Rough Ride (rear)

[Michael_S]

Well, as promised, here are my comments after having the winter tires installed. First to be clear, I replaced the 18" wheels with the Dunlop tires (that come as standard equipment with the V6 Tech package) with 17' rims and Yokohama winter tires. First the good news, there seems to be a significant improvement in the general ride, that is the tar strips and little bumps in the road are much less intrusive than with the standard tires/wheels. However, in the bad news department, as can only be expected, changing tires and wheel size does not do very much to smooth out the reaction of the car to any significant irregularity in the road.

It was quite amazing actually, after dropping off my car at the dealer to have the tires changed I jumped into the drivers seat of my friends 2001 Honda CRV and drove it down the road to the coffee shop to kill some time. I have to say that although there was some body sway in the CRV, the overall ride was way smoother than what I've been experiencing with my Genesis. I've probably become over sensitized to the problem but my thoughts today when I was driving the CRV was "OK I'm vaguely aware of the little bumps in the road but they aren't intrusive, and on the more significant bumps the car just absorbed the jolt with no fuss or over reaction." With the Genesis (on the 18" stock wheels) there is an almost relentless banging over every tar strip and here in the great white north we have lots of tar strips. With respect to a significant bump, there is no missing the fact that you've hit one. It is just not a pleasant experience.

I am truly confused by the varying comments on this thread. Some people are delighted with the way their car rides and yet some of us are having serious issues with the suspension. I'm not normally a complainer but this problem has me stumped. I can't believe that anyone would actually enjoy the ride that I'm experiencing unless they are upgrading from a 1950's pick-up truck. (OK I'm exaggerating but only to make my point) I spoke with the service rep at the dealer today while waiting for my car and asked him if they'd had any complaints about the suspension. He admitted that they were aware of the issue and indicated that he'd heard Hyundai was testing out an air suspension system that may become available in the future. I asked if there would be a retrofit available for cars already in service and he replied that that would probably depend on how many complaints Hyundai receives. I know they will be getting at least one.

As an aside, we have a 2003 Honda CRV and a 2007 Honda Odyssey, and whatever else Honda does right and wrong, they are just fabulous for ride quality and handling. The minivan is surprisingly fun to drive for something its size.

On the other hand, road noise in both is very noticeably high. I'm surprised that with Honda's ability to excel in other areas, they haven't figured out how to make a quiet vehicle.

 

[ttsig]

This is my first post to the forum but I just had to comment on this thread.

I've owned my Genesis since Sept and currently have 7,200 miles on it. I previously drove a 2000 Ford Ranger pickup and thus the ride seems quite good to me but I must say that my wife's 2005 Chrysler Town and Country minivan handle some road conditions better than my Genesis. For comparison, I asked a friend who drives a BMW 535i and has ridden in my car, both in the front and back, several times, although admittedly for mostly short trips around town. He thinks my car rides smooth compared to his, but he notes that BMW's are mostly known for having stiff suspensions.

This past weekend I took my first long trip in the Genesis. About 1600 miles round-trip between South Carolina and Louisiana. Overall I thought the car rode well and the trip was comfortable, however, I hit several sections of road, typically concrete sections, where the ride became uncomfortably rough, seeming to hit a resonance that slowly amplified over time. In most cases I was able to vary the speed to compensate for this somewhat, and usually it only lasted a mile or two, but I could certainly see if there were longer stretches of Interstate with a similar pavement it would quickly get annoying.

Then there was one stretch of I-20, around Oxford, AL, that absolutely brought out the worst in the Genesis. I was cruising about 75MPH in the left lane, slowing passing a Lexus ES350. This section of Interstate had large concrete sections, with large expansion joints, that were then broken into smaller sections, with smaller expansion joints. At first it didn't seem so bad, but as the resonance increased the Genesis quickly ended up feeling like a bucking horse. The card was flailing front to back so hard to hood was shaking, and so was I.

I looked to the right at the Lexus and they seemed to be floating along smoothly. I tried varying my speed, but nothing really helped much and I eventually just slowed down to about 60MPH which made it tolerable. Fortunately this pavement style lasted only a few miles, and, once the more normal concrete pavement returned things once again seemed normal.

I've driven that stretch of Interstate probably 100 times in the last few years, in my Ranger, the wife's minivan, her old Jeep Liberty (certainly not a very smooth ride) and I'd never been jostled like that in any other vehicle.

Suffice it to say, there certainly seem to be road conditions which can trigger very bad behaviour from the Genesis suspension. While overall I'm very happy with my Genesis, and even the ride seem OK to me 99% of the time, that 1% can sometimes be pretty rough. If there's any road condition where my pickup truck rides better than a "luxury sport sedan" then that should be addressed.

Later,
Tom

 

[DanTheMan]

This is my first post to the forum but I just had to comment on this thread.

