Heavy smoke from the center console.

[raw6464]

I was driving my 4.6 Genesis with an electrical cooler connected to the center console's 12volt aux jack. The cooler draws 4amp. While driving for about 1/2 hour I started to smell an electrical burning type odor.

I popped open the center console lid and large cloud of smoke and a wave of heat came shooting out. I pulled up on the coolers cord and got it out of the jack. The plug on the cooler was melted to a blob of plastic and the metal portion of the plug short circuited the +/- in the aux jack blowing the 25amp fuse. The female jack while still intact was so hot it could not be touched for over 1/2 hour.

Doing a postmortem I discovered the heat/cool temperature control on the rear of the center console was set to heat although it's summer with 90 degree days. Who or how it was changed from cool to heat will never be known. My surprise here was the air coming out of this duct was VERY hot.

So I put an infrared thermometer to the duct when it was set to heat. The reading blew me away... 190F degrees. 190F degrees can give you a good burn. I'm also concerned of 190F air coming down the console can't be doing the electronics any good. Attached below are 2 photos one before (99.5F temp) the second is after the car ran for about 5 minuets with the consoles temp control on heat.

I am very concerned using the cooler again for that matter anything that draws more than milli-amps considering the temp of the air coming thru that console is almost at boiling point of water.

I know the heat/cool control should not have been on heat. But it's something I have to watch anytime I've got kids or curious passengers in the back. The possibility of a fire can't be discounted. I was lucky there was no other flammable items in the consoles storage box.

This just happened today so I have not taken the car to the dealer yet but I will do that ASAP.

 

[BacktoHyundaibychoice]

Are you saying tha hot air blew through the console causing this meltdown?
Or are you reporting 2 separate problems?
Curious: have you used this cooler before without incident? Perhaps when the rear knob was on cool?
Sorry to be dense, but I'm not getting it from your story.
Thx.

 

[Mark_888]

I believe that there is a TSB relating the rear vents. Ask you dealer about it, but if you can find the TSB and print it out to show to them, that would be best.

 

[raw6464]

Are you saying tha hot air blew through the console causing this meltdown?
Or are you reporting 2 separate problems?
Curious: have you used this cooler before without incident? Perhaps when the rear knob was on cool?
Sorry to be dense, but I'm not getting it from your story.
Thx.

I am not "saying" anything. The photo with 190 degrees blowing thru the console speaks for itself. Whether or not that caused or contributed to the meltdown is speculative at this junction. I don't know about you but I don't want those rear vents heating up to that level.

I've been using the cooler for years included in the Genesis and my other Hyundai Azera.

What is "it" you looking to get... this is not a "story" this is a fact. Do you work for Hyundai?

 

[raw6464]

I believe that there is a TSB relating the rear vents. Ask you dealer about it, but if you can find the TSB and print it out to show to them, that would be best.

There is a TSB 09-HA-003 on the rear HVAC vents but it's only for the 2009 Genesis'. Interesting there are 2 temp controls just for the console.

 

[BacktoHyundaibychoice]

I am not "saying" anything. The photo with 190 degrees blowing thru the console speaks for itself. Whether or not that caused or contributed to the meltdown is speculative at this junction. I don't know about you but I don't want those rear vents heating up to that level.

I've been using the cooler for years included in the Genesis and my other Hyundai Azera.

What is "it" you looking to get... this is not a "story" this is a fact. Do you work for Hyundai?

What the **** is your problem? I couldn't tell if you were suggesting one caused the other or not, or if you were relating 2 separate problems. I asked for clarification of your story, apologized if I was being dense, and now I work for Hyundai?

Story:
Story is a common term for a recounting of a sequence of events, narrative, or for a statement regarding the facts pertinent to a situation in question. It is defined as a narrative or tale of real or fictitious events.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Story

 

[Gambler]

Your "recounting of events" is a little confusing. It would help us understand if you could answer the questions:
1. Had you used this cooler before? My first thought was, the cooler probably malfunctioned, did it have a fuse?
2. How soon after the meltdown did you measure the temperature?
3. How can you be sure you were measuring the air, not something that was just melting?

 

[waveman]

Hmm... I don't think BacktoHyundaibychoice was questioning the recounting of events, just looking for some clarification. I think that we can all agree that anything burning in a car is dangerous - the question is did the car's heater or the plug-in cooler malfunction, or both?

 

[raw6464]

Your "recounting of events" is a little confusing. It would help us understand if you could answer the questions:
1. Had you used this cooler before? My first thought was, the cooler probably malfunctioned, did it have a fuse?
As I said previously... I've used the cooler many times before. The cooler has a fuse in the plug it did not blow. The 25amp aux jack fuse blew in the engine compartment because the cooler plug melted causing the metal contact tip of the plug short circuit between the center contact to the ground sides of the aux female jack. I've replaced the plug on the cooler... it works fine.

2. How soon after the meltdown did you measure the temperature?
I checked the temperature of the vent 4 or 5 hours later. I also checked the temperature the next day and got the same results. I can duplicate the 190F degree by letting the car sit in the sun with the engine off, then run the car with the vent in Heat mode. The 99F degree pix I provided was after the car sat in the sun for several hours and the engine off. No doubt the ambient temp in the car affects the temp of the vent discharge.

