!!WARNING!! 2010 Genesis 3.8 Sedan + Gas fumes = ER visit!!!!

[thor44]

I felt I should warn everyone here of the issue I have been dealing with the last 3 weeks. ( some details before I begin: 36k miles on car, I am in my 30s and in perfect health and a nonsmoker)
Three weeks ago, I experienced severe health symptoms while driving my 2010 3.8 sedan two days in a row. My symptoms included being light headed, cold chills, hands becoming numb and a racing heart. I also felt faint and my stomach became upset. The first day, I chalked it up to possibly the flu or dehydration. The second day the symptoms came back and were worse. I had been in the car for over 2 hours. After thinking I was having a possible heart attack, I went to an ER. Exiting the vehicle, there was a STRONG smell of fumes outside. Upon entering the ER and describing my symptoms I told them of the fumes. I was seen immediately and they drew blood to run test.
The blood test came back and showed I had elevated levels of CARBON MONOXIDE. A normal level is 0.0-0.8 Mine was 2.1!!! The doctor explained that this would cause the symptoms I was having. Any more and I could have passed out while driving!
After being dismissed from the ER, I immediately called Hyundai to notify them of the issue and roadside assistance to arrange other transportation. I got a rental car the next morning and drove home (I was several hours away on a business trip when this happened).
My car was trucked back to the dealer that I purchased it from where it has sat the last 3 weeks. My dealer was instructed not to touch the car. I was told a specialist was coming to look at it.
I will spare everyone the long details and just say that I have spoken with Hyundai Motor America no fewer than 12 times trying to get answers these past 3 weeks. The customer service people have been clueless and confused the entire time. The dealer has been kept in the dark as well.
That was 3 weeks ago.

(I should also add that a friend, who also has a 3.8, took his in to the dealer in June after smelling gas. The dealer looked at it and said everything was fine)

Today, I was informed that someone had completed an inspection of the vehicle and FOUND NOTHING WRONG. I was instructed to come pick up my vehicle today or the dealer would start charging me a "storage fee". HMA is closing the case because they say the vehicle is fine. They will not provide me the results of the tests nor tell me who conducted the test on the vehicle.

This entire experience has been horrific and HMA has failed at every step since this was brought to their attention.
I have contacted my state attorney general's office and they have already filed a complaint with HMA before today.

I will now be visiting with several attorneys to discuss the situation and see where I go from here.

I wanted everyone to know what happened to me and exactly how Hyundai has responded.
I would not wish this on anyone.

 

[Soldier76]

Glad to hear your alright. I'm sorry that you have to go through that horrific experience. I Pray that everything works out for you in the meantime though.

 

[timc1475]

Facinating!
You do know there are carbon monoxide detectors at your local hardware store and/or online. Maybe a good idea for your peace of mind and to rule out 100% potentiality that it is NOT comming from anywhere else. Set one of these in your car and let the tale be told. What is your dealer's name and location? You have been a member since 12/6/09 but this is your one and only post as per your info?


Or...you could purchase either of the two items linked below that could help you prove or disprove your claim, could be especially helpful if you do go to court btw. I would have done this ASAP because if it proves it is not the car but from another source they could potentially sue you if untrue. Either way you and yours need to be sure to be safe and this small investment could save you in more ways than one.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-CO-220-Carbon-Monoxide-Meter/dp/B00064P31Q"]Amazon.com: Fluke CO-220 Carbon Monoxide Meter: Home Improvement[/ame]


http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2008/06/03/088856.html

PS: Not to sure what either device would do if you ate a plateful of beans and were in a small enclosed area such as a car, no pun intended...

 

[timc1475]

Let us know what you find with the detectors.

 

[thor44]

Facinating!
You do know there are carbon monoxide detectors at your local hardware store and/or online. Maybe a good idea for your peace of mind and to rule out 100% potentiality that it is NOT comming from anywhere else. Set one of these in your car and let the tale be told. What is your dealer's name and location? You have been a member since 12/6/09 but this is your one and only post as per your info?


Or...you could purchase either of the two items linked below that could help you prove or disprove your claim, could be especially helpful if you do go to court btw. I would have done this ASAP because if it proves it is not the car but from another source they could potentially sue you if untrue. Either way you and yours need to be sure to be safe and this small investment could save you in more ways than one.

