[hiren.mistry]

Hello,
My friend drives an Elantra and his car the entire steering assembly was replaced. The cost was around 80K INR and this was done under warranty.

He has been facing this steering column issue frequently and his car has been with the service center multiple times. I am not sure what work was carried out earlier, will confirm and update.

His steering would simply become rock hard and would not budge. Once this happened when he was driving, fortunately he was able to pull the car to the side without any harm to anyone. He's now fed up of the car and is trying to sell it off.

Regards

[GKR9900]

Originally Posted by hiren.mistry

Hello,
My friend drives an Elantra and his car the entire steering assembly was replaced.

He has been facing this steering column issue frequently and his car has been with the service center multiple times. I am not sure what work was carried out earlier, will confirm and update.
He's now fed up of the car and is trying to sell it off.

Regards

Hello, thanks for sharing your friend's incident. Did he face the steering issues even after the replacement? Any other issues that cropped up which prompted your friend to sell off the car?

[GKR9900]

At last she's up and running! Received a call from the Hyundai service center few days back that the replacement unit has arrived.

(The replacement unit dispatched from Chennai)



The car was taken to the service center by an exec, was there for about 3 days and the defective unit has been replaced.

(The new unit installed)



Me and my Dad went to bring her home today. We took her for a test ride with the new steering assembly.

Here's what I felt :
1. The steering has become a bit too light. I mean, Hyundais have very light steering and the Elantra was no exception. It does weigh up pretty good at speeds. Just that within city speeds, it felt even lighter than before. Dad didn't find it likewise though.

2. There was a very slight pull towards the left side. It wasn't too evident, but I felt as if a bit more effort was to be applied to the right to keep the car going straight. Once I had driven a friend's Vento which had some serious alignment issues. In that car, one has to keep his right hand over the steering's right wing just to point the car straight. This was not even remotely close to that, but the feeling was there. While on a straight road, if I let the steering go, the car slooowly veers to the left. Just to be sure, I asked Dad to take the wheel. He too felt the same. It's not a gross anomaly, but noticeable if one is really keen on it. We informed the exec about our observation. They took the car in, rechecked the unit and also checked the tyre pressure and alignment which was found to be ok! The service manager took a test ride. He said that there was nothing anomalous in his inspection and reassured us about the assembly. He told us to clock in some 1000 kms or so and if the problem persists, then bring in the car for inspection and they will gladly fix it. After collecting her from the center, we covered some 50kms or so, during which Dad didn't feel the pull to the left anymore. However, I still feel that there's some of it left. I'm kinda confused whether my mind is playing games on me now! Would love to hear the views of t-bhpians on this.

I would like to add that it was a very pleasant and fuss-free experience dealing with the staff at Popular Hyundai, Pulluvazhy. They were a patient lot, carefully listening to the customer's problems and does a good job trying to rectify them as well.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by GKR9900

After collecting her from the center, we covered some 50kms or so, during which Dad didn't feel the pull to the left anymore. However, I still feel that there's some of it left.

I would like to add that it was a very pleasant and fuss-free experience dealing with the staff at Popular Hyundai, Pulluvazhy.

Get the wheel alignment+balancing+ rotation from a specialised guy to rule out the problem.

Hopefully the road was flat and no banking?! Generally roads are designed with the divider portion being on the higher side as compared to the other end. This angle would be causing the pull to the left that you are experiencing.

[GKR9900]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Get the wheel alignment+balancing+ rotation from a specialised guy to rule out the problem.

Will get it done as soon as I get some spare time. Funny thing is that the service execs were recommending to get future alignment & balancing done from there itself.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Hopefully the road was flat and no banking?! Generally roads are designed with the divider portion being on the higher side as compared to the other end. This angle would be causing the pull to the left that you are experiencing.

My exact thoughts initially. The roads adjoining the service center are wide, well laid 2 lane roads with no divider in between. Banking was there in some stretches. But I did feel the pull even in some flat stretches. Will definitely re-assess and confirm.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by GKR9900

Will get it done as soon as I get some spare time. Funny thing is that the service execs were recommending to get future alignment & balancing done from there itself.

My exact thoughts initially. The roads adjoining the service center are wide, well laid 2 lane roads with no divider in between. Banking was there in some stretches. But I did feel the pull even in some flat stretches. Will definitely re-assess and confirm.

HASS will ask you to get the alignment done with themselves but do get it done with a specialist for sure-shot readings.

Do check on flat road too.

[GTO]

Check this out: International Hyundai Elantra recall for EPS going dead - Link!

