[Naetik30]

Folks, today I noticed the worst juddering of my Alcazar Diesel AT. So, quick status update - completed 9000kms in the 4 months since I got the car.

I was on the NICE road in BLR and was trying to drive above 60kmph so I can clear out the DPF load. With maintaining 60kmph as the primary goal, I was driving pretty slow for the highway. I moved to 60kmph and was very slowly moving towards 70kmph. Excaltly when it hit 70kmph, the transmission started juddering pretty badly. This was on for a few seconds that it got me worries, but once I moved past 70kmph, looks like the transmission found its gear and was smooth again.

So I tried to recreate the problem and could do so couple of times. Please try this on your Alcazar (or Creta?) and let me know if this a common problem -
1. Maintain 60kmph for a couple of minutes and slowly move to 70kmph.
2. You should be on a fairly level road (so the engine is around 1500rpm). On inclines the engine rpm would be higher (>1700rpm) and I could not notice the issue. But on level roads without incline, with rpm at 1500rpm and speed moving towards 70kmph, the juddering is pretty bad.

Till now, on highways I quickly move above 100kmph and never noticed a problem. If possible please check and let me know, if this common for all ALcazar diesels or if this my car alone that suffers.

[Naetik30]

4 months & 10000 Km service update:

So, 1st of September I completed 4 months of ownership and the 10000 km service was coming up. I was also worried about the juddering from the transmission I experienced a couple of times in the last week of August. So took the car in for the service to Lakshmi Hyundai service at Whitefield. I had informed Mr. Chetan (marketing) about the juddering issue a day back.

Was received by Mr. Johnson (service manager). He had already got an update from Mr. Chetan and I should say the support from Mr. Johnson was exemplary. I am extremely impressed with the level of attention to detail at this place. I stay in bannerghatta road and it is not easy to come down here for the service. But if the support and service remains the same, I will not mind making the trip for service to this place.

I explained the juddering to be the main issue I am there to fix. Also, told them not to do the dry wash. He already knew from Mr. Chetan that I wanted the car spotless and clean. Took him out on a longish test drive to show the juddering. Our thought was it could be the air filter or fuel injectors, etc. They needed the car for a couple of days to root cause. No error codes on the OBD meant, it wouldnt be easy to diagnose.

From the Hyundai app, I could monitor that he was taking the car out for test drives a few times onto a highway. He also kept me posted on the same. Coz everytime the car leaves the service station I wanted to know why and what for .

Two days later they handed over the car. Went for a test drive for 30+ kms and no juddering. The only change was the air filter + regular service. I have driven 250kms since the service and nothing noticed yet. So hoping the issue is resolved.

Also, checked the DPF soot load and it was at 15%, the last time I checked it was at 87% and so the engine is able to handle and burn up the soot during the highway drives. Fingers crossed on that as well.

Otherwise, very happy with the car.

[Naetik30]

Originally Posted by Naetik30

4 months & 10000 Km service update:


Two days later they handed over the car. Went for a test drive for 30+ kms and no juddering. The only change was the air filter + regular service. I have driven 250kms since the service and nothing noticed yet. So hoping the issue is resolved.

As luck would have it - within 24 hours of my last post mentioning, that no juddering was observed, it came right back. . No happy at all.

On Sep 8 morning as I was driving into office, the juddering restarted again. This was at about 65kmph/1800 rpm on the inner ring road. This time the juddering was bad and it went away after I braked and accelerated again.

Again in the evening and next day morning, I observed the juddering for few seconds. The problem is, it is not consistently reproducible yet. But for every hour of drive it occurs once or twice and lasts for less than 5 seconds or so. There is no check engine light or any errors on the console.

My doubts are strongly on -
1. Fuel injectors
2. Clutch
3. Transmission
4. TCM and related sensors.
5. Engine mounts (less probability)

I called up Mr. Johnson from Lakshmi Hyundai yesterday and updated him about it. He was supportive as usual. So that is a good thing. I asked him to inform Hyundai and get a list of items they are willing to check. I will have to leave the car with them for a couple of days. Told him will only leave it when I know they have a clear plan on what all to check.

So, planning to leave the car with them on Monday and hope this time, the real issue would be resolved.

This issue is starting to ruin an otherwise excellent ownership.

[Naetik30]

Originally Posted by Naetik30

As luck would have it - within 24 hours of my last post mentioning, that no juddering was observed, it came right back. . No happy at all.