Amazon.com: Fluke CO-220 Carbon Monoxide Meter: Home Improvement


http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2008/06/03/088856.html

PS: Not to sure what either device would do if you ate a plateful of beans and were in a small enclosed area such as a car, no pun intended...

Yes, I became a member shortly before purchasing the car on 12/22/09 to read up of what others thought. I've really had no need to post anything. Until now.

I do not want to mention dealer's name nor location because this may indeed turn into a legal proceeding.

My friend with the genesis has already bought a CO detector for his car.
After my experience, I no longer wish to drive this car.

 

[thor44]

I felt I should warn everyone here of the issue I have been dealing with the last 3 weeks. ( some details before I begin: 36k miles on car, I am in my 30s and in perfect health and a nonsmoker)
Three weeks ago, I experienced severe health symptoms while driving my 2010 3.8 sedan two days in a row. My symptoms included being light headed, cold chills, hands becoming numb and a racing heart. I also felt faint and my stomach became upset. The first day, I chalked it up to possibly the flu or dehydration. The second day the symptoms came back and were worse. I had been in the car for over 2 hours. After thinking I was having a possible heart attack, I went to an ER. Exiting the vehicle, there was a STRONG smell of fumes outside. Upon entering the ER and describing my symptoms I told them of the fumes. I was seen immediately and they drew blood to run test.
The blood test came back and showed I had elevated levels of CARBON MONOXIDE. A normal level is 0.0-0.8 Mine was 2.1!!! The doctor explained that this would cause the symptoms I was having. Any more and I could have passed out while driving!
After being dismissed from the ER, I immediately called Hyundai to notify them of the issue and roadside assistance to arrange other transportation. I got a rental car the next morning and drove home (I was several hours away on a business trip when this happened).
My car was trucked back to the dealer that I purchased it from where it has sat the last 3 weeks. My dealer was instructed not to touch the car. I was told a specialist was coming to look at it.
I will spare everyone the long details and just say that I have spoken with Hyundai Motor America no fewer than 12 times trying to get answers these past 3 weeks. The customer service people have been clueless and confused the entire time. The dealer has been kept in the dark as well.
That was 3 weeks ago.

(I should also add that a friend, who also has a 3.8, took his in to the dealer in June after smelling gas. The dealer looked at it and said everything was fine)

Today, I was informed that someone had completed an inspection of the vehicle and FOUND NOTHING WRONG. I was instructed to come pick up my vehicle today or the dealer would start charging me a "storage fee". HMA is closing the case because they say the vehicle is fine. They will not provide me the results of the tests nor tell me who conducted the test on the vehicle.

This entire experience has been horrific and HMA has failed at every step since this was brought to their attention.
I have contacted my state attorney general's office and they have already filed a complaint with HMA before today.

I will now be visiting with several attorneys to discuss the situation and see where I go from here.

I wanted everyone to know what happened to me and exactly how Hyundai has responded.
I would not wish this on anyone.

PS - I wanted to offer a few more details-
The air temp on the 2 days the car did this was 105 without heat index. I have told HMA all along that I thought the heat could have certainly played a role. I told them they would need to test the car under the same conditions in which it failed.
It seems convenient to me that they have waited 3 weeks and tested the car on a day in the low 90s.
When I asked them about the heat and testing, the reply from HMA customer service was "the heat would not have contributed to that".

I cannot believe that they will not show me any results of these "tests" or tell me who conducted them!!! The car is in my name!!!

 

[hwks1]

Sorry...just saying I'm skeptical. If the fumes were so bad, you didn't notice this while driving? The vehicle was moving, that's quite a bit of ventilation so I'm wondering about you breathing large amounts while driving.....all the time not noticing said fumes.

I have experienced what you described, working on vehicles or breathing diesel exhaust from my tractor for too many hours but all the time I knew I was breathing those fumes.

 

[BacktoHyundaibychoice]

PS - I wanted to offer a few more details-
The air temp on the 2 days the car did this was 105 without heat index. I have told HMA all along that I thought the heat could have certainly played a role. I told them they would need to test the car under the same conditions in which it failed.
It seems convenient to me that they have waited 3 weeks and tested the car on a day in the low 90s.
When I asked them about the heat and testing, the reply from HMA customer service was "the heat would not have contributed to that".

