battery keeps going dead but only at home. the dealership blames the key fob.

Asked by southernilluminator Jun 20, 2015 at 07:34 AM about the 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T FWD

Question type: General

dealership says that continuous proximity of the fob to the vehicle engages the LED illumination of the door handle. Has anyone encountered this problem? Is there a way to turn off this feature?

23 Answers

157,395

Try storing the key fob further away from the vehicle to see if that is indeed the problem.

4 people found this helpful.
157,395

It is possible that the key fob being too close to the car is causing one of the computers or modules to stay awake. This can run down the battery. A similar thing happens to C6 Corvettes if the FOB is too close to the car. The module stays awake and discharges the battery over a couple of days. To test this put the fob further away from the vehicle or store it in a metal kitchen cook pot with a metal lid on it. Putting the FOB in a metal pot with a metal lid will keep it from communicating with the vehicle.

3 people found this helpful.
157,395

You could also remove the battery from the FOB and try that as a test.

80

I am having the same issue! Been to the dealership 7 times for the same issue. How often is your battery dying?

8 people found this helpful.

Put the fob in a foil lined box. This should reduce the signal considerably.

100

Same problem in my 2014. They replaced the battery. Not sure that was the problem. I can leave the car for a week, then drive it 4 hours, then let it sit overnight and the battery is dead. It's now been to the dealer 6 times, but of course, it is an intermittent problem and doesn't happen every morning (about every other months I find the battery dead). I've done what others have done and have a self help charger. I have to climb over the back seat to get it, and screw with the transmission lock-out. Not an elegant solution. And now it is sometimes so dead that my little self charger can't do it. I guess it's time to change vehicle brands.

9 people found this helpful.
40

Haven’t had my 2018 Santa Fe Sport Ultimate for even a year yet and they just replaced the battery because it didn’t pass testing. Hope this isn’t a chronic thing. Our garage is not close to the house so I wonder if the FOB is actually the problem.

4 people found this helpful.
10

I’m wondering if this is a known problem WHY didn’t the dealership tell me about it one of the times I went in with the problem. Instead of telling me one of the posts was bent and charging me to replace it. I gave up on the battery and bought a new one. Now the same problem with the new one. This is a problem that has been around for long enough they should have found a solution better than put your keys in a pot.

1 people found this helpful.
90

2017 Santa FE. Battery went dead in May of 2019. Had road service jump. Went dead again in October. Dealership said nothing wrong, but next day said it was a bad battery and replaced. A month later the new battery went dead. There is something draining the battery and not the key fob. Most of the people that have seen this problem tell me it more than likely is a bad fuse on the alternator or etac. Both will draw up to 1 amp when car is turned off. Dealership has my car over a week and no solution. Right now it is an expensive piece of garbage. Only good thing it is under warranty so I can keep calling road service to jump at no charge to me, but it is still a pain in the rear.

9 people found this helpful.

Had same issue with 2015 Santa Fe. Started after first year. Took to dealer 4 times and was told the same thing others have posted. Recently the Nav would not load and then car did it again. Had it towed to dealer amd now battery is bad amd they are going to replace the Nav/radio unit. Thank goodness for the extended warranty. We will see if problem solved.

100

I had this problem several years ago (see my post above). The only solution that I found was that I traded in my Santa Fe Sport. What did I trade for? A 2018 Santa Fe Sport. That's how much I like the vehicle. It does exactly what I need. I average 26 mpg city/hwy and get over 20 mpg trailering my 16' boat (about 2,500 lbs.) Pulls it like it wasn't there. Haven't had a single problem since. Hyundai needs increased diagnostic capability to fix occasional gremlins in the system. The inability to fix my first Santa Fe made for an uneasy purchase of a second.

1 people found this helpful.
90

My battery issues began when I lost my signal to Sirius XM radio. Reaquired Sirius when the battery was charged. However over a year the battery went dead 4 times and had to be towed to the dealership. I told them about Sirius and maybe there was a short in the XM antenna but of course they ignored me. I dropped Sirius in December and now the battery has been fine. I have purchased 6 Hyundais now, but this will be my last.

