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battery drain on 2006 Hyundai Tucson


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kmh914
Novice

Dec 29, 2007, 10:13 AM

Post #1 of 17 (19724 views)
  post locked   battery drain on 2006 Hyundai Tucson  

Hi:

I have a 2006 Hyundai Tucson (4WD, V6) with battery issues. If I don't drive the car for 4-5 days the battery dies. Other Tucson owners (2006 models) have also had this issue. The dealership has done the following:
1) replaced the radio (it was drawing way to much power when the engine was off) and battery. This didn't solve the problem.
2) reset "all the codes" (their words) to see if that would help. It didn't.
3) rechecked to see if there was any other battery drain and they said they couldn't find anything.

Right now I'm dealing with Hyundai USA to get a buy back. In the meantime, can anyone suggest any other possibility for figuring this problem out?? all the repairs and diagnostics have been free under the warranty, but I'm tempted to take the car to my local garage (great mechanic there) to see if he can find anything.

One thing I have noticed: If there is no one in the front passenger seat, a 'Passenger Airbag Off' message light comes on. Then when I use the turn signal, this message light flickers faintly in time with the turn signal clicking. As far as I can tell none of the other dashboard lights flicker like this.

Thanks!


Double J
Veteran / Moderator
Double J profile image

Dec 29, 2007, 3:05 PM

Post #2 of 17 (19716 views)
  post locked   Re: battery drain on 2006 Hyundai Tucson  

just doing some thinking here.....i would take to a different hyundai dealer for another opinion....
i worked for for a chevrolet dealer and we were sent all the vehicles that couldn't be repaired by other dealers...
then and only then if we couldn't fix the concerns they, (gm), would sent out engineers to help......i can say we only had an engineer come out once for something we had trouble with (water leak ,cavalier convertible..jeez...who didn't..lol..

i know at gm we would have times where there wouldn't be an electrical draw then something would intermittently stick or go haywire and cause a draw.......these things can sometimes be a nightmare to find....

just for kicks...what have the others had done...and are theirs fixed????

we also had a technical asst center to call and document concerns and get tech help from....they sometimes would have other cases on file from dealers around the country and offer those fixes...
if all else fails .....we did have times when gm had to buy back....lemon laws....Wink
good luck


kmh914
Novice

Dec 30, 2007, 10:46 AM

Post #3 of 17 (19711 views)
  post locked   Re: battery drain on 2006 Hyundai Tucson  

Hi:

I've tried to find out if other owners with this problem had it resolved, but so far no luck. Most of us have gone round and round on this issue! On another site I read that the 2006 model has "bad alternator charging capability". Is that something that could be fixed or upgraded?

Here's a link to a dead-battery protection device I found when I was Googling battery info:
http://www.batterystuff.com/...tches/PS12Vauto.html

Since there's a drain somewhere I thought this item might be something to look into.

I think I will take it to another dealership for them to look at.

Thanks for the advice!

Karin


Double J
Veteran / Moderator
Double J profile image

Dec 30, 2007, 3:28 PM

Post #4 of 17 (19708 views)
  post locked   Re: battery drain on 2006 Hyundai Tucson  

any device that would help is always worth looking into....BUT>>>>> i wouldn't install any aftermarket device on the vehicle especially now that you might go into litigation/lemon law stuff.....don't jeopardize anything....
i know the first thing gm tech asst and engineers would ask of is when trying to trouble shoot a concern like this
is "has the vehicle been modified in any way"...."any aftermarket devices on the vehicle...including alarms/remote starters...etc" because sometimes it can turn out that its not a defect in the vehicle but a defect with the device and /or installation.....seen many incorrectly wired in...

just my thoughts.....good luck to you.....hey.....post back with results.............Smile


kmh914
Novice

Jan 4, 2008, 5:19 PM

Post #5 of 17 (19694 views)
  post locked   Re: battery drain on 2006 Hyundai Tucson  

Hi Jim:

I'm still waiting for the Huyndai rep to contact me; called them today again to tell them to get a move on, since when I went out this morning the car was a little hesitant to start, just like the battery was getting ready to die...again...sigh...

