What could cause the check engine light to come on in a Hyundai Kona?
When your check engine light comes on, this could be as simple as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Again, the check engine light could likewise be a warning of an essential problem that could cause serious damage to your engine and come with a hefty and pricey repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady and continuous glow usually means something less serious but a flashing check engine light reveals that your vehicle’s engine is in meaningful trouble and useful service is needed expeditiously. If your check engine light is flashing in your Hyundai Kona, we tremendously advise not to drive the vehicle and schedule Hyundai service today. Below is a list of the most typical reasons your check engine light can come on:
- Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Hyundai Kona is what determines how much fuel is required to run your engine efficiently by measuring the amount of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to certain changes, like altitude. If your Hyundai Kona is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a sudden speedy replace in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a vital sign of a damaged mass airflow sensor.
- Your Hyundai Kona has a vacuum leak. Every Hyundai Kona has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system likewise helps lower harmful emissions by routing the fumes as gasoline evaporates through the engine. If you notice that your RPM is high in idle or randomly surges, a vacuum leak could be the cause. Over time, vacuum hoses can dry out and crack, especially if they’re exposed to intense heat or extreme cold.
- New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are required for your Hyundai Kona. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber of your vehicle. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run smooth. The spark plug wires deliver the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If your spark plugs or spark plug wires are bad or old, you will endure a conspicuous poor performance and reduced power. In some extreme cases, your engine will have trouble starting or continuing to run. Worn spark plugs and plug wires can cause obstructed catalytic converter or damage to ignition coils and O2 sensors, leading to more pricey repairs.
- Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or other item can wreak extreme havoc on your Hyundai Kona if it’s not installed correctly. These aftermarket components and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prevent the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound familiar, bring your Kona to Hyundai and have our team of accomplished certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed correctly and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, especially aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM components first place might cost a little bit more but could support you save substantially from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
- Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your Hyundai Kona’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's function is to turn the carbon monoxide created by the combustion process into carbon dioxide. A damaged catalytic converter is ordinarily caused by consistently neglected maintenance, which is why Larry H. Miller Southwest Hyundai Albuquerque offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with every Hyundai service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your Hyundai Kona will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your car may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause other perilous problems from overheating.
- Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, known as the O2 sensor, measures the amount of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns more rapidly and your vehicle will be less efficient when it comes to fuel economy. So what happens if I don’t change your O2 sensor? A damaged sensor can not only affect your miles per gallon, but it can cause significant damage to your catalytic converter and your Hyundai Kona's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to determine the specifically right mixture of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A damaged O2 sensor can likewise cause a car to fail an emissions test.
- One of the most regular and frequent cause is that your Hyundai Kona gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your Hyundai Kona serves different purposes. It prevents hazardous gas fumes from being released when you aren't driving, it seals the fuel system and helps control pressure within the fuel tank. What happens if you have a damaged fuel cap? If your gas cap is old or has a ruptured seal, you can lose fuel through evaporation which will result in more trips to the pump and be more expensive. Luckily, to change a gas cap isn't pricey. If your check engine light turns on quickly after you put gas in your Hyundai Kona, first thing you should check is to make sure the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
- The battery is low or dead. The battery in your Hyundai Kona is every important. Without a car battery, your car won’t start, light up the road in front, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s car batteries last much longer than they did a few decades ago, and they don't really require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Hyundai you drive, but check our current service coupons and specials.
Check Engine Light Service Hyundai Kona
What do you do when you’re driving along in your Hyundai Kona and suddenly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Hyundai owners, your heart sinks exceptionally because you may have precisely idea about what that light is trying to tell you or how you should react. The fear of the unknown (or the cost of the unknown) can be just as stressful. But take a deep, peaceful breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t mean you have to pull the car over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is advised that you get your Hyundai Kona checked immediately. Ignoring that warning could end up causing extensive, extensive damage to expensive engine parts.
When your Hyundai Kona's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t correct, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is usually labeled “check engine” or “service engine soon”, or the light may be nothing more than a picture of an engine, or a picture of the engine with the word “check.”
When the light turns on, the ECM stores an engine code or “trouble code” in its memory that can quickly identify the issue, whether it's a sensor or a failing engine part. This code is read with an electronic scan tool that is used by our Hyundai auto repair mechanics at Larry H. Miller Southwest Hyundai Albuquerque. There are also a number of relatively inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you pick that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced professional to determine the precisely right issue and repair it.
Hyundai Kona Check Engine Light Flashing
Although there are countless potential causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are many common causes including something as simple as a loose gas cap. Other generally common reasons for a Check Engine Light are dirty mass airflow sensor, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, broken oxygen sensor, broken emissions control part, broken head gasket, or defective spark plugs to name a few. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the Hyundai Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and entirely repair it as necessary to restore factory specifications. When this occurs, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Hyundai issue was entirely fixed.