20

My 2015 Santa Fe has had issues since this time last year. Not exactly sure when it started, but one night I was in the garage and suddenly the mirrors opened out. Didn't have keys on me and mirrors usually only operate when keys within couple of metres. Happened again, just the mirrors and Led light but you can't open the door as you would with key in hand. Started monitoring to the point that it's every 2 minutes!! Both sets of keys in Farraday pouches, but only happens in our garage or on driveway. Dealership couldn't find problem, said wouldn't be enough to drain battery but 4 months later it did. Loads of arguments later, their remedy is for us to park down the road, got Head Office involved new battery then came lockdown, had to charge car every time we needed to use it. Now know we have to drive it at least every other day. Asked 2nd opinion of autoelectrician over phone and he said he has had incidents where WiFi security cameras and doorbells have caused interference - our neighbour installed a camera in close proximity to our garage a few months before we noticed the problem.

2 people found this helpful.
10

I have a 2015 Santa Fe Limited Edition (the one with 3rd row seating). We bought this used from Carmax about 2 years ago. 1 year into owning it the battery died with a dead cell so I replaced it at an auto parts store. 6 Months later it died again. Testing showed another dead cell so they replaced for free under warranty. 3 Months later dead again. Again, a dead cell. A few weeks after that it died but no dead cell. Jump starting worked and I bought a jump start backup battery. I took it over to Carmax as that is where my extended warranty is held. They tested everything and it all came back green. I had them keep it hooked up to a monitor for 24 hours to see if something was bleeding off power but they found nothing. That was August 21st and today is September 30th. It died again. I was able to jump start it but I expect it will die at some random future date. My wife and I work from home due to Covid but I drive that car at minimum 3 days a week. I only drive my Lexus once a week and no problems there.

1 people found this helpful.
10

I bought my 2011 Santa FE AWD and every 3 years the battery needs to be replaced. It's a constant problem. By reading the notes above by others, it almost like Hyundai carried the vehicle problems forward into the newer models. Guess I won't be buying another one. The dealership hasn't been able to figure out why it keeps draining. Although I'm told the alternator is working, I'm really questioning whether it's large enough.

1 people found this helpful.

Paul-the battery in my 2021 Palisade went dead about 1-1/2 months after purchase, after trying to charge it at home, and then trying to jump it, I decided to have the warranty people come tow it. However the guy and I decided to try jumping it, but his was too low, so he called for another driver with a fully charged battery jumper. He arrived and the car started. But I decided to call dealer and bring it in. I did, and they changed the battery. Now, 1-1/2 month later, it died again- I couldn't even lock it for being so dead. I jumped it with cables, and immediately lights, inside and out went on; I tried starting it, but it was too weak and would not start. After 15 minutes of jumper cables on, it tried to start, but wouldn't-but the starter motor seemed to be stuck on "ON"; so I got out and removed the cables, and tried again, and it started. I guess I'll see how it goes- hopefully I won't have to go there 6 x's this year like some of you have experienced-but one thing I'm definitely going to do is "carry my cables in the back wherever I go." I'm definitely not fully happy since this has occurred 2 x's in 3 months. I certainly hope they can find the answer. Does anyone know how far the FOB has to be so as to NOT to activate the signal? Mine is 35 feet away from the car.

10

I was having the same problem with my 2016 Santa Fe Sport. After replacing the battery, it still kept happening. Took it to the dealership and they could not figure it out. I traded it in for a 2019 Nissan Frontier. I used to love Hyundai Santa Fe, no more.

1 people found this helpful.
60

Has a direct short to ground killing the battery mine was in the trunk latch

6 people found this helpful.
40

I think I know what the problem is. My Santa Fe battery went flat fairly regularly. I tried everything I know without success. The dealership had it back in a few times, trying all sorts of things. Then, on one occasion, the dealership found out, that if the driver got out of the vehicle and shut the drivers door before the passenger got out and shut the passengers door, the lights would stay on. So, give it a try, and make sure the driver exits last.

4 people found this helpful.

I have had the alternator and battery tested twice both good. Car sits over night and dead battery for the last few days. Haven't tried the fab key removal yet.

10

2014 santa FE XL Platinum - Battery kept draining, dead in the mornings, replaced battery- headlamp out, said that was draining battery, replaced headlamp, still had battery drain- Stereo has been out and not working- found out stock amplifier is out and was draining battery- unplugged amplifier and battery drain problem resolved-now, need to find out about replacing amplifier- stock amp at dealership is $1,500- found one on ebay-$500 Anyone had stereo problems dealing with the amp. Do you have to go back with a stock hyundai amp?

1 people found this helpful.

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