Service Campaign 9A4

So after the 9A4 recall and BMS update, my Kona consistently shows over 300 miles on a full charge. And tracking it with the odometer / trip meter, I was able to track right around that number of miles from full to empty.

Now, a month after the update, the "EV! check electrical system" light came on in the dash again. So now I have to take the car right back to the dealer. :-/

Let's see what they'll say this time.

 

There's no hard info on *why* this "update" is necessary yet. Frankly I'd rather have a GOM on the
pessimistic side since it's less likely to plan myself into trouble.

_H*

 

There have been many reports of charging difficulties over the last year and most have been fixed with a BMS update, presumably this one. I’m thinking that older examples with a replaced battery such as my own (which included a BMS update) and newer examples are not affected.
From experience the coulomb and energy counters get reset during the update which may be why the GoM goes temporarily bonkers.

 

Slightly OT perhaps but this reminds me; I noticed via CarScanner that the reported "Energy Charged" and "Energy Discharged" cumulative counters differ by significantly more than the battery's total capacity, over 100KWh. I got the notification letter for this update yesterday so I'm interested if it fixes this oddity or not... or if it's perhaps related to a bug in the BMS software this update might fix?

Not had any issues with the car yet though, knock on wood.

 

I have been told about this service campaign for my 2022 Kona Electric. I got an appointment for this coming Monday where the update should be performed.

 

That's because battery cycle energy losses also accumulate. The two coulomb (Ah) counters however should track closer together with 180 Ah maximum difference.

Since the hardware is the same for both charged and discharged values, measurement errors should conveniently cancel out for the most part. But I'm not sure if high accuracy is important for these numbers over the long term.

Here I exploit the four values to estimate battery cycle efficiency. These values were logged while driving to catch the few seconds when CDC and CCC cross.

 

I have apparently 3 recalls on my 2022 Kona EV, USA, California. One is a battery issue, the other is a coolant issue and not sure of the 3rd. I'm taking it in next week. I have 14k miles and it runs perfect. The service gal confirmed it will be fixed no charge. I cant find these recalls online...

 

I'm not aware of any others that you haven't mentioned and neither apply to my 2019. Hyundai are sometimes good at taking care of small issues, but meanwhile two more 'wheel-of-fortunes' rolled in over the last two days:

(translated from German, seems to be the motor in this case on a 2019)




(this one from Australia, had the car for 1 year, under warranty)

 

I have a 2021 Kona EV leased in Buffalo NY back in July of 2021, ends July 2024. Im currently in NC. They weren't even selling them down here then. I just also received the 9A4 notice via mail. Other than a very annoying dying 12volt battery over the last year I have had zero issues with it. 12volt needs replacing. The car though can still charge up to 298 or so miles with warm weather. I think when it was new I could get it up over that a bit maybe 308-312ish. It has 42500 miles now.

I dropped off to dealer in response to the 9A4notice wondering if it was possibly related to the 12Volt auxiliary battery. They called me today saying it would be a few days more. They needed to change out the main battery fluids and are waiting for a part as well. Something related to overheating and potential fire. My vehicle isn't listed as part of that other campaign that addressed those big headline issues years ago, at least per Hyundais vin check website. So, it's a bit of a mystery to me at the moment. How does the below Campaign 9A4 equate to a main battery fluid drain and what part could they be referring to ??(he referenced the part being related to potential for leak) Im guessing possibly they stumbled upon other TSB's that had accumulated.. unrelated to 9A4 He didnt specify this but mentioned working on a few issues

• Refer to TSB 23-01-073H (or latest version) for repair process information. • GDS Information: Select BMS Event #999 or latest Event # that displays in GDS. • Recommended Service Technician Training Level(s): o For BMS software update only: Hyundai Certified Service Technician or above. or
For BSA full assembly replacement: Hyundai Master Service Technician or above, and they also must have completed Electric Vehicle Battery R&I Training – Web (# SVCHEVHVBRIW19_811).

