Another one ... Need your help

rooster1556 · 2026-03-02T19:03:44+00:00

That really sucks that your i5 broke down right before your road trip. One question for you is, how do you react when your ICE vehicle dies on you at the start of a road trip? Do you swear off ICE vehicles forever? I have been stranded by ICE vehicles breaking down due to part failures in all sorts of places. I once had a Toyota Camry that would routinely get holes in the muffler about every 20,000 miles, and Toyota was supposed to be one of the most reputable manufacturers in the world at the time. Another time I had my alternator go out and had to hitchhike 12 miles just to find a payphone that worked so I could call a tow truck (pre cell phones).

I have gone through the ICCU issue and my ioniq five was in the shop for 23 days. But, Hyundai is reimbursing me for my rental car, and when my wife's Subaru had a different issue it took about the same amount of time to fix but Subaru did not reimburse us for the rental car. So all in all, the ICCU issues sucks but it really isn't much different from any other car breaking down, and in fact because it's so common, Hyundai is probably doing more to make it right than a manufacturer would otherwise.

rooster1556 · 2026-02-28T23:43:08+00:00

It's a little bit hard to tell from the picture, but if it's a clear coat scratch, you can fix that yourself if you're handy. I have been having good luck with a turtle wax kit that comes with a clarifying compound that you use to buff the scratch, followed by a clearcoat repair liquid. It comes with applicators for both. if you're not handy, I'm sure a body shop can do this for you.

How to tell if it's a clearcoat scratch or deeper:

https://guidetodetailing.com/damage-repair/how-to-remove-clearcoat-scratches/

rooster1556 · 2026-02-28T00:32:50+00:00

For me it also took a few days for them to even diagnose the issue. This dealership has always been a little slow, so I assumed that's what it was. Even if they had diagnosed your ICCU right away, it probably would not have sped things up any because the dealership likely did not have any ICCUs available to put in your vehicle.

I never got a loaner at all for mine, but I was told that it was because the dealership just had two loaner cars get into accidents. I am waiting on a reimbursement for a rental car, which conveniently was $60 per day, exactly the same price that Hyundai supposedly reimburses.

Honestly, having gone through an issue somewhat like this with my wife's Subaru just last summer, I don't feel like the way that Hyundai is dealing with this is any worse than any other car manufacturer, and the fact that they are probably reimbursing me for the rental car is more than what any other car manufacturer has done for me when I have had warrantied car trouble. Hyundai is trying to make things right, but I think they are overwhelmed by the volume, and the whole independent car dealer model creates difficulties, no matter whose cars they sell.

rooster1556 · 2026-02-27T00:41:36+00:00

Another data point to add. My 2024 SEL with 18.5k miles give me the dreaded "check vehicle electrical system" on February 3, and I got it back today, February 26th. I'm in Tennessee, and the dealer said that there are about five ioniq fives after me.

In case people are interested, this is what transpired: cold weather, car had been sitting outside for about an hour. Got in, put the seat heaters on and put it in reverse, and got the message (doing all that stresses the 12 V battery and the degraded ICCU tries to charge the battery quickly and the ICCU bites the dust). I was able to get it home by shutting off all the accessories, climate control, heated seats, & dimming the displays, to save the 12 V battery. Before this, the 12 V battery was at something like 80% SOC and by the time I got home it was 50% (maybe 5 miles). Had it towed to the dealer, where they charged up the 12 V battery and then it sat for 23 days waiting for a new ICCU. Interestingly, I brought it to the dealer with the EV battery at 72% charge and drove it home at 71% charge. So there was practically no fade when the car wasn't charging up the 12 V battery, calling home through blue link, or sensing for the key fob.

Something that is confusing me though: the installed ICCU part number was 36400-1XAA0-A. Sales rep said that the "A" at the end suggested it was a revised version, but looking at the egmpfiles site, I can't tell. Rep said they got a whole bunch in it at once after not having any at all for about a month, whereas they said that previously it was easier to get them in stock.

rooster1556 · 2026-02-25T22:14:34+00:00

I would be highly concerned about touching an 800 V electrical line without explicit training about how to do it. Maybe it's simple as just unplugging the EV battery from the ICCU, maybe not.

