I have a brand new Hyundai Santa Fe 2008
I have driven on it 11,000 miles. I was yesterday on the I-43 driven to Glendale WI.
Suddenly the speed decreased and all the lights on the dashboard went on. I put the distress signals on and succeed to pull out from the highway. The car is under full warranty. I made it to a Hyundai dealer at 05:00PM (Friday). But guess what, “all our technicians are gone”. I drove to my daughter’s house, where we go every week-end. Now I have the “check engine light” on. I am 90 miles from my dealer that is located in Glenview, Illinois. We usually get back to Skokie on Sunday night.
My questions:
a) Why do you think happened?
b) Can I drive back those 90 miles with the check engine light on?
Many thanks.
I am going to try to listen to your show this morning. My Cel phone number is 847-337-4704
If the CEL is steadily illuminated, you can safely drive the car for the time being. Generally speaking, a steadily illuminated CEL is an indication that one of more of the parameters for emissions is “off”. In addition to decreasing engine power, it will likely reduce fuel economy, but it is not dangerous to operate in this condition.
However, if the CEL begins to blink, that is an indication that you should not drive the car. To continue to drive while the CEL is blinking could cause increased damage to the engine, and you do want to avoid that.
I suggest you check all fluid levels and look for something obviously wrong, such as a loose or missing belt, a leak, or a disconnected wire somewhere under the hood.
If you find nothing obviously amiss, and the CEL continues to be steadily illuminated, you could probably drive home, but I wouldn’t do it at high speed. If the CEL starts blinking, pull over and shut off the engine.
The local Hyundai dealer will be open again Monday morning. Could you wait until then to return home?
Thanks, the check engine light disapeared
The CEL light disappeared. Many thanks. But I will be at the dealer tomorrow.