New owner of Hyundai Tuscon TGDi Hybrid 230 N Line S...but having problems!!

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old man
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Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2022 10:34 am
Location: Somerset

Post by old man »

Thankyou roadster, that's a very helpful article you linked and I now have an insight into how the electrical system works, although I'm far from having a complete understanding.
Here's what I don't understand. If the depletion of the 12V battery is responsible for certain functions resetting or switching themselves off, why isn't it consistent ? e.g. not all of the usual suspects are turned off or reset each time, it could be one or three different functions that are affected. Why is there no consistency ?
Another thing I don't understand. Whilst I think I can understand that short runs in the car with little braking and coasting will not put much charge into the 12V battery (is that correct?), I took the car to France for a month in May where I did decent runs most of the time in very undulating countryside and still I was getting functions resetting or switching off.

I did check for insects and closed windows yesterday and nothing untoward was found. However and perhaps unreasonably, I still suspect it had to do with battery drainage, but that flies in the face of a drained 12V battery shutting systems down, as how would the alarm continue to operate. Maybe my alarm going off is a separate issue, but coincidence suggests it isn't.

I found out yesterday that I do have a terminal in the fuse box enclosure, but I have no idea how to use it to jump start, trickle charge (If that's even possible or allowed) or take a voltage reading from it. I do have a little voltmeter that plugs into the cigar lighter socket, would that tell me anything useful ?

Most of the above are just my thoughts and for others to read and mull over, I don't expect you to have all the answers, but by throwing everything into the mix, maybe an answer or fix will emerge.

Addenda; Might have been previous about the alarm. Just been out to open the car and reset the interior alarm. Whilst in the vehicle I discovered an elusive, annoying little fly which has now been dispatched to fly heaven. Relocked car and spent quite a long time afterwards talking to my neighbour and thus far the alarm hasn't gone off. Hopefully, end of story>
Last edited by old man on Wed Aug 03, 2022 11:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
Tucson N Line S 2WD Hybrid Auto

brian0782
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Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2022 11:42 am

Post by brian0782 »

Thanks for the replies everyone. I've got diagnostics check booked in for the 11th August so will report back with their findings!

On a slightly different note, Hyundai informed me they delivered the N Line and not the N Line S....I think I'll be negotiating a smaller rental fee :D
roadster
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Location: South Coast

Post by roadster »

A follow up from one old man to another.
If the depletion of the 12V battery is responsible for certain functions resetting or switching themselves off, why isn't it consistent ? e.g. not all of the usual suspects are turned off or reset each time, it could be one or three different functions that are affected. Why is there no consistency ?
The battery management system has the ability to switch the power supply off. It is based on electronics commonly used for ordinary systems with conventional batteries and has probably been adapted for the Lithium battery. If it is even slightly unreliable it could disconnect the system prematurely and even if this was a brief glitch it would probably reset various things. From the number of reports it is very likely that this is more than just a flat battery issue and is an actual fault in the BMS electronics or programming.
I do have a little voltmeter that plugs into the cigar lighter socket, would that tell me anything useful ?
Its not likely to give you any very useful information because I doubt that the cigar lighter sockets are live before the car is switched on, at which point you should see the on-charge voltage in the 12 volt system (assuming the 12 volts is a nominal value which is unregulated). You could use one of these:-
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/152393514051 ... SwkHxcWpav with the positive lead connected to the terminal post you have discovered and the negative to any nearby earth. But as voltmeters are no more expensive they would be a simpler option. Responsible dealers should be grasping the nettle on this and if they can't see in immediate fault should be setting up long term voltage monitoring in the customers' cars.

An interesting point in the long article from Hyundai is that some systems take action to charge the 12 volt cells even when switched off. Because the Hybrid only has a small traction battery that option may not apply to the ordinary HEV but might be used on the PHEV - all guesswork of course.
Tucson PHEV Premium
old man
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Post by old man »

Another informative missive, thanks very much roadster. :)
Tucson N Line S 2WD Hybrid Auto
terryp
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Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2021 7:12 pm
Location: North Somerset

Post by terryp »

Well, it took about a week.
Yesterday I went out to the car to close the sunshade as the sun was beginning to heat up the car. The next time I started it, the central cluster and the climate control system had reset, as before. I sensed that I was asking too much of the battery when I did it.
But should the system be that sensitive?
So on Monday I will be firing off an email to Hyundai explaining the issue and pointing out that the more customers buy the Hybrid version of the Tucson, the more frustrated owners they will have to deal with. The problem will not be solved with a Hard Reset.
Tucson Ultimate Auto 230PS in Dark Teal. Love it!!
old man
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Post by old man »

I did a 400 mile trip on Saturday, surely enough to charge the 12V battery to full capacity.
Opened the car today (first time since Sat) and turned on ignition to look a something in the infotainment unit. I immediately got the LOW BATTERY message flash up, so I have to assume that the 12V battery holds very little charge or the BMS is poorly set up or faulty. This in turn seems to fit in with the theory that the resets we're experiencing are due to low battery power.
Tucson N Line S 2WD Hybrid Auto
terryp
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Location: North Somerset

Post by terryp »

I assume that the gauge at the bottom right of the dashboard indicates the amount of charge in the 12V battery. In my case, this is usually registering 50% or thereabouts and never increases by much no matter how long the car is being used, although it regularly drops to 25% at times.
I looked up the recommendation in the Manual and it states that if the State of Charge is near the low level, the vehicle should be checked by a Dealer. The illustration in the Manual shows a 75% charge which I've never seen in my car.
I've sent an email to Hyundai today, explaining the issue so we'll see what response I get from that.
Tucson Ultimate Auto 230PS in Dark Teal. Love it!!
Polar bear
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Post by Polar bear »

Mine stays around 50% most of the time, not seen it as low as 25%. I was wondering why does it even have this gauge, surely if it goes to 100% something is wrong. I found that putting the car in sport mode for a while did make the charge go higher.
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alan sh
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Post by alan sh »

The battery indicator at the bottom right is NOT the 12v battery, but the one that powers the electric motor (for when you are in EV mode). I have found it to normally be around 50% . I can get it up to 75-80% if I am on a long uphill and using the engine (which recharges that battery) but it soon goes back down again.

It's not faulty if it's between 25 & 50%. If it is constantly below 25%, there may be something wrong.
Alan

I own a 2022 Ultimate Hybrid with Tech Pack - in Red (best colour).
Also have two motorcycles. Honda CB1300 and Honda CBF1000 (also red, of course).
terryp
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Post by terryp »

According to
https://www.hyundaimotorgroup.com/story ... 0000002069
The low voltage battery that powers the electronics is 12V
"A hybrid vehicle consists of a high-voltage battery that runs the electric motor and a 12V low-voltage battery that powers the automotive electronic system."
Tucson Ultimate Auto 230PS in Dark Teal. Love it!!
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