Veloster Transmission Issue? Gears not engaging...

[k_nifer]

I am a new member, I've been reading some things on the forum since before I purchased my Veloster, and now I have an issue with it that I hope you guys can help with. Please forgive my lack of technical speak.

I have a DCT with Style. Purchased February 5th. 2500 miles.

I don't know the date of manufacture, it's not currently in my possession, but if there is somewhere I can find it using only the VIN, I do know that.

Well, here it goes:

A few weeks ago, I noticed that on occasion when reversing, it seemed that I'd lurch backward really suddenly with barely any pressure to the gas. Sometimes I also felt like the car could be a little jerky and picky when accelerating. I chalked these things up to such a drastic change in what I was driving- I came from an '08 TL to the V.

Well, one day I back up and shift to drive, and the engine revs, but the car does not move. I drove standard for 8 years before the TL, so I can tell you that to me it felt like I was in neutral revving the engine. No movement in the car, not even a creep. I put it back in park then back in drive and it worked. I figured that maybe I hadn't gotten the shifter all of the way into the drive position. My TL had VERY defined positions for the shifter, so there was never any question. The digital display with the cluster did say D, though.

So, this has happened a handful of times now, and over the weekend, I thought that I should take it in early this week to get it checked out.

Sunday, my boyfriend and I got in the car, the reverse-to-drive issue happened again, it was the first time anyone had witnessed it (yay! I'm not crazy!), but once again, I tried to examine what I was doing to diagnose any operator error. We were driving on some hilly roads, and I gave some gas into a hill, and the RPM shot up with no torque. Once again, like I was in neutral revving the engine. I let off of the gas for a second, tried again and felt the gears engage and car accelerate into the hill. I was probably going about 40mph up a medium grade incline. No other problems that day.

Yesterday, car starts fine and acts fine on the 8 mile drive to work. I get in after 9.5 hours of it sitting, start it, reverse out of my spot, switch to drive, and once again no reaction from the car when pressing the accelerator. This time, I put it in park then back to drive after a couple of seconds, and it doesn't engage yet again. The third try finally does it.

About 2 miles down the road after stopping at two different stop lights on the access road, I am at the third. I take off from the line at a normal pace, and I BELIEVE it was 2nd to 3rd gear (it could have been 1st to second, but I think I was already beyond that), the car does it again. I almost got rear ended by another car who expected me to keep accelerating. Obviously I know without a shadow of a doubt that this car needs service, so I make up my mind to leave early to make it to the service dept.

This morning, I call service and leave a message that I'd be en route shortly. I head to the car, ready to get a video of it in action since I've seen some posts about the service techs not being able to replicate what owners are experiencing. The service front desk lady calls me back to see what's happening, and I have her hold while I turn the camera on my phone on to record the start.

So, I start the car, and the P for Park on the cluster display is flashing/blinking. I put it in reverse to see what was happening there, the R was blinking. The car was acting once again like it was in neutral.

The service advisor gets on the phone, tells me not to drive it and to call roadside and have it towed. I comply.

While waiting for the tow truck, I log onto blue link, and there is a red stop sign on the main page over the hood that says Transmission and to call the service department.

They were so busy, they didn't even have it in a spot until after 4. I couldn't get the video to them because their email service wouldn't allow it, but I finally got a personal email for my advisor about the time they were closing to send him the video (which shows the blinking R, a sliver of the tachometer showing the rpms climbing with my pressure on the accelerator, but is not very telling beyond that- my voice and the service lady's voice both muddling sounds of the car).

Of course, the car is showing no signs of anything wrong, they were able to back it up and get it into the bay just fine. The car threw no codes at them, but they know that I had a bluelink alert. They just couldn't see that coming from my car to them when they hooked it up. They were able to see in the Bluelink logs that an alert was sent to me right around the time I started my car this morning. They were flummoxed as to why they didn't see anything coming from the car to them and had to look for it via Bluelink.

So, the only thing I have to help them is this description and my crummy video.

The tech is driving it tonight.

I can't get a loaner until they find something wrong with it, but my near-collision yesterday is what I consider a risk to me and Hyundai if I drive it and wait for it to mess up again. I don't want to put anyone in that situation.

Any ideas I should bounce off of them? My advisor did not know about this forum, but I told him to check it out when he could.

Thanks!

[k_nifer]

Sorry, too late to edit.

The Tech said I have all applicable updates for my VIN, but I didn't have the campaign name for the grinding/shifting tj6 (although it didn't sound like mine fit that description, am I wrong?) in front of me today, but I described it and told him about the more recent Bluelink one and he said they were both up to date.

I will confirm tomorrow morning, but what, exactly, should I ask for to ensure that he is checking them? Does it sound like the same problem at all? My car had arrived at the dealership that morning. I found out about it from another dealership. The salesperson I called to hold it didn't even know they had it on the lot yet. I am skeptical of the updates because it was a really rushed deal that was done 90% over the phone.

[stasijane]

I am having transmission problems also. My was wasn't having trouble engaging but I had a code pop up on my blue line also. Did you notice any sounds when shifting gears? I know that the dealership where mine is has been back and forth with Hyndai tech and they cant figre it out so I have a whole new transmission in route as we speak.

