Whats the opposite of a Piston Head?
Discussion
Whatever it is, I'm the exact opposite. I know practically nothing about cars, which is why I'm turning to all of you for your thoughts!
I'll try to keep this as brief as possible, but in July 2022 we purchased a Hyundai Tuscon (automatic). It was second hand and it had been driven for around 19,000 miles at the time we took ownership.
In August 2023 (ie one year and one month later), my other half was trying to reverse out of a supermarket parking space, and the car wouldn't reverse at all. The car then needed to be towed home. The mileage at this time was around 23,000. We'd had no problems at all until this point.
I spoke to Hyundai and they agreed to collect the car from my house and tow it to their local dealership for repairs. This was in early September.
The dealership wasn't able to even look at the car until mid October due to their heavy workload.
It wasn't until late December when the dealership told me that the fault couldn't be repaired, that the entire gearbox needed to be changed, and that they'd applied to Hyundai for permission to replace the gearbox under warranty, because the warranty doesn't expire until 2025.
Its now mid-January - 5 months after the car wouldn't reverse - and one month since the dealer applied to Hyundai for the warranty work to be approved. Hyundai is indeed replying to the dealership, but instead of coming back with a yes or no, they keep coming up with new questions in an apparent attempt to delay and delay and delay.
My question is this: is it even remotely possible, just by driving a car, to completely wreck an automatic transmission, or does this sound like a manufacturing issue? Because we're in a panic about the financial side of things. We added only around 4,000 miles to the car over a 13 month period, and at 23,000 miles, its still more or less a brand new car. We've had it fully serviced according to Hyundai requirements and we've had no accidents in the vehicle or anything like that, so I'm really just asking for gut feelings as to whether its even possible that we broke the gearbox?
Obviously, if we'd driven the car in to a brick wall and tried to claim the repairs under warranty, I wouldn't blame Hyundai for laughing in our faces, but for an entire transmission to need to be replaced on such a new car sounds very much like a manufacturing issue to me, but am I right about that?
Many thanks for your thoughts
I'll try to keep this as brief as possible, but in July 2022 we purchased a Hyundai Tuscon (automatic). It was second hand and it had been driven for around 19,000 miles at the time we took ownership.
In August 2023 (ie one year and one month later), my other half was trying to reverse out of a supermarket parking space, and the car wouldn't reverse at all. The car then needed to be towed home. The mileage at this time was around 23,000. We'd had no problems at all until this point.
I spoke to Hyundai and they agreed to collect the car from my house and tow it to their local dealership for repairs. This was in early September.
The dealership wasn't able to even look at the car until mid October due to their heavy workload.
It wasn't until late December when the dealership told me that the fault couldn't be repaired, that the entire gearbox needed to be changed, and that they'd applied to Hyundai for permission to replace the gearbox under warranty, because the warranty doesn't expire until 2025.
Its now mid-January - 5 months after the car wouldn't reverse - and one month since the dealer applied to Hyundai for the warranty work to be approved. Hyundai is indeed replying to the dealership, but instead of coming back with a yes or no, they keep coming up with new questions in an apparent attempt to delay and delay and delay.
My question is this: is it even remotely possible, just by driving a car, to completely wreck an automatic transmission, or does this sound like a manufacturing issue? Because we're in a panic about the financial side of things. We added only around 4,000 miles to the car over a 13 month period, and at 23,000 miles, its still more or less a brand new car. We've had it fully serviced according to Hyundai requirements and we've had no accidents in the vehicle or anything like that, so I'm really just asking for gut feelings as to whether its even possible that we broke the gearbox?
Obviously, if we'd driven the car in to a brick wall and tried to claim the repairs under warranty, I wouldn't blame Hyundai for laughing in our faces, but for an entire transmission to need to be replaced on such a new car sounds very much like a manufacturing issue to me, but am I right about that?
Many thanks for your thoughts

Under normal use and with that kind of mileage and age, it would be very unlikely that you have damaged the gearbox.
