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Hyundai/Kia to correct overstated fuel economy claims of MY 2012 and 2013 models as result of EPA investigation

Hyundai Motor America and Kia Motors America will reduce their fuel economy (mpg) ratings for a number of 2011-13 model year models in showrooms after EPA testing found discrepancies between agency results and data submitted by the company. The changes affect the fuel economy ratings for approximately 900,000, or 35% of, 2011-13 model year vehicles sold through 31 October 2012.

The fuel economy rating discrepancies resulted from procedural errors during “coastdown” testing at the companies’ joint testing operations in Korea, according to the automakers. Coastdown testing simulates aerodynamic drag, tire rolling resistance and drivetrain frictional losses and provides the technical data used to program the test dynamometers that generate EPA fuel economy ratings. With the changes, the 2012 Hyundai/Kia fleet fuel economy level is reduced by an average of 3%—from 27 to 26 mpg US.

The auto companies have submitted to the EPA a plan for cars currently on dealer lots to be re-labeled with new window stickers reflecting the corrected mileage estimates. The mileage on most vehicle labels will be reduced by 1 to 2 mpg; the largest adjustment will be 6 mpg highway for the Kia Soul. The Sonata Hybrid will see a reduction of 1 mpg.

Both companies are putting in place a reimbursement program for affected current and former vehicle owners to cover the additional fuel costs associated with the fuel economy rating change. Customers will receive a personalized debit card that will reimburse them for their difference in the EPA combined fuel economy rating, based on the fuel price in their area and their own actual miles driven. In addition, as an acknowledgement of the inconvenience this may cause, the companies are adding an extra 15% to the reimbursement amount. Current owners will be able to refresh their debit card for as long as they own the vehicle. Prior owners of affected vehicles who have already sold their cars will also be reimbursed using the same formula.

[For more information about reimbursement and a complete list of eligible vehicles, customers can visit www.HyundaiMPGinfo.com and www.KiaMPGinfo.com.]

EPA’s audit testing occasionally uncovers individual vehicles whose label values are incorrect and requires that the manufacturer re-label the vehicle. This has happened twice since 2000. This is the first time where a large number of vehicles from the same manufacturer have deviated so significantly, EPA said.

At its National Vehicle and Fuel Emission Laboratory (NVFEL) in Ann Arbor, Mich., EPA routinely tests 150 to 200 vehicles per year—about 15% of the possible vehicle configurations—to ensure that their performance matches the mileage and emissions data required to be submitted to EPA by automakers.

This auditing helps to ensure that vehicles on the road meet tailpipe emission standards to protect public health and the environment and that all carmakers follow the same procedures for calculating mileage estimates. EPA conducts both random and targeted audits, based on factors such as consumer complaints.

EPA had received a number of consumer complaints about Hyundai mileage estimates. Through the agency’s ongoing audit program, staff experts at EPA’s NVFEL observed discrepancies between results from EPA testing of a MY2012 Hyundai Elantra and information provided to EPA by Hyundai. The agency expanded its investigation into data for other Hyundai and Kia vehicles, leading to the announcement.

Hyundai - Kia MY 2013 Fuel Economy Label Changes
Manuf. Carline Model City FE (mpg) Hwy FE (mpg)
old new Δ old new Δ
Hyundai Accent Automatic 30 28 -2 40 37 -3
Manual 30 28 -2 40 37 -3
Azera 3.3L Automatic 20 20 0 30 29 -1
Elantra 1.8 L Automatic 29 28 -1 40 38 -2
1.8 L Manual 29 28 -1 40 38 -2
1.8 L Blue Automatic 30 28 -2 40 38 -2
1.8 L GT Automatic 28 27 -1 39 37 -2
1.8 L GT Manual 27 26 -1 39 37 -2
Elantra Coupe Automatic 28 27 -1 39 37 -2
Elantra Coupe Manual 28 28 -1 40 38 -2
Genesis 5.0 L Automatic 17 17 0 26 25 -1
5.0 L R-Spec Automatic 16 16 0 25 25 0
3.8 L Automatic 19 18 -1 29 28 -1
Santa Fe 2.4 L Sport Automatic 4wd 21 20 -1 28 26 -2
2.4 L Sport Automatic 2wd 22 21 -1 33 29 -4
2.0 L Sport Automatic 4wd 20 19 -1 27 24 -3
2.0 L Sport Automatic 2wd 21 20 -1 31 27 -4
Tucson 2.4L Automatic 4wd 21 20 -1 28 27 -1
2.4L Automatic 2wd 22 21 -1 32 30 -2
2.4L Manual 4wd 20 19 -1 27 25 -2
2.4L Manual 2wd 21 20 -1 29 27 -2
2.0L Automatic 2wd 23 22 -1 31 29 -2
2.0L Manual 2wd 20 20 0 27 26 -1
Veloster Automatic 29 28 -1 40 37 -3
Manual 28 27 -1 40 37 -3
Turbo Automatic 25 24 -2 34 31 -3
Turbo Manual 26 24 -2 38 35 -3
Kia Rio Automatic 30 28 -2 40 36 -4
Manual 30 29 -1 40 37 -3
Eco Automatic 31 30 -1 40 36 -4
Sorento 2.4 L Automatic 4wd SIDI 21 20 -1 28 26 -2
2.4 L Automatic 2wd SIDI 22 21 -1 32 30 -2
Soul 1.6 L Soul Eco 29 27 -2 36 31 -5
1.6 L Soul Automatic 27 25 -2 35 30 -5
1.6 L Soul Manual 27 25 -2 35 30 -5
2.0 L Soul Eco 27 24 -3 35 29 -6
2.0 L Soul Automatic 26 23 -3 34 28 -6
2.0 L Soul Manual 26 24 -2 34 29 -5
Sportage 2.4 L Automatic 4wd 21 20 -1 28 27 -1
2.4 L Automatic 2wd 22 21 -1 32 30 -2
2.4 L Manual 4wd 20 19 -1 27 25 -2
2.4 L Manual 2wd 21 20 -1 29 27 -2
2.0 L Automatic 2wd 22 21 -1 29 28 -1
2.0 L Automatic 4wd 21 20 -1 26 25 -1