So I drove it to the local Auto Max and had the battery and alternator tested. The tech said that the battery was definitely not charging all the way. Also, he said that although the alternator was reading as ok, it was running a little high. Normal should be 1.6 amps/12.4 volts, and it was 2 amps/14.4 volts.

Maybe it needs a new alternator anyway??

I'll keep you posted!

Thanks!


way2old
Veteran / Moderator
way2old profile image

Jan 4, 2008, 6:34 PM

Post #6 of 17 (19692 views)
  post locked   Re: battery drain on 2006 Hyundai Tucson  

The guy told you wrong. If an alternator is charging properly, it will have 14 +or - 1/2 volt. The amperage will vary as to how discharged the battery is. The less charge in the battery, the higher the amperage will be.



Being way2old is why I need help from younger minds

(This post was edited by way2old on Jan 4, 2008, 6:41 PM)


Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Tom Greenleaf profile image

Jan 5, 2008, 2:53 AM

Post #7 of 17 (19689 views)
  post locked   Re: battery drain on 2006 Hyundai Tucson  

Agree with way2old - alternator is fine. What's the deal with this car? Are you going after the buyback or do you want to keep it?

A drain that takes out a battery in 4-5 days is still slow but should be able to isolate. This battery should be replaced. Taking a regular (should be) car battery to dead several times will destroy their reserve. A 2006 could have a battery made in 2005 - check on that. Look at the door jam to see when it was built.

I know of just one Lemon Law buy back with a friend. Car needed to be jumped right in front of him when brand new and blew more major items right away than I've ever heard of. It was still a total PITA but he did settle - minus a chunk for the miles he did manage out of it which wasn't much!

T



kmh914
Novice

Jan 5, 2008, 11:22 AM

Post #8 of 17 (19687 views)
  post locked   Re: battery drain on 2006 Hyundai Tucson  

Hi:

I'd like to get a buy-back, or at least trade-in assistance (full value of what I paid for the car) because I want a 2008 Tucson.

The battery was replaced in early 2007, along with a new radio (drawing too much power).

The Huyndai dealership has twice checked it for all possible drains (they say) and can't find anything (they say!). Would a deep-cycling battery, like the Sears platinum diehard (recommended by a friend) help solve this problem?

Karin


Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Tom Greenleaf profile image

Jan 5, 2008, 12:18 PM

Post #9 of 17 (19684 views)
  post locked   Re: battery drain on 2006 Hyundai Tucson  

If you are going for a buyback I wouldn't touch the car except for going to another dealer who might fix this problem. The now just a year old battery has still had too much thrown at it. From what you are saying that it's dead to the point of not starting in 4-5 days is draining it about half way down every 2nd day and that's a lot of deep cycling on this. There are batteries made just for that and say so in the sales pitch. These are mostly for use in battery powered devices and frequently in marine uses.

Even those need to be recharged again as none of the "wet" batteries I know of tolerate freezing (if that includes your use) or staying left dead for extended times. Perhaps if you did get a new battery on your own that was lots more powerful and more reserve it would effectively solve the problem or rather cover it up.

Where so you stand with the buyback? I bet at this point you'll be real disappointed and they'll charge you so much for the time and miles it has behaved it would be just like trading in for a new one. If this exact car is known for this then I think Hyundai knows it.

What's with the air bag light? Did that get resolved? That's a real issue and if that can be seen by them they should be climbing all over this car to fix that.

By chance - do you park at a high angle or put something on the passenger's seat routinely? That could explain a lot of this!

T



way2old
Veteran / Moderator
way2old profile image

Jan 5, 2008, 12:20 PM

Post #10 of 17 (19684 views)
  post locked   Re: battery drain on 2006 Hyundai Tucson  

Nope. A deep cycling battery will just allow you to charge it up more times than a regular battery. The current draw will still be there and will still run the battery down.