It would be possible to damage a gearbox by, for example but not limited to, putting it into reverse or park whilst moving forward at speed, or overheating it holding the car stationary on the brakes and pressing the accelerator whilst in gear for a prolonged period.
Provided the service schedule has been adhered and you've not obviously maltreated the car then I don't think you have anything to fear.
It would be possible to damage a gearbox by, for example but not limited to, putting it into reverse or park whilst moving forward at speed, or overheating it holding the car stationary on the brakes and pressing the accelerator whilst in gear for a prolonged period.
Provided the service schedule has been adhered and you've not obviously maltreated the car then I don't think you have anything to fear.
Robertb said:
Under normal use and with that kind of mileage and age, it would be very unlikely that you have damaged the gearbox.
It would be possible to damage a gearbox by, for example but not limited to, putting it into reverse or park whilst moving forward at speed, or overheating it holding the car stationary on the brakes and pressing the accelerator whilst in gear for a prolonged period.
Provided the service schedule has been adhered and you've not obviously maltreated the car then I don't think you have anything to fear.
Thanks very much It would be possible to damage a gearbox by, for example but not limited to, putting it into reverse or park whilst moving forward at speed, or overheating it holding the car stationary on the brakes and pressing the accelerator whilst in gear for a prolonged period.
Provided the service schedule has been adhered and you've not obviously maltreated the car then I don't think you have anything to fear.
We're both senior citizens and we haven't done any crazy driving, so hopefully it'll work out ok but the whole thing has been very stressful. I never would have believed that it would take 5 months (or longer) to repair a car.Donbot said:
If Hyundai are being difficult I'd be looking to trading standards on this one.
We spoke to Citizens Advice today, and they suggested we speak to the finance company, which we did and they said they'd be liable to pay for the repair if Hyundai refuses to pay, but we'd have to prove that the gearbox was faulty when we bought the car, which we obviously couldn't do because we didn't experience a problem until last August. The dealer seems to agree that it must be a manufacturing fault because there's no sign of us having mistreated the car in any way, but after 5 months, the whole thing is really getting to me.In short, yes, but it's going to have been through constant neglect . Standing on the footbrake in D at the lights, shifting whilst moving from R to D or visa versa instead of coming to a stop before selecting the opposite gear, not getting the gearbox oil and filter replaced when it should be, these are all things that contribute to the shortening of the life of your automatic gearbox. Keeping it in D at the lights is one of the most common mistakes, because the oil heats up and reduces its viscosity, and exceeds the cooling capacity of the oil cooler in the stationary air (if it even has one fitted, some cars don't). This is worse obviously if the car is driven mostly in town/city traffic. A short stop doesn't raise the heat that much, but frequently doing it between lots of short sets of lights will do just as much harm as one long 2 minute stop in D, especially if it's at the end of a long run where the oil has got to optimum temperature on the drive down to the destination.
Other than that, there isn't much other than material defects and chance that harm them. They're much more reliable than they used to be.
Other than that, there isn't much other than material defects and chance that harm them. They're much more reliable than they used to be.
Fwiw if I was in your position I wouldn’t be thinking I’d done anything wrong and would be far more concerned at how long the repair is taking.
Getting spare parts has been an issue generally but given your car is under warranty what are the manufacturer and or dealer doing to keep you mobile whilst yours has been off the road ?
I assume nothing.
If this was a common problem or indeed a recall I could understand that but my advice would be to ask the garage after sales manager and possibly the Dealer Principal ( perhaps email ) when they expect the new transmission to be fitted or alternatively what can they do to keep you mobile ?
Getting spare parts has been an issue generally but given your car is under warranty what are the manufacturer and or dealer doing to keep you mobile whilst yours has been off the road ?
I assume nothing.
If this was a common problem or indeed a recall I could understand that but my advice would be to ask the garage after sales manager and possibly the Dealer Principal ( perhaps email ) when they expect the new transmission to be fitted or alternatively what can they do to keep you mobile ?
