[iamitp]

Background info:
I bought my Creta 1.4 DCT SX(O) on 20th October 2020 from Himgiri Hyundai, Dilshad Garden. I chose the dealer-provided insurance with all optionals and opted for the 5 year/50K KM warranty. I had not modified or accessorised it in any way apart from a ceramic coating over the car's painted exterior and usage of a dash-cam powered by the interior 12V socket. I had taken my car for its 1st service at the 1500 KM mark within 1 month of ownership. I had mostly refuelled the car at IOCL COCO petrol pump and periodically used Xtrapremium petrol with additives for cleaning the engine. I covered my car at all times TPH Pilot 373 when parked in the open. The car has always been washed at detailing studios on a monthly basis and 'dry-washed' personally on a weekly basis. There is no rodent infestation in my residential area - I have never seen rodent footmarks or droppings on this car or any of my other 2 cars parked in the same location. I never raced the car or drove it in an overtly aggressive manner. I never took the car to a water-logged or an off-road environment.

On the day of the incident:
I had scheduled my 10,000 KM service at Lamba Hyundai (HASS) in Okhla the previous day. On 07.06.2021, I drove it to the service station and was attended by Mr. R.K. Shukla who was appointed as by Service Advisor (SA). Over the course of the next 3 hours at HASS, my car underwent Hyundai standard 10,000 KM 2nd scheduled service SOP with me bearing cost of engine oil replacement with IOCL Servo 5W30 fully synthetic lubricant, Hyundai OEM Air and engine oil replacement. Pre-service slip and final service invoice is attached. The car was handed over to me after servicing, technician test-drive and cleaning, by the SA. I was told that there were no technical issues with my car. I was requested for feedback via a video and feedback-form which I obliged with an excellent, 10/10 rating.





I drove the car back from HASS to my home (near Lodhi colony) where it remained stationary for 2 hours. After that I drove it from my home to Connaught Place - Gurgaon - Connaught Place - Home in Eco mode including parking it for a couple of hours at Ambience Mall. The drive statistics from Bluelink application are also attached. There were no adverse events whatsoever during the course of my 94 KM post-service drive. On the way back to my house from Connaught Place, at distance of less than 1 KM from my home, as I pulled away from the Aurobindo Marg - Lodhi Road traffic signal the car displayed a message on the touchscreen saying that there is a malfunction with the emission control system and the check engine light on MID lit up. The car refused to engage D2 (2nd gear) and only moved forward in D1 (first gear). I pulled aside, took a picture of the touchscreen and MID, which is attached, and restarted the car but the behaviour continued. The message disappeared after that but the check engine light stayed on. I drove the car in D1 for 5 mins and arrived home. When I attempted to parallel park my car in front of the house, it refused to engage R (reverse gear). I was thus stranded in a diagonal position on the colony road, unable to go anywhere as the car was between parallel walls, and blocking all vehicular traffic.






Fortunately, I was able to call my father and brother for help before the situation created a major ruckus in the neighbourhood. With their assistance I engaged N (neutral gear) and manually pushed the car back enough to manoeuvre it into a parking position on D1. I immediately called my SA and Whatsapped him and the HASS escalation team pictures I had taken earlier vide a Whatsapp group created by the SA at the time of delivery. He immediately answered my call and committed to sending over a technician the next morning.


Next morning:
Mr. Prabhat, Service Technician (ST) called me at 9 AM and informed that he will reach in 20 mins. At around 9:30 AM, me and ST stepped into the car where the problems from last night persisted, i.e. the check engine light was on, the car did not engage any other gear other than P,N and D1. ST checked if there was any issue with the Electronic Parking Brake or Auto Hold function and found none. He peeked inside the bonnet and didn't find anything wrong either. ST attached an OBD scanning tool and it returned an error code P060194. An internet search came back with this result for the said code-

The P0601 diagnostic trouble code is set when a memory check sum error is detected with the internal control module. This is an error internal to the ECU and is found when the ECU performs self-checks.