This issue is starting to ruin an otherwise excellent ownership.

Update:

A few (good) updates on the juddering issue. My car was taken back by Lakshmi Hyundai service manager Mr. Chetan on Sep 13. This time they took it back to their main service centre in Hebbal, Bangalore instead of the whitefield SC. Had a couple of calls with their technician to explain the problem and I could also notice from the Bluelink app, they did multiple road tests to recreate it. Finally after 2 days, Mr. Chetan called back to confirm the issue is due to fuel injectors. He took it up with Hyundai and next day got confirmation that the fuel injectors would be replaced under warranty.

But they had to order the injectors for replacement and they returned the car and informed that they will take the car back once the injectors are available. In the meantime, I had a vacation followed by the Puja holidays. Last weekend I was informed that the injectors had arrived. And today I sent the car back to Lakshmi Hyundai Hebbal branch for the fuel injectors replacement.

A round of appreciation for Mr. Chetan. One of the best I have dealt with in the past 13 years of being a customer with Hyundai. The lengths he had to go through to keep me updated and ensure that the root cause is identified and rectified is highly appreciable.

In the meantime the car has crossed 11000 kms and will post an update once I get the car back.

I stay near Meenakshi mall (Bannerghatta road) and have a Advaith Hyundai service center within a 2 km radius from my home. And no Lakshmi Hyundai service center anywhere nearby. Closest is whitefield and the Hebbal one is actually the other side of town for me. But I guess will stick with Lakshmi Hyundai service for two reasons - (1) I got the car from Lakshmi (2) Just because of Mr. Chetan.

[Aditya]

Hyundai Alcazar | Juddering due to faulty fuel injectors - Posts moved to a new thread.

[Naetik30]

Final update:

Mr. Chetan got the car after replacing the fuel injectors today. Went for a longish test drive and tried out driving at multiple rpm and speed ranges. Finally - no juddering was observed. Looks like the issue is behind me now.

Very happy with the way Lakshmi Hyundai and Mr. Chetan handled the issue. Kudos. Can only hope the service experience stays the same in the future as well.

[r24x7]

Originally Posted by Naetik30

Final update:

Mr. Chetan got the car after replacing the fuel injectors today. Went for a longish test drive and tried out driving at multiple rpm and speed ranges. Finally - no juddering was observed. Looks like the issue is behind me now.

Very happy with the way Lakshmi Hyundai and Mr. Chetan handled the issue. Kudos. Can only hope the service experience stays the same in the future as well.

As GTO says every single time , get that extended warranty for the maximum possible mileage/duration , if not already. Enjoy driving blissful kilometers now!

[Naetik30]

Originally Posted by r24x7

As GTO says every single time , get that extended warranty for the maximum possible mileage/duration , if not already. Enjoy driving blissful kilometers now!

Have always got the max extended warranty. For the Alcazar I have 5 year/1,20,000km warranty + 3 year Shield of Trust for wear and tear parts.

But how the manufacturer and service center handle warranty post sales also matters a lot. This was a major concern when I was selecting my car and decided to go with Hyundai for the peace of mind.

[rkv_2401]

Originally Posted by Naetik30

But how the manufacturer and service center handle warranty post sales also matters a lot. This was a major concern when I was selecting my car and decided to go with Hyundai for the peace of mind.

Yup, Hyundai do a great job with servicing your car when it's new. They may not be up there with MS in terms of service or reliability, but then the cars are more complicated (lots more electronics, fancy engines and transmissions, etc.) and that may be why. It's only after the 7/10-year mark that you need to start looking elsewhere to avoid getting fleeced.

[itwasntme]

Confused why the Alcazar is facing such injector issues. Isn't it a rock solid tried and tested engine?

The Duster 110 & Vento were plagued by the same issue, but that was because the injector tolerances were set too low for Indian fuel. Over the years, resale suffered a hit as well.

But why suddenly the Alcazar?

[Naetik30]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Confused why the Alcazar is facing such injector issues. Isn't it a rock solid tried and tested engine?

The Duster 110 & Vento were plagued by the same issue, but that was because the injector tolerances were set too low for Indian fuel. Over the years, resale suffered a hit as well.

But why suddenly the Alcazar?

Your guess is as good as mine. But the culprit could be fuel itself. If you google, you will see a lot of injector issues reported due to fuel quality.