I've owned my Genesis since Sept and currently have 7,200 miles on it. I previously drove a 2000 Ford Ranger pickup and thus the ride seems quite good to me but I must say that my wife's 2005 Chrysler Town and Country minivan handle some road conditions better than my Genesis. For comparison, I asked a friend who drives a BMW 535i and has ridden in my car, both in the front and back, several times, although admittedly for mostly short trips around town. He thinks my car rides smooth compared to his, but he notes that BMW's are mostly known for having stiff suspensions.

This past weekend I took my first long trip in the Genesis. About 1600 miles round-trip between South Carolina and Louisiana. Overall I thought the car rode well and the trip was comfortable, however, I hit several sections of road, typically concrete sections, where the ride became uncomfortably rough, seeming to hit a resonance that slowly amplified over time. In most cases I was able to vary the speed to compensate for this somewhat, and usually it only lasted a mile or two, but I could certainly see if there were longer stretches of Interstate with a similar pavement it would quickly get annoying.

Then there was one stretch of I-20, around Oxford, AL, that absolutely brought out the worst in the Genesis. I was cruising about 75MPH in the left lane, slowing passing a Lexus ES350. This section of Interstate had large concrete sections, with large expansion joints, that were then broken into smaller sections, with smaller expansion joints. At first it didn't seem so bad, but as the resonance increased the Genesis quickly ended up feeling like a bucking horse. The card was flailing front to back so hard to hood was shaking, and so was I.

I looked to the right at the Lexus and they seemed to be floating along smoothly. I tried varying my speed, but nothing really helped much and I eventually just slowed down to about 60MPH which made it tolerable. Fortunately this pavement style lasted only a few miles, and, once the more normal concrete pavement returned things once again seemed normal.

I've driven that stretch of Interstate probably 100 times in the last few years, in my Ranger, the wife's minivan, her old Jeep Liberty (certainly not a very smooth ride) and I'd never been jostled like that in any other vehicle.

Suffice it to say, there certainly seem to be road conditions which can trigger very bad behaviour from the Genesis suspension. While overall I'm very happy with my Genesis, and even the ride seem OK to me 99% of the time, that 1% can sometimes be pretty rough. If there's any road condition where my pickup truck rides better than a "luxury sport sedan" then that should be addressed.

Later,
Tom

I read with interest the story about your quality of ride. I've had my Gen since August, and haven't experienced any of this kind of problem, or similar as discussed elsewhere on this forum. I'm not saying, however, the problems don't exist in your situation, simply because they don't exist in mine.

I would wonder about the capacity of an auto manufacturer who has to make a decision regarding quality of the ride for a car that they hope will sell in high volume. Being able to address only 1% of a bad ride quality (in your story, for example) would be impossible, in my opinion. If it were possible to make that change, my guess would be that there are a certain number of people that would chime in and proclaim that their ride quality has been sacrificed in favor of whatever change it took to make the 1% situation improve.

Overall, I think that if your ride quality overall is good (and by your admission, it is...to the tune of 99%), then you're in a pretty good situation.

I used to own a Chrysler minivan as well, and it's ride quality was exceptional--especially when loaded down w/gear and/or people. I don't think it's a fair comparison, however to compare any part of it to this (or any other) car--it's a minivan, built on an entirely different framework, concept. and for an entirely different type of cusotmer.

Having said all this, I hope that you find your solution.

Dan

 

[rmwweb]

If you find out where to complain please let us know.

I think that air suspension system is availabe for the Genesis in other countries already so that should not be a big deal to get that tested and approved here.

If they cut current owners a half way decent deal I'd be happy to upgrade. I just checked on the MSN auto site what an air spring upgrade costs on other cars.

The VW Touareg has an air spring update comined with bi-xenon headlights for $2.249. The Mercedes M class has the air spring system for $1.488.

What would be a fair price for this upgrade to fix the suspension issues for currrent owners? $1000???

Cheers

Thomas

Thomas:

I live in Canada so my dealer suggested that I contact Hyundaicanada.com to register my complaint. I would guess that in the US it would be hyundaiusa.com. Send them an e-mail outlining the problem and click on the box to request that someone contacts you to discuss the problem.

As for your question regarding what would be a fair price, I for one believe that this is a serious enough problem that Hyundai should resolve the problem and provide a retrofit for anyone who is having a problem. Whether they wind up with the air suspension or some other solution is up to them but for some of us this is clearly a bigger issue than others. Personally given the experience I'm having with my car, I find it hard to comprehend how others can be so happy with the ride. Earlier this week I went on a management retreat and drove up to it with a colleague of mine in my Genesis. I asked him to give me a candid opinion of the ride and he commented that while the car itself was very nice, the ride was no better than his wife's 98 Chevy Malibu. Boy that's the kind of comparison that really makes you glad you shelled out for a "luxury" car.

