When I tried to turn the key on my car (2020 or 2021 Hyundai Elantra) in a parking lot yesterday, the engine didn't start. I could hear a little weak click sound and then it turned into silence. All lights are on.I just changed the battery in a couple of months, so the chance of battery issue is slim. This situation happened for several times. Sometimes I need to try several times to start the car successfully. But yesterday, even I tried a dozen times, it still could not start. could you give me some suggestion of some possible easy fixes? Thanks!
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Welcome to Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair! What is the year/make/model/engine of the vehicle in question?– Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦Sep 17 at 12:20
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Why did you change the battery? The battery should have been good for around 5 years. Also, seeing as how it is a Hyundai, it should still be covered under the 5yr/60k warranty, so I hope you got the battery changed by the dealership. That said, if the battery is going bad in such a short period of time after replacement, it would lead me to believe there is some sort of electrical problem going on. You could try charging the battery which would give you the power to run and drive the car.– Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦Sep 17 at 12:29
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I tried to turn on the high light and seems they worked well. But I still will try to work on battery first today. Thanks!– Amy ZengSep 17 at 12:39
1 Answer
If you are looking under the hood, examine both battery cable connections to be sure they're clean and free of corrosion, tightly connected to battery terminals. This is a hands-on task of getting dirty to twist cable connections firmly. The largest power use is the starter when starting up. Next check is drive belt; should be tight and not flopping when pressed down with fingers. Any battery corrosion, powdery blue/white deposits are dissolved with warm water and baking soda, water rinse. Do not allow this solution into battery cells. Either charge the battery at home or get a boost from another car battery to startup. If safe enough to drive, schedule service with Hyundai, explaining your starting problems. As mentioned, you should be under warranty and covered for this problem. There may be an alternator issue, not recharging the battery while supplying power to the car or an unknown drain on battery power after engine shutdown.