 

Hyundai - Kia MY 2012 Fuel Economy Label Changes
Manuf. Carline Model City FE (mpg) Hwy FE (mpg)
old new Δ old new Δ
Hyundai Accent 1.8 L Automatic 30 28 -2 40 37 -3
1.8 L Manual 30 28 -2 40 37 -3
Azera 3.3L Automatic 20 20 0 29 28 -1
Elantra 1.8 L Automatic 29 28 -1 40 38 -2
1.8 L Manual 29 28 -1 40 38 -2
Genesis 5.0 L Automatic 17 17 0 26 25 -1
4.6 L Automatic 17 16 -1 26 25 -1
5.0 L R-Spec Automatic 16 16 0 25 25 0
3.8 L Automatic 19 18 -1 29 28 -1
Sonata Hybrid 35 34 -1 40 39 -1
Tucson 2.4L Automatic 4wd 21 20 -1 28 27 -1
2.4L Automatic 2wd 22 21 -1 32 30 -2
2.4L Manual 4wd 20 19 -1 27 25 -2
2.4L Manual 2wd 21 20 -1 29 27 -2
2.0L Automatic 2wd 23 22 -1 31 29 -2
2.0L Manual 4wd 20 20 0 27 26 -1
Veloster Automatic 29 27 -2 38 35 -3
Manual 28 27 -1 40 37 -3
Kia Optima Hybrid 35 34 -1 40 39 -1
Rio Automatic 30 28 -2 40 36 -4
Manual 30 29 -1 40 37 -3
Sorento 2.4 L Automatic 4wd SIDI 21 20 -1 28 26 -2
2.4 L Automatic 2wd SIDI 22 21 -1 32 30 -2
Soul 1.6 L Soul Eco 29 26 -3 36 31 -5
1.6 L Soul Automatic 27 25 -2 35 29 -6
1.6 L Soul Manual 27 25 -2 35 30 -5
2.0 L Soul Eco 27 24 -3 35 29 -6
2.0 L Soul Automatic 26 23 -3 34 28 -6
2.0 L Soul Manual 26 24 -2 34 29 -5
Sportage 2.4 L Automatic 4wd 21 20 -1 28 27 -1
2.4 L Automatic 2wd 22 21 -1 32 30 -2
2.4 L Manual 4wd 20 19 -1 27 25 -2
2.4 L Manual 2wd 21 20 -1 29 27 -2
2.0 L Automatic 2wd 22 21 -1 29 28 -1
2.0 L Automatic 4wd 21 20 -1 26 25 -1

Comments

Gorr

Unfortunatelly, building a gasoline engine that is tune for high mpg cost more and it put more stress on the crankshaft, transmission gears, pistons, connecting rods, etc. As soon as a sensor goes bad or the engine wearout a little bit , then things goes bad even more. I suspect that the engine controller can retard the timing of the ignition and enrich the air-fuel ratio as the engine get old to lower the combustion temperature and help the engine cope with the harsh climate and always changing speeds.

The more i drive new cars the more i notice hiccups on acceleration, vibration, difficult start on stop signs, difficulty to maintain constant speed on highway, difficulty in ajusting the gas pedal on downhill or uphill, difficult gear change and harsh gear change in transmissions, imprecise gas pedal, some lean surge in traffic.

I decided then to keep my 2005 dodge neon until it goes to the extrem of his live and avoid buying a newer car badly tune for high mpg reasons and that cost a lot. Even my 2005 neon is badly tune but i noticed newer cars are even worst.

Now the market is this. Costly and polluting gasoline with vibrating and harsh cars and overprice and under-performing electric cars with very difficult and long recharge time.

Nick Lyons

I always look at Consumer Reports mileage tests, which seem to be much more real-world. Honda seems to consistently do better than most on these tests.

Brotherkenny4

I get 35 MPG in a Hyundai that has an EPA rating of 27 MPG. Maybe the EPA cycle takes into account that people drive in a dumb and aggressive fashion. Oil and gas are extremely inexpensive because people still have the ability to be wasteful and ignorant.

litesong

Altho Hyundai seems to have been caught, one way to increase mpg without changing driving habits is to use 100% pure(ethanol-free) gasoline..... as the EPA, itself, uses to determine EPA mpg ratings.
My personal total mpg averages break the EPA highway figures with 10% ethanol blends. However, my averages using 100% pure gasoline, really bust the EPA ratings, averaging 5% to 8+% better mpg than 10% ethanol blends. Engines run smoother, quieter & with a bit extra low end torque.

Tho stations selling 100% gasoline have increased over 10% during the last year or so, most all stations in large cities do NOT dispense 100% pure gasoline.

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