Support for suspension issues

[Alfer]

There will be no class action lawsuit. There is no defect. When are people going to realize this?

The car rides as designed, no attorney would go near this.

Amen to that!

My parents have owned their Genesis V-^ Tech since last summer and nothing but praise for it..head and shoulders above the Grand Marquis and for that matter the Azera they used to own.

I think some folks are a bit too nitpicky...I mean to those who dislike it, did you not take a decent test drive and determine at that point the car wasn't right for you or did you just ignore it?

 

[thomaspf]

Hi Alfer welcome ot the board. I assume you read the whole thread? The defect in the Genesis suspension is not one you find by taking a test drive.

Under certain road conditions the suspension basically fails. The car violently moves up and down and it is definitely no longer in safe operating conditions.

This has nothing to do whether some people prefer a softer suspension but is a design oversight that probably comes from insufficient testing the car here in the US. From reading the thread you probably already know that Hyundai North America introduced a new cheaper suspension just for the US model.

This problem will only be experienced when you hit a stretch of road that provides exactly the right excitement to the suspension. When I brought my car to the dealership they reproduced the problem but they can not do anything until Hyundai North America admits the problem and offers a fix.

I hope your parents enjoy their car as much as I do. Since they bought their car last summer like myself you might want to print them this article

http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2009/02/hyundai-genesis-iihs.html

about the Genesis IIHS test results and have them contact Hyundai for a fix. The combination of a suspension problem with defective front and side airbags as well as lacking knee bolster cushening might not be such a safe experience after all. It is great to know that newer vehicles have this fixed but that won't save your parents.

Cheers

Thomas

 

[ttsig]

Amen to that!
My parents have owned their Genesis V-^ Tech since last summer and nothing but praise for it..head and shoulders above the Grand Marquis and for that matter the Azera they used to own.

The Genesis should definitely be better than a Grand Marquis or an Azera. This is especially true for the Azera, a car known for it's sub-par suspension. When I was shopping for a car I actually went to the dealer to test drive an Azera, not a Genesis. I would never have purchased an Azera, it's ride seemed far sub-par to the other cars in it's class.

It's also important to note that Hyundai is positioning this vehicle to compete with Lexus, Acura, Infinity, BMW, Mercedes, etc., the suspension needs to compare well to those, not to the weak Azera, or the Grand Maquis who's suspension hasn't changed much in over a decade.

I think some folks are a bit too nitpicky...I mean to those who dislike it, did you not take a decent test drive and determine at that point the car wasn't right for you or did you just ignore it?

That's true, but Hyundai claims the Genesis to be a luxury car. Luxury car buyers are notoriously nitpicky. If Hyundai really wants to play in this space they better learn to focus on those nits.

As for the "decent" test drive, I drove my car almost 6,000 miles before I experienced the first suspension "breakdown". Most dealers won't allow you to take a test drive that long.

It's difficult for me to believe that a person would/could sue over a "stiff" ride, however, the breakdown, which I've experienced a handful of times, can be severe. When it's happening it feel like a defect.

 

[Mark_888]

Someone in another thread said the 2010 Sedan will be available in June/July, so that may be the way they make the suspension change sooner, rather than in October as would be normal for release of next year's model.

 

[JOwest]

Under certain road conditions the suspension basically fails. The car violently moves up and down and it is definitely no longer in safe operating conditions.
Thomas

Hi Thomaspf,
You mentioned there was a stretch of I-5 that is particularly bad for the Genesis. Can you point out that section of the freeway again? Was it heading North or South?
I maybe passing through that area in the near future.

 

[thomaspf]

i5 North milepost 171 to 174. The resonant speed depends on the load in the car. With my family in the car going at 60mph constant in the right lane is an experience you will not forget. If you are going alone vary the speed a bit until you get the shaking.

The dealership wrote in their report they replicted the behavior on i5 from 85th street to 175th.

Cheers

Thomas

 

[JOwest]

i5 North milepost 171 to 174. The resonant speed depends on the load in the car. With my family in the car going at 60mph constant in the right lane is an experience you will not forget. If you are going alone vary the speed a bit until you get the shaking.

The dealership wrote in their report they replicted the behavior on i5 from 85th street to 175th.

Cheers

Thomas

I plan to head down to Portland in the not too distant future. That is a 700 mile round trip for me. I will keep note of that section of I-5.

