My 2013 Hyundai Sonata GLS is having a problem with the electrical system??

Asked by Guru9L826D Sep 07, 2021 at 03:32 AM about the 2013 Hyundai Sonata GLS FWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

My pre-owned Hyundai Sonata GLS has some kind of electrical system problem that keep draining the battery overnight, and will not allow me to jump the vehicle....
I have bought a brand new battery for the vehicle, but this only worked for the day I bought it, and then was drained after the first night. I am not able to even jump the battery, as if it has gone bad already, since Sunday. As well, if I can get it to take power I cannot start the vehicle because of these ridiculous pointless key chips not working now.
Can someone tell me what is destroying my battery every night, and why the key chip is deprogramming itself??
Thanks in advance!!

3 Answers

It was some kind of parasitic drain actually, but was the result of some issue with the brake lights that was relatively unusual, so not shown on YouTube, nor anywhere else I could find.... It ended up being a somewhat expensive fix finally, as I not only had to replace a sensor that was faulty, also had to completely rework the entire braking components in the vehicle to avoid messing up the FAR TOO invasive anti theft system that Hyundai unnecessarily puts in their vehicles. Still, thanks for taking a swing at it for me!!

210

Brake lights draining bats goes back many many decades. The brake pedal fails to contact the brake light switch (on lower steering column) that turns brake lights off. The switch on older cars could turn a bit so the plunger on the switch will miss the peddle, just straighten your switch up and its all good. Caused from loose switch and/or driver releasing foot too fast so peddle comes back too hard. This knocks a switch out of whack, more common on old cars without power brakes. The brake light switch can also just fail and most likely was your issue but' generally the switch is not very costly with less than an hour labor. That is unless a shop simply don't identify this problem really fast like they should have done then they'll charge you for all the extra time they spent looking for the issue on top of things. Such an easily diagnosed issue because the brake lights are stuck on without the brake peddle being pressed down. First thing good mechanics look at on a battery drainer is its brake lights on/off and that switch is working correctly.

Your Answer:

Sonata

Looking for a Used Sonata in your area?

CarGurus has 1,036 nationwide Sonata listings starting at $3,499.

Postal Code:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    sumcon
    Reputation
    5,940
  • #2
    clifford
    Reputation
    2,220
  • #3
    toDumbToNotKnow
    Reputation
    2,070
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Hyundai Elantra
159 Great Deals out of 3,178 listings starting at $1,850
Used Honda Accord
43 Great Deals out of 914 listings starting at $2,799
Used Toyota Camry
51 Great Deals out of 944 listings starting at $2,212
Used Honda Civic
162 Great Deals out of 3,375 listings starting at $2,230
Used Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
5 Great Deals out of 72 listings starting at $6,499
Used Nissan Altima
25 Great Deals out of 673 listings starting at $2,000
Used Hyundai Tucson
86 Great Deals out of 2,166 listings starting at $3,988
Used Hyundai Santa Fe
69 Great Deals out of 1,542 listings starting at $4,400
Used Kia Optima
13 Great Deals out of 249 listings starting at $3,999
Used Toyota Corolla
110 Great Deals out of 1,961 listings starting at $1,995
Used Chevrolet Malibu
38 Great Deals out of 1,147 listings starting at $1,495
Used Dodge Charger
41 Great Deals out of 602 listings starting at $4,888
Used BMW 3 Series
71 Great Deals out of 1,191 listings starting at $1,995

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.