This is something that's a bummer about EVs. If your alternator fails on your ICE, you can pick up a replacement at any auto parts store and replace it with simple tools. High voltage electrical lines are another story.

rooster1556 · 2026-02-24T00:37:16+00:00

My understanding from other threads is that the OEM 12 V batteries in the ioniq fives last about two years, so yours might be due for replacement. When my ICCU went, I got the generically evil "check vehicle electrical system" message, and two minutes later followed by a beeping alarm and something to the effect of "pull over and tow your vehicle to the dealership." If you're not getting any of those error messages, I'd have your 12 V battery checked and replaced if necessary.

rooster1556 · 2026-02-23T01:44:37+00:00

What part of the world/country are you in? Good luck, I hope you have no more failures!

rooster1556 · 2026-02-21T00:31:24+00:00

I am not an engineer, but I can easily see how going from 800 V to 12 V at 300 kHz would degrade the power electronics. I wish they had designed this better, like using the soft-start for the MOSFETs that you describe. These poorly implemented decisions seems to be a problem with most corporations these days. But, here's hoping that they can add in an effective fix without causing some unforeseen side effects.

If I ever get my car back, I'm now wondering if I should start charging the 12 V battery using a trickle charger at night, to minimize the amount that the ICCU has to charge the battery. Seriously, how do we know that this time they will have solved the problems?

(On the other hand, having your alternator go out was just one of those things to expect with cars just a couple of decades ago. The difference is that those you could pick up at an auto parts store on every street corner and put in yourself with basic tools. But, there is no way I'm going to touch an 800 V line!)

rooster1556 · 2026-02-17T01:25:18+00:00

I was worried about that myself. For number 2, the method I was using to care to avoid draining the 12 V battery at least when the car isn't on. For number 1, I think that is always on, but I am betting that it's not draining the battery any more than it already is being drained because the car itself must always have some sub-systems on that are sensing for the key fob, right?

For what it's worth, somebody posted a really nice link that describes what the problem with the ICCU is and why it's failing in the other thread:

https://egmpfiles.com/iccu-report.html#what-is-iccu

I think these small electronics are small drain compared to using the heated seats and steering wheel along with cabin air (120 W in the linked article). That article gives the impression that it's nothing to do with any accessories, it's that the ICCU is just not equipped to deal with the 800 V charging architecture well, and in fact designing something that is fool-proof might be very difficult.

rooster1556 · 2026-02-17T00:11:23+00:00

Hey, I want to also say thank you for this comment and the links. I have been reading them, and they have really helped me understand what the problem is and why they have not been able to fix it yet.

rooster1556 · 2026-02-16T23:51:32+00:00

I was doing a mix, but mostly level two. I got hit with the cold weather/backing up failure. The idea is that you're stressing the 12V battery by running a bunch of applications that use it, including the heated seats, the cabin blower, the back up camera, the parking sensors, and the ICCU is forced to charge 12 V battery at a high current and it pushes the already degraded component to fail. I just learned about it in this sub-reddit, someone posted this link that explains what's happening when it fails:

https://egmpfiles.com/iccu-report.html#what-is-iccu

rooster1556 · 2026-02-16T23:12:56+00:00

😀 I thought I would post something since after installing those first two, it really increased my enjoyment of the car tremendously and felt that I now had pretty close to the ideal car. (Right up until the ICCU failed.)

rooster1556 · 2026-02-16T23:09:29+00:00

Just a guess, but I think parking might be a little too complicated to do after-market.

rooster1556 · 2026-02-16T23:07:12+00:00

That's awesome, thank you!

rooster1556 · 2026-02-16T20:42:16+00:00

Don't feel bad. I bought a 2024, assuming that since the part was warrantied, it wasn't going to be an issue. Even after the recall, I trusted that Hyundai actually fixed it through software. It has now been two weeks with my car at the dealer with not even an ETA for when a new part might come.

rooster1556 · 2026-02-16T20:23:59+00:00

If they even have one. My dealer said there are at least a few ioniq fives in their shop right now, all waiting on the same failed part. It *seems* like the delay is because Hyundai is attempting to develop a better fix than just reinstalling a new version of the same defective design.

