I had a little problem in satarting the car. It took more than 5 seconds to start but never failed to start and the warning lights on the display are dark during start. That was after about of week of idle and nobody drove it. To me it appeared to be battery leaking but I am not sure about that. Today the dealer said the battery needs to be replaced and since the warranty is only good for 2 years and it has to be proprated for the replacement. I chose to replace it myself. I don't think the batter should be bad this soon. If more people have battery problem that's a sign that their battery is not of good quality. Even you have stereo installed that should not exhaust the battery, let along twice a day. If the problem is only the battery that's OK and we can install a better one to last long.
Here is my case (I had posted in the engine thread and just move dit to here):
I have 2005 Tucson and had only a little more than 10000 miles. Last month I had a little problem in satarting the car. It took more than 5 seconds to start but never failed to start and the warning lights on the display are dark during start. That was after about of week of idle and nobody drove it. To me it appeared to be battery leaking but I am not sure about that. Today the dealer said the battery needs to be replaced and since the warranty is only good for 2 years and it has to be proprated for the replacement. I chose to replace it myself. I don't think the batter should be bad this soon. If more people have battery problem that's a sign that their battery is not of good quality. Even you have stereo installed that should not exhaust the battery, let along twice a day. If the problem is only the battery that's OK and we can install a better one to last long.
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The menual does not give out procedure in replacing the battery. I had replaced batteries for my old cars with alarm and I had no problem doing that. I am not sure if the procedure will be as simple as I did on my old cars. Mine is still running but sooner or later I have to replace it.
On the original battery there is no specs or something. I did measure the physical size of the original battery and it has 8"Hx6 3/4"Wx10"L. In Walmart I found these battery MAXX-24S and MAXX-24FS (Gold, their highest rating, list price $73.88) have exactly same physical dimension and have CA 875 and CCA 700 and 12V specs and has 3 year free replacement and 9 year prorated wanrranty. I just want to make sure it CAN be used on the Tucson though it's NOT listed for Tucson on the EverStart book. I guess the Group Size is more than physical dimension but I don't know more than that. I had used a value (the lowest rating of them) EverStart battery on my old car for more than 5 years and it was excellent till the point I got rid of the old car. So for the Gold class battery it should be even better. It sucks Hyundai only gave 2 year warranty on battery. The prorated rate after 2 years still cost 70 bucks and who know what they will install. Any respons? Thanks. btw, I still can start the car as long as I don't leave it idle for a few days so I am not in rush to replace the battery. But the dealers said the battery is no good and needs replacement in last week visit. I can't rule out if the radio is draining the battert as some other poster reported or if the alternator has something to do with that.
Any response to the replacement of battery? I think I have to replace it very soon. The MAXX-24S and MAXX-24FS at Walmart look so good but they were not listed for Tucson even though they have higher and better specs than the same book listed for Tucson. Can I use them safely and realiably? Thanks.
airflyte, "Hyundai Tucson Maintenance and Repair" #10, 13 Jan 2007 12:57 pm#9
After my Tucson sits for two days, the battery goes dead. I took it to a Hyundai dealer and they showed me the Technical Service Bulletin for the Sonata, Tucson and Azera. The Bulletin number is 06-90-015, dated March 2006. The Bulletin states, "If the vehicle has to be stored for a long time, the power connector should be disconnected to prevent battery drain." I told the service manager that the car had only sat for two days, not for a long time. Their remedy was to pull the power connector (short connector) which is a 30amp fuse, located in the relay box passenger compartment. I would like to know if anyone else has this problem?
On another board I frequent, one Tucson owner had the same type problem you are describing. In his case the problem turned out to be a problem with the factory radio. Maybe your dealer should check that out. At the very least they should be able to determine what devices/accessories are still drawing current when the vehicle is off.
That bulletin 06-90-015 covers 2006-2007 model and said the radio is M280. But the M280 was used on 2005 model, too. So the battery problem on 2005 model is very likely caused by the radio, too.
"Some Tucson vehicles equipped with the M280 audio receiver may exhibit a discharged battery if left parked, without being started or driven, for 2-3 days or more."
It lists that a re-manufactured radio should be replaced (likely a previously broken one with the defect worked out).
Take that TSB number to your dealer, and they should be able to help you.
Search for that TSB number on the internet and you can actually obtain a direct printout of the TSB to take with you as well.
THANKS EDMUNDS
I'll look into the factory radio problem. Thanks for your advice. My problem is very randon. It only happens about once a week, but I don't use the car daily so it's probably those times I leave it for a couple of days. :confuse:
Took it into the dealer and they changed the computer that controls the security system. But I still had the problem.
Finally, they changed the Drivers Door Master Switch (all the buttons in the driver side door armrest). They told me that Hyundai told them that they havd found that a bad door lock switch has sometimes caused this. On my repair slip they mention Case # 3707735. This has taken care of the problem. You guys may want to talk to you dealers about this. - CJ
Coincidentally, a CD got stuck in the radio, then this problem appeared. If I have the described radio problem, does anyone think pulling the radio fuse would prevent the drain on the battery? I cant get to a dealer for a while.
thx
andrew
At this point I will never buy a hyundai again - which stinks because I really do love my car (when it starts...).