RW

 

[JohnMartin]

Consumer Reports comments on suspension, and notes that it is problematic. Other than that, they gave it good marks.

Given that the suspension is such a central part of the luxury-sport car equation, I imagine this is a problem.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/...rive/overview/hyundai-genesis-first-drive.htm

From the article (click link above):

"While the ride is quiet and generally well isolated, rough pavement can provoke sharp nervous pitches that are out of place in a car of this class."

 

[ttsig]

I would wonder about the capacity of an auto manufacturer who has to make a decision regarding quality of the ride for a car that they hope will sell in high volume. Being able to address only 1% of a bad ride quality (in your story, for example) would be impossible, in my opinion. If it were possible to make that change, my guess would be that there are a certain number of people that would chime in and proclaim that their ride quality has been sacrificed in favor of whatever change it took to make the 1% situation improve.

Overall, I think that if your ride quality overall is good (and by your admission, it is...to the tune of 99%), then you're in a pretty good situation.

I used to own a Chrysler minivan as well, and it's ride quality was exceptional--especially when loaded down w/gear and/or people. I don't think it's a fair comparison, however to compare any part of it to this (or any other) car--it's a minivan, built on an entirely different framework, concept. and for an entirely different type of cusotmer.

Having said all this, I hope that you find your solution.

Dan

Well, I'm not really unhappy about my purchase, the ride quality for me is mostly fine, however, I was basically pointing out that I did find a stretch of road that causes the Genesis to behave "exceptionally" poorly so I can certainly believe that there are other roads like this, especially in places where short spaced concrete sections are more common (most of the roads where I live are Asphalt or large section concrete).

The area of road where I discovered the problem would be an stretch of fairly high commute traffic. I suspect that if I was a person who lived in that area, and I drove that stretch every day, I wouldn't be very happy with my Genesis.

Also, I wasn't comparing the minivan to the Genesis except in a very flippant way. My real point was that I've owned many vehicles, but I never owned one that was so inconsistent in ride quality. For example, if, on a scale of 1-10, I rated the best ride in the minivan (perfect roads, etc) it might get an 8, while the worst ride (very rough ride) might get a 4, with the Genesis, the best ride is a 9, while the worst (that 3 mile stretch of Interstate) is a 1. That's pretty exceptional and simply not something I've experienced in any vehicle in 22 years, and over a million miles, of driving.

Later,
Tom

 

[Jimbo46]

For the record, I called Hyundai USA on the west coast today @ 800-633-5151 and was promptly told they have a Genesis Team. I was quickly connected to a personable guy named Mike (he told me he is the only Michael on the team) at extension #54275 who listened to my concerns about the genesis suspension. We talked at length and he did say I was not the first person to raise the issue. Though I don't know what will come of it, some of the rest of you may be interested in talking to them. The more of us who raise the issue, the more likely it is we will see a company wide solution

 

[Sal Collaziano]

For the record, I called Hyundai USA on the west coast today @ 800-633-5151 and was promptly told they have a Genesis Team. I was quickly connected to a personable guy named Mike (he told me he is the only Michael on the team) at extension #54275 who listened to my concerns about the genesis suspension. We talked at length and he did say I was not the first person to raise the issue. Though I don't know what will come of it, some of the rest of you may be interested in talking to them. The more of us who raise the issue, the more likely it is we will see a company wide solution

This is a very good idea. Speak to Michael at extension #54275 and let him know of your suspension concerns.. This is the only way to have the issue addressed... And don't feel bad about complaining.. If we never let Hyundai know there's a problem, they'll never have the opportunity to fix it...

1.800.633.5151

 

[philmcneal]

yea hyundai should have just went with an air suspension system, would have easily put the icing on the cake.

 

[stanco]

I have been complaining about the v6 with the 18" wheel and tech. more than 20 posts on Edmunds, Changed dealers as rec'vd no help. New dealer had factory tech look, never drove said "it's fine" the roads are no good!

It rides like a ww11 jeep, Everyone who has been in car has negative comment.
I am embarrassed. Hyundai denies there is a defect.
Not just in the rear ! When it is on uneven hwy cross strips it bounces like no shocks.
This is nightmare and Dealers say" you are our first suspension complaint"

Drive it in New York City, but wear a kidney belt and hold on tight!

Any and all help is needed and welcome.

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[3587]

Same here... Difficult to drink coffee and drive this vehicle on the interstate... Gets to be a little bouncy at times. You can't feel pot holes or other little stuff, but like you say... If the bump runs across the road, hang on... Why is that?

 

[stanco]

Re: Rough Ride (rear) and front

Thanks for your quick response, after no response on Edmunds, other than insults - unfortunately I feel every road imperfection big and little. Perhaps I'm like the Princess and the pea, it has made me paranoid.
I use my wife's car to relieve the tension.
What really has me angered is the fact that Hyundai dismisses this problem like I'm a nut !