[GKR9900]

Originally Posted by GTO

Check this out: International Hyundai Elantra recall for EPS going dead - Link!

According to the source, the recall is for 2008-2010 models that's the fourth generation Elantra which never made it to Indian shores. I wonder if Hyundai will address the problem with the current generation similarly.

[cheeni]

About the car: A 3 year old i20 Magna with only 15,000 KM on the ODO, mainly used for city driving at very gentle speeds and with no accidents except the minor scuffs of city traffic.

Issue: Squealing and screeching noises from the steering column when making a turn started 2 months ago. It usually happens only during very tight 3-point turns, like while parking, not with the gentle turns of traffic. The Hyundai service center told me the fix was to replace the steering column unit, which would be about 50k, but I could continue using it until it became really unusable. This is Hyundai's stock answer to everything - replace the unit but you can wait till it breaks down. (They wanted to bill me 1000 rupees to replace the wiper blade rubber that had come loose, I fixed it myself with 5 rupees of super glue).

The squealing gradually decreased, but then yesterday the power steering assist cut off while parking and the EPS (Electric Power Steering) light in the dash came on. It was tougher than driving an old Ambassador - but after I parked the car for 5 minutes the power steering was working again. The heat sensor on the motor must have cooled down.

This problem is frequently reported on Hyundai forums in Australia and the UK, not so much in India. On these forums some say there's a software fix for the faulty heat sensor, and others say it's a hardware manufacturing defect that causes the EPS motor to think it is over heating and cut off to prevent burning out.

In any case my driving is very gently and with only 15k, I am convinced this is a manufacturing defect and will come back even if I were to replace the steering column. What are my options? Sell the car? Get a spare from the grey market?

I've already had the clutch malfunction after just 7k km, and replaced it but the problem never really went away, though it lessened, so I suspect the authorized service mechanics don't know what they are doing or are careless.

I'm not very happy with Hyundai, this i20 is my second Hyundai after a Getz. I find Hyundai's service to be expensive and technicians to be largely clueless.

[libranof1987]

Could there be an issue with the Power Steering pump? Have you had that checked? A possible leak perhaps.

A need to change the Steering Column is fairly unusual at that age. Why don't you consult a FNG or a diff. Hyundai A.S.S.

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Could there be an issue with the Power Steering pump? Have you had that checked? A possible leak perhaps.

A need to change the Steering Column is fairly unusual at that age. Why don't you consult a FNG or a diff. Hyundai A.S.S.

It is an EPS and not HPS, so I guess there would be no pump.

[Rahul Bhalgat]

Originally Posted by cheeni

Issue: Squealing and screeching noises from the steering column when making a turn started 2 months ago. It usually happens only during very tight 3-point turns, like while parking, not with the gentle turns of traffic. The Hyundai service center told me the fix was to replace the steering column unit, which would be about 50k, but I could continue using it until it became really unusable. This is Hyundai's stock answer to everything - replace the unit but you can wait till it breaks down. (They wanted to bill me 1000 rupees to replace the wiper blade rubber that had come loose, I fixed it myself with 5 rupees of super glue).

The squealing gradually decreased, but then yesterday the power steering assist cut off while parking and the EPS (Electric Power Steering) light in the dash came on. It was tougher than driving an old Ambassador - but after I parked the car for 5 minutes the power steering was working again. The heat sensor on the motor must have cooled down.

This problem is frequently reported on Hyundai forums in Australia and the UK, not so much in India. On these forums some say there's a software fix for the faulty heat sensor, and others say it's a hardware manufacturing defect that causes the EPS motor to think it is over heating and cut off to prevent burning out.

In any case my driving is very gently and with only 15k, I am convinced this is a manufacturing defect and will come back even if I were to replace the steering column. What are my options? Sell the car? Get a spare from the grey market?

Hello cheeni,

Sorry to hear about the trouble you are facing.
EPS unit is not subject to direct use by the driver, like a clutch. The unit is internally controlled by the car. We just turn the steering, a sensor then turns on the EPS motor is appropriate direction.

Since we directly do not do anything to the EPS motor, I too think that this is a manufacturing defect. You can explain this point to the ASS to convince them.

Secondly, in the ASS, you will find the mobile number of the company's resident service engineer displayed. You can meet him and politely explain this.

Squealing noise is likely due to some jamming in the bearings or EPS gears. Such jamming may be overloading and overheating the motor. This can be possible due to insufficient lubrication or some contamination during the assembly. There is no way a user can damage this.

