2018 G80 Sport Random Complete Power Loss

[djblack70]

I was on a 5 hour trip and stopped to get gas. When I got back in the car it was completely unresponsive like someone disconnected the battery. Google searched for a while and found nothing so was going to call AAA. Then I noticed the image of the car suddenly appeared again on the dash… the car came back to life. It started right up and I finished my trip without issue. My wife drove it for 4 days without issue. I decided to replace the battery since my original OEM battery must be at least 6 years old. I installed a new matching Duracell AGM battery without any issues and it started right up. Drove around for over an hour and stopped a few times before returning home. Turned off the car and went to the trunk to get something out and the trunk wouldn’t open. Opened the driver door and saw that everything was once again completely dead so absolutely nothing works. Checked a few times over 30 minutes and it remained completely dead/unresponsive. Went out once again and the car was “alive” again and behaved completely normal.

 

[AlfaBetaSoup]

It sounds like the battery isn't fully charged.
These cars are very sensitive where the battery is concerned.

Even a new battery right off the shelf can be low on charge. Sometimes they sit for a while before being sold.
I would try putting your new battery on a trickle charger overnight and see what happens...

 

[djblack70]

It sounds like the battery isn't fully charged.
These cars are very sensitive where the battery is concerned.

Even a new battery right off the shelf can be low on charge. Sometimes they sit for a while before being sold.
I would try putting your new battery on a trickle charger overnight and see what happens...

The battery has an 8/24 sticker on it and was just shipped to the store where I picked it up so it truly is brand new (less than a month old). Wouldn’t it be very unlikely to not be fully charged in this case?

 

[Andyj]

Sounds like a possible bad cable to battery positive connection. There's a pattern of failures to the clamp.

 

[AlfaBetaSoup]

The battery has an 8/24 sticker on it and was just shipped to the store where I picked it up so it truly is brand new (less than a month old). Wouldn’t it be very unlikely to not be fully charged in this case?

If the battery is fully charged...
(just because the sticker is new doesn't necessarily mean the battery is charged to 100%)

I agree with @Andyj. Check your connections at the battery.

If you wiggle either clamp at the positive or negative terminals, and they are loose?
If one is, loosen the clamp so you can push it down further on the post and re-tighten it.
This way you know it has a good connection.

 

[Andyj]

Here's a link to a related post about the positive battery terminal saga.

G80 2018 3.3t sport battery replacement

That clamp has a taper to it to match the battery post. Installed upside down you lack full contact surface between clamp and post so you won’t have a good fit. Glad you found and corrected the issue.

genesisowners.com

 

[djblack70]

If the battery is fully charged...
(just because the sticker is new doesn't necessarily mean the battery is charged to 100%)

I agree with @Andyj. Check your connections at the battery.

If you wiggle either clamp at the positive or negative terminals, and they are loose?
If one is, loosen the clamp so you can push it down further on the post and re-tighten it.
This way you know it has a good connection.

The negative terminal was able to be pushed down about 1/8” further than it was. I haven’t had the problem occur since and it’s been 4 days now so hopefully that has solved it. Thanks!

 

[joegr]

The negative terminal was able to be pushed down about 1/8” further than it was. I haven’t had the problem occur since and it’s been 4 days now so hopefully that has solved it. Thanks!

It will ride back up eventually. If you can't tighten it, you need to replace it.

 

[djblack70]

I guess I spoke too soon on my "fix". I was on another longer drive again (2hrs) and stopped at a rest area. The car locked fine, and when I returned it recognized my key in proximity and the mirrors automatically adjusted and I was allowed to unlock the doors with the button and get in. When I pushed the start button, everything immediately went dark and it was "dead". I decided to pop the hood and knocked on the plastic cover of the fuse box/jumper connectors and the car immediately came back to life upon the first tap. Thoughts?

This isn't really something I want to take into a dealership for fear they will blow through hours trying to track down an electrical gremlin and rack up a huge bill and still possibly fail to solve the problem.

When I hook up my code reader to the car, the only thing I get is a P0106 which I previously took the car into a dealership to resolve over a year ago and they replaced the MAP sensor, but I still get that message coming up occasionally. (The check engine light will come on every few months and the car might run a little sluggish/with hesitation in the first couple gears while light is lit, but usually by morning the check engine light is off and the car runs perfectly fine for several weeks or months again. This has happened a few times a year since I've owned the car over the past 3 years.)

 

[djblack70]

I happened to check for any open Recalls for my 2018 Genesis G80 3.3t today and found none, but one of them that was just performed last month caught my eye. It is Recall 018G 2017-19MY G80(DH), 2019MY G90(HI), 2019MY G70(IK) STARTER RELAY KIT INSTALLATION which was performed on my vehicle 5 days prior to my loss of power problems - it had never happened before this and now it happens 2-3 times a week. As I have mentioned, my problem appears to happen only when I push the button to turn the car off or turn the car on, and this recall referring to the Starter Relay Kit Installation seems highly probable that it may be related to my new problems, no?