I cannot believe that they will not show me any results of these "tests" or tell me who conducted them!!! The car is in my name!!!

Out of curiosity, was your AC on AUTO during this drive? Did the car ever cool to the point that "recirc" turned to "fresh" air? On one of those days, if I leave it on auto, the car stays in recirc mode for the entire 20 minute drive home. If it stayed on for your entire 2 hour drive (possible?) I suspect that could've caused your problem. The OM even warns thusly:

Continued use of the climate control
system operation in the recirculated
air position may allow
humidity to increase inside the
vehicle which may fog the glass
and obscure visibility.
• Do not sleep in a vehicle with the
air conditioning or heating system
on. It may cause serious harm or
death due to a drop in the oxygen
level and/or body temperature.
• Continued use of the climate control
system operation in the recirculated
air position can cause
drowsiness or sleepiness, and loss
of vehicle control. Set the air intake
control to the outside (fresh) air
position as much as possible while
driving.

 

[trotti]

I do not want to mention dealer's name nor location because this may indeed turn into a legal proceeding.

Although I'm no product-liability attorney, I am an attorney and can think of no reason why discussing the intimate details of your problem is OK yet revealing the name of the dealer who has not supported you is not . . .

Letting them hold, test and do whatever else (possibly repair?) to your car was a bad idea. If you think the car caused your problem, I'd involve a reputable attorney as quickly as possible.

 

[BacktoHyundaibychoice]

Sorry...just saying I'm skeptical. If the fumes were so bad, you didn't notice this while driving? The vehicle was moving, that's quite a bit of ventilation so I'm wondering about you breathing large amounts while driving.....all the time not noticing said fumes.

I have experienced what you described, working on vehicles or breathing diesel exhaust from my tractor for too many hours but all the time I knew I was breathing those fumes.

1. Carbon monoxide has no odor, so any "fumes" he smelled after exiting the car were something else. But there's no description of the "fumes" other than his friend's "gas" smell. Which has nothing to do with carbon monoxide.

I'm not saying he's making it all up, only that maybe, perhaps, might be, that this is "user error" instead of a defective car.

I'm still waiting to see the latest from the guy who's Navi is missing Alabama so he's wondering if his car's traction control can be trusted.

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[trotti]

i'm still waiting to see the latest from the guy who's navi is missing alabama so he's wondering if his car's traction control can be trusted.

lmao

 

[ImInPA]

As has been suggested, buy a couple CO detectors and leave them in your car at all times. They are very reliable. If I were you, I would be more concerned about knowing where your exposure to CO came from. If it is from your car, the detectors will verify that. If they do not go off, your exposuer came from somewhere else. You should definitely find out for certain the source of the CO.

 

[thor44]

Sorry...just saying I'm skeptical. If the fumes were so bad, you didn't notice this while driving? The vehicle was moving, that's quite a bit of ventilation so I'm wondering about you breathing large amounts while driving.....all the time not noticing said fumes.

I have experienced what you described, working on vehicles or breathing diesel exhaust from my tractor for too many hours but all the time I knew I was breathing those fumes.

You could smell nothing. The windows were all up - it was 100+ degrees.
The odor was gas like - not the smell of pure gas.

 

[thor44]

Out of curiosity, was your AC on AUTO during this drive? Did the car ever cool to the point that "recirc" turned to "fresh" air? On one of those days, if I leave it on auto, the car stays in recirc mode for the entire 20 minute drive home. If it stayed on for your entire 2 hour drive (possible?) I suspect that could've caused your problem. The OM even warns thusly:

Continued use of the climate control
system operation in the recirculated
air position may allow
humidity to increase inside the
vehicle which may fog the glass
and obscure visibility.
• Do not sleep in a vehicle with the
air conditioning or heating system
on. It may cause serious harm or
death due to a drop in the oxygen
level and/or body temperature.
• Continued use of the climate control
system operation in the recirculated
air position can cause
drowsiness or sleepiness, and loss
of vehicle control. Set the air intake
control to the outside (fresh) air
position as much as possible while
driving.

Good point - I had thought the same. I believe that air was on recirc the second occasion. And yes, I had been in the car for over 2 hours that day total. However, I had made 4 stops during the almost 3 hours. Two business meetings, a lunch meeting, and a restroom break. The symptoms came on about 20-25 minutes after the last stop.

