hit by lighting

[syd-c]

driving in a heavy lighting storm in town,one went off near or hit me,all car electronics stopped working for a second. now esc,abs,parking brake lights are on,all drivers info reset. checked all fuses,don t have a scanner for ob3, dissconnected the battery with no affect on problem. the car is more prone to go sideways but tc is still steppin in, didn't try a hard stop yet to see if the abs kicks in. by top gear stantards it as tough as a vw golf

 

[Mark_888]

1. Contact your insurance agent and give them the details.
2. Then contact your dealer and have them look at your car if you think there any problems (I can't tell from your jumble above).
3. If the jumble was caused by the lightening strike, contact your doctor.

 

[maxmar04]

1. Contact your insurance agent and give them the details.
2. Then contact your dealer and have them look at your car if you think there any problems (I can't tell from your jumble above).
3. If the jumble was caused by the lightening strike, contact your doctor.

do what this guy says ^^

 

[Philth]

I dont see how lightning would hit a car, but okay. Tires break the ground path.

 

[sandy]

We had a severe thunderstorm in Ct last Sunday afternoon, tapering off around 5pm. The Equus had been in the driveway during the storm. When I went to drive it, the first thing I noticed was the driver's door would not unlock when my hand touched the handle as is normal. It wouldn't unlock using the fob either. But the rear door unlocked so I was able to reach in and open the drivers door. The car started as normal, but most of the dashboard warning lights came on and the steering wheel was almost impossible to turn....making it impossible to drive. I called Hyundai Road Service and within an hour they were here and flat bedded the car to the local dealer.


Dealer has been working on the car for a week now, in constant contact with Hyundai Technical, and can't determing the problem. Hyundai Tech rep is coming to the scene Monday. One hypothesis put forward by the dealer tech is Lightning strike.


Hope to learn more on Monday. In the meantime dealer provided an Equus loaner so the waiting hasn't been unbearable.

 

[Ruissimo]

We had a severe thunderstorm in Ct last Sunday afternoon, tapering off around 5pm.

I have four things to say:

1 - That same storm fried my kids' Wii; I ordered a new power cord - hoping that'll fix the issue....

2 - Have I seen your car in Newtown? Is it black?!?! If yes... it is gorgeous.

3 - The steering issue is eerily familiar to me. See HERE, though I'm sure the issues are unrelated.

4 - Good luck with getting your car fixed. It SUCKSSSSS not having your new car for an extended period of time.

 

[homeofstone]

A car can be grounded if there is enough dirty water on the tires to carry the voltage. Also a very close strike may have a lot of EM energy.

 

[sandy]

Glad you solved your steering issue.

No, haven't been in Newtown for a while (think I had some great ice cream there at roadside stand) and my Equus is Granite Grey.

If problem is lightning, that will probably involve my insurance co....not sure how that works. "Lightning" would shift repair costs from Hyundai to Insurance co. but how would they establish lightning as cause absent any visible signs of a strike/burns/holes etc.

Maybe they will call monday and tell me it was just a fuse

 

[Mark63021]

I dont see how lightning would hit a car, but okay. Tires break the ground path.

Here's a case where empirical evidence has been wrongly ignored in favor of what we've all heard. So if a Megavolt bolt of lightning can pass through thousands of feet of air, then hopping around a five inch sidewall is nothing! If there's a nearby strike, the car can be charged like a TV tube. Now the saving grace for the car is that the entire car becomes charged essentially equally, so there's basically no electrical differential between components that would cause a current surge from point A to B. Now what you DONT EVER want to do is step out of a car that's just been hit by lightening, because YOU could be charged equally with the car and not even realize it until your foot hits the ground and you -the big capacitor, discharge all at once! Kinda like wool socks on carpet in the winter, times 10,000. My kid hates me that time of year.

Snopes

 

[mcginnpm]

I dont see how lightning would hit a car, but okay. Tires break the ground path.

Aircraft get hit by lightning all the time...and they ain't even on the ground...so I see no problem with a car getting hit when it's "flying" just inches off the ground.

______________________________

Help support this site so it can continue supporting you!

 

[syd-c]

called my insurance to set up appointment and the agent thinks my claims are unsound. said the tires would protect the car,i pointed out to him the amount of water on the road. i crawled under the car to check wires and connection and coulden't see nothin wrong. im waitin to go to my dealer until my insureance is on board for repairs because this is going to get pricey(noticed my nav is f'ed too)

 

[Ruissimo]

Don't get me started on insurance agents... they'll fight you tooth and nail the second you have a claim. I never missed an insurance payment in 20 years. My agent was always super nice with me. The one time I made a claim (last year), they refused to admit the damage was caused by the accident and refused coverage - I had to find another mechanic who proved I was right. They eventually paid up.

