HELP! completely lifeless Genesis

[Josiah]

Brand new to the forum today, and have a crisis. 2012 Genesis sedan 5.0 r-spec, 95,000km, battery new Nov.2020. Just drove 2km to gas station, as usual, the car runs perfect. Return after paying, press the door handle unlock button(as always), then as I'm getting in, I notice complete silence, no chimes, no seat or wheel adjust, and a completely blacked out dash. It's as if there isn't even a battery in the car. I was a licensed mechanic 20 years ago before the computer era, but changed careers and I am lost as to what this would be. I don't even know how to get into the trunk to battery check the voltage, because Nothing electrical works in the car.

 

[joegr]

Can't you use the mechanical key to get into the trunk?

 

[Aquineas]

Are you in a part of the country that might have corroded battery cables? Can you verify that the cables are firmly attached?

 

[Josiah]

Sorry, I am not even aware that there was a key hole for the trunk, I've owned the car for over 3 years and never had a reason to search for one

 

[Josiah]

Although at the moment, I haven't figured out how to even access the battery in the trunk with no electrical, I am very confident that the battery is not the issue here, either failure or corrosion as I tend to be very particular about my car maintenance, especially being a former mechanic.

 

[Aquineas]

Well I'm certainly no former mechanic, and wouldn't have much to offer to someone who was. I do wish you good luck though, and I'll be curious what the problem turns out to be.

 

[Josiah]

I am open to any suggestions as to what this might be, or how to correct it. In the 3+ years I have owned and maintained this car, there have been zero issues with it aside from a dying battery last fall. As soon as it was replaced with a factory original, it went back to running like a new car. I live in Toronto, Canada, and this morning the temp was -15c with the wind chill, made for a chilly unexpected 2km walk back home. If the car was here in my drive, I could spends endless time searching for a solution, but it's been parked at a gas pump for 4 hours now. If I knew for sure how to rectify the problem, I would gladly make the 2km trek back there to fix it, but not even knowing where to look for an issue would make the trip very cold and pointless. I guess the 1st question should be, is there key access into the trunk on this year/model, I've never seen or looked for it. What would possibly cause this complete electrical shutdown with the car starting & running like new 5 minutes before with no prior issues?

 

[joegr]

Really, you are going to have to open the trunk and look at the battery. Maybe one of the battery clamps broke? Maybe a main fuse has failed? We can speculate on this for months and get nowhere, or you could go and look at it and maybe figure it out in less than five minutes. Take a multi-meter with you.
Your owner's manual says the mechanical key will open the trunk.

 

[Josiah]

So there is a slot for a key in the trunk?? I've never seen or looked for it.

 

[Qship]

Most likely it's in the same location as my 2010's trunk key.
Left side of trunk lid. The key slot is slightly recessed and sits at about a 45 degree angle so you'll have to bend down to actually see it. But it's there between the tail light and license plate.

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[Josiah]

Update: The car is now home. Thanks to Qship for advise on the trunk key location. Battery terminals were both tight, and not corroded. On the cable going to the positive there is a small fuse box with a 50a breaker and a 10a fuse. When I pulled & inspected the 50a, I saw nothing wrong, pushed it back in and all my lights came back on!!!? The car started no issue. I decided to pull & inspect the 10a, same thing, not blown or corroded, but it made zero difference, the car remained running with it pulled out, replaced it and drove home. I am elated that I am not still parked at a gas pump after 7 hours, but I'm at a loss as to what happened. I rechecked the breaker when I got home, and there is no corrosion of any sort, and it fits in very tightly. This obviously was the issue, but how/why?

 

[Qship]

Update: The car is now home. Thanks to Qship for advise on the trunk key location. Battery terminals were both tight, and not corroded. On the cable going to the positive there is a small fuse box with a 50a breaker and a 10a fuse. When I pulled & inspected the 50a, I saw nothing wrong, pushed it back in and all my lights came back on!!!? The car started no issue. I decided to pull & inspect the 10a, same thing, not blown or corroded, but it made zero difference, the car remained running with it pulled out, replaced it and drove home. I am elated that I am not still parked at a gas pump after 7 hours, but I'm at a loss as to what happened. I rechecked the breaker when I got home, and there is no corrosion of any sort, and it fits in very tightly. This obviously was the issue, but how/why?

Welcome to the world of electronics. Sometimes just like your regular computer, things need to be rebooted. Glad it's all good now

 

[jetrep]

I suspect removing the fuse was the equivalent of disconnecting the battery...effectively power cycling the computers. Hopefully it was an odd, one-time thing.

 

[wx4caster]

I had the exact issue several months ago except mine was in my garage fortunately. Cable was tight but once I took out the in-line fuse and reinserted it started with no issues but I took to dealer anyway. There was no trouble found ( and no diagnostics fee ). Car has been fine ever since. I think the fuse was not seated properly.