 

[3587]

Re: Rough Ride (rear) and front

It is a pretty stiff suspension setup, so maybe that it is normal... Even though we may not like it, it sounds like MANY are okay with it... As they think that is normal for a "sporty" suspension. It kind of bucks in the back, but still holds the road some how... I don't find it enjoyable myself, especially when drinking something, but it could be "normal". My Chrysler 300C sure didn't do it... Still not sure which suspension setup is better though... As the Genesis does handle some bumps better that the Chrysler did not... Strange.

Thanks for your quick response, after no response on Edmunds, other than insults - unfortunately I feel every road imperfection big and little. Perhaps I'm like the Princess and the pea, it has made me paranoid.
I use my wife's car to relieve the tension.
What really has me angered is the fact that Hyundai dismisses this problem like I'm a nut !

 

[Duaine]

I have owned several different Hyundai models. While I think my 4.6 Genesis is an awesome car over all the ride is kind of a let down. I have owned Sonata's, Elantra's, a Santa Fe, and my last car was an Azera. All of them including the Elantra have a smoother ride.

I guess I think of the Genesis as more of a luxury car. So you would think a luxurious ride would come along with that.

Currently if I know I am going to be driving on a highway with rough expansion joints I take my 2006 Elantra.

Also its embarassing to have passengers in the back seat who are starting to warm up to the Hyundai name after riding in my Genesis complain that if that's how a Hyundai handles rougher roads that they don't want any part of it.

Originally I was debating whether to get a loaded Veracruz or the 4.6 Genesis. I'm not sure even with all the toys that come with the Genesis and the V-8 to play with as to whether I made the right decision living in Iowa with harsh winters or not?

First off there was the price difference and then people complaining about the Dunlap tires offering no traction, of course the rear wheel drive on slick roads is somewhat of an issue in itself.

And then you throw in the suspension debate and it makes me wonder? Still I do like the car and I only have 700 miles on it. Maybe I'll grow into it as time goes by.

I am not trying to discourage any future buyers of the Genesis. Everyone certainly has their opinions good and bad. The ride of the car is my biggest complaint so far. Some people don't like it and some do. But it's kind of funny that quite a few people are unhappy with the rough ride.

 

[BacktoHyundaibychoice]

Picked up my 83 year old MIL for Xmas yesterday, her first time in the Gen. The 18 mile trip from her place to ours consists of varied roads and conditions, and all she could do was rave about what a smooth ride this was; "like a limo".
At least I think it was a compliment...
(it was, and maybe the 150 pounds of salt in the trunk helps?)

 

[JohnMartin]

I swear that Edmunds.com has people who do nothing but delete and/or censor any comments that contain anything but glowing remarks about the Genesis (in the Genesis forums).

Very, very lame when you're trying to obtain or disseminate information about a major purchase like a car.

Not everyone is complaining about certain attributes of the suspension on the Genesis, but a lot of people are, and the more discussion, the better, IMO.

 

[thomaspf]

I come back to what I have said before. The suspension has a design flaw and that has to do with certain resonance frequencies.

For almost all road conditions the suspension is tuned to dampen the wheel travel in a smooth way. For certain road conditions there seems to be a state where the dampening fails and the up and down motion seems to increase rather than dissipate. Since the car gets into a bucking motion it seems to be an interaction between the front and rear wheels. I can trigger this behavior by going an a specific stretch of freeway with expansion joints at constant 60mph. The tricky thing about resonance phenomena is that you can not really talk about it unless you find exactly the right stimulus. This is in line with the varied experiences reported here. If you have never hit the resonance frequency all is fine and you can not image that anything could be wrong. If you hit it, however, well spilling your drink might be the smallest problem.

I can't follow the argument that this is a 1% outlyer and fixing it would worsen the ride quality otherwise. There should simply not be any road condition that gets the car into a less than safe state. Let me add a link to illustrate what can happen if resonance gets outof control...

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0Fi1VcbpAI"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0Fi1VcbpAI[/ame]

Sooner or later Hyundai will have to respond!


Cheers

Thomas

 

[BacktoHyundaibychoice]

JohnMartin:
A couple people asked above if you have a Gen. Too lazy to go back through previous pages and look for your response, so do you?

 

[3587]

Maybe the suspension needs a break-in period? Then it will loosen up a little bit?

I'm sure some sand bags in the trunk might help... But I'm not going to take up valuable trunk space with unnecessary sand bags! Come on.

 

[Calvin]

Took a road trip yesterday with 2 people in the back 2 in front and a half a tank of gas. We went on the interstate and some different types of back roads etc. I asked them what they thought, they said the ride was wonderful. I plan on hunting down some other types of roads and check it out again. So far no complaints.