[jeanbar]

My dealership gave a 20 year 200k warranty with the car; however, if the transmission goes out even one more time, I will be very unhappy and will take back everything I said previously. I need a reliable car and have little to no patience for repair work.

 

[tntrmskd]

I know exactly how you feel since I was upset as well. I discussed my options with the service manager. He said that you need to have 3 issues within a short period (a month I think) and that the dealership has to have a chance to fix it before it qualifies as a lemon issue. Since they promptly acknowledged problem and gave me a loaner I couldn't really complain. A car is a complicated piece of machinery with many possible points of failure, so issues come up occasionally. As long as they willingly acknowledge their fault and address it, isn't that enough?

And the warranty is so good, I think it should be okay. As I've said before, once they replace the transmission, the problem just goes away. If it comes back, I will probably be more concerned. I also remember how disappointed I was that my brand new car was not perfect, but after the fix it drives so much better that the inconvenience seems worth it. I hope you have the same positive conclusion. It's a great little car.

I understand no product is 100% perfect and plenty of cars go through recalls, but this is a pretty big issue. We're talking about full on tranny failure not a faulty solenoid or valve. And failure THIS EARLY into the life of the car is either poor design, lack of QC or both. Your thread is 2 months old so it hasn't been that much time since you got a new tranny put in. How many miles have you put on it since then? I'm hoping you don't have any future problems but I think as it is it's too soon to tell. I really liked the car before all this, but I'm always going to have DCT failure in the back of my mind even after it's fixed. The long warranty is the only saving grace. Even early gen Nissan GT-Rs with DCT issues didn't have them popping up as early as 1000 miles into the life of the car, and there was a whole class action lawsuit over that.

 

[tntrmskd]

If you intend to keep the car and keep replacing transmissions if this happens repeatedly you may not be content with that outcome. If you try to sell it later on after this becomes a “known” issue it will devalue the amount for you will receive when selling it

There are many things which can lower resale price beyond accidents or mileage.
Fleet use, multiple owners, poor reliability, etc all go into the final $ amount of what you will receive

Personally I would hold on until the end of the warranty or look to Hyundai Assurance to extend the bumper to bumper which I did when I discovered the cost of high tech repairs after 5/60

This is a problem I don't want to deal with either. Even if it's covered under warranty, I don't have time to be going to the dealer every few months for a tranny swap. As for resale, if this issue blows up and becomes well known you can kiss the resale values of Limiteds/Ultimates goodbye.

 

[tntrmskd]

My Limited does t even have 1500mi on it yet and is having the exact same issues. Hesitated and really sluggish from takeoff and almost feels as if it’s flooding. If I step on the gas more it really bogs down but if I accelerate very slow it will finally shift. I also got a check engine light and a BlueLink email stating Automatic DCT Notification.
I took it to the closest Hyundai dealership and they couldn’t get to it for, what they said, was five days. Sure enough as I drove it to the dealership it started shifting fine and the Check Engine Light went out. But again today the issue came back. After reading this post, I guess I just need to drop it off and let them have it for a while. A real disappointment, having less than 1500miles, but I can’t drive it with any confidence right now.

I've got you beat, I'm only at 1100 miles with DCT failure. This is also my first Hyundai and not only am I less than impressed I'm majorly disappointed. I'm keeping track of everything as well, also have a few lemon law attorneys at the ready. For this many people to be having problems at such low mileage, Hyundai effed up somewhere and it's going to come out.

 

[leftydog1961]

Yes, consider two additional factors. The Kia Sportage (similar to the Tucson) started using a conventional transmission last year, and the new Tucson, has ditched the DCT also. These are subtle clues that hyundai has not ironed out all the problems and people are complaining. My Hyundai service guy told me they get 2 or 3 people a day complaining about the driveability issues on the DCT's. Not just failures, but premature shifts, delayed shifts, jerkiness, shuddering, etc. Note the class action lawsuit on 7 speed DCT's (http://www.hyundaidctlawsuit.com/)
Also, the GDI engine's in early models have a known carbon buildup on the valves because of the design of the fuel injectors not spraying fuel (a solvent!) onto the valves. Newer designs have reduced this.
and add to the mix the turbo, which is yet another wear item that is a point of failure.

time will tell.

