Has anyone who owns a Hyundai Matrix, experienced any problems with the rear wheel bearings?

After 23,000Km there was a noise, a 'rumble' coming from ther rear of the car. It was from the area of the left rear wheel, and increased with higher road speeds, becoming quite noticable above 80KMph.

As I had a puncture repaired, on that particular wheel, I wondered if it was perhaps just 'wheel balancing' that was all that was required? It grew loader, bit by bit, with the increase in use, so perhaps it was something else, like the wheel bearings perhaps?

I asked my local Hyundai Dealer to check the rear wheel @ the 25,000Km Service. I asked them to find what the problem was, after balancing the wheel. (I'm not sure if they actually balanced the wheel, as no charge on the bill for that?). The noise was just the same as before I took it in for the service - and they supposedly took it for a test drive.

By now I was pretty sure it sounded like a wheel bearing problem, which should have been covered by the 3 Year/100,000Km Warranty.

Having driven to the Airport, my step daughter then took my Hyundai Matrix to the to the local Hyundai dealers for it's 30,000Km Service.

I had paid for the Service in advance, and had specifically requested the wheels be removed, balance and rotated so the rear tires were on opposite sides at the front, and the ones on the front moved to same side at the back (as per Hyundai Matrix Manual p166). I was fairly sure my Hyundai dealer had not been doing this every 10,000Km, as recommended in that Manual?

I particularly wanted the wheel bearings inspected and replaced under Warranty,if necessary. Hyundai themselves suggested having the wheel alignement checked also, so I agreed to add that to the jobs list.

With my step daughter driving us home from the Airport, some 5 weeks after she dropped off the Matrix for it's 30,000Km Service, I found my self in the back seat as a passenger, somewhere I don't normally sit.

I don't know if it was being away for 5 weeks, and not having driven the vehicle, or ridden in the rear of the 'Matrix' for a long time, but I did not feel comfortable with it?

What I was not 'comfortable' with was the noise from the rear. The parcel shelf was acting like a speaker chamber and amplified the noise from the rear wheels. This was a wheel bearing problem, and was both wheels now!

Another 'discomfort factor' - was "why had the Hyundai Dealer not fixed this problem @ the 30,000Km Service, as specifically requested?". They had the vehicle from 7am till gone 5pm when my step daughter went to pick it up, and there were additional charges, over and above what I had pre-paid.

Another problem that I experienced on this Hyundai Matrix, for the first time ever, was poor starting. I put this down for it not having been used much in the 5 weeks we were away, so perhaps the battery was flat.

I put it on charge, but it was drawing less than 1A. A very flat battery, usually draws about 4A, then drops to less than 1A after a few hours. After 6 hours the charge current was barely showing on the charger meter - perhaps 100mA?

The next day it started OK, but not as well as it used to. It would start better after driving a while so the Alternator/rectifier were putting charge in the battery it seemed. A few days later when starting after leaving the car idle for a day, it would not start - barely turning over, but then it did catch.

I decided to take it into Hyundai to have it checked out under Warranty.

The Battery only has a 2 Year Warranty it turns out, and it had gone past 2 years, so if it was the Battery, it meant paying for a new one.

Turns out it was the Battery, and Hyundai fitted a SMF NX110-5L 'Rocket' Super (Calcium) Maintenance Free, (with a new 2 year Warranty) was about US$120.

Global & Yuasa Battery Co. Ltd. (South Korea)
SMF / MF Repeatedly. (Ah/h) D HQ In Polar of
SMF NX110-5L 70 260 173 222 0

During a search, came across CarBuyersGuide
"Problems: When car is left idle for more than a week the battery dies."

Discovering this, after the '2 Year Battery Warranty' however, was an expensive one, but at least that problem of bad starting was taken care of.

My local Hyundai Dealer had at last determined the rear wheel bearings needed replacement. But this particular Hyundai Dealer did not have any in stock, and would have to order from Korea.

So some 7,000Km after first reporting "noisy rear wheels" to this Hyundai Dealer, I find myself only just now, waiting for them to be delivered.

So WARNING to Hyundai owners, ask your Hyundai Dealer if they have rear wheel bearings in stock. Then when your wheel noise get noisier and noisier, to the point where you are getting a headache sitting in the rear seats, and your Hyundai dealer accepts it is a wheel bearing problem, they should then be able to change them under warranty. If not, you have to put up with the headache a bit longer, until they get the stock in?

“Fix it right the First time” is the Hyundai 'motto' that can lead (Hyundai) to a higher Customer Satisfaction.

Admittedly my local Hyundai Dealer was rather embarrassed about this, and very appologetic.

This post has been edited by dwhittall: Sep 11 2007, 07:43 AM