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What could cause the check engine light to come on in a Hyundai Tucson?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as simple as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Still, the check engine light could also be a warning of a serious 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 significant trouble and helpful service is necessary expeditiously. If your check engine light is flashing in your Hyundai Tucson, we extremely endorse not to drive the car and schedule Hyundai service today. Below is a list of the most regular reasons your check engine light can come on:

  • Your Hyundai Tucson has a vacuum leak. Each Hyundai Tucson has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system again helps lower adverse 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.
  • Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or other item can wreak extreme havoc on your Hyundai Tucson if it’s not installed correctly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even limit the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound familiar, bring your Tucson to Hyundai and have our team of talented certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed perfectly and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, especially aftermarket parts and accessories, or utilizing OEM parts first place might cost a little bit more but could help you save considerably from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
  • 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 promptly and your vehicle will be less efficient when it comes to fuel economy. So what results if I don’t replace your O2 sensor? A defective sensor can not only affect your miles per gallon, but it can cause significant damage to your catalytic converter and your Hyundai Tucson's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to determine the absolutely appropriate combination of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A defective O2 sensor can again cause a vehicle to fail an emissions test.
  • Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your Hyundai Tucson’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's function is to turn the carbon monoxide created by the combustion process into carbon dioxide. A broken catalytic converter is ordinarily caused by regularly neglected maintenance, which is why Larry H. Miller Hyundai Peoria offers a complimentary multi-point examination with each Hyundai service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your Hyundai Tucson will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your vehicle may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause other perilous problems from overheating.
  • The battery is low or dead. The battery in your Hyundai Tucson is each essential. Without a vehicle battery, your vehicle won’t start, light up the road ahead, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s vehicle 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.
  • One of the most typical and frequent cause is that your Hyundai Tucson gas cap is loose, broken or missing. The gas cap for your Hyundai Tucson serves various purposes. It prevents dangerous gas fumes from being released when you aren't driving, it seals the fuel system and helps control pressure within the fuel tank. What results if you have a defective 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 costly. Luckily, to replace a gas cap isn't expensive. If your check engine light turns on swiftly after you put gas in your Hyundai Tucson, 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.
  • New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are needed for your Hyundai Tucson. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel combination 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 evident poor performance and decreased power. In some extreme cases, your engine will have trouble starting or continuing to run. Worn spark plugs and plug wires can cause blocked catalytic converter or damage to ignition coils and O2 sensors, leading to more expensive repairs.
  • Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Hyundai Tucson is what determines how much fuel is needed 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 Tucson is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a sudden quick change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a vital sign of a defective mass airflow sensor.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your Hyundai Tucson will usually shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is fixed. For example, if the cause of your check engine light coming on was a loose gas cap, if it's tightened, the light will quickly turn itself off. Again, if your catalytic converter is working correctly, 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 Tucson 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 Hyundai Peoria so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

Hyundai Tucson 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 several common causes including something as simple as a loose gas cap. Other usually common reasons for a Check Engine Light are faulty head gasket, defective emissions control part, dirty mass airflow sensor, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, broken oxygen sensor, or broken 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 required 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 totally fixed.

Every Hyundai Tucson was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its critical systems. The fast sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending essential 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. Nevertheless, unfortunately that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what explicitly is wrong nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Larry H. Miller Hyundai Peoria provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Exceedingly Qualified Service professional.

Check Engine Light Service Hyundai Tucson

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Hyundai Tucson and suddenly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Hyundai owners, your heart sinks extremely because you may have definitely 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, calm breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t mean you have to pull the vehicle over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is recommended that you get your Hyundai Tucson checked expeditiously. Ignoring that warning could end up causing significant, considerable damage to expensive engine components.

When your Hyundai Tucson's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t right, 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 expeditiously 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 Hyundai Peoria. There are again a number of comparatively inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you select 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 absolutely appropriate issue and repair it.

Is it safe to drive your Hyundai Tucson with the check engine light on?

If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a serious issue and it is advised to service your Hyundai Tucson swiftly. 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 typically indicated by a steady glow of the check engine light. If you notice a difference in the performance of the vehicle, it could be an indication of a more serious problem. Call the experts at Larry H. Miller Hyundai Peoria by dialing 6232446778 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and bring your Hyundai to our certified mechanics as soon as possible.

How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?

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 proper code reading and diagnosis. The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is ordinarily between $88 and $111. The good news, Larry H. Miller Hyundai Peoria offers entirely complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to assist determine the cause of your check engine light.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most normally misunderstood lights or indicators in your Hyundai Tucson is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the essential onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a variety 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 a variety of things for your Hyundai Tucson. 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 wide range 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 Tucson, contact Larry H. Miller Hyundai Peoria. Contact Larry H. Miller Hyundai Peoria today! 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.

Hyundai Tucson Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating, exceptionally 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, still known as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your Tucson. There are hundreds of different codes that your check engine light can correctly represent. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling basic diagnostics will give you advantageous knowledge about your vehicle and will still allow that vital Check Engine Light to do what it is genuinely supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, obvious and helpful vehicle symptoms do not repeatedly accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of likely OBD codes, there are still hundreds of likely reasons for the light, including:

  • Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
  • Transmission issues
  • Fuel and air metering systems problems
  • Bad Spark Plugs
  • O2 Sensor
  • Computer output circuit issues
  • Ignition system faults
  • Emissions controls issues
  • Old Battery

This is why it is important for someone who does not have a lot of predominant automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. Call Larry H. Miller Hyundai Peoria at 6232446778 today or schedule your check engine light service online today! When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out expeditiously by a skillful certified Hyundai mechanic. If the engine light comes on due to a serious concern, you risk damaging your vehicle further by not repairing the issue right away.

Hyundai Tucson Check Engine Light

If the check engine light in your Hyundai Tucson starts flashing, that means that the problem needs attention immediately and your Hyundai should be brought in swiftly. A flashing light reveals that the problem is very serious and if not taken care of immediately may result in significant and meaningful damage to the vehicle. This blinking light usually reveals a severe engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can immediately raise the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is likely, requiring an pricey and huge 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 invariably flashing, please contact our team of automotive experts at Larry H. Miller Hyundai Peoria instantly by calling 6232446778. 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 costly repair.

How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?

If you check engine light is flashing, we recommend that you pull over and contact Larry H. Miller Hyundai Peoria to support determine if your car is secure to drive in or if we recommend a tow truck. The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced. Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is usually difficult to predict how many miles you can be secure in driving with the warning light on.