ST told me that it is the first time he is seeing such an issue. After consulting with his senior who was also clueless about this issue, the ST advised towing the vehicle back to HASS using Hyundai Road Side Assistance (RSA). I pushed the RSA button on the IRVM (Inner rear view mirror) but the call didn't go through a couple of times due to poor network reception for Bluelink. I pushed the Bluelink button instead and the call got connected to Hyundai's assistance team. My Bluelink advisor (BA) verified name, registration, covid details and location before confirming the issue as a powertrain issue, as visible to him via remote diagnostics. He connected the call to an RSA advisor who confirmed the car's condition and location access before offering to tow the car back to Himgiri Hyundai, where I had purchased it. I insisted that the car be towed back to Lamba Hyundai as the issue had clearly occurred immediately after their 10K service and they had been involved and supportive thus far. The pick up was scheduled for 12 noon but I got a call from the RSA service team (Bajaj Allianz as per Truecaller) that the pickup truck will reach by 2 PM. I signed off on the visit form with ST and a copy is also attached.





Next steps:
While I await the pick-up truck, I am extremely shaken by what has transpired over the past 24 hours. How is it that a flawless 6 month old car which has been meticulously maintained developed such a serious issue right after company scheduled service? What if the car had broken-down in the middle of a highway or an unsafe part of town? Why was HASS not trained to immediately diagnose this issue? Can I now drive peacefully knowing that such an issue can occur without warning? Needless to say, I am also concerned about the resolution of the issue. Whether it would be replace or repaired. How long will it be before I get my car back? How will I commute in the intervening period? Whether I will have to bear cost for a problem which has is solely due to Hyundai's manufacturing and/or servicing?

The Creta has recently emerged as India's no. 1 best-selling car. It goes without saying that thousands of existing and potential buyers could be sensitised about this issue and should keep my experience at the back of their mind while purchasing and servicing their vehicles. Hence, I am putting this up as a new thread instead of an update on the Official Creta review thread. I shall update the thread after my car has been towed and the issue has been diagnosed by HASS.

I am also writing an email to crservice@hmil.net about this issue in detail. If you feel that I should mark this email to any relevant Hyundai officials, please reply with or PM me their email ids. If you believe I should take any other steps please do reply to this thread for the benefit of me and other Creta owners/potential buyers. I hope this expedites and aids in a 'frustation-free' resolution of the issue.

Hoping for the best,

Amit

[Mr.Boss]

Originally Posted by iamitp

How is it that a flawless 6 month old car which has been meticulously maintained developed such a serious issue right after company scheduled service? What if the car had broken-down in the middle of a highway or an unsafe part of town?

I know how it feels when a relatively brand new car (or any machine) that fails. But after all it's a machine and it is bound to happen. OEs do extensive testing and validation but couldn't simulate the real life usage or the quality level of each and every component and process.
IMO what is not expected is a repeated failure making the ownership troublesome.

From the above statements it is evident that the SA or A.S.S or RSA is helpful so far, which itself is a big welcome note considering few pathetic experiences posted by our fellow members.

Originally Posted by iamitp

Why was HASS not trained to immediately diagnose this issue? Can I now drive peacefully knowing that such an issue can occur without warning?

Some issues are new to them (when I say them, it includes A.S.S. or the OE development and diagnostics team as well) and needs a deep analysis to narrow down at the issue and make sure the right solution is provided.

Originally Posted by iamitp

I am also writing an email to hrservice@hmil.net about this issue in detail. If you feel that I should mark this email to any relevant Hyundai officials, please reply with or PM me their email ids.
..
I hope this expedites and aids in a 'frustation-free' resolution of the issue.

I suggest you to wait for the next action from H.A.S.S
If that is not satisfactory, you can try escalating further.