Anyways on a last note I found it interesting that he had been sent to various surrounding states for training on these cars(nice guy)..On a positive note they are replacing that crap 12Volt battery free of charge even though i exited that warranty window. Last time I took it to them when battery was under warranty they simply trickle charged it and sent me packing saying it was fine. The next day same 12volt issues.. I was too lazy to bring back and just trickle charged it myself when needed and carried a tiny battery pack.

fyi, you are supposed to get a service vehicle for free if they have it over night, per the bulletin

 

Last week I got a notice from Hyundai that my car ('21 KonaEV Premier, not one subject to the original battery recall campaign, built late April, '21) was being recalled to do two things: install now battery management system software, and drain and replace the battery coolant. I was told this would take 2-3 hours. It took two days. When asked, the service manager said that the BMS software 'kept failing to install'. I got it back today, and all seems well. Unfortunately the same manager was not available when I picked up the car. So....

I have two questions:

1. Is there a way to tell if the update was actually done? A software version number I can check? If so, where would I find this?

2. I noticed that my battery charge settings were changed from 90% AC charge level and 80% DC charge level to 100% for both. Was this just their forgetting to put my settings back after the software install (assuming it actually was successful)? Or is this 100% level of charge now OK with the new battery management system software installed?

Thanks for any insights! I have not noticed any increase in range, but I will check after charging tonight.

 

OK, so my Kona has now been at the Dublin Hyundai (in California) for almost 3 weeks. They gave me a loaner.

The initial diagnostic revealed that the "EV! Check electric system" warning had come on because the software noticed abnormal battery charging & discharging behavior. The techs at the dealership took logs / data dumps and sent them over to the Service line at HMA (Hyundai Motor America). A few days later, the HMA techs replied advising that the entire main battery assembly be replaced. This would now be the second time the entire battery would be replaced. I was one of the first to get the initial battery recall when it was first announced.

The tech at the dealer told me he would next need to submit a PA (equivalent of internal purchase order) to get the battery purchase approved & ordered. His estimate was about 1 month to get the new battery delivered & installed.

Let's see what happens next. I'll try to keep this updated as things unfold.

P.S. The loaner I got is a 2023 Hyundai Elantra (not sure which trim). It gets a very respectable 35mpg in stop-and-go traffic and up to 55mpg on the highway. I'm fairly impressed. And the build quality inside is top-notch.

 

Did you see

Did you see any signs of "abnormal battery charging & discharging behavior"?
I ask because my Blue Link shows "unusual" behaviour from time to time but my dealer has never suggested that there was ever any problems with my (replacement) traction battery. Was this "unusual" behaviour only accessible to the dealer?

 

Kind of... after getting the 9A4 recall done, the car started reporting a max range above 300 miles. And it seemed to actually be able to drive that many. I never tested it to the limit (never drove with under 40 miles left), so it's possible the range was misleading. Prior to the update, the car's reported range was never more than 276 miles.

Also, in the last 2 weeks since getting the BMS update as part of the recall, my car would stop charging overnight at 80% a few times - even though I had no such limit set in the vehicle settings or in the BlueLink app.

 

How long did it take them to do the recall? Is this a 1-hour kind of thing, or a leave the car for the day kind of thing?

 

Had mine done today, I was in and out of the dealer in an hour and a half. No noticeable changes with the GOM or anything else, nothing seems to have been reset.

Signing off on the ticket with the service rep:

"Software update, inspection, tire rotation..."

and she chimes in: "And oil change and filter."

Well, the ticket does say "Please use HMA Provided Quaker State Oil."

They probably don't see much service on EV's, when I was in with my charging problem a few months ago I had to explain to them that the white light at the charging port is a night light, not the (green) charging indicator!

 

The dealership closest to me is very busy all the time. They wanted the car for a full day, even though the software update only took about less than an hour. I had to drop it off in the morning and pickup the same evening.

