Hyundai Ioniq owner quoted over $7,000 for a motor that could take a year to arrive

An electric-vehicle owner faced a CA$10,000 (US$7,080) repair bill and a wait of up to a year for replacement parts after a dealership diagnosed their 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric as needing a replacement traction motor. 

With only about 90,000 miles on the car, the owner had expected to get at least a few more years out of the EV, but they were left considering buying a new car altogether. Unsure what to do, they turned to Reddit for advice. 

Here's what to know

The owner explained that their 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric had traveled about 93,000 miles (150,000 kilometers) when an EV warning light prompted a trip to the dealer.

After an inspection, the dealership identified the issue as an isolation failure and recommended a replacement traction motor. However, the cost would be roughly CA$10,000, and the dealership warned that it could take as long as a year for the replacement part to be available. 

"My question is this: does this situation seem reasonable?" the original poster asked. "I expected to get a few more years out of the car and for the dealer to be able to supply replacement parts at reasonable prices."

Rather than waiting a year to pay thousands of dollars for a repair, they considered purchasing a new car. And according to Kelley Blue Book, the trade-in value of a used 2017 Ioniq Electric in good condition is around the same cost of the repair quote: around US$7,025. 

But when they asked the dealer whether Hyundai would offer a goodwill discount given the OP's predicament, the dealer seemed doubtful. 

What commenters said 

While the OP was aware that acquiring a used motor was another available option, several commenters emphasized the benefits of simply buying another EV, arguing that a new Hyundai Ioniq 5 or Ioniq 6 would have more power and longer range. 

Pointing out that the OP's current car was a 2017 model, others recommended looking into a used EV that could still be years newer than the OP's vehicle.

The most common recommendation was to get a second opinion from an independent EV-focused repair shop before committing to the dealer's repair or buying another vehicle. For commenters advocating a used motor, an installation quote was a suggested next step.

When it came to sourcing a secondhand motor, one Redditor supplied an eBay listing they said offered one for below US$1,000. Another recommended seeking out a donor vehicle from a salvage yard to find cheap replacement parts. Other commenters advised looking into availability and shipping costs at wrecking yards on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border. 

Additionally, some recommended model-specific communities as a way to help locate a nearby shop familiar with the specific car, while another commenter who said they owned two Ioniqs encouraged the OP to go the repair route, writing that one of their Ioniqs had 50% more mileage than the OP's. 

"Stick with it, they're an excellent car," the commenter urged.

Where can I learn more?

A costly repair can make it hard to decide whether to keep a car or replace it. 

• A Hyundai Ioniq 5 owner tallied two-year ownership costs after driving 39,000 miles.

• In Spain, a Hyundai Kona wouldn't start mid-update, adding to drivers' software frustrations.

• A used Tesla Model Y owner feared a $16,000 bill for another battery replacement.

• A dealer warned an EV battery health score could jeopardize an $8,000 trade-in.

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