Every Hyundai Kona was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the car on its crucial systems. The speedy sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending important data to the electronic control unit. If the electronic control unit detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light illuminates telling you that there is a problem. Nonetheless, unfortunately that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what exactly is wrong nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Larry H. Miller Southwest Hyundai Albuquerque provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Tremendously Knowledgeable Service professional.
Hyundai Kona Check Engine Light
If the check engine light in your Hyundai Kona starts flashing, that means that the problem needs attention promptly and your Hyundai should be brought in rapidly. A flashing light reveals that the problem is very serious and if not taken care of promptly may result in significant and meaningful damage to the car. This blinking light frequently signifies a severe engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can rapidly raise the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is likely, requiring an costly and major repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can absolutely be the cause. A faulty, old or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If your check engine light is consistently flashing, please contact our team of automotive experts at Larry H. Miller Southwest Hyundai Albuquerque swiftly by calling 5056577844. If the problem is totally ignored or you continue to drive, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a very expensive repair.
Hyundai Kona Check Engine Light Codes
The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating, especially to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly illuminate, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear right away. If you hear the term, diagnostic trouble codes (DTC), these are just another name for check engine light codes. These are automotive computer codes stored by the ECM, likewise known as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your Kona. There are hundreds of different codes that your check engine light can accurately represent. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling basic diagnostics will give you helpful knowledge about your car and will likewise allow that vital Check Engine Light to do what it is absolutely supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, apparent and useful car symptoms do not regularly accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of potential OBD codes, there are likewise hundreds of potential reasons for the light, including:
- Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
- Bad Spark Plugs
- O2 Sensor
- Emissions controls issues
- Fuel and air metering systems problems
- Old Battery
- Computer output circuit issues
- Ignition system faults
- Transmission issues
This is why it is important for someone who does not have a lot of prevalent automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. If the engine light comes on due to a serious concern, you risk damaging your vehicle further by not repairing the issue right away. Call Larry H. Miller Southwest Hyundai Albuquerque at 5056577844 today or schedule your check engine light service online today! When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out immediately by a talented certified Hyundai mechanic.
How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?
Since every check engine code has its own level of severity, it is ordinarily difficult to predict how many miles you can be secure in driving with the warning light on. The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly. If you check engine light is flashing, we propose that you pull over and contact Larry H. Miller Southwest Hyundai Albuquerque to support determine if your vehicle is secure to drive in or if we propose a tow truck. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced.
How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?
The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is typically between $88 and $111. The good news, Larry H. Miller Southwest Hyundai Albuquerque offers completely free multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to assist determine the cause of your check engine light. The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not properly tightened to a more serious failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it good to get the appropriate code reading and diagnosis.
Is it safe to drive your Hyundai Kona with the check engine light on?
This question is not very simple because it all depends on the severity of the issue. If the cause is a minor issue, such as a loose gas cap, it should be safe to drive. This is ordinarily indicated by a steady glow of the check engine light. If you notice a difference in the performance of the car, it could be an indication of a more serious problem. If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a serious issue and it is recommended to service your Hyundai Kona swiftly. Call the experts at Larry H. Miller Southwest Hyundai Albuquerque by dialing 5056577844 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and bring your Hyundai to our certified mechanics as soon as possible.
Will the check engine light reset itself?
The check engine light on your Hyundai Kona will normally shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is fixed. For instance, if the cause of your check engine light coming on was a loose gas cap, if it's tightened, the light will promptly turn itself off. Likewise, if your catalytic converter is working properly, and you did a lot of stop-and-go driving, that may have turned on the check engine light due to the high usage of the converter. In most cases, your Hyundai Kona light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you drive over that amount and the light is still on, you will need to bring it in to Larry H. Miller Southwest Hyundai Albuquerque so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.
What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?
One of the most normally misunderstood lights or indicators in your Hyundai Kona is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the important onboard diagnostics system, and displays in an assortment of different ways. It can say "Check Engine", it can be a symbol of an engine, it can even be a combination of both. This light illuminates in either an amber or red color and is part of the diagnostics system found on your vehicle. Onboard computers increasingly have controlled and monitored vehicle performance since the 80s and do an assortment of things for your Hyundai Kona. Some of these essential duties include shifting automatic transmissions controlling engine speed, ignition timing, and implementing security control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a variety of different things. It can be as simple as your gas cap being loose or as hazardous as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your Hyundai Kona, contact Larry H. Miller Southwest Hyundai Albuquerque. Our Hyundai service department can support you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is flashing. Contact Larry H. Miller Southwest Hyundai Albuquerque today!
