I have the 2008 Hyundai Accent GS Hatch 1.6l with 4 speed auto tranny, Just turned 28,000 miles this afternoon.


1st problem
When cold starting the transmission shifts into reverse perfectly. Then after backing out of the driveway the car will hesitate for 4 or 5 seconds after shifting into drive before it engages the forward gears. Started this first day I had it. Dealer said it was normal.

2nd problem
When coming to a stop sign and not coming to a complete stop before continuing the transmission will "get hung up" in
2nd gear and not accelerate smoothly because it is trying to lug too high of a gear for the road speed it has at that time (about 10 MPH or so). Started this after about 2 months of ownership. Dealer said it was normal.


3rd problem (newest one!!)
When on a longer trip (over 45 minutes or so) on the highway at 70 to 80 MPH or so when you try to pass and kick the gas pedal to the floor it won't downshift right away. the RPM's come up like it is going to downshift to 3rd but then it doesn't...it hangs there for a second or 2 with the revs up and then it bangs really hard like it shifted into
2nd gear for a split second then shifts back to 4th for a second and then finally shifts into 3rd and accelerates like it should.
I can tell you that it is a horrible bang when it does this new trick and it scares the crap out of me!!! It sounds like it is trying to throw the motor out from under the car and the whole car shakes like something heavy just hit it!!! SCARY!!!

Any Hyundai techs or general fans of this car out there know about any of these 3 problems?

I love this little car and want it to last for a while.

By the way this car is under warranty.

I am a little put off by the dealers as they keep telling me this is normal behavior.

I know for a fact it isn't.

I recently moved to Ohio from Texas and that is when I first noticed the newest problem.

Prior to that I was unemployed and the car basically sat for 16 months and only get driven 1 or 2 miles a day at the most.

Then I had to load it up to the roof line and drive 1200 miles in 2 days.

It apparently didn't like that.

Yesterday it did the banging thing again when I had to drive it 150 miles or so each way to take a co-worker to the airport.

So this is a recurring problem but only when asked to drive longer distances at a constant elevated speed.

I'm only trying to arm myself with some facts before I have to go and try to deal with the corrupt dealership cronies who tell you everything is normal when you know they are full of BS.

All I want to know is what the problems COULD BE before I go to the dealership.

I'm certainly not going to work on the car myself.


Thanks!!

 

solution: go to a different dealership, those ones are idiots and probably wouldn't fix it right anyways.

 

Actually, the first 2 are normal. Every Hyundai automatic I've driven has done both.

3 is not normal.

 

i had some tranny troubles once. my *** still hurts to this day.

 

First thing I would do is have adaptives reset and drive it. There is a tsb for this. If you wanna do it at home here is the steps. Disconnect battery cables. Connect test light between cables ( that are disconnected from battery). Let it sit for about 3-5 minutes. What this does is clear all pcm/tcm memory. Now reconnect pos first neg last with key off. Test drive vehicle under real light acceleration through all gears. Come to a stop. Do this about 5-6 times under really light accelleration.The lighter the better I find. If your trans still shifts abnormal after a day or so then leave at the dealer so the can flight record the data and see whats up.

 

I have all the same problems with the transmission. The dealer will not take it for a longer highway drive because of insurance reasons. The transmission will not bang driving in the city. The shift from 4th to 3rd actually locked up the front one time when I was passing another car. It is almost like the transmission seized when shifting. I did have a AEM short-ram intake, but i took it off for the summer. That seemed to make it shift better in the city, but on the highway(worse when it is hot) it continues to bang. The dealers big take on it is the transmission is only $850 from Hyundia. The first time it happened was last summer when the car was on a long road trip. When I got to the next gas station and pulled the tranny dipstick the oil was dark and smelt burnt. The dealer wasnt even concerned with the oil saying "hyundia transmission oil darkens with age". I say bullsh*t, our Santa-fe is older and get used in winters and towing and no discolor on the oil.

 

no they are wrong. all trans fluid will darken with age, but by then it should be time to change it anyhow. its kinda like saying 'engine oil darkens with age'. sure its true, but doesn't make it ok to leave it to turn to sludge. as for the burnt smell...thats not a good sign. what that means is the trans fluid is getting too hot and starting to break down...

my first questions are: how old is the vehicle? whats your mileage? have the trans flushed and when? was it a full flush or did they just drain the pan and refill? do you do a lot of heavy towing with it? any towing at all?

my advice for now:

1. get a new dealer, these guys are clowns for ignoring your concerns.

2. avoid driving the vehicle if possible. if this is simply fluid, get it done right and see what happens. demand a full flush, pan cleaning, and filter change.

3. if you're towing, this creates a lot of excess heat in the transmission. you may have simply overheated the fluid and now it can't do its job. provided this hasn't caused any long term damage, a full flush should fix it. also i'd highly recommend added a transmission cooler to your vehicle to avoid this happening again. they aren't expensive, easily installed in about 10-15 mins if you want to do it yourself, and they DO save auto transmission lives!

 

Remember some of our clutches are black and they do darken the fluid....so dont call bull---- till ya know the facts. You can service some of the models and 10k miles later they black as can be but not burned. Now granted you are having experiences you shouldnt...like that 4-3 deal...yes thats scary I have had a ccar do that to me. Later on ya gonna throw a p1709 kickdown servo code and its gonna be the piston getting hung up in the bore . Will need a tranny then . Get another dealer and a good tech and ride with them . Get to know them and they will help you....but if ya come off all cocky well ya gonna get where you at now.You can call consumer affairs and they will open a case but out of all the years in the dealership all I can say is be nice and ask them to ride with you win em with kindness.

 

What he says,,, doughnuts, drinks (Pepsi), home made cookies (I prefer chocolate chip), maybe a #2 from WENDY's with cheese & ketchup only with Frosty,, had a customer or 2 slip me $20.. That'll make you guilty feeling, now I really got to treat this person right, they just slipped me some cash..

 

I've been fighting this problem since last summer(the 4-3 shift anyway). Thanks for posting the problem RaceMoney, make sure the dealership loads the problem into the Hyundia Database so I'm not the only complaining to the dealership about the transmission. Sorry you have the same issues, just glad I'm not the only one.