And in my immediate circle this is the second instance of a fuel injector issue reported on this engine. My friend and colleague who has a 2020 Kia Seltos had a similar problem last year. On his Seltos there was severe stuttering of the engine along with check engine light. As the CEL had come on, it was easy for the service center to diagnose. And the juddering/stuttering was present all the time. The SC quickly identified the single injector that was troublesome and replaced it. And he has not faced any issue since. This was on Diwali of 2021.

In my case, the stuttering was random + no check engine light. And it always occured after about 30 minutes of driving. Hence it wasnt easy to diagnose. Lesson learnt - in all modern cars, the CEL is actually very useful and can help root cause quicker.

[zorbish]

Alcazar, signature, Petrol AT. ~2300km odometer, ~2 months old car.

I experienced very similar issues on a long drive after ~430kms drive with short breaks. Engine light + drive loss + rpm fluctuations while idling. Drove back home with AC off and 30-40kms speed.

Next day scan at service station prompted fault (see photo) with fuel injectors and was suggested to update the ECM firmware.
Firmware updated and the alert was cleared too. No loose connection with any sensors were observed.

Have had no issues after that though, fingers crossed.

I doubt how would updating firmware resolve the issue; and why did this happen in the first place. Not sure if these are even related.

Another theory from service manager was that mixing different quality fuel could have triggered this issue. Just a theory, but still having this issue indicate overall quality issues fuel injection system.

[Naetik30]

Hi @zorbish. If check engine light glowed, that is good as it can help with root cause pretty quickly.

In my case, there was no CEL. If you notice the error again, and the code shows injector issue, you should discuss with SA for injector replacement.

[maximus_fiat]

Originally Posted by Naetik30

Final update:

Mr. Chetan got the car after replacing the fuel injectors today. Went for a longish test drive and tried out driving at multiple rpm and speed ranges. Finally - no juddering was observed. Looks like the issue is behind me now.

Very happy with the way Lakshmi Hyundai and Mr. Chetan handled the issue. Kudos. Can only hope the service experience stays the same in the future as well.

I faced similar issues with my Alcazar (1.5 D AT Signature). Problem started at 4000 kms mark with juddering while accelerating from 70 kmph to 80 kmph, had to revv hard or brake for the juddering to go away. Had a really torrid time on a road trip from Vizag to Hyderabad. Could reproduce the issue multiple times, just needed a bit of acceleration after maintaining a particular speed for some time. Above 85 there were no issues. After living with this issue for 1000 kms, had a check engine light. Took the car for checkup at Fusion Hyundai, Hyderabad (Kompally). They scanned and found error code as P200300. Service advisor mentioned that DPF was full and error indicated an issue with exhaust system / catalytic converter. After clearing the error code and dpf regen, they returned the car asking me not to undertake any road trips in near future. They suspected that the issue will reoccur after some time.

After driving for 600 odd kms, check engine light was back and it was the same error code. Did smell sulphur / rotten egg smell in the cabin just before the check engine light came on. Fusion Hyundai initiated steps to replace the catalytic converter. They checked with other dealerships and found a spare catalytic converter. Same was fixed and car was returned after 3 days. I have driven 5000 kms after that including a 2500 kms road trip and thankfully the initial shuddering issue has not re-occurred.

I am suspecting bad fuel. Potentially there could be an issue with sensors. Never had a DPF regen warning message on the dash but both times DPF was clogged. I drive mainly on outer ring road (Hyderabad) and occasionally within city limits. My usage pattern should definitely clear out the DPF automatically.

[Naetik30]

Originally Posted by maximus_fiat

After driving for 600 odd kms, check engine light was back and it was the same error code. Did smell sulphur / rotten egg smell in the cabin just before the check engine light came on. Fusion Hyundai initiated steps to replace the catalytic converter. They checked with other dealerships and found a spare catalytic converter. Same was fixed and car was returned after 3 days. I have driven 5000 kms after that including a 2500 kms road trip and thankfully the initial shuddering issue has not re-occurred.

I am suspecting bad fuel. Potentially there could be an issue with sensors. Never had a DPF regen warning message on the dash but both times DPF was clogged. I drive mainly on outer ring road (Hyderabad) and occasionally within city limits. My usage pattern should definitely clear out the DPF automatically.

Its always good when the check engine light comes on. The service center can quickly diagnoze the problem. Hope your issue is completely resolved and happy miles.