 

[Ken Tye]

Just got my 2019 Kona Ultimate with FWD back from the having the dual clutch transmission replaced. I wanted to share the experience with all of you, since there has been some discussion about the way the DCT is different from a normal transmission with a torque converter.

First, I am not a car expert and I picked the Kona for its sporty feel, small footprint and solid tech package. I loved the way it drove coming off the lot, but did start noticing early on that the transmission didn't drive like I am used to. I read on this forun and from other sources that the DCT is unique, so I chalked up my uneven starts, delayed acceleration and engine revving to my own sorry driving. The problems got worse and I was finding myself slowing down in the middle of busy intersections with a revving engine. Then about a month ago, with under 4K on the odometer, I got an email from Hyundai Blue Link with the subject 'AUTOMATIC DTC Notification' and a message warning of 'A possible condition with your Transmission Control System....A full system check is recommended...' You get the idea.

After a trip to the dealership and 3 weeks in a loaner, I have a car that functions better than it ever did. No more hesitations on start. Shifting is perfectly smooth and acceleration is so quick that I forget to put it into Sport mode. According to the paperwork they gave me, the transmission was not entering 1st or 5th gears. Looking back, the behavior was exactly like driving a manual transmission and trying to start in 2nd gear.

If any of you are having similar issues, I strongly recommend that you have the transmission checked. When it works, it is fabulous. No more complaints here.

Hey guys, just joined this forum as my 2019 kona 1.6 L turbo is doing the same thing. It’s in the shop today having it looked at. Dealer has never heard of this, I explained it’s on a Hyundai forum with my issue. They kept my car and gave me a loaner. Mine had the issue @ 6000 miles and yesterday (7200 miles) it finally tripped the computer with a error message on the screen and a check engine light. The blue link let me call for service and the online tech said the error code was a level 2 error code which meant take it to thr shop now. He booked me a appointment for today. If it had been a level 3 error, I would have been on a tow truck. This wasn’t the first time he has seen this. The shop I took it to was busy replacing motors in some bad run of motors for some other Hyundai’s . Hope they get a new transmission on the way. The dealer said they don’t do much other than replace entire assembly’s now. I’ll keep you posted

 

[jeanbar]

I understand no product is 100% perfect and plenty of cars go through recalls, but this is a pretty big issue. We're talking about full on tranny failure not a faulty solenoid or valve. And failure THIS EARLY into the life of the car is either poor design, lack of QC or both. Your thread is 2 months old so it hasn't been that much time since you got a new tranny put in. How many miles have you put on it since then? I'm hoping you don't have any future problems but I think as it is it's too soon to tell. I really liked the car before all this, but I'm always going to have DCT failure in the back of my mind even after it's fixed. The long warranty is the only saving grace. Even early gen Nissan GT-Rs with DCT issues didn't have them popping up as early as 1000 miles into the life of the car, and there was a whole class action lawsuit over that.

I had it fixed at 4k miles and have another 2k of driving after the fix. I totally agree with you and with pretty much everyone else here. This is a serious issue and should be addressed aggressively by Hyundai, but I don't expect that to happen. I'm just trying to be optimistic and hope for the best. My dealership seems better than most, which helped reassure me, too.
All of that aside, I would probably not have bought the car if I had known about this issue. Heck, I wouldn't have bought it if the DTC had been explained to me in detail. But, nothing for it now except to live with it. What else is out there in a subcompact crossover with the acceleration, gas mileage and tech features?

 

[jeanbar]

Hey guys, just joined this forum as my 2019 kona 1.6 L turbo is doing the same thing. It’s in the shop today having it looked at. Dealer has never heard of this, I explained it’s on a Hyundai forum with my issue. They kept my car and gave me a loaner. Mine had the issue @ 6000 miles and yesterday (7200 miles) it finally tripped the computer with a error message on the screen and a check engine light. The blue link let me call for service and the online tech said the error code was a level 2 error code which meant take it to thr shop now. He booked me a appointment for today. If it had been a level 3 error, I would have been on a tow truck. This wasn’t the first time he has seen this. The shop I took it to was busy replacing motors in some bad run of motors for some other Hyundai’s . Hope they get a new transmission on the way. The dealer said they don’t do much other than replace entire assembly’s now. I’ll keep you posted

This is exactly how my service rep reacted. Took almost 3 weeks before they could get the part and fix it. Hope your experience is as painless as mine.