[k_nifer]

No sounds that I've noticed so far, except whirring of the AC fan, I believe. Nothing that I can hear over the revving of the engine when this is happening. What were your symptoms? Are you driving your car in the interim, or did Hyundai relent and give you a loaner?

The advisor asked me to call customer service. I think he felt like his hands were tied since the car wasn't telling them anything directly. I think hearing the voice of the consumer is definitely more powerful- I work face to face with customers every day. I couldn't do it today because I wasn't in the right headspace to be nice. I will in the morning, and will update as I go.

[stasijane]

It really sounds like they are not trying to figure out whats wrong with your car. All I noticed on my car was that when I was getting ready to leave my house a few weeks ago I noticed when I put it into gear I could hear a noise for every gear I hit. I didnt have any problems while driving. I actually posted about it. I believe it is right under yours about the transmission issues. Yeah The dealership is really good about giving me a rental if mine will be there overnight. They actually took a brand new Sonata turbo off the lot and I have been driving it for over a week now. Still has the sticker in the window and has like 20 miles on it when I started driving. I told them if my car wasnt ready y the weekend it was going to come back with over 3000 cause I have plans to go on vacation this weekend.

[YipYazoo]

Definitely sounds like there is a issue with the DCT and most definitely not normal operation with what you described... I have a feeling it will have to be replaced or rebuilt.

[NKY_DIRTTRACKER57]

I am also having issues with mine as well... and my dealership cant figure out anything with it either. They told me to keep driving it the way it is. I havent had the flashing led display or bluelink warnings yet (640 miles on it now).. but I have had the lurching/jerking/jolting in reverse and do hear what I think is ''gear clash'' from time to time when shifting. I think Hyundai needs to put something out on the DCT auto's that were mfg. in 2012 as so many people seem to be having the same problems.

[k_nifer]

Update from this morning:

I went to the service center this morning, and finally met my advisor face to face. I really wish I could have talked to the tech in person, but I didn't get the opportunity.

The tech was able to get the car to replicate the flashing P and R on the cluster display and the car just revving in Reverse this morning. I was happy to hear that. The advisor said that the problem didn't happen while the tech was driving it. I reemphasized exactly what happened while driving, and I plan to ask to speak directly to the tech today when I hear from them about an update.

What he did say is that they 'suspect':

-That the Blue Link update was not done correctly at the dealership I bought it from pre-delivery
-That there may be something wrong with the transmission range sensor

I was unclear whether the implication was that these two are related- another reason I'd like to speak with the tech directly.

I don't have time to do much digging on my own today about this issue, as I am at work.

Does anyone have any experience with either of these? Do these sound viable based on my symptoms? Will this require any disassembly of the transmission itself (this one makes me really uneasy)? And how much do repairs like this come into play with the resale value of my car in the future?

I did call customer service today, but their computer system for opening warranty cases was down. They were thorough, pleasant, and seemed genuinely concerned.

[k_nifer]

Stasijane:

I do think they are trying to figure it out. I don't really have any indication otherwise. I am trying to be understanding of the fact that everyone has to work within their parameters and with what they've got. I was happy to get a video of the issue, and I was happy that it happened for them this morning.

This is my first Hyundai. I am going to give them the opportunity to do their job and give them the benefit of the doubt until they give me a reason to do otherwise.

The intention of my post is not to rag on any service I've been dealt thus far. I want to gather information that I can share with them while educating myself. I've even just emailed a few posts from other threads to them in hopes of finding a starting point.

Hopefully we'll both get fixed soon.

[k_nifer]

Got an update this afternoon:


The service manager called me and told me he had good and bad news. Good news was (and said with confidence, so I hope it's correct) that they found the problem, and that it's the gate shift actuator. Bad news is the part has to come from Korea, so it's 10 days away from being fixed. with the upcoming weekend, I am betting on 12.


The service mgr said that there were a lot of phone calls to the tech line, and that several engineers were involved in figuring it out, and they worked backwards on a lot of the flow charts to pinpoint it. I think this is a good sign, because 1)it doesn't sound like they are into the 'trial and error' method and 2) it is an unknown issue, which hopefully means it's isolated (bad for me, great for you!). He also told me that they would re-flash everything and re-install the bluelink update before I get my car back. Hopefully this helps with my warp speed reverse that occasionally happens and my lackluster mpg.


They gave me a loaner upgrade (I was in a SantaFe and really was uncomfortable with driving it and the 16-19 mpg I was getting) to a Sonata Limited, so at least I'll cruise around in comfort these next few days.


Overall I'm still worried about my car, but I am satisfied with the progress made and happy with the dealership's handling of it. I definitely appreciate the call from the service manager and that he made himself available to me when I arrived today. He was able to get into the technical stuff with me a bit, and I really enjoyed learning about what they were doing.

[YipYazoo]

Good to hear on the progress. Thanks for keeping us up-to-date. It is appreciated... A Sonata Limited? * whistle* Umm... That wouldn't be a bad trade-up.

