Car feels unstable over 55mph

starfish · **May 17, 2018, 10:24:27**

Hi lovely people. I'm new and not a mechanic. I wonder if you could help me or heard of similar problems? The problem's been ongoing so it's probably best if i summarise:
* Car always very light on steering, got used to this..
*Had six (!)punctures on various tyres- led to endless problems with tpms resets.
* month ago got x 4 new "Dunlop sport blu response" tyres fitted, front wheel alignment and balanced.
* checked yesterday that all tyres correct sizes were ordered and fitted (someone on forum post said to check this)
*has been into dealer to check problem a few months ago, they said no faults showing
What is happening is that car feels unstable like wheels are working independently of each other, like traction control is kicking in(?) or brakes are randomly grabbing but only gently or intermittently. This happens on a straight motorway at 55mph. Feels like an effort to keep in a straight line on a simple bit of road, not like I'm going to swerve right off the rd but like I can't relax at all. I know it sounds crazy but this seems worse after I've driven at speed for 40 mins plus. It does not feel safe and is annoyingly i termittent.That's why I suspected tyre pressure problems at first. Taking back to dealer today but dreading being/feeling "fobbed off" again. Sorry to waffle on. Stressed!

Dazzler · **Reply #1: May 17, 2018, 11:29:59**

Welcome Starfish,

Sorry to hear of your problem. I have driven cars that felt like that but definitely not i30's which generally feel bigger than they are and very stable on the road. We've had 4 different models over 10 years and their stability on the road has been one of my favourite features.

We did have one member @Doggie 1 who had recurring steering issues with his GD Active hatch which was eventually sorted, but it was pulling to one side mostly I think? Dave will hopefully come on and comment.

Do you have the button on the steering wheel to select steering modes? Have you tried switching that?

I do feel your pain though. No fault found or being fobbed off is very frustrating.

Be good if you could test drive a similar car as a comparison or better still if there is a member nearby who can drive yours to see if they can feel the problem too..

starfish · **Reply #2: May 17, 2018, 11:49:07**

Thank you Dazzler.
I've been driving 36 years and am (I suppose) officially, a middle aged woman now but I hate being patronised. People seem to assume that you don't quite know what you're saying when you're a bit older and that you've always driven little old lady cars and hate to go over 30mph!
Anyway... this problem is affecting my work as I use my car on motorways and little bendy English country roads all in one day so it needs to be spot on, with our weather especially. Any problems cropping up with the ESC on these newer models? My sister bought the Tuscon from the same dealer on the same day. (Got good deal buying both together) Would driving hers be compable? Isn't it just a tall i30? Lol.
Thanks for reply. Already feel less alone with the problem.

starfish · **Reply #3: May 17, 2018, 11:53:09**

Dazzler- realised that I didn't answer your question. I drive it in Sport mode as I find the Normal and Comfort modes far too light and "floaty"
Maybe I should try it with this off?

Shambles · **Reply #4: May 17, 2018, 11:58:28**

Hiya Starfish.

You say you set the flex-steer to sport mode yet...

Quote from: starfish

Car always very light on steering,

That suggests to me that the flex control is buggered. The sport mode should stiffen up the steering, making it feel heavy. In my former i30 I could barely navigate around town in sport mode, it was that heavy and in-your-face.

Dazzler · **Reply #5: May 17, 2018, 12:14:50**

Hi Aagin Starfish,

Steve may be on to something about the Flex control.

I didn't realise you were a "lady". Unfortunately it is a fact of life they are even more likely to fob you off.

You will find us very supportive on here. We will try and work through this with the help of some of our more technical members and give you a few suggestions to try and get this sorted.

No guarantees as we aren't associated with Hyundai, but hopefully we can help. Please keep us in the loop whatever happens.

It can be very frustrating if we try to help and the person with the problem disappears off the planet!

nzenigma · **Reply #6: May 17, 2018, 12:35:06**

Hi Starfish, reading your well detailed description of the fault ( thanks

) I was initially thinking bad rear wheel alignment. This will pull brakes on periodically without showing the ESP to be on or off. But shambles is probably on the money although the flex control has a similar function. Go back to the dealer and threaten him with physical alterations. Stay in touch.

starfish · **Reply #7: May 17, 2018, 12:37:52**

I suppose that I should clarify about the steering being light. It's too light for me at speed. I agree that when I drive around town and first pull away sport mode feels heavy. I prefer to feel that I'm driving the car not the other way around. Even in Sport mode, at 55mph it feels...just weird, like I'm driving a 4 x 4 with wheels "tugging". Don't know why it should be worse after 40 mins or so. Maybe I am getting old because at 25 I may have shouted "Yee ha" but now I just want to get home for a cup of tea. Did I mention that I was English?
I'm going to take it out now and try different steering modes. Would it be safe to try it without Electronis Stability Control (ESC)on? As it feels like it could be interfering?
I feel that I should mention that in every other way, I love the car.
Thanks for support. I promise that I'll get back to you after its been in the hyundai shop this afternoon.

