[tadda]

A lot of people have this problem but they do not have a battery problem including me. Going by what my dealer found. There was a problem in the wiring harness connected to the Advanced Driver Assistance System. Since these harnesses are mass produced it could be a common problem. If you don't have a defective battery it is worth looking into. I will maybe have more info on the fix later when I pick up some more paper work from the dealer. My battery died constantly but I was always able to recharge it. Still have the original battery in the car.

As I mentioned earlier sounds like multiple issues are plaquing the Kona with respect to dead batteries!

 

[reimanjd]

So glad to read this.....My 2024 Kona (bought July 14, 2024) suddenly died while driving. Fortunately I was able to steer the car off the road without power steering. It was completely dead. Hyundai 24 hour roadside service sent a tow truck and it was towed to the nearest Hyundai dealership, but no attention was given. They said it could not even be looked at until the end of the month. (This was Oct. 11) We were told to have it towed another 25 miles to the dealership where we bought it. Tow truck driver was not given permission to continue the tow. So, we had to contact our insurance company (USAA) and they authorized a tow truck to pick up and deliver to the next dealership. Both dealerships had told us there was no loaner car available. However, I called the Sales dept at the dealership where it was bought and the Sales manager miraculously acquired a loaner and also was able to get the car diagnosed the next day. It has been at their service department for 5 days now. At first it was thought to be a dead battery, but then the question of what was draining the battery came up. (First tow truck driver believed it to be the alternator because when he charged the battery, it immediately went dead again). So.....now Hyundai thinks it just might be the alternator that is draining the battery, BUT they have to order one. My biggest concern now is that if and when I get my Kona back, do I want to keep it? I've owned several Hyundais over the years, but customer service was definitely better back then and I never had issues with the cars. Done venting.

 

[selig2729_4626]

I haven't seen my Kona since 8/28/24. I bought my car around the same time as yours. I got a lawyer and filed a lemon lawsuit. 3 dead batteries. I am scared to death they will fix it. I don't want the car anymore. I don't I can trust it.

 

[Rick2055]

I haven't seen my Kona since 8/28/24. I bought my car around the same time as yours. I got a lawyer and filed a lemon lawsuit. 3 dead batteries. I am scared to death they will fix it. I don't want the car anymore. I don't I can trust it.

Had my car repaired in June. Went through the same thing with the dead battery. Had nothing to do with the battery itself. It ended up being a fault in a wiring harness. Car still has the original battery in it and has been trouble free since the fix in June. If your dealer isn't interested in looking for the real cause your best course may be to lemon law it. Some dealers will blame the battery and change it out multiple times and still have it go dead because the fault is still present. It's an easy way to get your car in and out of service quickly without solving anything. Good luck in the future. It's an uphill battle when doing the lemon law.

 

[Ed61]

Had it happen to my 2024 Kona Limited once. I have gone into the garage and found the cooling fan on the motor running twice for no reason. Had a doctors appointment last Wednesday and coming back to my car in the parking lot after the appointment I found the cabin fan for the a/c running. Heard it as soon as I entered the car. Nothing else was on or running. If either of the fans had decided to start running during the night the battery would have been dead in the morning. Took the car back to the dealer on the 14th for the dead battery problem and two open recalls. Wasn't optomistic when I left the car off and guess what? They couldn't find anything. The service writer said that there was no information about the problem in their database. Left the car at the dealership until the 18th and they didn't find anything. Said the problem didn't happen while it was there. What are the chances of a random problem happening in a four day period? The whole service appointment was a comedy of errors. Guess the honeymoon is over with this car. Don't know if they are in denial about the problem but I am really pessimistic about a fix coming anytime soon. Maybe contacting the NHTSA would light a fire under someone. Having to spend money for a jump start device is ridiculous. Better than being stranded. Hope everyone in this situation is contacting Hyundai.

The fan runs to dry the a/c unit to prevent mold. You can turn this feature off under "setup" . I'm not sure if I would though, as mold could be a worse problem. BTY, this had also happened to our 2024 Kona a couple of times in the first year of ownership. Think I'm just going to purchase a starter-pack.

