Major, Major Issue and an Unhappy Owner..

[09Genny4.6]

I recently realized my brake lights were not working. Took it to a Hyundai dealer near me and they came back to me with a $9,600+ quote to replace the entire wiring harness from the front to rear. Apparently wires in the trunk are fraying. That is completely unacceptable. That's about what my car is worth. I contacted Hyundai consumer affairs and was met with the same run around the dealer gave me... Not under warranty... You'll have to pay for it... She also became mad at me when I mentioned the TSBs for the stop lamp switch (which the previous owner had repaired in 2015) and the Z01 diode. Told me they were for tech's eyes only and asked where I found out about them. Also, my power tilt/telescoping steering wheel switch is broken. They want $1,800 for a new steering column, even though there was a TSB on that as well. What the hell. Yeah, I bought used, but I didn't think I was buying a money pit. Hell, my old 04 Maxima with 250K miles still has working brake lights and a functioning power tilt/telescoping steering wheel. I'm left with a huge dent in my perception of Hyundai. I'm left with a beautiful car that could cause a severe rear-end accident. Not to mention I could be pulled over at any time. I am not paying for Hyundai's shoddy engineering. A 2009 should not have fraying wires or have its steering column replaced. What should I do now? Any input is appreciated.

 

[Mr. Incredible]

A TSB is a technical service bulletin, it is not a recall nor is it a “warranty” item, it is simply a known issue and a bulletin for the techs on the proper repair procedure if they diagnosed the problem as that specific issue.

A TSB does not guaranty any type of free service or warranty coverage. If you are under warranty it is covered. If not it’s on you.


As for “fraying” wires, since it was used you don’t know what the previous owner did, or had wired to the brake lights. I’d be willing to believe the attached/spliced into the wires for something. A dealership will not repair this, only replace the harness. A automotive electric specific shop will likely be able to repair it for a couple hundred. The steering column I understand is a known issue, but it is a comfort feature not a safety feature so it is not bound by safety recall laws.

You might consider looking into one of those after market service contract/warranties, make sure they cover the electronics, then have the car repaired under that.

 

[homeofstone]

I have seen fraying wires caused by rodents that get into a car. One had frayed wires and it was due to squirrels that got into the engine compartment. If a previous owner left the car parked for days or weeks at some point then mice could have camped out in the car, it happens more times than you would think.

 

[EdP]

I recently realized my brake lights were not working. Took it to a Hyundai dealer near me and they came back to me with a $9,600+ quote to replace the entire wiring harness from the front to rear. Apparently wires in the trunk are fraying. That is completely unacceptable. That's about what my car is worth. I contacted Hyundai consumer affairs and was met with the same run around the dealer gave me... Not under warranty... You'll have to pay for it... She also became mad at me when I mentioned the TSBs for the stop lamp switch (which the previous owner had repaired in 2015) and the Z01 diode. Told me they were for tech's eyes only and asked where I found out about them. Also, my power tilt/telescoping steering wheel switch is broken. They want $1,800 for a new steering column, even though there was a TSB on that as well. What the hell. Yeah, I bought used, but I didn't think I was buying a money pit. Hell, my old 04 Maxima with 250K miles still has working brake lights and a functioning power tilt/telescoping steering wheel. I'm left with a huge dent in my perception of Hyundai. I'm left with a beautiful car that could cause a severe rear-end accident. Not to mention I could be pulled over at any time. I am not paying for Hyundai's shoddy engineering. A 2009 should not have fraying wires or have its steering column replaced. What should I do now? Any input is appreciated.

Agree with what others have said. It may have been the previous owner, not shoddy engineering that is causing the wiring problem. Let's deal with facts, not supposition. Do you know the reason it frayed? Fire, flood, rodents? If every Genesis had the problem I'd agree, but you are one, not many.

Did they show you where the wires are frayed? Is it just a connection, or small segment or entire length? As a dealer with a lot of potential liability, they usually take the safe way and tell you to replace the harness. If you go to a local shop, he may get you going with a piece of wire and tape.

