Hello! ...and strange occurrence.

[Genesisimo]

New 2016 Genesis Tech...and sudden power loss on freeway!!

Greetings all! First post. I leased a 2016 3.8 RWD Tech in SoCal on 2/29/16, grabbing the last of the February lease incentives. She is a beauty. Empire State gray with black interior. Love the tech, smooth ride and tight handling. Coming from 2006 Acura RL (Legend) Tech package. But right now the new Genny is sitting in the shop due to sudden power loss at freeway speed.

Coming home from work the other night near midnight, the strangest thing happened. I had to accelerate and do a fast lane change to avoid a standard L.A. driver who was about to merge right into me. Right then, the car stopped responding to throttle input. It lost power and RPMs dwindled gradually to zero. I made it to the right shoulder and put flashers on. No warning lights until it stalled. I restarted the engine and found that it was in some sort of limp-home mode with very attenuated throttle response. Max speed around 50, very dangerous in these parts. Max RPM around 1500 even when floored. Different drive modes, manual shift, cruise, nothing made a difference. Pretty scary 10 miles!

I did make it home. The next day I called Roadside Assistance. They towed it to the dealer on Friday. On Saturday the service advisor said they won't get to it until Monday (tomorrow). What the heck happened?

 

[balfor]

odd but probably an electrical issue of some kind. Perhaps the sudden movement broke a connection loose that was faulty to begin with? In any case I'm sure the dealer will be able to find it. Odd that no lights were on, did the check engine light come on? It would be interesting to see what codes were stored.

As an example I once had a motorcycle that ran perfectly and suddenly lost power and I had to "limp" it home in a similar way. Turned out to be a bad ground connection.

 

[Genesisimo]

odd but probably an electrical issue of some kind. Perhaps the sudden movement broke a connection loose that was faulty to begin with? In any case I'm sure the dealer will be able to find it. Odd that no lights were on, did the check engine light come on? It would be interesting to see what codes were stored.

As an example I once had a motorcycle that ran perfectly and suddenly lost power and I had to "limp" it home in a similar way. Turned out to be a bad ground connection.

Thanks for your thoughts. No check engine light or any other for that matter. I sure hope it's that simple! The three initial thoughts that occurred to me were a failure of the ECM module, an issue with the fuel pump or fuel line, and inadvertent activation of the Bluelink remote slowdown/immobilizer function. (I didn't set up the two "upgrades" to Bluelink that require credit cards, so I am pretty sure my phone didn't set it off.)

An Internet search did not turn up any similar reports of sudden power loss on the Genesis G2, though earlier Hyundai models have had issues like this. The service advisor would not even hazard a guess. I think that this will be reportable to NHTSA once the facts are clear.

Can anyone confirm that there is indeed a "limp home" mode on the Genesis G2? I will peruse the owner's manual to see what I can find out.

Anyway, I can't wait to get my Genny back. When she behaves, she is a real pleasure to drive.

 

[greekgeek]

This is normal for the 3.8. If you want to go fast on the highway you need the 5.0. There are a couple of threads that cover this.

 

[MelFranks]

I had a genesis coupe and an OBD2 reader that saved me a couple times I could reset the computer and restore the code and yes it went into limp mode... intrestringly the OBD2 device works perfectly

 

[Genesisimo]

This is normal for the 3.8. If you want to go fast on the highway you need the 5.0. There are a couple of threads that cover this.

LOL!! And tell me more about your fuel economy!

 

[Genesisimo]

I had a genesis coupe and an OBD2 reader that saved me a couple times I could reset the computer and restore the code and yes it went into limp mode... intrestringly the OBD2 device works perfectly

Cool! Amazon has basic ones around $13 and fancier for $50 and up. Were you able to actually correct an ECM malfunction? What OBD2 reader did you use?

 

[Ernie3647]

This is normal for the 3.8. If you want to go fast on the highway you need the 5.0. There are a couple of threads that cover this.

I’m collecting classic posts on the site to review when I’m in need of cheering up or just need a good laugh and I think this one certainly qualifies.

 

[canuckv8u]

This is normal for the 3.8. If you want to go fast on the highway you need the 5.0. There are a couple of threads that cover this.

This made my morning. Hilarious.

To the OP, i recall someone else experiencing an issue with their fuel line that resulted in the same behaviour.

 

[Genesisimo]

Now we're getting somewhere. The service advisor called and said the tech got a Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) that indicated a problem with the high-pressure fuel pump. He didn't know the code number. Now he has a homework assignment.

