I’ve had my 2023 Ioniq 5 SEL for less than 2 years and it’s already dead. The mileage is at 18k miles and it’s been pretty cold (15 degrees or so) for the past week. I charged it last night, but when I got in today it said something to the effect of “check electrical system”. I had about a mile to drop off my kids at the bus, but as I went forward it did a “system limited” or something like that and maxed out at about 2mph. At about 200 feet it completely died and said 12v battery voltage low. Downhill from there, I followed the recommendations to have a jump kit. Didn’t work. Put the 12v on a trickle charger for a few hours. Didn’t work, down to like 6 volts. It’s been towed to the dealer that just got the certification to work on EV’s like a month ago. Got a call from dealer “you know this thing is like a class action lemon so I don’t know about the warranty, the powertrain warranty is definitely out. I probably can’t look at it till monday”. It was a dealer buyback I bought from a Hyundai dealer and they disclosed the reason (not battery or ICCU related). Supposed to have a full 5 year 60k warranty. It might go well, I might be fighting with dullards for a month about it. I got the ICCU update a few months ago at another dealer. Hopefully just the 12v battery dead after less than 2 years (not a great sign either). Just needed to vent. Wish me luck!
That’s a bizarre response from your dealer. It sounds like they’re trying to make you pay for a simple repair.
Francis said:
That’s a bizarre response from your dealer. It sounds like they’re trying to make you pay for a simple repair.
I know, right? He was the abrasive redneck type. I assume he just wanted to make sure I would pay the $200 or whatever if he decides it’s not a warranty issue. Still under the bumper to bumper warranty I tried to explain, “I’m just covering me bases here” he says. Like they are already trying to screw me, but hey who knows.
Just needs a new 12v battery. My 2022 did the same on a cold day 2 years later. Batteries die, not a fault of the car. Take the opportunity to upgrade to a better 12v.
Prob throw a 12v in it and be good, but if it’s under warranty (should be but sounds like it’s not due to buy back) have them check it out.
Man, all these 12v issues are one of my main hesitations for not pulling the trigger on an Ioniq 5. I can’t figure out how big of a problem this really is since nobody is posting “I drove to work today and my 12v was fine”, but that said, this seems to be one of the top 3 discussion points about this car. I’m glad someone finally shared their experience.
@Tate
That’s exactly the problem, it doesn’t trickle charge. A gas car with an alternator is charging the battery any time the engine is running. EVs don’t do that, they just charge when they detect low voltage. It’s deep cycling a battery that’s not built for it.
@Blair
The thing is, batteries die in all cars. Sure, the original 12v is trash, but it’s also an easy fix. Like, who needs a new battery?
Cruz said:
@Blair
The thing is, batteries die in all cars. Sure, the original 12v is trash, but it’s also an easy fix. Like, who needs a new battery?
If indeed that is my problem, it only lasted 2 years which is odd, and the thing I learned the hard way is there isn’t really any jumping to get the huge battery working to keep it up to voltage to get it moving (in my case at least). I couldn’t put it in neutral because, of course, its all electronic. Had to get a second tow company who could accommodate, first guy said I can’t do it. I don’t understand why they are lead acid either. They’ve been selling lifepo4 batteries for years for various applications, but they still chunk a hunk of lead in the “state of the art” tech.
@Blane
2 years is not abnormal. Besides, it’s probably older than that. The clock starts ticking as soon as the battery comes off the assembly line, so check the manufacturing date. Here is some more info about 12V batteries in EVs. Maybe this is just a design issue with the Ioniq 5?
@Lee
Good article. From an engineering perspective it was the easy way out. At the very least EVs should have a system to warm you when the pos battery is failing so you aren’t stranded. I can’t imagine the average consumer keeping an alarm for “battery probably going to die”. When I took it in a few months ago for the iccu update they of course suggested new brake fluid and an alignment, but no battery replacement.
@Blane
Totally normal for it to only last 18-30 months. Happens to all of us. I would have just replaced the 12v and carried on with my day. Involving the dealer for a $130 usd repair is just pure pain. Can we just talk about how ridiculous this is?
@Sam
You realize the Ioniq 5 charges the 12V battery with the high voltage battery pack? It’s like having a trickle charger installed on your 12V battery at all times. That makes the 2 year battery life so bizarre. Granted, the number of times I’ve walked past my car and noticed the battery charge light on makes me wonder what is pulling so much power from the 12V battery.
@Lex
Not sure what it does while driving but from what I’ve seen it does a very good job of charging the battery when the car is off.
Tate said:
@Lex
Not sure what it does while driving but from what I’ve seen it does a very good job of charging the battery when the car is off.
It doesn’t charge unless it’s low, whether the car’s on or off. Mine has counted 42 cycles in the 10 months it’s had the LFP, so it charges about once a week but it’s driven pretty much every day. Way more vehicle starts than charge events. It won’t behave exactly the same with a lead-acid, but the parameters are the same as far as the car’s concerned.
@Lex
If you watch you might understand how this affects the 12V battery. I think a simple software update could fix this issue.
@Tate
I know what’s going on, it’s just that the battery is dead. Like, it’s not the car’s fault, it’s just a battery. Let’s just replace the battery and move on.
Sam said:
@Tate
I know what’s going on, it’s just that the battery is dead. Like, it’s not the car’s fault, it’s just a battery. Let’s just replace the battery and move on.
Seems like a simple fix to me. Why do people make such a big deal about this?
@Lee
Because it’s frustrating when something that’s supposed to be reliable just fails like this. It’s not just the battery, it’s the whole system.
@Sam
I think we can all agree that this is a design flaw with the Ioniq 5. It’s not just the battery, it’s the whole electrical system. Maybe Hyundai needs to rethink this design.