 

[gerryb]

I've come to realize something about the genesis vs my 528i with Sport Suspension. The bmw has a better suspension in my opinion, but what I rally don't like about the genesis is that the car transmits tire movement from choppy roads to the STEERING WHEEL much more than the BMW. This DEFINITELY makes the car feel unsettled as the wheel vibrates while the suspension levels itself off on the bad roads. The BMS does not transmit this to the steering wheel - there is much more isolation and dampening between the components. I think this happens more with the 4.6 that the v6 (I had the v6 for about a month before getting the v8).

I do love everything else about this car - washed and waxed it today - Black on Black looks so great when it is clean!

 

[GripperDon]

Observations:

1. Less folks with older delivered car 2008 complain about ride.
2. Seat firmness IMO is a non issue
3. Warmer is not better I live in Arizona and the ride is just as awful, harsh, too stifly sprung, intollerant to most any sort of non glass like roads where no suspension compliance is actually required.
4. Reduced wheel diameterfrom 18inch to 17 inch, helped only a smidgen.
5. Tire changed from 55 series to 60 and from Dunlop SP5000m to Goodyear Comfort treads, helped only a smidgen.
6. This is not imagined unless the majority of interview, magazine reports and dozens of owners are all hallucinating.
7. It's Documented that the Hyundai USA folks "Stiffened up" the suspension.
8. Some say 2010 fix and some say no.
9. No aftermarket springs or dampers yet available.
10. lowering tire pressure helped only a smidgen.

So I think were may be SOL for good or a long time period and everyday is a long day if it's your only car as is my case.

Anybody got a clue on what to do to fix it! Other that saying it's not true or
just enjoy the many nice things about the car and ignore the main things cars are for "To ride in them"

 

[SterlingDave]

Let's fix this suspension problem starting now

I have read some (but not all) of the posts about the "suspension" issue. I do not know how many Genesis owners have experienced the issue; to date, I have not.

However, it seems to me that those having this problem need to report it to someone with a big stick, that's right, the Feds. The NHTSA, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, has an Office of Defects Investigation, ODI, that is prepared to take complaints about ANY auto safety problems. You may file complaints either in writing or via phone. The site is http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/

After checking this site I can find NO instance of anyone filing a complaint on a Genesis as regards suspension issues. It seems to me that a problem as serious as some of you have experienced needs the attention of big brother since Hyundai does not seem willing to fix it. The added benefit is that of having Hyundai seeing that these complaints are being lodged with an agency that can make a recall happen!

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[moose66]

Good points SterlingDave. But you have to remember that some of those reporting faulty/bad/whatever about the suspension don't even own the car. Not sure you can reach out to the agency if you don't own the car.

 

[ImInPA]

Anybody got a clue on what to do to fix it! Other that saying it's not true or
just enjoy the many nice things about the car and ignore the main things cars are for "To ride in them"

I feel your pain, however, even if you include every automotive test and all of the posts on this site and others, the number of serious complaints is a very small percentage of the total number of Genesis sold. There is little to no incentive for for Hyundai to retrofit any first year cars with any new parts (assuming there are any new parts) for 2010. It is unfortunate that these symptoms do not show up during the pre-sales test drives. While I did not purchase a Genesis, during a cumulative few hours of test driving, I found the suspension to be fine to me over a wide variety of roads, maybe a a bit harsh over sharp bumps but nothing that I found offensive. Before the US spec car was completed, most journalists compalined that the ride was too soft. Well, Hyundai fixed that before shipping to the US. Unfortunately, their "fix" was not to everyone's liking. Much bandwidth has been dedicated to the ride qualities of the Genesis on this site and if there were any "quick fixes" they would certainly be posted by now. Unfortuneately, your choices are pretty limited.

If you are willing to spend money at a good suspension shop, you may be able to find some relief; however, I think this approach has its own frustrations built in and it is unlikely that you will be satisfied after the first modifications. As much as I hate to say it, if your particular Genesis is causing you this much frustration, perhaps you should just trade it or sell it. Life is too short to have something like a car causing you this kind of frustration.

 

[SterlingDave]

Good points SterlingDave. But you have to remember that some of those reporting faulty/bad/whatever about the suspension don't even own the car. Not sure you can reach out to the agency if you don't own the car.