Vsix and Vtec said:
In short, yes, but it's going to have been through constant neglect . Standing on the footbrake in D at the lights, shifting whilst moving from R to D or visa versa instead of coming to a stop before selecting the opposite gear, not getting the gearbox oil and filter replaced when it should be, these are all things that contribute to the shortening of the life of your automatic gearbox. Keeping it in D at the lights is one of the most common mistakes, because the oil heats up and reduces its viscosity, and exceeds the cooling capacity of the oil cooler in the stationary air (if it even has one fitted, some cars don't). This is worse obviously if the car is driven mostly in town/city traffic. A short stop doesn't raise the heat that much, but frequently doing it between lots of short sets of lights will do just as much harm as one long 2 minute stop in D, especially if it's at the end of a long run where the oil has got to optimum temperature on the drive down to the destination.
Other than that, there isn't much other than material defects and chance that harm them. They're much more reliable than they used to be.
Thanks very much. We generally use the car just to go to the supermarket and back, and we live in the middle of nowhere so its about an 8 mile trip each way with very few traffic lights. I never keep the car in D when stopped though, and the car was fully serviced (including oil and filter replacement) a month before it broke down, so I dont think any of that is to blame but I really appreciate your input.Other than that, there isn't much other than material defects and chance that harm them. They're much more reliable than they used to be.
AcademyL said:
Thanks very much. We generally use the car just to go to the supermarket and back, and we live in the middle of nowhere so its about an 8 mile trip each way with very few traffic lights. I never keep the car in D when stopped though, and the car was fully serviced (including oil and filter replacement) a month before it broke down, so I dont think any of that is to blame but I really appreciate your input.
Sounds like you've been using the car exactly as Hyundai intended, nothing to place the blame with you. Fingers crossed they stop faffing about and get your car fixed!AcademyL said:
Thanks very much. We generally use the car just to go to the supermarket and back, and we live in the middle of nowhere so its about an 8 mile trip each way with very few traffic lights. I never keep the car in D when stopped though, and the car was fully serviced (including oil and filter replacement) a month before it broke down, so I dont think any of that is to blame but I really appreciate your input.
So do you have the use of another car or have you been car-free for 5 months? If the latter then ask the dealership to provide a courtesy car until yours is fixed.Vsix and Vtec said:
In short, yes, but it's going to have been through constant neglect . Standing on the footbrake in D at the lights, shifting whilst moving from R to D or visa versa instead of coming to a stop before selecting the opposite gear, not getting the gearbox oil and filter replaced when it should be, these are all things that contribute to the shortening of the life of your automatic gearbox. Keeping it in D at the lights is one of the most common mistakes, because the oil heats up and reduces its viscosity, and exceeds the cooling capacity of the oil cooler in the stationary air (if it even has one fitted, some cars don't). This is worse obviously if the car is driven mostly in town/city traffic. A short stop doesn't raise the heat that much, but frequently doing it between lots of short sets of lights will do just as much harm as one long 2 minute stop in D, especially if it's at the end of a long run where the oil has got to optimum temperature on the drive down to the destination.
Other than that, there isn't much other than material defects and chance that harm them. They're much more reliable than they used to be.
No. Leaving the car in drive is what the transmission is designed to do. Other than that, there isn't much other than material defects and chance that harm them. They're much more reliable than they used to be.
Donbot said:
Vsix and Vtec said:
In short, yes, but it's going to have been through constant neglect . Standing on the footbrake in D at the lights, shifting whilst moving from R to D or visa versa instead of coming to a stop before selecting the opposite gear, not getting the gearbox oil and filter replaced when it should be, these are all things that contribute to the shortening of the life of your automatic gearbox. Keeping it in D at the lights is one of the most common mistakes, because the oil heats up and reduces its viscosity, and exceeds the cooling capacity of the oil cooler in the stationary air (if it even has one fitted, some cars don't). This is worse obviously if the car is driven mostly in town/city traffic. A short stop doesn't raise the heat that much, but frequently doing it between lots of short sets of lights will do just as much harm as one long 2 minute stop in D, especially if it's at the end of a long run where the oil has got to optimum temperature on the drive down to the destination.
Other than that, there isn't much other than material defects and chance that harm them. They're much more reliable than they used to be.