3. How can you be sure you were measuring the air, not something that was just melting?
The 190F degrees reading was well long after the melt down... the melt down was long past when I took the vent temp. I took the temp of the air coming out of the vent and was taken hours after the initial plug melt.

I can't say what affect the 190F air flow had on the plug melt down one way or the other. My opinion is even if the cooler plug never melted down the 190F degree air flow is still a safety hazard. With any device using the aux plug is in a confined compartment with no air flow to cool. Combine the 190F air flow inside the console and you may exacerbate the situation with very little safety margin from an overheating perspective... especially if higher wattage devices used the aux jack.

Do I have 2 problems or a cause and affect single? I don't know. But at then end of the day nothing out of the ordinary was in use here and my console almost caught fire.

 

[raw6464]

What the **** is your problem? I couldn't tell if you were suggesting one caused the other or not, or if you were relating 2 separate problems. I asked for clarification of your story, apologized if I was being dense, and now I work for Hyundai?

Story:
Story is a common term for a recounting of a sequence of events, narrative, or for a statement regarding the facts pertinent to a situation in question. It is defined as a narrative or tale of real or fictitious events.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Story

Your choice of words have heavy overtones of what I would expect from a Hyundai mole trying to discredit the messenger by a poor quality of clarity.

I give you over 300 words in details of the incident with supporting picture and you don't get IT! And you don't question the fire you ask:" Or are you reporting 2 separate problems?" from a Senior Member driving an Equus? Sure... your not a Hyundai mole.

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[dond13]

Your choice of words have heavy overtones of what I would expect from a Hyundai mole trying to discredit the messenger by a poor quality of clarity.

I give you over 300 words in details of the incident with supporting picture and you don't get IT! And you don't question the fire you ask:" Or are you reporting 2 separate problems?" from a Senior Member driving an Equus? Sure... your not a Hyundai mole.

You're a little over the top here I believe. When I read your post, I was also a little confused and thought that his questions were reasonable. I believe you need to calm down a little and not be so quick to jump to conclusions. By the way, I'm not a Hyundai mole either.

Also, I would think that 190F is not possible from air heated by water this far from the engine. Is there an electrical heating element somewhere along the line?

 

[raw6464]

You're a little over the top here I believe. When I read your post, I was also a little confused and thought that his questions were reasonable. I believe you need to calm down a little and not be so quick to jump to conclusions. By the way, I'm not a Hyundai mole either.

Also, I would think that 190F is not possible from air heated by water this far from the engine. Is there an electrical heating element somewhere along the line?

You think what you want. But what you believe happens to be wrong. There is no heating element along the line and you CAN get 190F... as in the photo. I went and made a picture for people like you who wouldn't believe it possible to get 190F and with picture and all... you STILL don't believe it! What do you think I'm making this $%!+ up?????? Are you sure you don't work for Hyundai?

The 190F is coming from the rear vent air discharge AS SHOWN IN THE PICTURE. The 190F is a culmination of the ambient temperature which happened to be 99F AS SHOWN IN THE PICTURE.

What is happening, while the front HVAC controls are on cool at 70 degrees blowing COLD air in all vents, if you turn the heater control on the rear vent from cold to hot it will blow HOT air which it SHOULD NOT DO! Hot air should not be allowed to blow dangerously very hot levels when the system is blowing cold air... especially in summer time with high in car ambient air temps. In the dead of winter when the ambient car temp is low, this issue would not be a problem.

If I where you and recommend to everybody else, go out to your car after it's been in the sun with the windows closed, turn on the HVAC blowing cold air and turn the rear vent to heat... if it blows very hot air... you have the same problem, which I think is ubiquitous on this car.

 

[Gurkha]

What is happening, while the front HVAC controls are on cool at 70 degrees blowing COLD air in all vents, if you turn the heater control on the rear vent from cold to hot it will blow HOT air which it SHOULD NOT DO! Hot air should not be allowed to blow dangerously very hot levels when the system is blowing cold air... especially in summer time with high in car ambient air temps. In the dead of winter when the ambient car temp is low, this issue would not be a problem.

If I where you and recommend to everybody else, go out to your car after it's been in the sun with the windows closed, turn on the HVAC blowing cold air and turn the rear vent to heat... if it blows very hot air... you have the same problem, which I think is ubiquitous on this car.

I believe what you are saying as there are two other threads on this subject:

http://www.genesisowners.com/hyundai-genesis-forum/showthread.php?t=508&highlight=rear+heat+vents

http://www.genesisowners.com/hyundai-genesis-forum/showthread.php?t=4753

I've also noticed the super hot air blowing out the rear vents, but turning the temp dial back to the blue area worked for me with no issues since.
I also turned off the blower fan at the rear as well, just in case.

 

[QCTLG]

You think what you want. But what you believe happens to be wrong. There is no heating element along the line and you CAN get 190F... as in the photo. I went and made a picture for people like you who wouldn't believe it possible to get 190F and with picture and all... you STILL don't believe it! What do you think I'm making this $%!+ up?????? Are you sure you don't work for Hyundai?

Wow just wow!!!!
You're morning corn flakes must really taste bitter!!!!

Oh and Yes I know...I work for Hyundai.

Listen up D.A., just bring your car to the dealer and tell them the problem...sheesh!

 

[Gambler]

Closing the thread before it gets out of control. Other threads were produced showing the hot air issue exists.