The first time this happened on August 1st - I had been in the car for approximately 6-7 minutes. I cannot remember where the air was at that time. Even so, less than 10 minutes would be very hard to explain.

 

[thor44]

Although I'm no product-liability attorney, I am an attorney and can think of no reason why discussing the intimate details of your problem is OK yet revealing the name of the dealer who has not supported you is not . . .

Letting them hold, test and do whatever else (possibly repair?) to your car was a bad idea. If you think the car caused your problem, I'd involve a reputable attorney as quickly as possible.

I spoke to a reputable attorney the day after the ER incident. They said the best course of action would be to resolve things with Hyundai directly. That was the path I chose. Obviously, now that doesn't seem like the best course of action. I was not looking for a legal battle - just a solution to what happened.
My feeling now is Hyundai knows more than they will tell me.
We shall see.

 

[timc1475]

1. Carbon monoxide has no odor, so any "fumes" he smelled after exiting the car were something else. But there's no description of the "fumes" other than his friend's "gas" smell. Which has nothing to do with carbon monoxide.

I'm not saying he's making it all up, only that maybe, perhaps, might be, that this is "user error" instead of a defective car.

I'm still waiting to see the latest from the guy who's navi is missing alabama so he's wondering if his car's traction control can be trusted.

lol

 

[timc1475]

I spoke to a reputable attorney the day after the ER incident. They said the best course of action would be to resolve things with Hyundai directly. That was the path I chose. Obviously, now that doesn't seem like the best course of action. I was not looking for a legal battle - just a solution to what happened.
My feeling now is Hyundai knows more than they will tell me.
We shall see.

I want a metered co2 detector in your car yesterday!
If you're serious about all of this you won't have a leg to stand on in court without this data. Not to do so would be irresponsible on your part thor44 and your hammer will have little power to iron out this very unusual ordeal. Keep us updated as we all are on this soap box reality show with you now.

 

[thor44]

I want a metered co2 detector in your car yesterday!
If you're serious about all of this you won't have a leg to stand on in court without this data. Not to do so would be irresponsible on your part thor44 and your hammer will have little power to iron out this very unusual ordeal. Keep us updated as we all are on this soap box reality show with you now.

timc,
I certainly understand the need/request for a CO detector. If I decide to drive the car, I will put one in. The car is sitting in my garage and is not being driven. I am currently driving my other vehicle and plan to do so while this is sorted out.

Couple of things I will mention:
1) While I can understand the speculation, I have no reason to make this entire scenario up. I stand to gain nothing from posting on these chat boards. I would not be wasting my time. Believe me, I would not be wasting my time.
The only thing that might be gained is if/when this happens to someone else they might have the information I am providing.
2) I am not after money. I have a very good job with very sufficient income. I could drive any car I choose. I chose the Genesis because I believed it to be a good car for the money and a good value.
3) While I looking for information in regards to the Genesis and fumes / carbon monoxide - it appears Hyundai might have had similar issues recently:

http://www.hyundai-forums.com/t54148-gas-smell-inside-the-car-after-fueling-am-i-the-only-one.htm

http://www.hyundai-forums.com/index.php?showtopic=57175&st=0

While not the same experience I had, they ( HMA ) seem to be having a problem with some of their fuel systems.

I will keep everyone here posted.

 

[timc1475]

Thor, after reading the two links you provided I would be curious if they checked the fuel system for leaks by pressurization or however they do it.
Also is the overflow line attatched? Where is Sherlock Holms when we need him!

 

[waveman]

I certainly understand the need/request for a CO detector. If I decide to drive the car, I will put one in. The car is sitting in my garage and is not being driven. I am currently driving my other vehicle and plan to do so while this is sorted out.

I understand your reluctance to drive the car until this is sorted out. However, it looks like you're going to need some objective data to push HMA to act. So, as a first step, it might not be a bad idea to place a CO detector in the car and leave it outside with the engine running for awhile and see what happens. If the CO level is high under those conditions, you'll have something you can present to HMA.

If the CO level remains within the normal range, you may need to hire a third-party expert to thoroughly check the exhaust and fuel systems. This is the investigation that Hyundai should have done when they had your car to begin with.

BTW, I once owned a Saab that developed a pronounced fuel odor in the cabin that made me experience some of the symptoms you described. I immediately took it to the dealer, who found and repaired a leak.