[VKumar]

A few years back, when I wasn't a BHPian; I used to frequently think that why GTO and many experienced people are so much critical of these dual clutch boxes, although I have never burnt my fingers with a dual clutch box, but the failure rate is astonishing, be it a small time engagement issue, or an entire thing breaking down - a failure is a failure. No wonder, VAG group has returned back to the TC boxes on a few of their offerings. And well, GTO still says this:

Originally Posted by GTO

I am frankly not at all convinced about the long-term reliability of any dual-clutch gearbox, hence this line in the opening post of our review:

Any way, the problem of OP is very similar to the limp mode IMO. Probably a quick ECU reset will fix it, if not, then maybe some sensor replacement. The failure in itself is a disturbing thing, but with Hyundai in place; the customer is still in safe hands - I have seen them very promptly addressing the issues in Seltos and Creta, particularly in the models equipped with a dual clutch box.

Anyhow, looks like European cars just love throwing this light, and it's the Hyundai that takes this light seriously too!

Dear Amit

When you mark the mail to Hyundai (first wait for the response from the service station), make sure you put the link to this thread also in it. Since the day they replaced the transmission of the Creta with over 1 lac kms on odo, I feel that they will take good care of this case too. It's a nice car with one cracker of an engine coupled to an able transmission, and I am sure you will be able to enjoy it gain ASAP.

On a side note, I would suggest you to not allow the dealership to tear any mechanical stuff apart or go for any big replacement, until there is involvement of someone from Hyundai. There are thousands of cases where these guys, in their hit and trial method, do end up repairing or replacing everything, while the real culprit is found out to be some unknown sensor in some unknown location in the engine bay.

Kindly keep us updated of the developments.

[iamitp]

Originally Posted by Mr.Boss

I know how it feels when a relatively brand new car (or any machine) that fails.
I suggest you to wait for the next action from H.A.S.S
If that is not satisfactory, you can try escalating further.

Thanks, they have just started the repair job. I am awaiting their diagnosis.

Originally Posted by VKumar

Any way, the problem of OP is very similar to the limp mode IMO.

On a side note, I would suggest you to not allow the dealership to tear any mechanical stuff apart or go for any big replacement, until there is involvement of someone from Hyundai.

Hopefully, as you say, it is a minor fix. Thanks, Will take your advice in my email to HMIL and have told SA to keep me posted and take my authorization before any major repair work.

[PatienceWins]

Thanks for sharing your experience. This seems to be another instance of gear actuator issue of DCT that has been reported by many owners of Creta/ Seltos 1.4 DCT.

Refer this thread. https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...tos-dct-2.html (Serious gearbox issue in my Kia Seltos DCT)

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...ml#post5000845 (Hyundai Creta : Official Review)

Send a mail to Hyundai and ask for the diagnosis in writing if they blame the issue on software update, as always.

Keep us updated. All the best.

[GTO]

Sucks to hear about this! Imagine if that had to happen on a highway trip - just imagine the inconvenience. I have said this before and will say this again. Hyundai & Kia have sacrificed quality for growth. They have significantly ramped up their manufacturing volumes, but it has come at the cost of quality & reliability (much like Toyota a decade ago). Even our media cars from Hyundai & Kia have had a few niggles, details of which are in their respective Official Reviews.

My worry is how these cars are going to age, and what kind of problems will come up. These turbo-charged direct-injection engines are extremely complex, and equally complicated are the dual-clutch ATs. There is no such thing as a reliable dual-clutch AT in my opinion. VW, Skoda, Ford (google up DCT lawsuits) and now Hyundai-Kia...all of them have issues. Not to mention, the heavy electronics these cars are coming with. Today's complicated cars are designed for just 10 years of life. Throw them away after that. Unlike the 15 - 20 year old Honda Citys you still see running on our roads, you won't these cars. When the cost of overhauling a turbo-petrol direct-injection engine or dual-clutch AT exceeds the book value of the 11-year old car, they will be junked. Much like the old luxury cars. Today's Hyundai Creta is more mechanically & electronically complex than a 10-year old C-Class.

This is why I have always maintained that the Diesel AT is the combination to pick for the Creta & Seltos. Robust and far simpler.