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[joegr]

I happened to check for any open Recalls for my 2018 Genesis G80 3.3t today and found none, but one of them that was just performed last month caught my eye. It is Recall 018G 2017-19MY G80(DH), 2019MY G90(HI), 2019MY G70(IK) STARTER RELAY KIT INSTALLATION which was performed on my vehicle 5 days prior to my loss of power problems - it had never happened before this and now it happens 2-3 times a week. As I have mentioned, my problem appears to happen only when I push the button to turn the car off or turn the car on, and this recall referring to the Starter Relay Kit Installation seems highly probable that it may be related to my new problems, no?

The negative terminal was able to be pushed down about 1/8” further than it was. I haven’t had the problem occur since and it’s been 4 days now so hopefully that has solved it. Thanks!

The process of the recall required them to disconnect the battery (by disconnecting the ground cable) and then reconnect it. Yes, they could have not correctly put the negative cable back on. Did you tighten the clamp after you pushed it down? If not, you need to.

 

[djblack70]

The process of the recall required them to disconnect the battery (by disconnecting the ground cable) and then reconnect it. Yes, they could have not correctly put the negative cable back on. Did you tighten the clamp after you pushed it down? If not, you need to.

Yes, I loosened it, was able to push it down and then tightend it back up. Also, the fact that I mentioned above that I can get the car to come back on 100% of the time by opening the hood and knocking on the fuse box cover would lead me to believe the problem lies somewhere in the fuse box area not with the battery in the trunk.

Anyone know if the Starter Relay Kit would be located somewhere near the fuse box in the top left of the engine compartment?

 

[joegr]

...Anyone know if the Starter Relay Kit would be located somewhere near the fuse box in the top left of the engine compartment?

It's in that fuse box.
FYI: Any info on what the "Starter Solenoid Relay Kit" Recall that is affecting the DH G80's?

 

[djblack70]

Wow... thanks, that explains a lot... looks like their warranty fix created a new problem for me. I had contacted Genesis Corporate earlier today via their website and explained my problem. Later this afternoon was when I realized that everything began happening after that warranty work. I have updated my info accordingly to include that as well. What are your thoughts on if I should first wait for a response from Corporate or just call back the Genesis Dealership that performed the warranty work immediately?

 

[joegr]

I would try the dealership first. BTW, that was a recall, and is not related to warranty at all.

 

[djblack70]

Just an update. Still dealing with my problem, and the dealership can't get me in to look at my vehicle until Nov 11! I had been getting by dealing with the issue alright since it just needed a quick tap on the fuse box cover to restore power. However, the problem is occurring more frequently and is much more difficult to resolve when it happens now. I did figure out that the tapping actually needs to be done to the new Starter Relay Kit that was installed for the recall. I've uploaded the following 2 videos to YouTube for anyone who may have the same problem after getting the recall performed and is experiencing the same symptoms afterwards:

 

[joegr]

To the right of the relay box you are tapping on, are three M6 bolts that make electrical connections between the relay box and the fuse box. My bet is that one of the two closest to the front of the car is loose. They should be tight, but if you go to far, you will strip them out (might be what happened). Anyway, it is getting looser all the time as you move it by tapping on the box. That it why it is getting worse. If it will tighten with reasonable force, then you can save yourself some grief by doing so.
(Failure inside the box would result in the starter not working. For the whole car to shut off, one of those lower two bolts must be loose or there is some damage to the fuse box under that area.)

 

[djblack70]

Thanks for all your help joegr! I had a closer look for M6 bolts and found another big concern which appears to be a completely missing M8 bolt! I've attached the pic I took. There are 3 nuts attaching to protruding bolts (2 are pictured, the other one is hidden above underneath the kit). The missing M8 bolt is to the immediate right of the 2 nuts in the picture. Are these 2 nuts the M6 bolts referred to?

Also, if I pick up an M8 bolt do I have to get an exact length or run the risk of causing more problems with the wrong length bolt?

Perhaps they stripped that M8 bolt that is missing and it eventually fell out?

 

[joegr]

You confused me with the mention of an M8 sized bolt. As far as I can tell, they are all M6 sized, but I don't know how long they are supposed to be. I think I see the confusion in the picture. The "8" on the tops of the bolt heads does not indicate the bolt size. It indicates that they are grade 8 bolts, with is a strength rating.

You could disconnect the negative battery cable, and then remove one of the existing bolts in the picture. Measure how long it is, and then buy another one. The replacement should be grade 8 or higher. Also note that the hex socket size is not the same as the bolt size. Those are probably 10mm heads. The nuts holding the fuses on are probably 8mm heads.

 

[djblack70]

Thanks again, and yes, I was incorrectly presuming the 8 on the bolt was the size.

If the problem turns out to be that they stripped the threads inside the part that receives the M6 bolt, what are my options then?