Does Your Hyundai Need a New Car Battery? 6 Common Signs

May 13, 2021

Like many other devices and appliances in our lives, cars need batteries, and those batteries will start to run out of power as time goes by. The battery in your car actually charges back up as you drive, but even this process has its limits, and when batteries start to die, you might notice a range of warning signs in the way your vehicle operates and behaves. Here are some key signs that your Hyundai needs a new car battery.

1. Warning Lights

We’ll begin with one of the most obvious signs of all: a warning light. If you notice a warning light on your dashboard, you shouldn’t ignore it. The “Check Engine” light can be associated with battery issues, or you may also spot a light shaped like a battery or indicating the letters ALT or GEN.

2. Swelling

Another good visual way to watch out for battery problems is to inspect the battery itself. Lift the hood and take a look. A healthy battery should look like a simple rectangular box, without any strange shapes or swollen areas. Unhealthy or dying batteries, meanwhile, can start to swell up strangely and change shape. These kinds of batteries need to be replaced right away to avoid any further issues.

3. Corrosion

While inspecting your battery, you should also keep an eye out for any patches of corrosion. Corrosion commonly occurs around the connectors of the battery, and it may look like a blue or gray ashy, powdery substance. This is a sign that the battery is leaking, and that corrosion could start to spread around to other components if left untreated.

4. Engine Problems

The battery isn’t just for powering up your car radio and power windows. It also plays a part in getting the engine fired up in the first place, providing much-needed electrical power to the spark plugs. So, when a battery starts to die, you might find that your engine takes longer to get started, or it might randomly stall while you’re out and about on the roads.

5. Headlight Issues

The headlights are among the most important safety features of any vehicle, allowing the driver to see clearly and illuminate the road ahead of them in dark conditions. It’s impossible and illegal to drive without fully functioning headlights, so if you notice your headlights starting to flicker or fail, you need to get the battery checked out as soon as possible.

6. Unreliable Electronics

Along with the headlights, there are several other issues you might notice with the electronic features and accessories in your vehicle when the battery begins to die. The charging ports might suddenly become very slow and unreliable, for example, or the power windows may get stuck in a certain position. Heated seats, sunroofs, GPS devices, and other systems can all be affected when the battery is running low on power.

Driving around with a bad battery isn’t a sensible idea, and the issues mentioned above will only get worse over time. Eventually, the battery will simply die, leaving your car completely unresponsive, and this is why it’s so important to seek professional servicing for your car as soon as you notice any of these warning signs. Contact Crain Hyundai of North Little Rock today for car batteries and other key auto services.

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Crain Hyundai of North Little Rock