 

[reimanjd]

So glad to read this.....My 2024 Kona (bought July 14, 2024) suddenly died while driving. Fortunately I was able to steer the car off the road without power steering. It was completely dead. Hyundai 24 hour roadside service sent a tow truck and it was towed to the nearest Hyundai dealership, but no attention was given. They said it could not even be looked at until the end of the month. (This was Oct. 11) We were told to have it towed another 25 miles to the dealership where we bought it. Tow truck driver was not given permission to continue the tow. So, we had to contact our insurance company (USAA) and they authorized a tow truck to pick up and deliver to the next dealership. Both dealerships had told us there was no loaner car available. However, I called the Sales dept at the dealership where it was bought and the Sales manager miraculously acquired a loaner and also was able to get the car diagnosed the next day. It has been at their service department for 5 days now. At first it was thought to be a dead battery, but then the question of what was draining the battery came up. (First tow truck driver believed it to be the alternator because when he charged the battery, it immediately went dead again). So.....now Hyundai thinks it just might be the alternator that is draining the battery, BUT they have to order one. My biggest concern now is that if and when I get my Kona back, do I want to keep it? I've owned several Hyundais over the years, but customer service was definitely better back then and I never had issues with the cars. Done venting.

UPDATE: On day 14, the car was pronounced fixed....but I went to the dealership and announced I was not wanting to ever drive it again. I traded it in on a two year old, low mileage, Chevrolet. It wasn't exactly what I wanted since the Kona was brand new, but I feel more confident in driving the "new" one.

 

[Rick2055]

It's unfortunate that you had to resort to this with a brand new car. I hope you didn't suffer financially when trading it in. Just about all new cars lose 5K in value when you take delivery. I was one of the very few that I know of that had their car repaired. My Kona has been trouble free since the fix and I hope it stays that way. Before my car was finally fixed I was looking at a Honda. Good luck with your Chevy. Hope it has the reliability you are looking for.

 

[thomas-44]

I have noticed on several occassions that on a hot day I come back to my 24 Kona and the air system on the inside is running full blast. That would drain the battery eventually but hasn't caused a problem. I find that a little strange. Is that typical??

 

[Rick2055]

I have noticed on several occassions that on a hot day I come back to my 24 Kona and the air system on the inside is running full blast. That would drain the battery eventually but hasn't caused a problem. I find that a little strange. Is that typical??

It's a dehumidify setting. You can disable it in the settings. Doesn't really hurt anything and it is a timed event. Shuts down after about ten or fifteen minutes.

 

[RavenManiac]

Went out to my car a week ago…and it was dead. Jumped it off, twice, took it to the dealership, and after a day long diagnostic, they said the battery just had a dead cell. I drove to the dealership for pick up (in my work car), they pulled my 2024 Kona limited around for me after battery replacement and diagnostics, and there were 12 different notifications on the panel. They took it back, said oops, our bad. I was told a day later it was fixed. I drove down, arrived, and they never even pulled my car around this time. It was a “miscommunication” that it was ready…

When the car had all the alerts on the panel after being with them overnight, the A/C was blowing hot air, the cameras didn’t work, the sensors didn’t work, and the panel said I was still in drive despite the gear shift indicator saying I was in park.

It has 16,000 miles and has been a HEADACHE. I will NEVER buy new from Hyundai again.

@Eric8690 What's the postscript on this? Was your Kona ever fixed? What did they do?

 

[RavenManiac]

Can those who had their Kona wiring harness fixed expound on what was done? Also, do you have a Hyundai TSB link for the repair performed? Thanks!

