Car randomly not starting until jumped

Asked by Guru94Y2Y6 Sep 08, 2020 at 07:33 PM about the 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

My Hyundai Santa Fe 2012 just began having an
issue of randomly not wanting to start. It could
have been working just fine and occasionally my
wet terrain light or incline lights will come on (not
on an incline nor on wet terrain) and stay on even if
I push button off. They go off eventually on their
own. I had a check engine light come on at random.
I have a new battery fully charge, new alternator
working excellently, great starter yet still randomly
not starting. I need jumped everytime this happens.
No mechanic seems to know what is happening.
Could it be electrical? Who knows! I'm so
frustrated! Does anyone else have this struggle?

2 Answers

103,125

Check your wire harness and battery cables, they may not be making a good electrical connection. A frayed end could be causing a loss of voltage. You will need a ohm meter to check for continuity along each cable. (You can get a decent meter at Walmart or any parts store for around $30.) Of course your problem may be more serious than an intermittent electrical connection, especially if your car was ever in a flood, you may have one or more bad computer modules, or a bad ignition module, that would require a dealer scan tool to look for, something a local mechanic shop might lack.

103,125

Just the fact that as soon as you jump it, it starts right up, is why I suggested a bad battery cable (when everything else is new; battery, alternator, starter)

Your Answer:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    me29
    Reputation
    6,550
  • #2
    JP1956
    Reputation
    2,860
  • #3
    SubaruTech5862
    Reputation
    2,030
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Hyundai Tucson
95 Great Deals out of 2,228 listings starting at $2,400
Used Kia Sorento
68 Great Deals out of 2,310 listings starting at $3,977
Used Honda CR-V
102 Great Deals out of 3,872 listings starting at $1,995
Used Toyota RAV4
96 Great Deals out of 2,121 listings starting at $3,888
Used Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
39 Great Deals out of 817 listings starting at $4,995
Used Toyota Highlander
24 Great Deals out of 727 listings starting at $2,495
Used Honda Pilot
47 Great Deals out of 1,237 listings starting at $5,888
Used Ford Explorer
71 Great Deals out of 2,057 listings starting at $2,999
Used Kia Sportage
55 Great Deals out of 1,940 listings starting at $4,400
Used Hyundai Sonata
35 Great Deals out of 1,125 listings starting at $3,995
Used Hyundai Santa Fe XL
10 Great Deals out of 214 listings starting at $5,999

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.