 

[Josiah]

Many Thanks to all that responded, it helped to narrow down the search. I can see that this is not just a "me" problem, as it has happened to others. I am happy knowing that if it happens again, I know where to start, but my main concern is if it happens on the highway and suddenly no power brakes or steering, could be a scary situation. I will further inspect for any signs of corrosion or loose connectors, and report.

 

[Gunkk]

Genesis BH sedans are VERY sensitive to battery voltage. As much if not more so than any other modern car. The positive battery terminal fuse-block can get wonky. Another forum user recently posted that the vibration from trunk closure is the only way he can start his car. Sounds similar to your issue, OP, but glad you got your problem sorted.

While I haven't had the displeasure of this issue, a few years back I had a battery go bad @ <3 months. Car wouldn't crank. It happens. AdvanceAuto replaced it covered 100% warranty no charge and the tech apologized for the hassle.

 

[jimmy buoy]

I recently posted about a similar problem with my 2010 Genesis. Went from totally fine to totally dead after being parked 10 minutes. I knew it was unlikely that the battery went totally dead in 10 minutes.

After taking a look at the battery (using my physical key) I found that the positive terminal was loose. Once jiggled, the trunk light went back on. That terminal was actually loose enough to pull it up vertically and remove it. So, I of course grabbed a socket to tighten the nut on the terminal - but it was already tight as could be. Hmmm...

After taking the entire positive assembly out of the car and taking the terminal "tightener" apart it was clear what the issue was. The quirky tightener didn't have enough travel to put the squeeze on the battery terminal. It started off too loose and only has a small amount of tightening travel. So I bent the hook type part to the point that it would barely squeeze onto the positive battery terminal when at its loosest setting. That way, when using a socket and ratchet to tighten it down it really put a good squeeze on the terminal. It won't lose its connection now.

Problem solved - no cost!

 

[Starflyer]

Once something like that happens, I'm inclined to NEVER trust the vehicle to get me home again. I had a 1999 Pontiac that did that. Traded it in very shortly after. The last time it happened to me was on my '18 G80. Finally got it running, drove to my dealer where they trouble shooted it for 4 or 5 days and couldn't find anything wrong. I drove it home and decide to keep it but if it ever happened again, it was GONE. Been running like a top ever since.

 

[Ozy44]

Update: The car is now home. Thanks to Qship for advise on the trunk key location. Battery terminals were both tight, and not corroded. On the cable going to the positive there is a small fuse box with a 50a breaker and a 10a fuse. When I pulled & inspected the 50a, I saw nothing wrong, pushed it back in and all my lights came back on!!!? The car started no issue. I decided to pull & inspect the 10a, same thing, not blown or corroded, but it made zero difference, the car remained running with it pulled out, replaced it and drove home. I am elated that I am not still parked at a gas pump after 7 hours, but I'm at a loss as to what happened. I rechecked the breaker when I got home, and there is no corrosion of any sort, and it fits in very tightly. This obviously was the issue, but how/why?

Make sure your battery vent line is hooked up. The battery gases out and produces hydrogen sulfide that will corrode metal and may have caused the fuse/breaker to be corroded enough to not make good contact. Being in the trunk with the trunk mat over it keeps all the gas down low since it is heavier than air. My new AGM battery came with two vent holes and a plug for the one that is not used. Be sure to plug the extra hole or the vent line won't make a difference.

 

[jimmy buoy]

Update: The car is now home. Thanks to Qship for advise on the trunk key location. Battery terminals were both tight, and not corroded. On the cable going to the positive there is a small fuse box with a 50a breaker and a 10a fuse. When I pulled & inspected the 50a, I saw nothing wrong, pushed it back in and all my lights came back on!!!? The car started no issue. I decided to pull & inspect the 10a, same thing, not blown or corroded, but it made zero difference, the car remained running with it pulled out, replaced it and drove home. I am elated that I am not still parked at a gas pump after 7 hours, but I'm at a loss as to what happened. I rechecked the breaker when I got home, and there is no corrosion of any sort, and it fits in very tightly. This obviously was the issue, but how/why?

Josh, take a look at my post #17. Not saying your's might be the same issue, but there was no corrosion of any sort and the bolt was tight on the positive post. Nothing was obviously wrong. It was only when I wiggled the connector a bit side to side and applied upward pressure that I discovered that the connector was not making a good connection to the battery post at all and could be lifted right off without much resistance. As I wiggled the connector it regained connection with the car's electrical system, but I then knew it was a connection issue at the battery post. This is a car that I've had for over a year without any prior issues. Hard to believe that something so simple could leave the car dead in its tracks but it definitely can and did.
Might be a worthwhile thing to check out as a preventative measure.