Genesis G90 2018 transmission issues.

[EdP]

Chapman Genesis Scottsdale Az has called me. Genesis Customer Service relayed info to them that I would like them to check the car over to make sure I have no residual damage due to driving the car while the engine was overheating. They do not have a Genesis loaner available right now but will call back and arrange a time when they have a loaner available. I told them I was in no hurry to have the check up done. At least Genesis is following through with my wishes to have a 2nd look at the car. That's positive.

Sounds like they want to do good by you. I'm sure you are frustrated now, but in the long run, you will have a great car.

 

[Ann L.]

I did search for sales of the G90. What I found in 2017 approx. 4200, but in 2018 only 1/2 of that sold. Wonder how accurate these figures are and is this a trend that it is not catching on. Of course the G70 is probably doing much better but have not looked at those numbers. I have looked at the car and it is small and hardly has what I would consider a back seat.

 

[EdP]

I did search for sales of the G90. What I found in 2017 approx. 4200, but in 2018 only 1/2 of that sold. Wonder how accurate these figures are and is this a trend that it is not catching on. Of course the G70 is probably doing much better but have not looked at those numbers. I have looked at the car and it is small and hardly has what I would consider a back seat.

The Genesis brand underwent some changes and major dealer setup in the past year or so and it considerably hurt sales numbers. I think you will see major changes in 2019 and going forward.

 

[TurtleBoy]

I did search for sales of the G90. What I found in 2017 approx. 4200, but in 2018 only 1/2 of that sold. Wonder how accurate these figures are and is this a trend that it is not catching on. Of course the G70 is probably doing much better but have not looked at those numbers. I have looked at the car and it is small and hardly has what I would consider a back seat.

As Ed mentioned, with the new dealer rollout it is tough to get a handle on how well any Genesis model will do. As would be expected, it appears the sales numbers are rising as more dealers come online. Still well below previous years but given the reduced number or dealers and the changing market that may be the new norm.

 

[edward301]

Is the coolant leak for 2018 models, and 2017 G90’s. I have the 17 G90
Ultimate. Mine was a late 2017 if that makes a difference.

In the 15 months I have had the car there have been no issues what so
ever, everything perfect so far, I did have the front radar cover replaced
as it was delaminating, but that is all. Has 13k miles so far.

I never check under the hood, so I will check coolant level just to be
sure, but have never smelled any coolant.

 

[Ann L.]

Is the coolant leak for 2018 models, and 2017 G90’s. I have the 17 G90
Ultimate. Mine was a late 2017 if that makes a difference.

In the 15 months I have had the car there have been no issues what so
ever, everything perfect so far, I did have the front radar cover replaced
as it was delaminating, but that is all. Has 13k miles so far.

I never check under the hood, so I will check coolant level just to be
sure, but have never smelled any coolant.

Mine is a 2018 with 8k miles. I smelled coolant when the car was new, but the smell disappeared after a few months. I believe because it was a very slow leak. I am taking the vehicle into a different Genesis (Chapman) service dept to make sure there is no residual damage next week. All of this was arranged through Genesis Customer Service, they have been very helpful.

 

[edward301]

I checked all of my fluids today, and even the radiator coolant was at the full mark. So far so good with
this car.

 

[AVMIII]

I don't know if it also involves the 3.3 engine.

From Ann's experience, she smelled antifreeze since day 1 after leasing her car. Her car overheated about 8000 miles later. So at least in her case it's a slow leak of coolant.

I think we should all monitor our coolant overflow reservoir for possible coolant leak. I recently noticed a strange phenomenon in my G90's overflow reservoir. After driving the car with the engine still hot or warm, the coolant level in the reservoir is higher (normal), but when I check the coolant level the next morning, not all overflowed coolant is sucked back to the radiator. The level is lower than when it's hot but higher than before driving the car. So as days go by, the level in the overflow gradually gets higher and higher. I opened the metal radiaor cap and found the level in the radiator to be low. So I used a large syringe to transfer coolant from the overflow reservoir back to the radiator. Clearly there is a coolant-related issue in my G90 (V8). It could be a small leak in the cooling system that sucks air into the system after engine shut down. This decreases the vacuum that's needed to suck coolant from reservoir back to the radiator. This is just my guess. I've tried a different radiator cap but the same result. I'll jack up the front end of my car tomorrow and remove the belly panel to see if there is any wet spot under the air intake manifold area. I prefer to work on my car myself for whatever I can handle rather than taking it to the dealership. I've removed that belly panel once before when I changed engine oil to synthetic last year. Wasn't fun but doable.

