Help! Car won’t start :(

[Shy]

I have a 2012 genesis rspec the other day I went to push the button to start and when I pushed in the brake to start the car the brake was hard to push and nothing happened. No sound just the lights on the dash turned on… has anyone here had this problem? Checked the starter fuse and the car cranks. I bought a brand new battery for the car and key fob and still nothing. Any suggestions?

 

[G-269114]

Maybe your starter, or alternator

 

[joegr]

Try this. Get in the car, press the start stop button. You will now be in accessory mode. Now press and hold the start button for at least 10 seconds. The engine should start after 10 seconds.

 

[mikec]

When the car has been parked for more than a couple days it is not uncommon for the brake power assist to bleed off... resulting in a rock-hard pedal that is difficult to depress/move. You may have to two-foot it to get it pressed far enough to trigger the starter safety interlock switch. Once the engine starts, you'll feel the pedal sink below your feet as the running engine creates vacuum, recharging the power assist mechanism. It's possible that safety switch is bad too; there was a recall on brake switches for many Hyundai and Kia models not long ago.

If the brake pedal is hard to push after the engine has been off for just overnight or even just a few hours, the power assist system on the car has a bad leak and needs to be fixed pronto. That's a safety issue - it'll be harder to panic stop especially. But that large a vacuum leak also affects how the engine runs. You may get a CEL (check engine light) or just get lousy running and worse fuel economy.

Weak car batteries manifest as a starter motor that does not spin the engine as rapidly as normal; a really bad/discharged battery typically results in a clicking sound instead of a spinning starter motor. A test I like to do is to turn the car ON - don't start - so the dash is lit up as in the OP's picture. Turn on the headlights. Are they reasonably bright - and do they stay about the same brightness for 5 to 10 minutes? If they visibly fade within a few minutes, the battery has low capacity and is in dire need of replacement. This works on pretty much any car by the way.

Another issue common on cars is a bad park/neutral safety switch on the transmission shift lever. If the switch goes bad, or more commonly the mounting screws get a little loose so the switch twists/rotates out of position, the car does not "see" the shift lever in the proper Park or Neutral position to enable the starter. If wiggling the shift lever makes a difference, this is the bug and needs to be fixed before the switch falls off the car. Sloppy/worn shift cables can cause this problem too. If Park doesn't work, try moving the shift lever to Neutral where you have more wiggle room.

If the engine is turning at close to normal starter speeds but won't start, it's not a battery issue; it's a fuel, ignition, vacuum leak, or engine computer issue.

mike c.

 

[Shy]

Thanks guys. I had mobile mechanics come by and nobody could figure it out. i wish I didn’t have to go to the dealership but that seems to be my only option.

 

[Gunkk]

I have a 2012 genesis rspec the other day I went to push the button to start and when I pushed in the brake to start the car the brake was hard to push and nothing happened. No sound just the lights on the dash turned on… has anyone here had this problem? Checked the starter fuse and the car cranks.

These two statements (bold) conflict. "Nothing happens" while ambiguous language is generally considered to be the opposite of "the car cranks."

You either have a NO-CRANK-NO-START or a CRANK-NO-START problem. I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess the latter.

Regardless, if a professional mobile mechanic familiar with Hyundai cars (presumably with access to Hyundai GDS or equivalent info*) couldn't figure it out, then yes you need to take it to a dealer or a private mechanic with same. Get a written estimate. Might cost you a ~$250 diagnostic fee to do so. Ask the shop if they credit the diag fee (or part of it) when they do the repair. Ask them also if they misdiagnose they will refund any wrongly-performed work (i.e. you won't allow them to fire the parts cannon at your car). Unlikely they will agree to this, but it gets the message across that you won't tolerate them swapping perfectly good 11 year old parts at your expense.

 

[Shy]

These two statements (bold) conflict. "Nothing happens" while ambiguous language is generally considered to be the opposite of "the car cranks."

You either have a NO-CRANK-NO-START or a CRANK-NO-START problem. I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess the latter.

Regardless, if a professional mobile mechanic familiar with Hyundai cars (presumably with access to Hyundai GDS or equivalent info*) couldn't figure it out, then yes you need to take it to a dealer or a private mechanic with same. Get a written estimate. Might cost you a ~$250 diagnostic fee to do so. Ask the shop if they credit the diag fee (or part of it) when they do the repair. Ask them also if they misdiagnose they will refund any wrongly-performed work (i.e. you won't allow them to fire the parts cannon at your car). Unlikely they will agree to this, but it gets the message across that you won't tolerate them swapping perfectly good 11 year old parts at your expense.

Hi Gunkk

Hyundai dealership still has my car and still has not been able to diagnosis what’s wrong with it. This is insane. After six months they finally gave me a loaner car (Hyundai Elantra) I hate it. At first I didn’t want a loaner cause they said they had to charge $30 a day. I was like hell no. Imagine paying $30/day for now 5 months. Then they felt sorry and gave it for free. Well it’s been almost a year and this is frustrating as hell that they don’t know what’s wrong. They tell me that corporate Hyundai gives them a list they have to check off to see if any of those workout. They also use the excuse that they can’t move the car to the bay because it doesn’t start and they have to work on it “outside.” which is bullshit because i went to check recently if there was an update and the car was moved to a lower lot. I don’t know why they just don’t tell me sorry we can’t figure it out even though I’m sure others have had similar problems in the 12 years it has existed. Sorry I am frustrated and needed to vent. Don’t buy an 2012 RSpec fam!