Am sending a link of this thread to some people I know at Hyundai. Hopefully, your case is prioritised.

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by GTO

My worry is how these cars are going to age, and what kind of problems will come up. Today's complicated cars are designed for just 10 years of life. Throw them away after that

Absolutely true. If we look at quality, cost and reliability trends particularly over the last 10 years, cars are being built only to last 4 years with minimum issues - that is the period when the extended warranty would typically be over, and this tenure would typically mean 40k to 80k kms of usage. In my view, customer demands have changed (eg. changing cars via lease plans every 3 years), so why would any manufacturer be interested in providing a car like the legendary Toyota Innova that can go on casually for 10 lac kms?

In my view, the only cars, "tinnily" built today but fit to last 15 years in India, come from Honda, Toyota and Suzuki. Mahindra and Tata have still not reached that stage of engineering like the Japanese, but still offer some decent products, although with many many niggles. But nothing like an engine failing or a transmission packing up. Koreans - gone south big time, and Indians have fallen for their oomph factor.

The only way to get reliability back is to build simple yet technologically acceptable cars like between 1998 and 2012.

[Raghu M]

The amount of focus today's car makers have on electronics, gizmos, bells and whistles has taken away the pleasure of simple driving. These things are too complicated and worse, the technicians have no clue on what they are working on. Sometimes, I doubt it could be the technicians fault as well but that will never be known. For example, my friend's Daikin air-conditioner broke down. A technician was immediately assigned from the company. He gave it a look and told, these are inverter type ACs and I don't know how to work on it. He also asked him 'why did you buy it? no one knows how reliable they are, they are too complex and expensive to repair'. I was blown away. A company assigned technician sharing his views (frank) about one of their best offerings. The same goes with these cars. I believe in MT and will stick to petrol MT as long as I can.

[iamitp]

First, here's the update - HASS is still clueless about the diagnosis and has requested for more time. I have politely lodged an appeal for a courtesy car as this was my daily driver and being in the Govt. sector, I do need to attend office. ST said he'll put me in touch with his senior later in the day and I can take up this issue with him.

I have also tweeted out this thread and tagged senior HMIL Management from Marketing and Customer service departments. Here's a link to the Tweet, I would appreciate it if you could amplify its reach by Retweeting.

https://twitter.com/iamitp/status/14...470013952?s=20

Also attaching some pictures of the RSA process by Hyundai's vendor - Bajaj Allianz. The behaviour of the vendor was quite professional and they were able to load the vehicle on the flatbed-truck without much issue. The driver also provided me with his live Whatsapp status on request.

Originally Posted by PatienceWins

Send a mail to Hyundai and ask for the diagnosis in writing if they blame the issue on software update, as always.

Had seen that post in the Official Creta review thread. I really hope its not a DCT actuator failure in my case too as I didn't force-engage the gearbox without depressing the brake pedal, got an error message saying that this is an issue with the Emission Control and Bluelink diagnosis of Powertrain failure. Of course, hope its now something worse either!

Good tip, will keep it in mind. Collecting the official email IDs of relevant management personnel now for my email.

Originally Posted by GTO

Am sending a link of this thread to some people I know at Hyundai. Hopefully, your case is prioritised.

Thanks a lot GTO! Really means a lot coming from you and I know this will help me along with a lot of other BHPians and Creta owners.

I totally agree with your Diesel AT advise for Seltos and Creta but couldn't resist after reading about the fun you had with the 1.4 T-GDI.

Originally Posted by vigsom

Absolutely true. If we look at quality, cost and reliability trends particularly over the last 10 years, cars are being built only to last 4 years with minimum issues - that is the period when the extended warranty would typically be over, and this tenure would typically mean 40k to 80k kms of usage.

Originally Posted by Raghu M

The amount of focus today's car makers have on electronics, gizmos, bells and whistles has taken away the pleasure of simple driving.

I really that hope my case bucks this dooming trend and turns out to be some minor technical issue which can be fixed quickly.