If Hyundai engineer or ASS still do not agree, ask the ASS to take out the unit. Then take it to some engineer friend (typically the one who works with maintenance) or some good mechanic to see if there is some simple fix to the problem, like re-greasing or changing a bearing etc. If that solves the problem, ask the ASS to fit the unit back and pay their labor charges.

After opening the unit, if you feel it is difficult to fix, tell the ASS to fix a new unit. Your car will be waiting at the service station for a day or two. But at least you may end up in big saving.

Last year, the power window of my MIL's 11 year old Santro stopped working. Hyundai ASS suggested replacement at Rs. 9000. A local mechanic opened and repaired the unit for Rs. 800.

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Could there be an issue with the Power Steering pump? Have you had that checked? A possible leak perhaps.

A need to change the Steering Column is fairly unusual at that age. Why don't you consult a FNG or a diff. Hyundai A.S.S.

Hi librano1987,
The EPS system has an electric motor to assist the steering. This is different from the hydraulic power steering, which has a pump.

[cheeni]

Hello Rahul,

Thanks for your answer, and sorry for the late reply. I live in Chennai, and I had made this post in the morning of Dec. 1, and the city and my home flooded in the afternoon. I lost power, internet, had to evacuate etc. - getting back to mundane aspects of life only now.

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

Hello cheeni,

Sorry to hear about the trouble you are facing.
EPS unit is not subject to direct use by the driver, like a clutch. The unit is internally controlled by the car. We just turn the steering, a sensor then turns on the EPS motor is appropriate direction.

Since we directly do not do anything to the EPS motor, I too think that this is a manufacturing defect. You can explain this point to the ASS to convince them.

I am going to pursue the line of approach you've suggested. I'll keep this thread updated.

I don't think I can do anything immediately on this though, all the mechanic shops in Chennai are fully booked with flood damaged vehicles. So much so the better authorized service centers have leased empty land to store the extra vehicles, and the shoddier ones have parked them on the footpath for a kilometer on either side.

If I attempt to get any of them to look at this issue right now they will barely pay attention.

[zoiks_guy]

Hello dear community,

Day before yesterday I started my Verna Fluidic Diesel hurriedly and tried to drive only to realise that power steering is not working. EPS indicator light has been on ever since. The night before I had parked it safe and sound with no problem whatsoever.

Took it to Sharayu HASS Turbhe. The advisor didn't do any scan and insisted that it ll take time. Later he called and mentioned that motor and EPS module need to changed. I find it unlikely that two parts would fail at the same time. Secondly, I don't think the advisor has even scanned once. I think EPS indicator can further give out DTC codes but the advisor insists that scanning won't help. Additionally, he says that module isn't available so I'll have to leave the car for about 3 days. All in all, I feel that he is not diagnosing right and just want to replace all possibly faulty parts. Have seen this attitude with SA @ Sharayu HASS invariably.

I feel it could be a minor electric fault, possibly due to some rat have a fun night. I understand that the car diagnosed something and disabled the PS as failsafe so wondering if there is a way to reset it, hoping the car to diagnose again if some genuine fault is there.

I also took it to SK Karzone, Nerul (FNG listed here) but the problem couldn't be diagnosed. Scanning didn't go through using Bosch tool. So the advisor spend about an hour checking whatever he could but didn't find anything. He says he need good time to debug further and may take 2 days plus parts availability delays. I am also a bit sceptical to leave my car there as that is not HASS. Not sure if this scepticism is right though.

I bought a cheap (about 550 rupees) OBD2 tool from Amazon but that doesn't show anything. Not sure if I am using it right. Here is what I bought:
https://www.amazon.in/gp/aw/d/B0198NFQ3A/ref=ya_st_dp_summary?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Looking up to great people in this helpful community to guide me on further course of action. I have been driving it as such. Of course it is difficult but I am managing somehow, trying to have a good diagnoses.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by zoiks_guy

I bought a cheap (about 550 rupees) OBD2 tool from Amazon but that doesn't show anything. Not sure if I am using it right.

This is just engine related OBD 2 reader which also isn't much in detail I think. You'll need a specialised tool that scans, ABS, EPS, Airbags in addition to engine for getting the code. Had you been in Hyderabad, would have helped.

Originally Posted by zoiks_guy

I have been driving it as such. Of course it is difficult but I am managing somehow, trying to have a good diagnoses.

May sound silly but did you check the fuse for EPS?

It will be in the fuse box inside the passenger compartment?!