 

[Charlie1982]

Hi Gunkk

Hyundai dealership still has my car and still has not been able to diagnosis what’s wrong with it. This is insane. After six months they finally gave me a loaner car (Hyundai Elantra) I hate it. At first I didn’t want a loaner cause they said they had to charge $30 a day. I was like hell no. Imagine paying $30/day for now 5 months. Then they felt sorry and gave it for free. Well it’s been almost a year and this is frustrating as hell that they don’t know what’s wrong. They tell me that corporate Hyundai gives them a list they have to check off to see if any of those workout. They also use the excuse that they can’t move the car to the bay because it doesn’t start and they have to work on it “outside.” which is bullshit because i went to check recently if there was an update and the car was moved to a lower lot. I don’t know why they just don’t tell me sorry we can’t figure it out even though I’m sure others have had similar problems in the 12 years it has existed. Sorry I am frustrated and needed to vent. Don’t buy an 2012 RSpec fam!

Are there any other dealerships (or independent Hyundai experts) in the region you could have check it out?

 

[Gunkk]

11 months is not reasonable for anyone to wait on a car repair in 2023-2024 unless you're part of the cause for the delay. Is there more to the story here? If so, help us help you.

If not, then there are a few things that might be worth trying. Before burning any bridges I'd try to exhaust all the "nice guy" options, including talking to my insurance about totaling the car as unrepairable. Your jurisdiction (state law) may address such issues. So it's probably worthwhile to contact a local lemon law or consumer protection attorney (someone like Steve Lehto who specializes in automotive lemon law) to discuss your options, in or out of warranty. See if you have a case for breach of implied warranty or express warranty, fraud, or another basis for a vehicle lawsuit. The experts know what is "reasonable and customary" in such cases. If you live in Michigan, call Steve.

 

[Shy]

11 months is not reasonable for anyone to wait on a car repair in 2023-2024 unless you're part of the cause for the delay. Is there more to the story here? If so, help us help you.

If not, then there are a few things that might be worth trying. Before burning any bridges I'd try to exhaust all the "nice guy" options, including talking to my insurance about totaling the car as unrepairable. Your jurisdiction (state law) may address such issues. So it's probably worthwhile to contact a local lemon law or consumer protection attorney (someone like Steve Lehto who specializes in automotive lemon law) to discuss your options, in or out of warranty. See if you have a case for breach of implied warranty or express warranty, fraud, or another basis for a vehicle lawsuit. The experts know what is "reasonable and customary" in such cases. If you live in Michigan, call Steve.

I wish I lived in Michigan right now. I live in the middle of nowhere Hawai’i. I’ll definitely look into everything you said. I wish I had more information but everytime the tech tells me there’s nothing new and they have to call corporate for a lists of next steps. Thank you so much for all your help. I appreciate it.

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[Shy]

Are there any other dealerships (or independent Hyundai experts) in the region you could have check it out?

Hi Charlie,

That’s the only dealership that does the services for Hyundai. Even the two others don’t do services and are directed to that one. I called a lot of independent repair shops and a lot of them don’t have the knowledge for those type of cars.

 

[RemyBluePearl]

Hi Charlie,

That’s the only dealership that does the services for Hyundai. Even the two others don’t do services and are directed to that one. I called a lot of independent repair shops and a lot of them don’t have the knowledge for those type of cars.

Replace your starter. My car was intermittently starting and I changed car battery and key fob battery it did not help. My mechanic couldn’t duplicate my issue and no one knew what was wrong. Other Genesis owners changed their starter and it worked.

I took a shot and replaced my starter even though mechanic said it wasn’t necessary And I haven’t had an issue since. It’s almost been a year.

 

[Shy]

They finally got back to me and this is what they said.

 

[joegr]

You need to find a good independent with electrical expertise. Someone to find the repair the problem, instead of replacing everything that it might be.

 

[captTaco79]

Hi Gunkk

Hyundai dealership still has my car and still has not been able to diagnosis what’s wrong with it. This is insane. After six months they finally gave me a loaner car (Hyundai Elantra) I hate it. At first I didn’t want a loaner cause they said they had to charge $30 a day. I was like hell no. Imagine paying $30/day for now 5 months. Then they felt sorry and gave it for free. Well it’s been almost a year and this is frustrating as hell that they don’t know what’s wrong. They tell me that corporate Hyundai gives them a list they have to check off to see if any of those workout. They also use the excuse that they can’t move the car to the bay because it doesn’t start and they have to work on it “outside.” which is bullshit because i went to check recently if there was an update and the car was moved to a lower lot. I don’t know why they just don’t tell me sorry we can’t figure it out even though I’m sure others have had similar problems in the 12 years it has existed. Sorry I am frustrated and needed to vent. Don’t buy an 2012 RSpec fam!

I'm having the same issue now. I haven't had my car in a long time!

 

[captTaco79]

Replace your starter. My car was intermittently starting and I changed car battery and key fob battery it did not help. My mechanic couldn’t duplicate my issue and no one knew what was wrong. Other Genesis owners changed their starter and it worked.

I took a shot and replaced my starter even though mechanic said it wasn’t necessary And I haven’t had an issue since. It’s almost been a year.

I have done starter, battery, alternator, new BCR flashed ECU....and still nothing!

 

[Gunkk]

Check wiring. Watch this:

 

[G-522513]

I'm having the same issue now. I haven't had my car in a long time!

I am having the same problem with 2013 R-Spec. Seem like plenty of people have. Ive replaced my brake light switch and car battery and no luck.
The Hyundai dealership "couldn't re create the issue". Waste of time.

For gods sake, there has to be a solution.