 

[tntrmskd]

So I went in to the local Hyundai today and all they did was reset the DCT adaptive values, nothing else. This seems more like a band aid fix, akin to resetting a check engine light with a code reader without actually fixing the problem that tripped it to begin with.

I guess we'll see (I'm banking on the error coming back fairly soon). I'm counting this as 1 visit, 2 more and I'm going after them with lemon laws.

 

[Ken Tye]

I just got the DCT warning. We have maybe 1100 miles on the car...it's not even a month old.

 

[Ken Tye]

View attachment 3181

We should start a wall of shame and send to Hyundai

 

[leftydog1961]

You may be interested in reading the carcompliants.com evaluation on the Hyundai 1.6L DCT in the older Tucson. it may be indicative of what may lie ahead with the DCT on the Kona, admittedly though, the Tucson was a 2016 and the DCT may have been improved. However, it gives pause considering the similarity of problems

2016 Hyundai Tucson Transmission problems

2016 Hyundai Tucson transmission problems with 148 complaints from Tucson owners. The worst complaints are no acceleration from stop, hesitation, and not shifting properly.

www.carcomplaints.com

CARCOMPLAINTS.COM NOTES: The 2016 Tucson comes with a dual-clutch, 7-speed transmission. But Hyundai forgot to tell you about one key phrase – zero-move. That's right, an alarming number of owners have said their SUV wouldn't accelerate after a stop.
Turns out that's because the transmission's application logic has been stumbling all over itself. Hyundai recalled the issue in September 2016, but it's difficult to say if owners are out-of-the-woods, or if this is just a sign of things to come.

 

[tntrmskd]

Just as I predicted, DCT warning came back. It's been what 4 hours-ish? Strike TWO Hyundai...

 

[tntrmskd]

You may be interested in reading the carcompliants.com evaluation on the Hyundai 1.6L DCT in the older Tucson. it may be indicative of what may lie ahead with the DCT on the Kona, admittedly though, the Tucson was a 2016 and the DCT may have been improved. However, it gives pause considering the similarity of problems

2016 Hyundai Tucson Transmission problems

2016 Hyundai Tucson transmission problems with 148 complaints from Tucson owners. The worst complaints are no acceleration from stop, hesitation, and not shifting properly.

www.carcomplaints.com

CARCOMPLAINTS.COM NOTES: The 2016 Tucson comes with a dual-clutch, 7-speed transmission. But Hyundai forgot to tell you about one key phrase – zero-move. That's right, an alarming number of owners have said their SUV wouldn't accelerate after a stop.
Turns out that's because the transmission's application logic has been stumbling all over itself. Hyundai recalled the issue in September 2016, but it's difficult to say if owners are out-of-the-woods, or if this is just a sign of things to come.

I'm not giving them a chance to issue a recall, which usually takes months to years. I'm giving them 3x to fix this issue and then I'm making them take the car back via lemon laws.

 

[leftydog1961]

I'm not giving them a chance to issue a recall, which usually takes months to years. I'm giving them 3x to fix this issue and then I'm making them take the car back via lemon laws.

If you like the car, and btw, I love the SEL Kona, I would ask them if you could trade it for an SEL and negotiate price/extras/etc. The road ahead with lemon law is not going to be short and simple and you will probably need to get all documentation, get a lawyer ($$$), prove that they have not made good faith efforts to repair, give them 3 times to repair it, etc. which will take quite sometime as they will take months to repair the car and claim that you have a loaner so they have taken good care of you. Time will pass, and then after you get the car back you will always have lingering doubt as to when the next shudder, groan, etc occurs. You will have lost your confidence in owning a new car which is the primary reason most people buy new.
In my mind, I would look at the 2016 Tucson with the DCT and the hundreds of complaints, and fixes, etc and see if Hyundai had made a good faith effort to repair the problem. If those owners are still having problems 3 yrs down the road, then i would be extremely worried.
Regardless, it's not just the money but the peace of mind that comes with a new vehicle purchase. Let us know what you decide and the results

 

[Bad~Papa]

You seem **** bent on condemning the DCT based on your experience and 127 complaints for the whole 2016 model year. Different year and Car.. So the many hundreds of thousands cars sold with DCT had 127 complaints logged ? I'd say thats not too bad a track record.. Telling people to trade in their car when they have a problem, all covered by a LONG warranty is kind of raining on their parade don't you think? Hyundai has had time and a whole new model to work out the issues.. For every few complaints.. tens of thousands out there are doing fine thank you.. You made your point.. We get it.. Let's give the Kona DCT a chance to prove itself before you put it on the "avoid at all costs" list. Just about Everyone who owns the turbo/DCT Kona seems to be thrilled with the performance and character of the car.. let's keep it on a positive note please.

