Service Campaign 9A4

I'm wondering if this is the same update that has been the resolution for many owners lately who suddenly find they can't charge past 80% and have a "Check Electrical System" dash warning? There's been about two three a week on FB for months. The reasoning is that if they needed why don't we all?

I wouldn't be surprised if my own Sept-2018 build is affected but I'll have to email the importer on Monday as they don't offer any online VIN lookup. No Bluelink either, lol!

 

I received this notification as well for my 2020 (build Oct 2019). I don't charge that often, but last time I did about 4 weeks ago I was charging to 90% without an issue. I've never had that "check Electrical System" error, knock on wood. I hate having to go in again for this "BMS" update, whatever that will be. My batteries have never been eligible for replacement - so this is a wasted day effort to deal with every time.

 

I'm in Canada and have not received or seen a notice. Where are you located?

 

California, USA

 

We don't have service campaigns listed on our Hyundai owner's website only official recalls. I'm heading to my dealer for another issue in a couple of weeks. I'll ask them if they have any service campaigns listed on their internal system.

 

I have a 2019 Kona EV and I got the "EV!" triangular light in the dash and "Check Electrical System" notice on the screen about 3 weeks ago, shortly after the car crossed 40K miles.

I called my service dealer (Dublin Hyundai in California) and they took the car in. After diagnosing, they said the warning was because of a required BMS update - which they did same day.

Since I got the car back, I haven't noticed any functional difference except for one thing - the total estimated range now goes over 300 miles. This morning at full charge, it was at 318 miles. Previously, for the last 4 years, the range had never estimated more than 275 - which is what the car was originally rated for. I have driven about 50 miles so far, and the range dropped from 318 to 270, which seems to be declining linearly so far.

A little more context, my vehicle had the original EV battery replaced due to the first recall - that was done with about 10K miles and 18 months into owning it. I did not notice any range improvement or drop after the replacement. But definitely got it done as a safety precaution.

I have also done all other software updates required by the few recalls.

So far, I am 100% satisfied with my Kona EV. It has been a very reliable workhorse and perfectly great commuter for a family of 4 with two small kids & their stuff.

 

I sometimes think that the dealers are resetting the GOM back to factory settings when they do the BMS updates. It would explain why many people report a range bump that is quickly recalibrated after getting a few miles back under its belt.

I'm glad you're enjoying your car!

 

I had my car in a couple weeks ago for a minor repair (driver's side door lock), and they mentioned the recall (which does show up for my car on the website when I plug in my VIN), but said they weren't able to actually do it yet. I have to bring the car back in later this month, when they'll finally have the part to fix my lock, and they thought they'd be able to take care of it then. The info on the Hyundai website certainly is not very helpful.

 

Just got this taken care of today. Took about an hour, and they said it was to improve the detail/information available from diagnostics in case of the Check EV System light.

 

So I charged my car a second time now after the 94A recall. And it again charged to 315 miles (rather than the 275 it used to). Based on my usage so far, I've driven about 100 miles and the range estimator says 215 miles left. So the depletion rate seems to be reflected linearly with the remaining mileage estimator.

I wouldn't have expected this update to actually increase my range. I just hope it didn't introduce a bug in the range estimator that will leave me stranded one day.

 

i dont know if this is pertinent, but i have always set my upper limit as 80% and expect a certain range.
i noticed(soon after a dealer service) when i manually stopped charging(because i thought it was taking too long) that it was apparently now charging to above 80%(it was charging to 87% and still going).
i suspected that my intended 80% limit had been somehow reset, and sure enough it had been removed. now no % limit. so i just reset it to the 80% max intended. now all ok.

could that be your situation?


Sent from my iPad using Inside EVs

 

As far as I know, as a Canadian, I have never had this 94A service done, but after my recent service visit my recharge setting was reset from 80% to 100%. I have no idea if it was deliberate or accidental.

 

Went to Hyundai for the update Wednesday, the only thing I can say is that I went in with 191 miles and 67% SOC and after the update it was 229 miles and 65% SOC. Somehow the GOM gained 38 more miles of range! Charged to 100% today and the GOM showed 344 miles range available. I'll let you know what the 344 works out to in actual miles.

 

The BMS update erases the data the GoM relies on rather than increasing your actual range, so you need to give it a few weeks to re-calibrate. There was a related discussion on Reddit and from what I can see the "hours" readout for the car does not get zeroed.

 

Well, I just got a response from Hyundai, and it's useless. Remember, the service manager told me to contact the company. Here is the essential part of what Hyundai wrote:

Thank you for contacting Hyundai Customer Care in regard to your service campaign concern.

We are sorry to hear of your dissatisfaction with your recent service experience at BIG ISLAND HYUNDAI. Your experience is important to us as customer satisfaction is one of Hyundai’s top priorities.

We review dealership feedback on a daily basis and will continue to work with our dealers to improve our customers’ experiences. State laws limit our ability to intervene with dealership transactions as each Hyundai dealership is independently owned and operated. We recommend you contact the manager of the service department or the General Manager of the dealership at (808) 329-5274 to discuss your inquiry as to what the tool needed looks like and why it is not available at their location.

We recommend having your vehicle serviced at the mentioned dealership that is capable of completing the service campaign.

They've pretty much killed any chance of me ever buying another Hyundai.

 

Would it help if you went to your local media with your story? Refusing to service an EV would not look good. Might wake up some people at your local dealer.

 

It's an option, though the local media here are pretty feeble. I am going to give them one more chance -- I need to go in once they finally get an actuator to fix my driver's door lock.

 

You could also try reach the General Manager or Owner. They might not realize how bad this could look in the public eye. I wouldn't threaten them, but there are subtle ways of letting them know how this is not acceptable. And chances are the owner may be very upset with this underlings when he finds out the details and will rectify the situation.

 

Made an excuse and bounced the ball right back to you. Could this be why there are so many complaints on forums about US dealers? Does the importer not have means in their (franchise?) agreements to apply pressure on individual cases?

I filled out a web form on my (NZ) dealer's site last week asking if my Kona was subject to the recent BMS update. Rather than the dealer, unexpectedly an importer's customer rep phoned me within a few minutes and them followed up with another call and email the next day. Whenever I chat to the dealer's service advisor about issues my impression is that they adhere closely to the importer's process and documentation requirements.

But my plans on being a returning customer are now contingent on whether they will cover WoF noise repairs on affected out of warranty Konas. There has been one positive sign of that happening last week.


(the recall referred to is for the 30 to 40A compressor fuse change, which I declined since it's not been a problem and far too invasive for my comfort.)