I'd certainly not pay $9600 for a fix. I'd look at trading for anything offered by any dealer.

 

[surprisinguy]

I would def see if the dealer service shop would show you where the damage is. Depending on severity it might be a fix you or another shop could patch easily. Might be able to find the section that is damaged at a parts yard and swap out too.
When (if) they show it to you ask if they know of someone that might fix/patch cheaper. never know!

 

[pulsar]

If the dealer can show you the fraying that would be a plus. For a brake light specific problem, seems just certain wire bundles from plug to plug could be replaced and no need to rewire the whole car unless the dealer is fishing and uncertain as to the real root cause. You may have to remove the interior carpet to trace wires from the trunk up to the firewall and fuse box area. A rodent could have chewed thru several key wires to cause this whole mess. Finding the frayed area can be time consuming. I had an issue on my Infiniti that occurred between a Friday after work time and Monday morning that caused a no-start condition. Car was stuck in my garage. Took me several weeks of problem solving starting at the fuel pump in the tank to verify fuel was getting to the injection rail and then moving over to did I have spark at each plug? Finally found 5 of 6 fuel injector wires had been chewed thru. Was surprised that a fuel injection problem did not throw a code. Dealer would have wanted to replace the entire fuel injection harness. I soldered in new wires, heat shrinked them and problem solved. Keep mouse traps all around my garage these days.

 

[PMCErnie]

Sad, but your car is 11 years old, having gone on sale in late ‘08. When you buy an 11 year-old car you should not be expecting a dealership to be repairing big problems at small prices. This is especially a concern if you have no idea of the car’s history and service records. Your best bet is to find a small local shop with expertise in repairing old cars. The brake light repair should be a simple job for the right shop.

 

[surprisinguy]

Was surprised

When I first bought my car, was checking the air cleaner and it was chewed all to hell from some little critter.

 

[09Genny4.6]

The car is an original owner, was driven only about 13K miles annually, and is in pristine condition with only one small nick on a chrome trim piece on the front bumper and a dime sized paint issue on the hood (not rust). I have the service records and examined them thoroughly before I purchased the car and nothing stood out. As I stated, these gen 1 sedans seem to be notorious for brake light issues (Why did mine have its stop lamp switch replaced in 2015? Brake light issues).. Hyundai also had a recall for soy-based wiring attracting rodents to chew on them. Were Gennies affected by this as well and Hyundai never included them under the recall? That is the only possibility I can think of. As for the car being 11 years old, so what? We have had several cars in the family that have sat outside their entire lives, plow/work trucks that have been beaten to death, etc and wires were never chewed or frayed. I don't expect them to give me free service because of TSBs, but it was something I pointed out and had them check out. I will have them show me exactly where the wiring is an issue and ask why they think it could be fraying. I have two guys willing to help. One restores Mopars in his garage and the other is a family member who owns a shop. However, I'm still upset they would quote me that much with a straight face. I know a service advisor at a local Infiniti dealership and he would come pick up the car himself and fix the issue (if it were an Infiniti).

 

[rickkapur]

One of my cars is the same as yours. Bought it used about 5 months ago.

Wrt the tilt switch: was not working when I bought used. So bought switch off ebay for $60, and local Mechanic charged about $220 to install. Works fine for the last 3 months

Wrt wiring getting frayed: that clearly should not happen, and the price they are asking is ridiculous. Suggest take it to a local auto electrical shop, and get their opinion. It is hard to imagine that all electric is frayed, as then you would have short/ground issues thT would impact more than brake lights. I am assuming that you checked any fuses etc? Pls keep us informed. Best of luck

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[Gunkk]

So bought switch off ebay for $60, and local Mechanic charged about $220 to install. Works fine for the last 3 months

+1 this.

Forget the dealer.

Source your own parts and find a competent local mechanic to fix it.

 

[homeofstone]

If the wiring has been chewed by an animal while you have owned the car then you can claim that on your car insurance and just pay your comprehensive part of your insurance deductible. This was what a friend of mine had to do when wires were chewed on his Acura.