 

[RavenManiac]

I have had the same problem since i purchased a 2024 Kona in March. I believe the problem is worse than hyundai knows. I suspect that most people exerience this problem when bluelink doesn't work, so they report an issue with the app when in reality the app works fine. There are many fixes to this issue on the forum and all work until they don't. I have been collecting data on the issue and so far the issue appears to be so random that it is hard to pin point. The double lock with the key fob works most of the time but not always. My recommendation is to get a car monitor system it is not as hard to do as one thinks. I use one called Bouncie the is system is around $30 from amazon and cost $8 a month for service. This will alert you that battery is low so you can run the car for a few minutes to charge battery. It reports the battery low ( below 12 volts but greater than 11.5 vots) I run the car for 5 minutes than disconnect the monitor/reconnect the monitor (this resets the monitor). Recomendations so far inclued: 1. Use key fob and lock door twice with key fob. 2. No short trips (not enought time to charge battery) 3. Check rear hatch and tighten rubber gaskets 4. Turn every thing off (radio, lights etc). For peace of mind until you purchase a monitor system I recommend use the key fob but lock the door with key fob not twiced but 3/4 times.

@david13 How is your 2024 Kona doing? Did you have any problems with the Bouncie? Has your parasitic battery drain problem been resolved?

 

[RavenManiac]

For those who keep their Kona's in a garage, has anyone tried purchasing a Nest or Ring camera to monitor the car to find out if and when the fan or any accessories are coming on after it's off and locked?

 

[lauram76]

I have had my battery die twice also. Same car. Dealer told me it was the plug in device from my insurance company. I don't get it.

 

[RavenManiac]

Yes, Hyundai needs to do something about the parasitic drain. It doesn't matter how good your car is if you can't rely on it to start when needed.

 

[Rick2055]

Yes, Hyundai needs to do something about the parasitic drain. It does matter how good your car is if you can't rely on it to start when needed.

Had my car repaired in June of this year. The dealer found a wiring defect in a harness connecting to the Advanced Driver Assistance Module. I think the module is located behind the kick panel on the drivers side. Zero problems since the fix. Prior to the fix the battery died on me three times. The dealer never changed the battery. Still have the original battery in the car. I am surprised that most dealers are clueless to the problem. My car is a 2024 Limited. Good luck with yours in the future.

 

[tacthecat]

I have had my battery die twice also. Same car. Dealer told me it was the plug in device from my insurance company. I don't get it.

And where is this "plug in device" plugged in? Likely in the OPDII port, under the steering wheel, which is "live" all the time. Think of it like leaving the interior light on after you exit the vehicle; it'll eventually drain the battery. Today's vehicles are smart enough to turn off most all the factory stuff (radio, etc) but not necessarily the items we, the dealer, or someone else add on (dash cams etc) that don't turn themselves off.

 

[teweyand]

Had my car repaired in June of this year. The dealer found a wiring defect in a harness connecting to the Advanced Driver Assistance Module. I think the module is located behind the kick panel on the drivers side. Zero problems since the fix. Prior to the fix the battery died on me three times. The dealer never changed the battery. Still have the original battery in the car. I am surprised that most dealers are clueless to the problem. My car is a 2024 Limited. Good luck with yours in the future.

 

[teweyand]

I have had similar problem and no help from dealer.

Since latest dead battery I do not lock the car (so I can get in and charge the battery), do not use the phone ap, and manually turn the headlights on and off.

So far no repeat on the dead battery.

 

[AlexsMom]

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

My car is 8 months old, 3000 miles. It died a week ago (cause I had not driven it for two days). Would not even jump when a friend tried. Called roadside tow; dealer ended up replacing battery and swearing no drain, no issue, just bad battery. Week later, I did not drive it for a day, and it died again. i had luckily purchased battery charger and jumped it myself, drove to dealer, read them riot act, and it is at the dealer since yesterday morning. I am going to call when they open and tell them I am reading about this parasitic drain and this is not tolerable. My state's lemon law is kinda strict, and I am not feeling like this problem will meet its strict standards... Sigh. I had Kias for years without issue; never should have switched to the Hyundai. And BTW I have no after-market anything installed nor anything plugged in when car is off, and doors are always locked and lights off etc. Maybe someone needs to bring a class action...