No. Leaving the car in drive is what the transmission is designed to do. Other than that, there isn't much other than material defects and chance that harm them. They're much more reliable than they used to be.
AcademyL said:
Whatever it is, I'm the exact opposite. I know practically nothing about cars, which is why I'm turning to all of you for your thoughts!
I'll try to keep this as brief as possible, but in July 2022 we purchased a Hyundai Tuscon (automatic). It was second hand and it had been driven for around 19,000 miles at the time we took ownership.
In August 2023 (ie one year and one month later), my other half was trying to reverse out of a supermarket parking space, and the car wouldn't reverse at all. The car then needed to be towed home. The mileage at this time was around 23,000. We'd had no problems at all until this point.
I spoke to Hyundai and they agreed to collect the car from my house and tow it to their local dealership for repairs. This was in early September.
The dealership wasn't able to even look at the car until mid October due to their heavy workload.
It wasn't until late December when the dealership told me that the fault couldn't be repaired, that the entire gearbox needed to be changed, and that they'd applied to Hyundai for permission to replace the gearbox under warranty, because the warranty doesn't expire until 2025.
Its now mid-January - 5 months after the car wouldn't reverse - and one month since the dealer applied to Hyundai for the warranty work to be approved. Hyundai is indeed replying to the dealership, but instead of coming back with a yes or no, they keep coming up with new questions in an apparent attempt to delay and delay and delay.
My question is this: is it even remotely possible, just by driving a car, to completely wreck an automatic transmission, or does this sound like a manufacturing issue? Because we're in a panic about the financial side of things. We added only around 4,000 miles to the car over a 13 month period, and at 23,000 miles, its still more or less a brand new car. We've had it fully serviced according to Hyundai requirements and we've had no accidents in the vehicle or anything like that, so I'm really just asking for gut feelings as to whether its even possible that we broke the gearbox?
Obviously, if we'd driven the car in to a brick wall and tried to claim the repairs under warranty, I wouldn't blame Hyundai for laughing in our faces, but for an entire transmission to need to be replaced on such a new car sounds very much like a manufacturing issue to me, but am I right about that?
Many thanks for your thoughts
At face value, shocking serviceI'll try to keep this as brief as possible, but in July 2022 we purchased a Hyundai Tuscon (automatic). It was second hand and it had been driven for around 19,000 miles at the time we took ownership.
In August 2023 (ie one year and one month later), my other half was trying to reverse out of a supermarket parking space, and the car wouldn't reverse at all. The car then needed to be towed home. The mileage at this time was around 23,000. We'd had no problems at all until this point.
I spoke to Hyundai and they agreed to collect the car from my house and tow it to their local dealership for repairs. This was in early September.
The dealership wasn't able to even look at the car until mid October due to their heavy workload.
It wasn't until late December when the dealership told me that the fault couldn't be repaired, that the entire gearbox needed to be changed, and that they'd applied to Hyundai for permission to replace the gearbox under warranty, because the warranty doesn't expire until 2025.
Its now mid-January - 5 months after the car wouldn't reverse - and one month since the dealer applied to Hyundai for the warranty work to be approved. Hyundai is indeed replying to the dealership, but instead of coming back with a yes or no, they keep coming up with new questions in an apparent attempt to delay and delay and delay.
My question is this: is it even remotely possible, just by driving a car, to completely wreck an automatic transmission, or does this sound like a manufacturing issue? Because we're in a panic about the financial side of things. We added only around 4,000 miles to the car over a 13 month period, and at 23,000 miles, its still more or less a brand new car. We've had it fully serviced according to Hyundai requirements and we've had no accidents in the vehicle or anything like that, so I'm really just asking for gut feelings as to whether its even possible that we broke the gearbox?
Obviously, if we'd driven the car in to a brick wall and tried to claim the repairs under warranty, I wouldn't blame Hyundai for laughing in our faces, but for an entire transmission to need to be replaced on such a new car sounds very much like a manufacturing issue to me, but am I right about that?
Many thanks for your thoughts

Thanks for the heads-up, will avoid Hyundai in the future.
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