The fault cleared so the tech drove it. Same thing happened to him! They have ordered the part.

@MelFranks, when I signed on from my computer I could see that you linked to an inexpensive OBD2 module from Amazon that works with every smartphone except my iPhone. I think I'll get one of the self-contained ones. Seems like a very useful thing to have in the glove box.


UPDATE: Fault code was P1230, low fuel pressure. The SA says today that after checking with Hyundai tech support, they were told to do additional diagnostics prior to ordering and replacing the fuel pump. Meanwhile, 5 days after the incident, still no Genny for me. Details of incident reported to NHTSA and to Hyundai Customer Support today via their respective websites.

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[greekgeek]

Of course I was j/k, glad to hear it roused some laughter! Good to hear they diagnosis is going well, hope you get your sweet ride back soon!

 

[jarred52]

I know (from a Hyundai guy) that there has been some problems with the fuel line "harness". It is not just a line running from the pump to the engine as in cars of old. It is a metal tubing system with numerous form-fitting bends that can have a kink in it that can cause low pressure. Even some new ones sent to fix defective ones come in with a kink. If your pump or pressure regulator is not the problem, it could be the line. Apparently, this problem is known to Hyundai.

 

[canuckv8u]

UPDATE: Fault code was P1230, low fuel pressure. The SA says today that after checking with Hyundai tech support, they were told to do additional diagnostics prior to ordering and replacing the fuel pump. Meanwhile, 5 days after the incident, still no Genny for me. Details of incident reported to NHTSA and to Hyundai Customer Support today via their respective websites.

Depends on where the pressure is being read by the fault sensor. If there is a fuel line obstruction, whether it be a kink, or foreign debris, the sensor would be reading high pressure before the obstruction and low pressure after the obstruction.

I used to be a manufacturer rep for a fuel pump manufacturer, and well over 95% of the fuel pump warranty claims were from issues other than the pump. It was very commonly misdiagnosed, and a very expensive misdiagnosis as many of the fuel pumps were in the gas tank and the gas tank had to be drained and removed to replace the pump.

Wise of Hyundai to request further diagnosis...hopefully your dealer actually does what they are told by Hyundai!

Good luck.

 

[Genesisimo]

All input is appreciated! Humor too. Hyundai corporate sent a sympathetic email yesterday in response to my email to Customer Support. And DOT acknowledged my report to NHTSA.

Talked to the SA again today. He told me the same story as yesterday. He had no idea when the car will be ready. :/ He said the tech support group had not heard of this problem in the 2G vehicle. So, in the immortal words of Scooby Doo, "Ruh roh."

I hope they approaching this with the proper sense of urgency. I said as much to the SA and in my reply to CS.

 

[Genesisimo]

I know (from a Hyundai guy) that there has been some problems with the fuel line "harness". It is not just a line running from the pump to the engine as in cars of old. It is a metal tubing system with numerous form-fitting bends that can have a kink in it that can cause low pressure. Even some new ones sent to fix defective ones come in with a kink. If your pump or pressure regulator is not the problem, it could be the line. Apparently, this problem is known to Hyundai.

@jarred52, it seems that you and @canuckv8u have the correct diagnosis. They ordered a new fuel line harness instead of a high pressure fuel pump. Fingers crossed. No promised ETA.

Meanwhile, I finally found time to pick up the service loaner two days ago. Same model and trim level as mine, different color, brand new. Sweet! Even without navi and Bluetooth, it is so nice to have a powerful, agile, comfortable and serene car that drives itself in ridiculous stop-and-go L.A. traffic.

 

[Genesisimo]

Update: Still driving the loaner, now two weeks since the incident with sudden power loss. The SA called to say they replaced the fuel harness and...the same thing happened!! Ideas?

 

[Genesisimo]

Update: Exactly three weeks after my new Genny was towed to the dealer, she's back! I picked her up yesterday afternoon. They replaced the fuel line (twice) and the low-pressure fuel pump in the rear of the car. They say they test drove for 21 miles with no issues. And on the way home she seemed peppy as usual.

I'm still concerned, as the car ran perfectly for the first 10 days and 225 miles until the failure happened out of the blue. Cautiously optimistic pending further road testing.

 

[Aquineas]

Sheesh it sucks to have a brand-new car have those kinds of problems. Sorry to hear about your trouble Genesisimo, but at least you got to drive a bunch of miles on someone else's dime ;-).