Shambles · **Reply #8: May 17, 2018, 12:42:21**

Splendid idea - turning off all inter-related systems like ESC can only help matters

(PS, with all that driving in sport mode, this isn't you, is it?}

(click to show/hide)

starfish · **Reply #9: May 17, 2018, 12:57:14**

Eek! That was kind of scary.

No, definitely not! You guys.... Cheered me up though.

eye30 · **Reply #10: May 17, 2018, 17:03:20**

You say you had new tyres fitted.

Has this happened since these have been fitted?

On some tyres they have to be fitted correctly and may have "outside" written on the tyre wall.
Do yours have this?

If no "outside" written, check the inside tyre wall just to be sure.

Sent from my GT-P3110 using Tapatalk

starfish · **Reply #11: May 17, 2018, 18:35:19**

Hello. Have returned from Hyundai dealers. They did full tests of the ECU and said it showed no faults. However they had got rid of the tpms light. The tyres were all correct pressures already they said but they seem to have put them up to about 36 psi then down again to about 32/ 33 psi to get the light to go off.
Anyway.....despite them saying that nothing was wrong and they hadn't done anything it felt better driving home (a few miles only)
Not sure what to make of that!! Trying not to feel suspicious......Tomorrow I'll be driving 40-50 miles on raggedy, country roads so we'll see how it is then.
I'll check it does say "outside" on all tyres but this problem was the reason for trying new tyres, previous original tyres only had under 17,000 miles on from new. Hankooks before.
The only other thing that I'm going to try is leaving off the Sport mode steering then trying it on again. Then try ESC on nd off if still have problems. Change only one thing at a time for diagnostic clarity.
Thank you everyone. I'll keep you updated on progress.

Shambles · **Reply #12: May 17, 2018, 20:02:46**

Thanks for the feedback

Dazzler · **Reply #13: May 17, 2018, 21:40:22**

Awesome. Sounds like we are heading in the right direction. Do you have a first name we can use or does everyone call you starfish?

Good luck with your experimenting today.

Surferdude · **Reply #14: May 17, 2018, 22:07:43**

I just had a look at some pics of the Dunlop blueresponse tyres when they are assymetrical. Which mean there is an inside and an outside. However as I think you said the problem was there before they were fitted they probably aren't the cause.

My understanding of the Hyundai power steering is that being electronic it is designed to apply less power assistance the faster you go. So if this was playing up in some way and applying more or less than it is supposed to on the highway this could cause what you describe.

The guy Dazz mentions above, Dave ended up getting proof of his problem from a specialist tyre and wheel alignment shop. They told the Hyundai dealer there was a problem with the power steering and iirc this finally led to discussions with Hyundai Australia and a resolution (replacement steering column under warranty).

So, if you or any of your friends knows a good wheel alignment place it might be worth talking to them.
One other thing. Forget in shop diagnostics. A qualified mechanic needs to drive this car with you alongside, on a road where you experience the problem.

nzenigma · **Reply #15: May 18, 2018, 05:52:31**

Surfer is spot on the money. Important....Get a qualified mechanic to drive with you.
Today, I have been battling with a Nissan Tiida in wild conditions and wishing I had a stable Hyundai. I also began to consider your inclusion of punctures and tyre change , so assume this problem arose at that time.
Has anyone checked to see if a wheel speed sensor has been damaged, either on road or by a tyre fitter? They are situated in the hub. If one is malfunctioning, ESP/ESC, ABS etc will be screwed up.
If in doubt about the cars handling switch off ESC. The car will just steer and handle normally , as all cars used to do.
Often, if I am driving fast on tricky NZ roads, I turn it off. You can feel what the car is doing and react to it.

Doggie 1 · **Reply #16: May 18, 2018, 07:16:36**

Hi Starfish, yes Trevor hit the nail on the head.
I had been complaining to dealerships for ages and they kept telling me there were no faults.
Hyundai Australia eventually referred me to Mandurah Hyundai who said they would start investigating by doing a wheel alignment but I had to buy two new front tyres before they would.
So I did that and they sent it off to their preferred tyre centre for a wheel alignment, who subsequently told Mandurah Hyundai that they were unable to do the wheel alignment because the sensor (EPS) was (quote) "all over the place."
This resulted in Hyundai replacing the whole steering column, EPS unit, sensor, etc under warranty.
The symptoms were only evident at highway/freeway speeds, when the steering would "load up" and become heavy, locking on slightly off-centre.
So when you tried to correct the steering and turn the wheel the other way, you had to overcome some resistance and then it would become heavy, load up and lock on the other way.
So this meant that you ended up zig zagging down the road, always having to keep making minute corrections.
I hope this makes sense.