You may be interested in reading the carcompliants.com evaluation on the Hyundai 1.6L DCT in the older Tucson. it may be indicative of what may lie ahead with the DCT on the Kona, admittedly though, the Tucson was a 2016 and the DCT may have been improved. However, it gives pause considering the similarity of problems

2016 Hyundai Tucson Transmission problems

2016 Hyundai Tucson transmission problems with 148 complaints from Tucson owners. The worst complaints are no acceleration from stop, hesitation, and not shifting properly.

www.carcomplaints.com

CARCOMPLAINTS.COM NOTES: The 2016 Tucson comes with a dual-clutch, 7-speed transmission. But Hyundai forgot to tell you about one key phrase – zero-move. That's right, an alarming number of owners have said their SUV wouldn't accelerate after a stop.
Turns out that's because the transmission's application logic has been stumbling all over itself. Hyundai recalled the issue in September 2016, but it's difficult to say if owners are out-of-the-woods, or if this is just a sign of things to come.

 

[Bad~Papa]

Too bad you're having to deal with this issue on a new car.. Hope you get it worked out and get to enjoy it!
Thanks for posting, keep us updated.

Just as I predicted, DCT warning came back. It's been what 4 hours-ish? Strike TWO Hyundai... View attachment 3182

 

[jeanbar]

I can't understand why the dealer is resetting the computer and not testing to see if there is an actual problem with the transmission. My service department spent a considerable amount of time diagnosing the problem, even calling the Hyundai engineers for advice. They discovered that 1st and 5th gears were not working and replacement was the only option.

 

[Bad~Papa]

I can't understand why the dealer is resetting the computer and not testing to see if there is an actual problem with the transmission. My service department spent a considerable amount of time diagnosing the problem, even calling the Hyundai engineers for advice. They discovered that 1st and 5th gears were not working and replacement was the only option.

Incompetence maybe.. thinking it’s a software “glitch” and trying a reset, buying time.. they might have a checklist of things to try if no codes were logged. if they have a code, it should be associated with an action or defective part. See number 1.

 

[leftydog1961]

You seem **** bent on condemning the DCT based on your experience and 127 complaints for the whole 2016 model year. Different year and Car.. So the many hundreds of thousands cars sold with DCT had 127 complaints logged ? I'd say thats not too bad a track record.. Telling people to trade in their car when they have a problem, all covered by a LONG warranty is kind of raining on their parade don't you think? Hyundai has had time and a whole new model to work out the issues.. For every few complaints.. tens of thousands out there are doing fine thank you.. You made your point.. We get it.. Let's give the Kona DCT a chance to prove itself before you put it on the "avoid at all costs" list. Just about Everyone who owns the turbo/DCT Kona seems to be thrilled with the performance and character of the car.. let's keep it on a positive note please.

So when someone posts an opinion opposite of your sunny optimistic ideas, your quick to condemn. I merely point out the research, personal experience, and articles/videos which point out something which may be of concern to the readers of this board. I suggest vigilance and awareness. People are free to make their own choices. I just present what i see as markers of potential problems. I have no vested interest in Hyundai, no financial gain/loss, and i have owned 2 Hyundai autos. The people who have these issues are probably not concerned much with the "tens of thousands out there who are doing fine". Class action lawsuits are not usually brought because of a "few complaints" .These owners are concerned because they have a problem, which has existed before in other models and are wondering if the past is an indicator of future problems. Raining on the parade? I could say the opposite. Does this board support freedom of expression? Does it exist just to mollify and placate people? The 127 complaints came from a single model from 2016 which data shows problems that is readily available and objective. The technology for this type of transmission from multiple manufacturers shows almost identical problems. My sole purpose is to provide information so that people can make educative choices. What they do with that information is up to them.
I disagree with your assessment. I have no quarrel with your "rah-rah" attitude. I don't see why you cannot accept an alternative opinion.