[Raghu M]

Please stay positive. I am sure Hyundai will own up to whatever has to be fixed/repaired. You have bought the vehicle after thorough research, you will be at the wheel very soon.

[SolidusSnake]

Originally Posted by iamitp

Had seen that post in the Official Creta review thread. I really hope its not a DCT actuator failure in my case too as I didn't force-engage the gearbox without depressing the brake pedal, got an error message saying that this is an issue with the Emission Control and Bluelink diagnosis of Powertrain failure. Of course, hope its now something worse either!
.

Many other Creta owners have faced this trouble, every time check engine/ powertrain failure shows up and R refuses to engage, as I believe hyundai has not coded DCT failure message in bluelink. But till now almost all of these cases were in initial May-June batches of car, so I had thought maybe hyundai rectified the issue in later batches, but since yours is I believe Sep or Oct manufactured car, it seems Hyundai has taken no corrective steps. I also have a Oct manufactured DCT Creta, it instills a fear in me than the DCT is bound to fail sooner or later. Now how can we have confidence to take car on a longtrip, what if the gearbox fails in the middle of nowhere. Seriously we should contemplate selling these cars immediately or atleast before end of warranty and buy a CVT/ TC car.
Edit: in that thread, you had mentioned that in few instances, you had accidentally moved the shift lever while the car was in motion and had expressed concern that it may have damaged actuator. The manual has express warning that moving shift lever to R while car is in motion can cause severe transmission damage.

[iamitp]

Originally Posted by SolidusSnake

it seems Hyundai has taken no corrective steps. I also have a Oct manufactured DCT Creta, it instills a fear in me than the DCT is bound to fail sooner or later. before end of warranty and buy a CVT/ TC car.
Edit: in that thread, you had mentioned that in few instances, you had accidentally moved the shift lever while the car was in motion and had expressed concern that it may have damaged actuator. The manual has express warning that moving shift lever to R while car is in motion can cause severe transmission damage.

Yes what you say makes sense. You're right, Please check PM.

[kushagra452]

Really shocked and sorry to read about your ordeal. Hope Hyundai can fix this problem soon and you're back on the road enjoying your new machine. I am in the market to replace my 15 year old Honda City and have shortlisted Hyundai Creta. Considering that the car will mostly be driven in the heavy Delhi traffic, I am considering going for an automatic. However, incidents like these seriously dent a prospectives customers confidence in the technology (DCT) and the product (Creta).

For me a hassle free, low maintenance ownership experience is the top most priority. Just for this reason alone, I have also shortlisted the Maruti Suzuki Brezza as well. I know that there is no comparison between Creta and Brezza and that they are from completely different segments, however, I am willing to sacrifice all the latests features for a product that is super reliable. I keep my cars for long and intend to drive my next purchase for the maximum allowable time limit.

[Axe77]

Really feel sorry for your predicament man.

I think a lot of us seem to bet on petrol today for the regulatory limitations (10 year rule) around diesels or general smoothness / power considerations.When I think of the general underwhelming reliability that most manufacturers suffer as well as largely 10 year usable life span of many modern complex cars, I feel in situations like this, I would rather accept the car having a 10 year realistic life span and accordingly I think I would rather just pick diesel where they are simpler or more reliable and enjoy the better FE etc of such engines, being reconciled to selling it sooner.

The second sentiment I'm beginning to gravitate towards is to limit how much money I would spend on cars going forward. Honestly the overall experience of owning reliable long term cars has so many challenges that I am increasingly inclined to limit the amount I'd spend and segment I would jump to for car purchases. Would rather err on the side of spending less rather than more if I need to be reconciled to changing my car sooner than I would have otherwise liked.

[SolidusSnake]

On a related note, why DCT failures only in Creta and Seltos. Have not heard of any report of DCT failure in Venue, Sonet, i20 or verna despite them using presumably same 7 speed unit. Is it due to higher torque rating of 1.4 litre engine of Creta/ Seltos?