Vassy, Are you saying that the OEM oil in this high-end car is NOT full synthetic?!

 

[TurtleBoy]

Vassy, Are you saying that the OEM oil in this high-end car is NOT full synthetic?!

I believe they use a synthetic blend as a standard although some owners choose to upgrade to a full synthetic.

 

[onexcite]

Vassy, Are you saying that the OEM oil in this high-end car is NOT full synthetic?!

Absolutely NOT. I verified with 2-3 different dealers. I did change the oil using Mobil 1 5W-20 or 0W-20 myself right after I got the car, 5K, and 10K miles mark. The dealer will charge extra for synthetic.

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[vasy]

Vassy, Are you saying that the OEM oil in this high-end car is NOT full synthetic?!

I don't have any direct info about this but I don't think Genesis put in synthetic oil in G90 at the factory. They didn't publicly say synthetic oil was used at the factory in their promotional media and that, to me, is strongly indicative of not using synthetic at the factory. Some cars (Toyota and Subaru's 4 cylinder engines to name 2) require 0W20 oil which is only available in synthetic. So these cars must be filled with synthetic at the factory. But G90's recommended oil (V6 and V8) is available in non-synthetic version. There is no reason for Genesis to put in more expensive oil if conventional oil meets its specs.

 

[vasy]

I got under my car and examined the transmission warmer. Did not see any sign of coolant leak. No liquid or dried blue/green residue at all for both the warmer itself and the lower portion of the 4 hoses attached to the warmer. I can't see the upper portion of the hoses where 1 of the 3 o-rings in the diagram is located. I was able to see the area where the other 2 o-rings are and this area is totally dry. This diagram is for 2018 G90 V8. The rectangular box at the bottom of the diagram with 4 fittings on top is the warmer. The hoses/fittings on top are the rest of the assembly. I can see 3 o-rings in this diagram and suspect the o-ring in question is the one in the upper area (97690B). The other 2 (97690A) are in the lower area which I can see in my car. I can't see the o-ring itself but I can see the metal structure that houses these 2 o-rings. In the pics, the smaller black box is the warmer. The much larger black box with multiple fins is the transmission fluid pan (made of composite material). As you can see, the warmer is located between the AT fluid pan and bell housing.

 

[Franco59]

I got under my car and examined the transmission warmer. Did not see any sign of coolant leak. No liquid or dried blue/green residue at all for both the warmer itself and the lower portion of the 4 hoses attached to the warmer. I can't see the upper portion of the hoses where 1 of the 3 o-rings in the diagram is located. I was able to see the area where the other 2 o-rings are and this area is totally dry. This diagram is for 2018 G90 V8. The rectangular box at the bottom of the diagram with 4 fittings on top is the warmer. The hoses/fittings on top are the rest of the assembly. I can see 3 o-rings in this diagram and suspect the o-ring in question is the one in the upper area (97690B). The other 2 (97690A) are in the lower area which I can see in my car. I can't see the o-ring itself but I can see the metal structure that houses these 2 o-rings. In the pics, the smaller black box is the warmer. The much larger black box with multiple fins is the transmission fluid pan (made of composite material). As you can see, the warmer is located between the AT fluid pan and bell housing.

Wow, great post Vasy! Appreciate it!

 

[Riley2323]

I think you all are being a bit hypersensitive because of Anne’s legitimate issue.

It is 2019, breaking down with smartphones, bluelink and everyone else having something similar would be a pain in the but, but not something to lose sleep over.

I was in the Northeast and am in the process of moving to Raleigh. I have been to 4 dealerships and they were all pretty top notch with service and treatment. Meridian, Danbury, White Plains and Stamford.