Good luck with your issues... I hope yours go easier than mine did. Especially since your car is so expensive and relatively new!

 

[Mark_888]

Don't get me started on insurance agents... they'll fight you tooth and nail the second you have a claim. I never missed an insurance payment in 20 years. My agent was always super nice with me. The one time I made a claim (last year), they refused to admit the damage was caused by the accident and refused coverage - I had to find another mechanic who proved I was right. They eventually paid up.

Good luck with your issues... I hope yours go easier than mine did. Especially since your car is so expensive and relatively new!

You aren't going to mention the insurance company?

 

[TimeOut]

If the lightning did not hit your car then, what fried your electronics was the lightning electromagnetic pulse (LEMP). This pulse is so powerful, it can even stop a person's heart, if the EMP happens to strike at the right moment during a person's cardiac cycle.

Don't let your insurance adjuster bulls#it you. We are talking megavolts here. Everything is a conductor at these high voltages so, tires on your car aren't going to make a difference. You were protected by all the metal surrounding the cabin of your car that acted as a faraday cage. Other parts of the car like the stuff under the hood are not completely surrounded by metal and the EMP can get in there, induce currents in wires that could ultimately damage delicate electronics systems.

 

[Ruissimo]

You aren't going to mention the insurance company?

Allstate. My wife gave me a hard time about switching too... so I'm still making my payments, like clockwork...

 

[hakwuzhere]

Allstate. My wife gave me a hard time about switching too... so I'm still making my payments, like clockwork...

Is it weird that I read that in the voice of Dennis Haysbert?....

 

[427435]

This is ancient history, but my high school science book (1960's) had a picture of a 1930's car in a lab under a big electrode with a driver in the car. A picture was taken as the electrode let loose a large bolt of lightening. The picture showed the bolt hitting the car and the electrical charge jumping from the wheel center (over the tire) to ground.

The point was that a driver inside the car was safe----------and that cars can indeed be hit by lightening.

Your insurance agent is full of..........................

 

[QuantumRift]

I'd say it was NEAR you...the EMP took out the electronics. Had it HIT you, you'd have known it. Had a friend in Cincinnati years ago that had a two door Dodge Omni..new...and it was struck by lightening. The radio antenna was vaporized...the dashboard was melted into metal and plastic goo....and all for tires were blown off the rims end result was the car was TOTALED...the ElectroMagnetic Pulse from the bolt kills unshielded electronic circuits. This would be covered by the Comprehensive portion of your auto insurance policy, probably subject to a deductible. Living in SE ARizona, we get wicked lightening storms all summer and it's not uncommon here to lose devices or car electronics to lightening. A few years ago we had a strike on a light pole out in the front yard. We lost 1) the doorbell 2) several telephones as the pulse took them out and fused the wiring in the phone boxes on the wall ..answering machine, etc. 3) two stereos 3) Three Color TVS that had permanently magnetized screens (degaussing them did not work) 4) the controller board for the garage door opener 5) the control board for the a/c and furnace as well as the electronic thermostat, and some other items. ALL in all it was over 3K in damages and we had to pay the first $500. So call you auto insurer and get 'er fixed.

driving in a heavy lighting storm in town,one went off near or hit me,all car electronics stopped working for a second. now esc,abs,parking brake lights are on,all drivers info reset. checked all fuses,don t have a scanner for ob3, dissconnected the battery with no affect on problem. the car is more prone to go sideways but tc is still steppin in, didn't try a hard stop yet to see if the abs kicks in. by top gear stantards it as tough as a vw golf

 

[scottdk]

Three Color TVS that had permanently magnetized screens (degaussing them did not work)

Color TV's?? Good thing they weren't black and white, you would have lost an antique

 

[CanukV6]

Lightning is very unpredictable with regard to the damage it can cause. People have been know to survive direct lightning strikes while many others have died. Cars can be struck and still operate afterwards or they may be totally fried. Usually the occupants of a car struck by lightning are OK because the body of the car acts like a Faraday Cage directing the charge around the space inside to the easiest path to ground. Tyres will not stop the lightning from striking a vehicle or jumping to ground. Unless your insurance agent is a certified Physicist, tell him he is full of you know what!

For a demonstration of lightning effects see this video: http://www.topgear.com/uk/videos/car-lightning