[Krosya]

Well, it certainly helps when your dealer has a good custome service. While most people understand that cars can have problems, it's how they handle things that makes a huge difference. Good luck! I'm in a loander from my dealer myself now - my V is in again for the stalling out problem. I didnt get as nice of a ride thought - got a clunky Elantra. But I just hope they will fix mine soon.

[jessecm89]

Wow..... Looks lime I'm having the same prob. With my V
Suck because is a 3 day weekend and I'm with out a car to drive over the labor day weekend but any way I'm glad that I have an idea what it is !!!

[jessecm89]

Hey u think is safe to drive it like that?

[ggmarie]

Found this thread while doing research on my issue. K_nifer's problem is the same I experienced this past weekend, almost identical actually. The blue link flashed a warning on the screen that there was a transmission problem and to press the blue link button on the mirror. I did said that problem with the transmission has been detected and to schedule a service appointment asap. I got onto my blue link account and it showed the car diagram and the red warning flag was there. I scheduled my apointment and the car was in the shop for the last several days with no results. They have not encountered this at my dealership. I am bewildered by the blue link though, as it did not record the event and I thought that was one of the things that blue line was supposed to help you with. And they told me also that the issue needs to be recreated....why? Now I am scared that I will have a failure on the freeway, or in the parking garage at my job that is 4 stories, or in a intersection. I did sit down with the service manager and he listened to my concerns and wants to work with me on this. I also told him that I did research on this and it is not a isolated problem and that Hyundai needs to get this taken care of. Remeber what happened with the Ford Explorer lawsuits? People died before it was finally addressed...well that will not happen to this girl. I am very proactive and I will not rest until it is taken care of. I am going to let the service manager read the post from K as that really spells out the problem and resolution sort of. Please any of you out there that is having this problem, let me know how it was taken care of.

[ggmarie]

Well I received a call from the dealership today!!!! I had addressed my issue with the manager of the service dept and he called a regional rep regarding my problem. My service guy was told that there have been some problems regarding this and they have not figured out the problem....so, I get a new tranmission!! Yea!! Thank you Greg at Modesto Hyundai!!!

[dms]

I am having 2 intermittant trans problems as well. Happens 1-2 times a month. 1st problem occurs on initial startup. I put it into reverse, and it will not go. The "R" flashes. It will stay this way until I drive it a while, let it set a couple of hours, then will work just fine. The 2nd issue occurs again on initial cold startup. When putting into reverse, there is a delay, then a really substantial banging into reverse. This happens only 1 time and will not re-occur for maybe another 30 days or so. I have had it to my dealership and they could not duplicate it. Had it for 5 days. They said they contacted their technical people. They updated the software. Well I got stuck at the grocery store on Thanksgiving. Put it into reverse, and would not move. I could not go forward due to a car in front. For 30 minutes I waited, trying to move and it would not. Finally the owner of the car in front of me left so I could go home. This is an issue I cannot tolerate anymore.

[Freak-A-Droid]

Hello! Found this thread now: At the time of my issue. I have a 2012 V w/ DCT - I was about to leave for work (Thanks Hyundai I am now at the very least late) so I did a remote start on the car (It's freezing outside) and went out to get in the car a little later. First thing I noticed when I got in was that the dash lights didn't come on automatically as they do in the dark and the car has been started. I though oh, I must have actually turned the headlights off completely (Vs. on Auto) nope! - next thing I am noticing is the Airbag Warning Light (Red icon) is lit up - heat is on in the car but none of the options (Defrost - vent lower air) is displaying for where the air is directed. I try to put it in drive and it's 'Locked' can't move the gear shift . . .

Sit there a few minutes trying to figure it out - turn car off back on - same thing.
Hopefully I can fix this tonight otherwise I miss an entire nights work (and Possibly tomorrow)

*UPDATE* Did the Manual Unlock for the Transmission - which got it drive-able - however the dash lights remain *OFF* and the Airbag Warning light remains on. I drove it to work tonight - I still have to manually unlock the Transmission every time I pass Neutral. Luckily I still have My 2001 Tiburon (It's just 100 Miles away atm) so Friday Morning I am having someone drive it to me and this car is going to the dealer!

I'm not happy with this, not in the least - but hopefully this is something relatively simple to fix. (I paid cash for this car in February vs The 2001 Tiburon I bought brand new in 2001 and have never had any issues with).

[Freak-A-Droid]

Personally I think I blew a bunch of different fuses - it's the only thing that makes sense. I drop the car off at the dealer tomorrow - will post back when they tell me. Meanwhile here is what the 'generic' android app diagnostic finally showed last night.

[Freak-A-Droid]

The dealer called me today to let me know they are replacing the entire Console panel.
Reason: There was some type of (Ambiguous) electrical issue.

I asked what caused it they said they aren't sure but they 'doubt' it will happen again. Personally, I like surety of cause not probability of repeat. Even more so being that this happened after the car was fine two days prior to sitting un-started for two days - then this nightmare happened.

Entire Instrument Cluster/panel also must include (Guess work here) relation to Rear defrost and cluster around the Radio/info-tainment area as those were affected as well (Rear Defrost stopped working altogether).


More later when I get the car back in a few days.