I have had issues with the tires, but it has nothing to do with the manufacturing of the tires, it has everything to do with the idiot that thought low profile tires were cool. Had them on my BMW X3 and now the Genesis...they don’t work in the Northeast because nobody wants to grab taxes across the board from corporations and infuse it into the transportation infrastructure, to fund the replacement of roads with something better than asphalt, which is garbage. Low profile tires are functionally flawed!

So with the damned potholes in the Northeast and my lead foot, I have been through too many tires.

The dealerships are not as nice as the Ridgefield dealership I used for BMW, but then I challenge you to buy any model of BMW with all the G90 features for even close to the same price....it is impossible. They have to pay for the fancy dealerships somehow.

 

[vasy]

About this defective o-ring in 5.0 engines, I think if you keep this car (V8 only) long enough the coolant leak will eventually happen, just a matter of time. Why? This o-ring is defective. They have an updated/improved o-ring to replace the original version. I have the 5.0 and I'll do my best to find this leak before warranty expires. I always carry a gallon of diluted Hyundai coolant in my trunk when I take this car for a road trip even before learning about this issue. From pictures in the TSB, slowly leaked coolant (greenish color on the recessed aluminum engine part) stays on the top of the engine due to the recessed contour structure. So it won't drip down to the lower part of the car and to the garage floor where we can spot. Even if it does drip down, the coolant will stay on the plastic bottom cover instead of getting to the floor for us to see. So all 5.0 owners should check coolant level on a regular basis and hope this problem does happen to our cars before warranty runs out. Don't hope it won't happen because most likely it will, eventually.

 

[TurtleBoy]

^ Since there is a TSB on the problem do you need to wait until you have the actual symptoms appear before getting the o-ring replaced? Can't you just ask to have it done as a preventative measure under warranty?

 

[vasy]

^ Since there is a TSB on the problem do you need to wait until you have the actual symptoms appear before getting the o-ring replaced? Can't you just ask to have it done as a preventative measure under warranty?

Normally dealerships don't repair a car for free unless they identify the symptom, or required by a recall. A TSB is not recall. It's a description of a particular known issue and provides instructions for dealerships to follow to repair.

 

[TurtleBoy]

Normally dealerships don't repair a car for free unless they identify the symptom, or required by a recall. A TSB is not recall. It's a description of a particular known issue and provides instructions for dealerships to follow to repair.

Okay thanks, I didn't know how those were handled. I thought recalls were only for safety related issues and the TSBs were covered under warranty whether the symptoms existed or not.

 

[Ann L.]

I would insist they fix it even though there is no recall. My car overheated on the Phoenix freeway with the message on the dash and the gauge at full hot. I was lucky I was within 5 miles of a dealership. Why wait for this to happen, as the week before I was driving between Phoenix and San Diego on Interstate 8 only a few miles from the Mexico border. If I had an inkling this was going to happen you bet I would insist. Funny part is it was in for a routine service 500 miles before it overheated and I smelled coolant over 10 months ago. All dealerships should be made aware and there should be a recall. I don't know how to get this through to Genesis. I do have Brian in Customer Service I can call, but I believe it needs to go higher than Brian. Any suggestions - this is a ticking time bomb waiting to happen. I have no idea how far the car can be driven once it overheats without doing damage to the vehicle. I am taking my vehicle in Monday to another dealership to make sure there is no residual damage due to driving it while the engine was overheating.

 

[vasy]

I certainly hope a recall will be issued but that's just a hope. This o-ring problem only applies to 5.0 engine so it does not involve lots of cars. Most G90 engines are not 5.0. It's worth noting that this TSB also involves 2014 - 16 Hyundai Genesis 5.0 which has been on the road for almost 5 years. It took that long for Hyundai to recognize this problem and come up with a fix. Does that indicate this problem is not that wide-spread? I don't know just a guess.

Folks should not get nervous about this. 5.0 owners just need to be aware of this and take steps to avoid a catastrophic event during a road trip, or even on local commute on a crowed highway. That is, carry a gallon or coolant (diluted and ready to use), funnel and a rag (to open a cooled-down but still warm radiator cap). More importantly, check coolant level regularly at your home. Occasionally you need to remove radiator cap (totally cold engine) and check level inside the radiator. Depending on situations, it might not be thorough just to check level in the overflow reservoir. There could be situation where level in the overflow is normal but level in the radiator is low.