Hyundai Emission Test Failed

I bought a 2002 Sonata V6 with 60k mile on it, on Monday May 14, 2007
from a dealer. The car did not have an inspection sticker on it, the
dealer guaranteed the NJ state inspection.

After buying the car, I took it straight to the Inspection facility
(drove it around 40 miles) and the car failed the inspection. The
results said
Catalytic converter - Not Ready - Fail
Evaporative System - Not ready - Fail

I called the dealer back and told him that the car failed inspection,
he said that I should not have taken to the inspection center straight
away, as the car was sitting in the lot for 6 months and I should
have driven it for a while (he had not mentioned anything like this
before the deal and I had made it clear that I would do so). The
dealer says drive it for a week and it will all be clean and then
bring the car to him and he will get it inspected.

I have 4 questions.

1. Is it possible that the car was sitting in the parking lot for 6
months and if I take it for inspection after a drive of around 50
miles, the catalytic converter and evaporative system can fail the
test because of the car not being used for a while?
2. I am worried that when I take it back to the dealer, he might take
it to a facility that he knows and get it passed erroneously and then
the next time I take it to the Inspection center it will fail again.
What can I do here?
3. If I take my car to the inspection center and it fails again, what
will happen then?
4. Can I drive the car with the Rejected sticker?

Please advice

Thanks

 

Wow, I think I'd be perturbed. 40 miles seems long enough to come up to
temperature. I don't nknow what the state laws are, but I'm guessing you
could take it straight back to the dealer for refund/fix....don't let this
slide, he's got your money and you have a mooring.

 

No big deal!!! They probably installed a new battery. When you disconnect
the battery, the OBD II system is reset. Or maybe they did some work on it
and reset all the codes to see if they came back. The not ready means that
it has not been driven long enough after a reset for the OBD to build a data
base to determine if everything is OK. The dealer is correct, just drive it
a week and all should be all OK. The ready status(s) can easily be checked
with a scanner. As far as driving with a rejection sticker, what did the
inspection station tell YOU?

 

wrote in

No, but it is possible that they changed the battery (or disconnected it
while storing it). That would cause the errors you received. Just one
possibility though.

Passing the car erroneously is obviously illegal in NJ. If they pass it
and you take it again and fail, they could be in a heap of trouble.
With that said, if it does pass, you get 2 years to drive it in NJ
before you need to have it inspected again.

You have 30 days to fix the problem...failing again doesn't cause any
issues. You still have 30 days from the original to fix the problem.
And under certain conditions, you can get a 30 day extension beyond that
with the proper proof.

Absolutely!!! See above. There are certain cases when they can pull
the vehicle from the road, but they would do that on the spot, and only
after all of your alloted repair time has expired.

Just out of curiosity, where do you live in NJ that you have to drive 40
miles for an inspection station??? You must be in far South Jersey.

Eric

 

He's correct. I disconnected my battery, failed inspection because certain
components were not ready and had to drive for days for the OBD to reset. I
have a 2000 Sonata.

 

Many states give the consumer 3 days to return a car after the sale.
Maybe that is why your dealer wnats you to drive the car for a week so
that you are beyond the time when you can return the car. I would get
a written extension from the dealer on this deadline or return the car
to the dealer. Let HIM drive it for one week and prove to you it will
pass inspection.

 

Most of the posters here are on the money. The issue isn't so much that
there's a problem with the car than that the car's engine control module
(ECM) hasn't had time to fully check everything necessary for it to pass
emissions (hence the "not ready" term). The evaporative, EGR, and
converter tests typically take the longest to run. Your local Hyundai
dealer can command the evap test with their scan tool. You don't have
EGR. And the car will need to be driven for a while for the converter
test to pass.

 

I too have a similar problem. I have a 2001 Hyunda
Sonanta V6. I recently done a o2 sensor repair as i had the chec
engine light ON. After the repair, the light went away. And i too
the car after a few days to the DMV for inspection. It failed due t
OBD not ready and couple other things not ready. They asked me t
drive a bit more, as the system may not be ready. so we drove fo
about a week and close to 400 miles. Take it back and still th
system is not ready. I have done this 3 times. and the car has faile
3 times until now. I alled the dealer and he says he cant get the ca
in for repair as it has a red rejected sticker. Its against the law
So i am kinda stuck not knowing what is wrong or where and how to fi
it.

can anyone suggest?

ps. - i got the check engine light once after the repair, but it wen
off by itself. If the system is not ready due to this reason, i
should have shown some codes, etc. Please help

 

WTF??? I though dealers were supposed to fix cars that failed emissions.
What state do you live in?

Does he expect you to toss the car because it failed? I'd try an
independent garage unless it is under warranty. Check to read what the
warrany is for emissions controls.

 

Double what Edwin says.

If the lamp came back on, you should have a trouble code present, even if
it went back out, unless you've been driving for a while. Reread the
trouble codes to see what you have.

Also query your local Hyundai dealer to see if there are any open recalls
on your vehicle. It may qualify for a free oxygen sensor replacement
and/or ECM reprogramming that could address your issue. If you give your
local dealer your VIN, they should tell you whether there are any open
recalls. If you have difficulty with this, call Hyundai Consumer Affairs
(800-633-5151) and ask them to check whether there are any open recalls
(or campaigns) on your vehicle.

 

As I recall the OP said he/she was from NJ. It is not illegal to DRIVE or
FIX the car with a red rejection sticker on it in NJ***. The dealer is
LYING to you. Now is the time to force the dealer to take the car back and
be done with it. Buy from someone else.

*** OK, technically it CAN BE ILLEGAL to drive with a red rejection sticker
in NJ but only because YOU DON'T HAVE A VALID REGISTRATION OR INSURANCE
CARD. If your registration and insurance is valid, the dealer is full of
crap.

Eric

 

Is there a DRIVE Cycle that I can follow to get the OBD completed? The
one that I got from the web is very complicated and i am not sure if i
will do it in my regular driving as well. Why is it so difficult to
get this thing done. There should be an easy way out. Is this thing
limited to Hyundai only or is it the same for all.

 

Are you talking about the one on the hmaservice.com web site? Looks like
that could be done on a back road with light traffic in just a very short
time. Once warmed up, it is just driving 0-55, then 55-2, idle, then a
series of 40 - 50 runs.

If you have not done so by this time, I'd suggest you go back to the dealer
and demand he get the car passed through emissions. You may want to check
local laws, it may even be his responsibility in order to sell the car.
Just drop it off one morning, tell him you'll be back later for the car with
a current sticker or a refund of your money. Check to see if your gonads
are functioning correctly and just do it.

 

My car finally passed inspection .. I had to drive it for 500 miles
but everything came as ready

Thanks to everyone for helping