I bought my 2015 Santa Fe on May 19 2016 "pre owned". I did not notice that it could not receive AM stations. As soon as I realized it I took the car to my local Hyundai dealer in Virginia Beach VA. I got completely stone walled and they said AM was hard to get in this area (not true), so I took it to the Hyundai dealer in Chesapeake VA and they said it was the radio and it needed to be replaced at a cost of $1400. Both dealers encouraged me to subscribe to Sirius radio as the previous owners had done. I have been taking portable radio with me in the car to get AM. I tell everybody why.
I want AM radio to get local news and I feel like this is a defect in the car and Hyundai should come clean about it. I get no help from the local dealers. I used to have a Toyota and I know I would not have been treated this way by Toyota.
It's inconceivable a $40,000. car can be sold with a bad antenna that can only get 1 AM & 3 FM stations and no one discovered it until sold. It's been over a month since reported & examined by the Hyundai dealer who sold it to me (Paid cash). The new antenna is due in next week (one month & 2 days time). Evidently takes that long to acquire one and paint it to match the car (color matched rooftop shark fin antenna)
Sirius Satellite Radio reception was OK... just the AM/FM. They said no one listens to AM radio anyway. Tell that to my wife.
Other than that the car is incredible in every respect ... especially the turbo engine.
Update from Mar 16, 2017: Problem was resolved after a total time of 3 months. Turns out the antenna was NOT the problem... it was the main
antenna wire connector loose/damaged in the vicinity of the front windshield. Replacing this cable allowed the car to
receive AM stations although poorly. The Hyundai only got 10 stations where my Honda CRV and Toyota pickup
both received more than 20 stations Why was their initial diagnosis so flawed ? (Poor troubleshooting) They even
lied once & suggested they fixed the problem when they did NOT. I did see an AD in the newspaper afterwards for
a master mechanic at the dealership in question. I also saw articles on the net that Hyundai AM radio reception,
in general, was substandard with the rest of industry. Coming up on 2 years now the car is perfect at 9,000 miles.
- wildman327,
Hopwood, PA, US
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I bought my 2015 Santa Fe on May 19 2016 "pre owned". I did not notice that it could not receive AM stations. As soon as I realized it I took the car to my local Hyundai dealer in Virginia Beach VA. I got completely stone walled and they said AM was hard to get in this area (not true), so I took it to the Hyundai dealer in Chesapeake VA and they said it was the radio and it needed to be replaced at a cost of $1400. Both dealers encouraged me to subscribe to Sirius radio as the previous owners had done. I have been taking portable radio with me in the car to get AM. I tell everybody why.
I want AM radio to get local news and I feel like this is a defect in the car and Hyundai should come clean about it. I get no help from the local dealers. I used to have a Toyota and I know I would not have been treated this way by Toyota.
- marjon, Virginia Beach, VA, US