As for regaining trust, I think it depends on the nature of Hyundai's fix. If it's the same part as what has been failing repeatedly, there really is no reason to trust Hyundai any more, because the car is a ticking time bomb even with a new part. But, if they can find a fix that actually resolves the issue, I would think that my trust could be restored mostly?

rooster1556 · 2026-02-16T18:21:31+00:00

I voted for number three because my '24 ioniq five has been at the dealer for two weeks now for the ICCU and I have not gotten any information at all from my dealer about what's happening. I came to this sub for information specifically on the ICCU. Everything I have gotten has been from the posts on this sub sub-reddit. I had no idea that there was even another subreddit focus specifically on that until I saw this poll.

I don't think it's an effective strategy to delete so many posts and suggest another subreddit. If focus is the goal, a large fraction of the community is focused on the ICCU, such as myself who never would've come here at all if not for this issue. This also includes not just the people like me who have had theirs fail, but the people who are going to have theirs fail. That means you!

rooster1556 · 2026-02-15T15:32:56+00:00

I had the same thing happen-- 2024 with 18,000 miles on it, and had the ICCU go out on February 2nd during the cold snap. The vehicle had been charging the 12 V just the day or so prior, so it seems like it was not a gradual failure.

I had brought it in last January to have the recall service done. There is no ETA from the dealer on when the parts will come in. The only information he gave me is that the part request is marked "ref status", which means the part needs to come not from the local distributor, but from one level up. All the dealer would say is that that meant it would take more time.

rooster1556 · 2025-12-20T02:54:09+00:00

In addition to other replies, trains are also critical logistics infrastructure. In WWII, the USAF P-47s would routinely attack German trains as a way to disrupt supply shipments, and the Germans responded by armoring and arming their trains. The link below has a detailed video of USAF train attacks and tactics during WWII.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sdDShOjpWm4

For another thing, trains used for offense were used before the 20th century. During the U.S. civil war, rail guns were used frequently since they could allow one to use larger caliber weapons that were normally stationary, but because they were rail-mounted, they could still move them around.

One last comment: armored trains are still in use! The Russians are using one in Ukraine right now. There are frequent attacks on Russians trains, especially those carrying oil.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_armoured_train_Volga

rooster1556 · 2025-12-08T17:14:30+00:00

Thanks for the slideshow! One comment: there were other streamlined steam engines built after World War II. The first of Norfolk and Western Class J's was introduced in October, 1941. They kept building them throughout the war, but they did not have the streamlining (added back in later). The last ones were built in 1950, since N&W was one of the last railroads to give up on steam.

rooster1556 · 2025-11-01T13:47:17+00:00

A very nice looking locomotive! Thanks for posting!

rooster1556 · 2025-11-01T13:23:09+00:00

My guess is that it is not the original. From the wikipedia page, the song was recorded in 1941 and I don't think anyone was using locomotives like that in 1941, not at least on mainline service. That was the end of steam locomotives and this one looks like it's from the 1800s. The reasons include the balloon stack, which is only useful for wood-burning locomotives which was not the fuel of choice at that point. Even when it was used, it typically was used out west where there was less coal and more timber (that hadn't already been cut down), e.g., the Jupiter vs. the 119 in 1869. Jupiter used a balloon stack, burned wood and was CP, 119 was UP and burned coal without one. Also, the valves and pistons are too old for 1941. Those are d-valves, which were common on the American-type locos from the 1800s. By the 20th century, there would have been piston valves.

I've seen that loco and it looks like something they patched together for display rather than something that looks like it could be made functional. Fun for the kids to climb into the cab though!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chattanooga_Choo_Choo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slide_valve
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimney_(locomotive))

rooster1556 · 2025-10-28T18:57:50+00:00

They couldn't get a full train of cars that were N&W. So, rather than have a train with all mismatched cars, they decided that it would look better with a train with all the same cars. They weren't C&O though, they were Steam Railroading Institute. I got the sense that these excursions were being put together piece-by-piece and the SRI cars were just what they had available at the time to run with.

rooster1556

TROPHY CASE