Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Vibration on 2017 Santa Fe AWD Limited Ultimate
Less than a week after I got the car, I detected vibrations in the seat, in the floorboard and when I rest my elbow on the arm rest while driving 55 mph or over. Over 70 mph, I can feel the same vibrations (a little less intense) in the steering wheel. When I take an exit, as the road curves to the right, I feel the vibration is a little more pronounced but this increase is not there when the road curves to the left.
The dealer re-balanced and road-force tested the tires. No change.
The dealer tweaked the alignment on all 4 wheels. Slight improvement.
Dealer brought up another new 2017 Santa Fe AWD Limited Ultimate and I test-drove it. Same or similar vibrations above 55 mph, but much worse. (I give the dealer credit for efforts made to-date trying to fix this.)
Dealer says that Hyundai says that is standard for the Santa. It's very difficult to accept this because this is a $40k car and while is comes with all the bells and whistles, that doesn't mean it should start vibrating when you drive at 55 mph or thereabouts. We drive on most interstates (and some state highways) at 55 mph or more.
Anyone else run into the same issue with a 2017 (or even a 2016) Santa Fe AWD? If so, please can you share your experience and how you resolved this? If you still have this problem, please register a complaint with Hyundai so they know it is affecting multiple owners and will fix it.
The dealer re-balanced and road-force tested the tires. No change.
The dealer tweaked the alignment on all 4 wheels. Slight improvement.
Dealer brought up another new 2017 Santa Fe AWD Limited Ultimate and I test-drove it. Same or similar vibrations above 55 mph, but much worse. (I give the dealer credit for efforts made to-date trying to fix this.)
Dealer says that Hyundai says that is standard for the Santa. It's very difficult to accept this because this is a $40k car and while is comes with all the bells and whistles, that doesn't mean it should start vibrating when you drive at 55 mph or thereabouts. We drive on most interstates (and some state highways) at 55 mph or more.
Anyone else run into the same issue with a 2017 (or even a 2016) Santa Fe AWD? If so, please can you share your experience and how you resolved this? If you still have this problem, please register a complaint with Hyundai so they know it is affecting multiple owners and will fix it.
0
Comments
- Road Force Balancing
- Have the engine mounts checked
- Have the timing checked
- Have the alignment checked
- If you had the under coating have them check that none got on the rear wheel drive shaft.
- Bad tires could also be the problem
The whole going right vs left thing could be related to the crown in the road. Since you're dealing with a brand new vehicle, some of those suggestions would seem to be ruled out, but strange things do happen.
My first thought was that maybe there's some belt separation in one of the tires or one is slightly out of round, although road force testing might have smoked that out.
Have you tried rotating the tires to see if the vibration changes? If it does, I'd definitely lean towards a tire issue or maybe even a slightly bent wheel.
I havent tried rotating the tires as yet. The first oil change comes up in 2 weeks or so; maybe I can have them rotate tires at that time. In the meantime,I am going to reach out to Hyundai directly to see what they would be willing to do to solve.
I was also wondering if it could be a drive train problem, either with the propeller shaft being out of balance or the U-joints being out of alignment........ Your thoughts?
TIA
The first thing someone has to do is feel this sensation, or should I say these sensations themselves and then see what can be done that can have some kind of influence on them. One thing someone should try is driving the car in a different gear to see if the sensation is related to engine speed as opposed to vehicle speed. The next question that needs to be answered is whether the vibration feels like its about ten times a second at 70mph, or if it feels like 35 times a second. At ten times a second, wheels , tires, even brake rotors are in play. At 35 times a second the driveshaft is in play since it spins about 3.5times for every rotation of the tires.
The fact that you feel a vibration from two different locations at different speeds suggests you are noticing more than one condition. I would have to approach this with that possibility in mind until direct observation either confirmed that to be the case or else ruled it out.
Yes, the vibrations are in the seat, on the floorboard (where the heel of my foot rest near the pedals) and on the center console arm rest at 55 mph and higher. As I go faster than 55mph, the frequency increases too. At about 70 mph, same vibrations start appearing in the steering wheel (in addition to what I am feeling thru the seat, floorboard and center console arm rest).
Hard part is that I am not able to say if the vibrations are at 10/sec or 35/sec. I tried using the SmoothRide app on my phone to get a reading but it didnt register anything (maybe operator error on app and also I didnt have a way to secure it to a hard suface on the car; will try again after securing it to a hard surface on the car).
I did switch into manual model and used the paddles to shift gears when the vibrations were on. Vibrations did not change when I manually shifted gears. I put the car in neutral and let it roll at between 55mph and 60 mph - no change in vibrations.
One additional observation that I have made in the process of trying to resolve this: after I have driven the car at 55mph or more and had those vibrations show up (they show up every time I drive 55mph or more) and then I slow down to about 15mph, the car seems to gently rock sideways maybe 2 times/second as the car rolls along.
ramjet238, were you seeing the vibrations when your car was new or only much later?
Thanks
There is every possibility at this moment that regular service routines might not be able to identify and solve the issue, but of course it could just be another example of where it is cheaper to buy back a car every once in a while then it is to have fully trained and capable service technicians.
Did you come up with a way to detect the frequency of the vibration at a given speed? There are some cell phone app's that might give you both a number and an X,Y, or Z axis direction.
I downloaded Vibsensor today. It will give X, Y and Z measurements, ISD for X, Y, Z (not sure what ISD is, but will google it) and also resonance measurements for X, Y & Z. Havent had a chance to use it, but will share results as soon as I do.
There appear to be a number of other apps out there measuring vibrations, but other than NVH (which says it does a preliminary diagnosis and says if the vibration frequencies point to the wheels or engine or drive train, but it is pricey at $399). Any suggestions on an app? TIA
So I would suggest you elevate this above the dealership level. Cardoc3 is right, the mechanics at a dealership aren't paid for diagnostics - and this even appears to be something that requires a change in vehicle design.
So I'm recommending you ask to have a Hyundai district service manager look at the car. I'm not saying he will be able to fix it, but he will be in a better position to do so than the dealer - plus, this will put Hyundai on notice.
If the vibration is something inherent in the vehicle - that is, pretty much every vehicle has it, and you've gotten a hint that is so - then it might not be possible to fix your vehicle. The district service manager may know this. Nevertheless, he is in a position to do unconventional things.
I knew a guy who used to be a district service manager (DSC) for General Motors (I forget which division), but he tried welding a stiffening panel to a vibrating car in an effort stiffen the chassis and change the resonant frequency. It worked! - and he passed that information back to headquarters.
I will also say, that I have encountered more DSC's that think inside the box - more or less parts changers - unlike the guy mentioned above.
Good Luck
I also have this issue with a 2016 AWD Santa Fe.
Have you solved the vibration issue ?
Greetings from Spain!
I spoke to the dealership briefly(before reading the blogs) and they informed to monitor for few days and bring the car to the dealership in case the issue persists. Would like to seek your opinion to determine whether my warranty will get affected in case I delay taking the car to the dealership and what options do I have?
Thanks in advance folks.
Does it vibrate standing still out of gear?
If yes to either question, engine! Take the car to a Hyundai dealer.
Does the vibration show up at slow speeds - say 30 mph? Does it change when you speed up? Is there a speed where it peaks?
And did you buy this new or used?
Thanks