Dazzler · **Reply #17: May 18, 2018, 09:02:02**

@Doggie 1 I made up this whole scenario to get you back on the site..

Not really, but nice to hear from you all the same. Hope all is well. Might be back over in July (i'm saving up some spending money...)

@nzenigma Yes Gary, I don't mind Tiidas, they are reasonably zippy have a reasonable ride and comfy seats BUT because of there softer suspension and slab sided design they are not good in crosswinds particularly when compared with any series of i30.

nzenigma · **Reply #18: May 18, 2018, 09:34:38**

@Doggie 1
Yes it is good to see you back. Hang in there. Gary

@Dazzler I usual end up with a Tiida over here. Need a reliable car and have never had one fail, but they are like a sail in the wind, I have just done a 6 hour drive on near dead tyres, at 100-120kph on winding roads, rain and a cross wind that pops out as you pass each gully. Invigoration.!

Dazzler · **Reply #19: May 18, 2018, 10:19:15**

Quote from: nzenigma on May 18, 2018, 09:34:38

@Dazzler I usual end up with a Tiida over here. Need a reliable car and have never had one fail, but they are like a sail in the wind, I have just done a 6 hour drive on near dead tyres, at 100-120kph on winding roads, rain and a cross wind that pops out as you pass each gully. Invigoration.!

Trish had a tricked up sedan (Spoiler, mags etc) for a couple of years. Seldom did long trips in it. We traded it on a CW so she got more goodies (the Tiida didn't even have electric windows from memory!) A friend's parents had one and he said they had to get rid of it. Too many close shaves in windy conditions.

Surferdude · **Reply #20: May 18, 2018, 10:40:10**

Quote from: Dazzler on May 18, 2018, 10:19:15

Quote from: nzenigma on May 18, 2018, 09:34:38

@Dazzler I usual end up with a Tiida over here. Need a reliable car and have never had one fail, but they are like a sail in the wind, I have just done a 6 hour drive on near dead tyres, at 100-120kph on winding roads, rain and a cross wind that pops out as you pass each gully. Invigoration.!

Trish had a tricked up sedan (Spoiler, mags etc) for a couple of years. Seldom did long trips in it. We traded it on a CW so she got more goodies (the Tiida didn't even have electric windows from memory!) A friend's parents had one and he said they had to get rid of it. Too many close shaves in windy conditions.

Apart from its instability, the Tiida represents one of the most inept marketing decisions ever made in the Australian automotive industry.
Fancy agreeing to dump the long standing, widely respected Pulsar brand name for something most people couldn't even spell correctly.

Dazzler · **Reply #21: May 18, 2018, 12:25:46**

Quote from: Surferdude on May 18, 2018, 10:40:10

Quote from: Dazzler on May 18, 2018, 10:19:15
Quote from: nzenigma on May 18, 2018, 09:34:38

@Dazzler I usual end up with a Tiida over here. Need a reliable car and have never had one fail, but they are like a sail in the wind, I have just done a 6 hour drive on near dead tyres, at 100-120kph on winding roads, rain and a cross wind that pops out as you pass each gully. Invigoration.!

Trish had a tricked up sedan (Spoiler, mags etc) for a couple of years. Seldom did long trips in it. We traded it on a CW so she got more goodies (the Tiida didn't even have electric windows from memory!) A friend's parents had one and he said they had to get rid of it. Too many close shaves in windy conditions.
Apart from its instability, the Tiida represents one of the most inept marketing decisions ever made in the Australian automotive industry.
Fancy agreeing to dump the long standing, widely respected Pulsar brand name for something most people couldn't even spell correctly.

Apparently they paid Kim Cantrell millions to do the transition adverts. Whoever made that decision is probably still regretting it!

nzenigma · **Reply #22: May 19, 2018, 02:01:57**

much like the Nissan Navara, the Tiida has French fingerprints all over it.

Both rubbish designs except the Tiida doesn't seem to break down.
I was trying to turn ESP off on this one but couldn't find the button, then realised they never had stability control.
The thing that irritates most is the RH windscreen pillar that blocks the driver's view on right turns. You get used to bobbing your head around it in the city, but at 100kph on a winding road its almost impossible to enter a Right hand bend correctly.