I will have them check both of these issues AGAIN and hopefully something will get fixed-thanks so much for all of the information.
turn up dead, then when AAA comes out to jump start, it's ok, then when you bring it to the dealership they say nothing's wrong with the battery, it's ok! then two weeks later is happens again same old thing happens, so with that said I blew my own fuse and told them to remove the radio fuse and now I see what happens next.
I have also heard of an alarm switch that could cause the problem so don't stop with the radio if it continues. Unfortunately I don't think that it can be narrowed down to one specific issue with these cars, it seems there are many defects and the consumer just has to suffer while the dealerships play us for fools - this car should have been recalled completely.
I'm sure they have also told you of a switch you can disconnect if your car will be sitting for a long time (long time to them is two days) so the battery will not drain. Might work better for you than having to start it up when you don't want to leave the house.
Good luck
I do have to agree about being dissappointed with how we've been dealt with over warranty issues, though. 1 out of 3... One reason I passed on the Sonata when I was looking for a sedan.
On my second trip to the dealer (after they told me they couldn't duplicate the problem a few months earlier) I sat there in the car and with the service guy and worked the locks until they malfunctioned. I then told him there was obviously something wrong, because they didn't work like that when they were new.
They contacted Hyundai, and Hyundai told them to change the lock switch panel because they had received some problem reports on it. In my previous post I listed a case number that may be helpful.
The dealer charged $105 for diagnostic service but did not identify the culprit(s).
Today, we disconnected the negative lead to the battery and inserted an ammeter. When first connected, the current surged to about 4 amps, then slowly settled down to a constant 1.47 amperes.
We removed the fuses (dash board) one at a time and identified two problems. The automatic door lock system was pulling almost an amp, dropping the current indicated to 0.5 amp. The second area was the interior lights, even though they were set to the off position.
We reconnected the battery and put the two fuses aside for now.
Finally, we tested lights, turn signals, etc and all okay.
The entire process took about 45 minutes.
The car, bought used about a year ago, is out of warranty so we need to decide how to proceed.
Any suggestions?
What recall was this? I can't find it anywhere and I've been having constant problems with my battery dying if I don't drive my car for a few days. I've gotten brand new batteries and still had it happen within a month of replacing the battery.
Thanks
I wrote to the Hyundai corp. office and the rep told me the answer. Wait for it.......it is because we don't lock the car doors at night! HA! That's what the man said. I'm sure those of you who leave your cars in parking lots and airport parking are leaving your cars unlocked.
But just in case..he asked that I take back to the dealership for them to check it. I just had it there a week before and they assured me that they ran every test known and nothing was wrong. So, I guessing that they developed new tests in the last week. I mean that just has to be it cause I'm sure they wouldn't have lied to me.
I have an 07 Tucson...it has about 22000 miles on it. You can tell from that just about how often I can't use it. I, too keep a battery charger setting in front of the car! I've been late to work so often :confuse: they think my starting time is about noon!
Sure it's a 2010 model? I thought the last year of the Tucson SE was 2009.
Anyway,
The reason I mention the auto-dimming mirror is there was a big problem with them wiring it incorrectly. This is done at port..............It had power applied all the time and was supposed to be wired to shut off with the ignition.
Many people had problems with it draining the battery if you didn't drive the car for a few days.
Good luck on your problem......
Please let us know how it turns out.....Thanks.
Please tell the dealer that your friends at Edmunds enjoyed the laugh. At least I did.
Battery FAQ (JDGarden.com)
You might try opening a case directly with Hyundai.
I figured I couldn't lose with this experiment. At worst, my car would not start upon my return, which is what would definitely happen if I just left it sitting all week. And voila--when I came back from my trip, I pushed the connector back in place, and my car started right away! No dead battery! Of course, I had to reset the clock and the radio stations in my car once I put the connector back in, but that (in my mind) is a small price to pay compared to the alternative (car not starting, having to get new battery). For those of you who only experience the battery drain issue if your car sits more than 48hrs, this might just do the trick for you. And the car doesn't have to go to the shop at all. Yay!
TAM5CD
After they contacted Hyundai, Hyundai reported that they had had problems with the driver's side door control panel - the panel with the window and lock switches on the driver door armrest.
After they changed that the problem went away.
I never really had a problem with my 06 Tucson until one day I popped a CD in and the player didn't recognize the CD. Then my car would not start if left to sit for 48 hours. I thought it was the battery so I had a new one installed. That battery was defective and under warrenty so it was replaced. When the battery started to die again after a month, I knew it wasn't the battery. The dealership figured it was the radio and took out the fuse. I left it there on purpose for a few days and went to pick it up. No surprise it didn't start! They were extremely embarrassed over this and assured me they would find the problem. They did. It was the door switch along with the radio that was draining the battery. If you have this issue, I would recommend you have those two items checked. It took 16 days for them to figure out what the issue was. I hope you don't have to wait as long for your issue to be found.