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HELP - 2013 Elantra Overheat

18K views 53 replies 21 participants last post by  Red Raspberry 
#1 ·
Hey everyone,

6 days ago i serviced my car and was told that there was a recall for the Cooling Fan. "Cooling fan durability improvement". I didn't drive long distances since the recall until yesterday when i drove about 40km on the highway at 8am, then again, 20km, on the way back home my car started to overheat and i got the warning.

Called my dealership and they asked me to tow it back to the dealership to diagnose the problem. What could the issue be? Did they possibly not replace the cooling fan properly? Damaged something by accident? Is this normal wear and tear? Would they try to blame this on me and make me pay for it out of my pocket?

Any knowledge on this would help. I really do not know much about cars. I had no issues with the car prior to this.

Thank you.

Hyundai Elantra GLS 2013 70,400 km
 
#2 ·
I'm a bit confused ...

Did you get a notice about the cooling fan recall, but didn't do it yet and the car overheated ...?

Or they replaced the cooling fan under warranty recall and then the car overheated after it worked fine previously.

The cooling fan can fail at any time and I assume your car is out of the warranty period.

That said - I have the original fans on my 2002 Focus, so they shouldn't fail at 70 KM.

If it failed six days after it was in the shop, I would expect either they installed a defective fan or failed to connect a wire somewhere or (unlikely) - something like the fan sensor failed at the same time they were replacing the fan motor.

I would argue against having to pay for it, but if it turns out to be something unrelated like a sensor or blocked radiator, it would be your responsibility.
 
#3 ·
It died on the highway so a non-working fan won't matter. The wind on the highway should cool the radiator. It sounds like they did something that is causing water not to flow through the radiator properly anymore. Maybe they pinched a hose or disconnected the pump.
 
#4 ·
Could be it leaked all the coolant out. Hopefully they will stand by their work since it was just in for this repair and now overheated.
 
#7 ·
Yeah they probably did mess something up. I would definitely fight them if they try to charge for anything including towing if it turns out to be cooling fan related. Did you happen to notice the temp gauge and whether it was all the way up?
 
#9 ·
i noticed it while driving when my AC stopped working. Then i got a beeping warning sound when the temp was at 75%. Few minutes later it was all the way up so i pulled over.

I just talked to the guys at Hyundai. They said they drove it and do not see anything wrong with the car. Then said i was probably looking at my fuel gauge... -_- I asked about the recall and they said that it was just a computer update. Now they are going to test the car out again to see if they can find anything.
 
#10 ·
Does the car ecm not register an overheating event? I'm asking because I really don't know.

Otherwise ask them to get the engine up to operating temp then stop and go idle for a bit around a parking lot as if in traffic. When I used to work at dealerships in college as a porter/gopher one of my jobs was to try to reproduce these types of problems. Its a waste of tech time unless the shop is super slow.
 
#12 ·
Stand firm on the cooling fan work and this overheating event. The 2 are related and you need to get this resolved or major repairs could result. Pop the hood to see if the radiator or condenser fan is working. Get them to check coolant sensor, switch, connections and relays.


I don't think I would take kindly to them telling me I was looking at the fuel gauge instead of the coolant temp gauge...
 
#13 ·
Our 2013 just had the radiator replaced yesterday. Took it in for AC not blowing cold. That's when they found the leak. Coolant was leaking from the seam in the front left corner. When my girlfriend took it in, they inplied that they've seen this before, and they were sending the radiator back to Hyundai for inspection.
Maybe there's an issue with your radiator,also. We never noticed any signs of a leak.
 
#18 ·
Really cooling fan recall....lame excuss from hyundai...my 2012 doesn't have that problem...check the vin online and see if you needed that...if you didn't need it...they purposely made your car fail so you bring it to them for it to be fixed....and to make money off you...i keep telling people to get an independent mechanic to look at what's wrong so that way your not going in for an oil change and you look at the bill...And a 200 dollar charge to replace the ecu/radiator/etc. when you didn't need it...plain and simple..if there's something wrong...the mechanic can purchase the part that is making the problem..not a checklist of parts...and say come back if it still does it...lol

Or eBay/amazon it and see what will the part cost compared to the dealership's price....