Check with your dealer ahead of time. Schedule an appointment first.

 

I am responding to your earlier message as well as updating what is going on with me. We have a similar situation it would appear although my 2021 EV was not part of that original battery recall years ago. At the end of this week they will have had it for a month.

Why do you equate Battery Assembly with replacement of the entire battery?. That is not what this 9A4 recall is about at least with my experience and what im being told.

The issue , as the dealership explained, is that Hyundai needs to replace the fluids (i think the blue fluid) that circulates around the main battery. It has been determined to be defective and can lead to gumming up an electric pump which in turn can result in heat damage to the motor. The last I spoke with them Hyundai is having problems delivering new replacement fluids..

On a side note
1. They did not offer a service vehicle.
2. When I dropped by a week later to check on it, I mentioned to a sales guy that the service bulletin dictates a service vehicle be provided if it is an overnight situation. A floor manager intervened and said they have 27 service vehicles and all are checked out and offered no other remedy other than to chit chat about options I had for the end of the lease moment,, lol.
3. I called the phillipino Hyunda Finance unit to inquire if they could suspend one month lease payment which was a total waste of time. Simply put no not possible and we arent trained to say or help you in any other way, keep paying.
4. I called the Hyundai Customer Service number afterwards and a jackass copped an attitude for no reason after I relayed the story and poignantly said "What do you want me to do for you!! I said, I dont know Im not sitting in your seat.. what are my options? He said Hyundai could reimburse daily through Zell a rental to which I said great! I think he said up to $60 a day. He was supposed to send that to me in writing with an email with instructions of how to submit the reimbursement request etc He never did even though he found me in their system , set up a case and verified my email.

Id like to say about now,, **** Hyundai! luckily i have a family loaner.. but this one is a new experience for me. I think most people would expect some kind of compensation . I mean after all if Im forced to contractually pay monthly on a product that no longer functions, is safe, or facilitates the actual basis of the contract,, what the hell is this!

 

I'm really bummed to hear about your experience, @manofkona.

For my vehicle, I am fairly certain it needs a full battery replacement. The service advisor told me it's the $27K battery replacement and it's currently on backorder, so he has no estimated time of arrival. He told me Hyundai Motor Americas (HMA) said my battery was behaving erratically and should be replaced entirely.

 

I'm even more bummed about your situation. That sounds horrible and sorry to hear you had that happen twice.. Look at the post further down below I posted separately and relook at what is going on with your$$numbers.... I wonder if Hyundai monitors this thread. I actually was called by my dealership yesterday and they said " We think it will be ready by the end of this week, the tech has to install an engine on another vehicle prior to working on your vehicle" If they actually succeed it looks like they will have taken a full month, as I mentioned earlier, to complete 9A4

If you read the recall notice i pasted below, you'll see that none of the scenarios mention battery fluid replacement(which is what the dealer is telling me) , however one scenario mentions BSA battery system assembly replacement.

MC-10241897-0001.pdf (nhtsa.gov)

Regarding the 9A4 service campaign/recall it appears that it is a complex situation.

1. There are many people that are going in and having a simple battery software update. (BMS ---Battery management system software update)
2 Then there are others like me that go in and are told they also have a defective battery coolant fluid issue that might cause overheating and damage to various components due to an electric pump failing because of the fluid issue. -----------and the fix is---fluid needs to be changed out
3. Then there are folks depending on other codes and data stored in the vehicle computer,, are told they need an entire Battery Assembly replacement(what exactly that is I dont kow?) and then afterwards a BMS --software update
4. And finally there is your case where an entire battery needs to be replaced for a second time..

Finally none of this explains to me why the 12 volt auxillary battery up front on these has been such a pain and also needs replacing.

You cant help but wonder if this is the same old problem raising its head again in the link below.
Hyundai to replace Kona EV batteries - The Korea Times