2017 HYUNDAI SONATA PLUG-IN HYBRID Complaints

ON 3/15/2017 AROUND 8AM, I STARTED MY CAR TO LEAVE FOR WORK AND THE CAR SHOWED A WARNING "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM" AND THE CORRESPONDING WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. THE GASOLINE ENGINE ALSO STARTED RIGHT AWAY AND STAYED ON, EVEN THOUGH THE EV BATTERY WAS FULL. THE ENGINE REMAINED ON THROUGHOUT MY COMMUTE TO WORK AND BACK TO HOME IN THE EVENING. I PLUGGED THE CAR IN MY GARAGE FOR CHARGING OVERNIGHT WITH THE TIMER SET TO START THE CHARGING AT 10PM. AROUND 10:45PM, MY WIFE AND I OPENED THE INTERNAL GARAGE DOOR FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE AND IMMEDIATELY SMELLED EXHAUST FUMES AND HEARD THE ENGINE RUNNING. I OPENED THE GARAGE OVERHEAD DOOR RIGHT AWAY AND UNPLUGGED THE CHARGING CABLE WHICH TURNED THE ENGINE OFF. JUST TO BE SURE, I PLUGGED THE CABLE IN AGAIN AND TURNED OFF THE TIMER TO RESTART THE CHARGING IMMEDIATELY. AS SOON AS THE CHARGING STARTED, THE ENGINE CAME ON AND AFTER A FEW SECONDS STARTED REVVING UP ALSO. I IMMEDIATELY UNPLUGGED THE CHARGING CABLE AND ENGINE STOPPED. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER TODAY AND AM WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM THE DEALER. I THINK THIS IS A POTENTIALLY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND HENCE I AM REPORTING IT.

FIRST EXTENDED DRIVE OF NEW CAR, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK IT TO DEALER FOR SERVICE, WAS TOLD I HAD "BAD FUEL" THAT THEY TESTED A SAMPLE AND FOUND E85 (ETHANOL) IN IT, WHICH IS NOT COVERED BY HYUNDAI NEW CAR WARRANTY FOR PLUG-IN HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLES. I PAID $828 TO HAVE FUEL DRAINED AND REPLACED, FUEL INJECTION CLEANING, AND DECARBONIZING AND THROTTLE BODY CLEANING. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT AWAY, BUT TURNED BACK ON A FEW DAYS LATER. AGAIN TOOK IT TO DEALER BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO GET IT TO TURN ON AFTER I LEFT IT, SO RETURNED THE CAR TO ME, NO CHARGE. I HAD ONLY ADDED 87 OCTANE GASOLINE (PER OWNER'S MANUAL RECOMMENDATION) TO MY CAR 3 TIMES PRIOR TO THE FIRST CHECK ENGINE LIGHT EPISODE, AT STATIONS THAT DID NOT SELL E85. DURING SUBSEQUENT CONVERSATION WITH HYUNDAI REP, WAS TOLD MAYBE WATER WAS IN GAS. BUT ENGINE RAN FINE AND I DROVE 100 MILES AFTER LAST GAS FILLUP SO I SUSPECT THERE MAY BE A PROBLEM WITH THE EMISSIONS SENSOR THAT MANIFESTS AS CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WITH RANDOM (INACCURATE) DIAGNOSTIC CODE. I GOT THIS CAR IN CHICAGO, BUT ILLINOIS IS NOT A LOW EMISSIONS VEHICLE STATE, SO THE PLUG-IN HYBRID IS NOT ALLOCATED TO HYUNDAI DEALERS IN ILLINOIS. THE SONATA HYBRID, HOWEVER, IS SOLD HERE BUT I DON'T KNOW IF IT SHARES THE SAME ENGINE/EMISSIONS SENSING SYSTEM AS MY PLUG-IN HYBRID ELECTRIC. DEALER SERVICE DID CHECK FOR OBVIOUS THINGS: GAS CAP, RESETTING THE ENGINE DIAGNOSTIC CHIP. I UNDERSTAND THE 2016 MODEL PHEV IS SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AS MY 2017 MODEL, IN CASE SIMILAR CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ISSUE HAPPENED WITH 2016 CARS.