I learned not to trust the dealership
A)150 point inspection
B)the list that they checked off said i had a back up camera,power seats,memory seats,etc...my dad was next to me...i showed him..."where's the camera...showed that i had to pull a lever under the seat to move it foward and back..no power seats...navigation??...i like the single disc xm radio stereo unit oh and i think the navigation is invisible...lol"

Hyundai...your too funny...spare tire...nope..."letgo" solved that...for $150 bought it off a guy that had a 2013 elantra and didn't need it...would have costed me over 200 bucks from hyundai to get it....great price for it too....

I learned alot from my dad on stuff that i don't need...like power seats...its nice to have it..but when i drive to work and need to change into my work boots it takes too long to move it back...back up camera??...i passed the dmv test while using all three of my mirrors...not any fancy camera would be useful to me unless i wired it to my turn signals....then its a blind spot camera...the back up camera mode would be used for the front of the car...aka like the 2015 Lincoln SUV...
 
#19 ·
Need a bit more info from the OP, but ...

It probably wasn't a recall - recall's are issued for safety items - GM ignition switches catches on fire, Takata airbags throwing shrapel at you, Ford transmissions shifting to neutral at highway speeds etc.

Cooling fan failing and overheating the engine would likely be a Technical Service Bulletin and a free replacement.

If it wasn't as was just a durability improvement - I probably wouldn't have changed it until the original one failed.

But if it was a free replacement, the dealerships don't do those just b/c they feel like it, so there must have been some reports of the original ones failing.
 
#20 ·
Need a bit more info from the OP, but ...

It probably wasn't a recall - recall's are issued for safety items - GM ignition switches catches on fire, Takata airbags throwing shrapel at you, Ford transmissions shifting to neutral at highway speeds etc.
The statement that i had from the dealer had it as "Recalls 1.8 MPI Cooling Fan Durability Improvement" The guys at hyundai said it was a "computer update".

They called me on Saturday saying that everything was ok, but because i insisted they pay me for the towing and cab they said they are going to test it out Sunday and Monday. They said they will call me on Tuesday (Today), but I got no phone call. Such horrible customer service. I wish I didnt buy the car outright.

Also - I notice i got a letter from my dealership saying im due for service. It also says "As of April 23, 2016, there are no outstanding recall campaigns on your vehicle". Yet on April 27th, when i show up to get my oil change they just happened to have this cooling fan recall to do.

Anyway i can't show up, accuse them of scamming me or fixing the problem because they don't want to take responsibility for further damage "down the road" since my engine overheated. I guess i really will never know what happened. I'll pick up my car, hope for reimbursement of the $170 taxi/tow and move on. I purchased Oil for life from the dealership.... so that means i will be back for more service in the future.
 
#25 ·
#26 ·
UPDATE

On May 11 i got my car back. They said when they drove in traffic they temp went up to 75% so they replaced the thermostat and gave me back my car. Everything seemed fine ever since i got back my car. And i wonder if they replaced the thermostat just to shut me up.

June 3rd i was driving in about 29 degrees Celsius and the car overheated again. First the AC stopped, then 2 min later temp went to 75%, then 2 min later 100%. I pulled over, called the dealership, but the service department closed. I let the car cool down for 3 hours and drove it home. It never overheated the way back. Next morning i took it to the dealership (also didn't overheat). They said they will call me in the evening to update me but still haven't and it has been 3 days since. I am guessing they don't know what is wrong with the car? Could it be a computer glitch from the update?

Anyway, this time i took a picture of the temp gauge at 100% in case they think i was looking at my fuel tank instead.
 

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#28 ·
Sorry you're having problems with your car. If it happens again turn off the AC, open the windows and turn on the heat, the heater core will help to cool the engine. Obviously this is a temporary solution but it could keep you from getting stuck somewhere by the side of the road. Hope your dealer gets their act together and finds a real solution. Good luck :)
 
#34 ·
Are you under warranty? If so try another dealer, it doesn't matter if you bought their oil changes. You just want you car fixed!
 
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