Hiya, Moose. I can hardly believe that you are telling me that some of the people who are describing the unsafe ride/loss of control issues are not owners! At any rate, some of the people writing to this thread (and others) should be more than willing to report owner safety issues that the manufacturer will not recognize. I'm not certain how a non-owner would be in a position to know about these circumstances. But I suppose that stranger things have happened.

 

[dataguy]

Hopefully the basis is not the forum's profile tag ("Drives a Hyundai Genesis In His/Her Dreams (Doesn't own one yet)". That's the default setting, and unless the user changes it, that's what it will indicate.

 

[moose66]

Using the comments from those who are saying "they are waiting for the suspension changes on the 2010 before they purchase" as the basis for my comment. I can recall reading posts from those who have only test driven the car and have noted suspension issues. There are so many of those complaints out there, that I could be wrong. If so, I stand corrected.

 

[jwaters943]

I'd like to let everyone know there is a poll on the Genesis sedan suspension. I'd encourage all owners to use it so we can get some sort of idea as to how many people are having issues.

http://www.genesisowners.com/hyundai-genesis-forum/showthread.php?t=768&highlight=suspension

 

[SterlingDave]

Using the comments from those who are saying "they are waiting for the suspension changes on the 2010 before they purchase" as the basis for my comment. I can recall reading posts from those who have only test driven the car and have noted suspension issues. There are so many of those complaints out there, that I could be wrong. If so, I stand corrected.

I see where your statement came from. I rode in the backseat of a V6 with my wife driving to check out a particular stretch of road I had noted on my first V6 demo drive with a salesman. I later drove the same road with my (future) trade-in, a 2006 Lucerne CXS. The ride was harsher/firmer than the Buick. Then I drove a V8 (the one I was to buy)......it rode as acceptably as the Buick and, IMHO, better than the 2 V6's.

I wonder if any of the folks who thought they were being harshly treated by the suspension might have a medical condition that manifested itself with extreme oversensitivity to the ride of a Genesis?

 

[Seattle Genesis]

Hi Max -

No I have not heard back from Hyundai yet. To save money I turned in my rental Maxima on Saturday and started using my Genny. Almost immediately my sciatica began acting up from the constant bounciness/low level vibration felt in the seat. On Saturday I noticed the car is also very susceptible to wind. On 355 I was being buffeted by brisk winds that never would have bothered my Sante Fe. So, I was in the light rain being buffeted by wind all the while bouncing up and down, vibrating with every road imperfecton. Not a good feeling at all - especially when you are surrounded by trucks. A passenger on Sunday complained of a really bumpy, bouncy ride in back and aksed to never ride with me again. I have a huge backseat but at this point am too embarrassed to have anyone ride along. Drove to work today - after 15 minutes of bounciness my left leg became numb from my sciatica (never happened in my rental Maxima). Drove two other Gennys over the weekend at dealers and they exhibited the same ride charcteristics as mine. My car has been declared normal by all concerned. So, to some extent I think this this is how Hyundai designed it/wants it - although I may have a more extreme experience. I know many people like the ride and that is certainly OK for them - I just wish I was one of them. From my perspective it's the worse riding car I've ever been in period and it completely negates all the other wonderful qualities of the car. Hence, I'm taking half a day off work again to go car shopping. Beware - the depreciation is an absolute KILLER
(20% of value within a week of purchase with 700 miles). I've almost instantly lost my entire down payment. All that said - if YOU drive one and like the ride characteristics (or what they may become?) go for it- the car is truly beautiful inside and out!

Doug,
Interesting you make these points about bouncing and cross winds and the rear seat passenger experience. I thought it was me but it seems its the car. I too am concerned about this in a brand new $40,000 car. I maybe should have done a better job of shopping around before I bought it.

 

[doug725]

Seattle - beleive me it's not just you there are many with similar experience. Not all of course. I shopped the car what I thought was VERY thoroughly and still got screwed. Good luck!

Doug,
Interesting you make these points about bouncing and cross winds and the rear seat passenger experience. I thought it was me but it seems its the car. I too am concerned about this in a brand new $40,000 car. I maybe should have done a better job of shopping around before I bought it.

 

[carbunt]

Wow Doug725 you sound very angry and frustrated. Is the Genesis suspension that sickening?