At only 3 months old, neither of our smart key fobs would open the car.
We tried to use Blue Link Digital Key 2, but it was unable to communicate with the car.
To try to get into the car, we followed the owner's manual instructions to remove the small door handle plate with the mechanical key. But putting the key into the slot under the handle successfully proved impossible for us.
So the dealership (Gettel Hyundai of Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton, FL) had Roadside Assistance (AAA Locksmith) come out to get into and try to start the car.
It took 2 of us to remove the small door handle plate, (one to hold the handle up and the other to try to release it with the mechanical key in the slot) but he finally did and then used the mechanical key to enter the car.
He opened the hood and put the jumper on the battery and declared it was totally dead. So he jump started it.
After a few seconds the car would start. But before he left, he disconnected the charger to see if it would start. It wouldn't, so he charged it again and started it again.
I immediately drove it to the dealership who kept it for 3 days performing battery diagnostics looking for "dark or parasitic current drain".
They couldn't find the cause, so they returned the car. Note: They didn't replace the battery we assume because they felt it wasn't the problem.
In the paperwork we got, the service tech noted, "parasitic draw test showed a multimeter reading of between 13 and 54 milliamps". Because this was a 2024 model, we assume Hyundai had no parasitic draw standards and they weren't sure if this was normal. So they tried it with another 2024 Kona off their lot which "found the reading exactly the same."
Later on this forum, I found only one person who'd reported a similar 2024 Kona battery drain problem and posted this response from his dealer:
My dealer told me that the radio needs to be fully off (black screen) and the doors have to be locked not once, but twice and with the key fob, not the button on the door. Otherwise they can both drain the battery, even when the car is off. I've had my battery die twice on me due to this issue.
I've asked the dealer if they were aware of this abnormal procedure to turn off a Hyundai, but have not heard back yet.
It seems it shouldn't be necessary to do all those steps to avoid " excessive parasitic battery drain" that makes our new car unusable.
Any other Kona owners have this problem and have hopefully solved it?
Sam
We tried to use Blue Link Digital Key 2, but it was unable to communicate with the car.
To try to get into the car, we followed the owner's manual instructions to remove the small door handle plate with the mechanical key. But putting the key into the slot under the handle successfully proved impossible for us.
So the dealership (Gettel Hyundai of Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton, FL) had Roadside Assistance (AAA Locksmith) come out to get into and try to start the car.
It took 2 of us to remove the small door handle plate, (one to hold the handle up and the other to try to release it with the mechanical key in the slot) but he finally did and then used the mechanical key to enter the car.
He opened the hood and put the jumper on the battery and declared it was totally dead. So he jump started it.
After a few seconds the car would start. But before he left, he disconnected the charger to see if it would start. It wouldn't, so he charged it again and started it again.
I immediately drove it to the dealership who kept it for 3 days performing battery diagnostics looking for "dark or parasitic current drain".
They couldn't find the cause, so they returned the car. Note: They didn't replace the battery we assume because they felt it wasn't the problem.
In the paperwork we got, the service tech noted, "parasitic draw test showed a multimeter reading of between 13 and 54 milliamps". Because this was a 2024 model, we assume Hyundai had no parasitic draw standards and they weren't sure if this was normal. So they tried it with another 2024 Kona off their lot which "found the reading exactly the same."
Later on this forum, I found only one person who'd reported a similar 2024 Kona battery drain problem and posted this response from his dealer:
My dealer told me that the radio needs to be fully off (black screen) and the doors have to be locked not once, but twice and with the key fob, not the button on the door. Otherwise they can both drain the battery, even when the car is off. I've had my battery die twice on me due to this issue.
I've asked the dealer if they were aware of this abnormal procedure to turn off a Hyundai, but have not heard back yet.
It seems it shouldn't be necessary to do all those steps to avoid " excessive parasitic battery drain" that makes our new car unusable.
Any other Kona owners have this problem and have hopefully solved it?
Sam
