Did you get the battery replaced?

My battery was replaced today! I brought the car in on Friday and got it back today. Using bluelink I could see that the car was not touched until today. It wasn't until early this morning that bluelink couldn't connect to the car. The work was done by 4 pm. I was given a Toyota Venza hybrid as a loaner, not impressed by it. So, over 39,000 miles on the original battery is erased. I'll have to see what king of mileage I get from a full charge. One problem with trying to compare the old batter with the new is that back in October I replaced the stock tires with Nokian WR G4. The new tires are very grippy and mileage took a big dip.

 

There's really no easy way to compare. I got a new battery couple of weeks ago, and haven't really noticed any diff. Problem is that it is getting colder now, and range is expected to drop, even with a new battery.

And tires make a diff, too. Even a few lbs diff PSI will affect range. I run mine at 39 psi which provides better range than 36. I learned that back when I had a Prius. Had to make sure my tires were pumped up good, or my mpg would drop. Same thing happens with ICE cars, but we never watched them as closely as our EVs.

 

New battery installed today. The first VIN/Battery label check was done in mid-July, battery was delivered to dealer last week and we brought the car in for replacement today. In by 9:15AM, out by 1:45pm, and we had a nice lunch in town. Seems fine, notice no difference, charging to 100% now, "just to see".

Kudos to Healey Hyundai in Beacon, NY....they went the extra mile to get us this car in 12/19, they did all they could with Hyundai bureaucracy to get us the battery as soon as they could, and the service mgr was incredibly responsive. They didn't even suggest that we leave the car with them back in July (it would have been about a 4 month delay) and they offered us a loaner for the day today, we were happy to accept a ride to and from lunch. It is such a better experience with Healey than with the Hyundai dealership much closer to home, well worth the trip for us.

 

It was pretty basic, mainly just scary looking because it came from a third party (attorney). Here's the first draft text, redacted:

November 3, 2021
[Dealer Name Here]
RE: Failure to Repair or Return Vehicle
To Whom It May Concern:
My client, Joshua xxx, is the owner of a 2019....Hyundai Kona. After receiving a recall notice from Hyundai in reference to the Kona model’s battery, he took his vehicle to a Hyundai dealership as directed. Since that time, despite numerous attempts to contact Hyundai through both email and phone calls, Dr. xxx has been unable to receive a straight answer as to when his vehicle will be either fixed or returned to him. At the present time, Hyundai dealership of Kearney Mesa……………..has had his car for over……months with no communication as to when the vehicle will be returned, while xxx has been forced to drive a rental vehicle. This is unacceptable. Please advise immediately as to how you plan to resolve this matter for my client.
Sincerely,
[name], Esq.
Attorney at Law

 

I got my car back today after it being dropped off at the dealer on 8/24. I had the ioniq hybrid as a loaner and I didn't realize how much I missed the feel and smooth ride of my EV! I can't blame the dealer service dept. They ordered the battery and due to how slow things come in at the port here, there really wasn't anything he could have done. Anyway, I will try to open a case with Hyundai and see if i can get something for the months I paid my lease and couldn't use the car.

I do think Hyundai Corporate handled things badly regarding this process. They should have given a buyback to whoever asked for it, regardless of a remedy being available.

 

My battery was finally replaced, about 6 months following the original recall notice. As much as I want to support the electric vehicle market, Hyundai has been a huge disappointment the whole way. My recommendation is to spend on a manufacturing with better service. I cannot overstate how bad the experience has been, which is minor compared to what others have dealt with. Anyway, my car is parked in the driveway without turning on. Less than 10 days after the battery. And they did not send me the $200 noted in the recall notices, in spite of my raising this with the dealer (as instructed) and Hyundai directly. Honestly, I really like the car. It's just been the experience with Hyundai and the dealer (who may be somewhat limited by Hyundai). Seriously, spend more for less stress.

 

I'm not sure that spending more money ever guaranteed anybody better service.

 

Please clarify,
"Anyway, my car is parked in the driveway without turning on. Less than 10 days after the battery"
You had the battery replaced and now the car will not start?
Thanks!

 

Is your 12volt dead or is there a message on the dash?

 

Got the battery replaced!
After 6 months of trying to get a new battery, the day finally came (15000 miles on the car, located in Long Island New York). After dealing with a few Hyundai case managers, different local dealers, many service managers and service associates, all went well once the battery finally arrived. It took about 5 hours to complete the job. Took the car home and charged to 80%. The next day I took it for a 160 mile test drive. Stopped at one DC fast charge and charge to 80%. All systems are working as they should and I don't see any difference in range, I keep very accurate data and it looks to be exactly the same. Planning on charging to 100% when I can squeeze in a 100 mile road trip right after the charge as to not keep it sitting at 100%. I will certainly post any updates as needed.

 

Charge to 100%. No problems at all!

Joev: Follow up to my post above.

 

I had my 12v battery die right after the first time I charged my replacement battery. It's worked just fine for the last 2 weeks after a jump from AAA and I've charged it once during that interval. However, I did buy a portable battery jump starter to keep in the car.

 

I've got a portable battery jump starter too. That reminds me I need to make sure that's charged up. I haven't charged my car since getting it back I was going to do that tonight but I only have 120volt plug at home.

 

I finally got my battery replaced! I am still looking to get out of the car because Hyundai has burned my trust forever. I’m hoping that the new battery increases my selling price.


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs

 

We got ours replaced after it sat dead for 6+ months. We parked it and continued to work on the lemon law buyback. After 8 months of stress and duplicity, they bought it back last week. We had to drive the car over to the dealership to turn it in. Driving 12 miles lost 40 miles of charge. They have not fixed the battery; just replaced it with the same bad one.

Hyundai is on a lifetime boycott from us. They even lied to our lawyer. Also, there are at least three more lemon cases for the Kona that I am aware of. I had a lemon with a Dodge previously. They bought the car back in 6 weeks and gave me an employee code if I wanted to buy a new one. That is a great company who values customers.

I am telling everyone I know of our experience. The only satisfaction that I can get out of this is to prevent others from purchasing from Hyundai.

 

What were your legal costs?

 

None in California. California has a strong lemon law. Hyundai had to pay those, too.

Since they delayed the case for 8 months, that was probably a decent fee for them.

If you are having problems and your state/providence has a lemon law, I strongly encourage you to check into it. Even if your car is working now, it may not always, and the deprecation alone for these battery issues (out car was worth about half of what we paid last year) is terrible.

 

Well, that certainly wasn't the case with my Kona EV that I sold just recently. I got $5K more than I paid for it 3 years ago, and the buyer I sold it to, resold it for an additional 3K.

If anything the battery recall made the car worth more, as it was then basically like a brand new car again. The battery is the most expensive component in the car, and other wear items, like brakes, last longer than in an ICE vehicle.

I liked my Kona, a lot, but decided to sell it now to take advantage of the current high used car prices. We have EVs on pre-order and will share an ICE car in the meantime.