Two vital things most used car buyers overlook, plus two big, swingin’ nuts, right at the end. Save thousands on any new car (Australia-only):
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a question I got yesterday, from Ben Williams, which opens the door to a potentially big problem out there on our roads.
"Re: Hyundai i30 ESP Sensor. Unfortunately my 2010 i30 has only just now started having an issue with the ESP Sensor. The ESP indicator light/s on the dash started staying on & the ESP button is completely unresponsive. Then today off to work first thing and I had no power steering for a couple of minutes. Once I got to work I hit the i30's forums hoping to get a better idea on what was happening. Anyway John it appears a safety recall was issued by Hyundai a few years ago to fix this issue. As I bought the i30 used a few years ago I was unaware of this safety recall and/or if my vehicle has had the sensor replaced. Given it is now 2019.... would Hyundai still replace this faulty sensor on my 2010 i30, if it has never been done before by the previous owner/s?" - Ben Williams
Yeah - I just checked. There was a product safety recall issued on 37,334 Hyundai i30s on sale new from 18 December 2010 to 29 March 2012. That recall went live on 8 March 2016 - so three-and-a-half years ago.
Apparently the defect stems from a potential assembly problem that can crack the case holding the stability control black box. Water can then get in. Water and computers don’t mix, obviously, so if that happens the ESP system has a heart attack, and the dash lights up, exactly as Ben has observed.
Hyundai will replace the ESP module for free, via its dealer network. But here’s the relevant kicker for today:
“Owners of affected vehicles will be notified by letter.” - Product Safety Australia
And that’s fine - provided the company knows you own the car. Which they do if you are the first owner - the dude who buys it new. But the carmaker is not clairvoyant. If you’re the second, third or whatever owner, you need to make them aware you now own the car.
And you can generally do that online - all you need is the VIN code to identify the vehicle and your own details to identify you. You just fill in a form. It only takes a few minutes. And then, if a recall is issued in the years ahead, you’ll get notified, and you won’t be driving around in a potential death trap.
So: do that, the day you buy the car used. And in the week ahead, do this: Visit any authorised dealer with the VIN code. Hop into the service department and explain that you’ve just bought the car. Ask them to check if there are any outstanding recalls or service campaigns on your (quote unquote) new car.
Service campaigns are kinda like recalls, only they cover non-safety defects. In Australia, recalls are issued only for serious safety defects. Non-safety defects are fixed with service campaigns.
Happily enough, all of this work gets done for free, and my understanding is that there’s no statute of limitations on recalls - Ben’s recall will be done free even three-plus years down the track.
And don’t feel guilty about getting the dealer to do this for you for free. Because: A) They’re a car dealer so who cares, and B) they send the importer a bill for doing the work, so recalls and service campaigns are definitely an earner for them - someone else gets to pay the bill.
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