Being way2old is why I need help from younger minds


kmh914
Novice

Jan 7, 2008, 8:49 AM

Post #11 of 17 (19675 views)
  post locked   Re: battery drain on 2006 Hyundai Tucson  

Hi:

The problem with the Passenger Airbag Off light is that when it's on it flickers slightly in time with the turn signal clicker; I think the airbag sensor is working properly because when I have a passenger the light turns off and when I don't it comes on. The fact that it flickers when I use the turn signal is what's making me think there may be a short somewhere in that area that might be causing the drain?

So far all the checks have been done at my dealer for free, but I'm really tempted to take the Tucson to my local car mechanic for his opinion. He's done great diagnostic work on my other car and my car-savvy guy friends all think he's really good.

Bet you're right about the buy-back...but even some trade-in assistance would be fine. When I was googling cars with AWD this weekend I saw an X-type Jaguar...drool...

All the battery info that I've learned on this forum is really helpful!! You guys are great!


kmh914
Novice

Jan 7, 2008, 9:25 AM

Post #12 of 17 (19672 views)
  post locked   Re: battery drain on 2006 Hyundai Tucson  

UPDATE!!

Just was checking on another Tucson site and found this post:

http://tucsondrivers.com/...3&p=21812#p21812

The guy had my same exact problem (dead battery; dealership said radio was bad, new radio, still had a dead battery) and it turned out that the 'new' radio Hyundai put in was a remanufactured radio with the same faulty interior component. His dealership pulled it out and had the interior component replaced. I've emailed him for the specifics on this.

Maybe this is what's going on!!


Double J
Veteran / Moderator
Double J profile image

Jan 7, 2008, 12:47 PM

Post #13 of 17 (19668 views)
  post locked   Re: battery drain on 2006 Hyundai Tucson  

 
Is it me or what...i clicked on,it says "this requested topic does not exist"Shocked


Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Tom Greenleaf profile image

Jan 7, 2008, 3:19 PM

Post #14 of 17 (19663 views)
  post locked   Re: battery drain on 2006 Hyundai Tucson  


It went up in flames!

T



way2old
Veteran / Moderator
way2old profile image

Jan 7, 2008, 5:00 PM

Post #15 of 17 (19660 views)
  post locked   Re: battery drain on 2006 Hyundai Tucson  

Pyromanics



Being way2old is why I need help from younger minds


Annoyed2006
New User
Annoyed2006 profile image

Sep 23, 2009, 12:00 PM

Post #16 of 17 (17875 views)
  post locked   Re: battery drain on 2006 Hyundai Tucson  

Thanks for your post!! I am right there with you!

I have a 2006 Hyundai Tucson (4WD, V6) with the same battery drain problems. The first 2 times I brought it in they told me the battery was testing fine (Of course it did after I drove it 20 minutes to get there!).

I decided to take matters into my own hands!
I dropped the Tucson off on Friday afternoon and let it sit there all weekend +Monday, Tuesday. When I came to the Dealer with my keys on Tuesday afternoon the battery was so dead the key fob wouldn't even unlock the Car! I said congratulations we have "Duplicated the problem"! Call me when it's fixed...

Well they called today and told me the battery would not even hold a charge enough to test the drain. They told me that I would need to purchase a New battery for "Only $140"! I immediately got on the phone w/ Hyundai Customer Service and they contacted the Dealer on my behalf.

Big surprise... the Dealer had a battery available that they could use to test the drain at no cost... Genius!! Glad I thought of it!! After all I'm not an expert... just a 30 year old unemployed single mother!! I'll keep you posted on the outcome.
Annoyed2006


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Sep 23, 2009, 12:24 PM

Post #17 of 17 (17869 views)
  post locked   Re: battery drain on 2006 Hyundai Tucson  

Your responding to a thread that's over a year and a half old. If you have a question, you should start a new thread.



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