This is an occasional complaint on the 1st-gen Kona, much the same technologies and parts as the Niro up to 2022 MY. From what I gather it's caused by water interfering with the CAN connection near the camera.

 

Thanks for the input.

It's gone from an intermittent error to a continual one now.

I'll see if I can get the housing off to get access to the camera and check for water ingress. It would seem odd for this to be the issue though as the last couple of weeks have been the warmest we've seen all year, with absolutely no rain. Obviously this does not mean that water ingress is not the issue but the timing seems off.

 

... the last couple of weeks have been the warmest we've seen all year, with absolutely no rain...

And that news has spread worldwide!

 

I finally got around to dismantling things. So far as I can see the camera is a sealed unit. There's no obvious sign of water ingress. For now I'm just going to live with the lack of camera (it's the first car we've had with a reversing camera so not a great loss). Next service I'll check with the dealership if they cover it under warranty. If not I see there 3rd party replacement cameras available for around £100 to £150. I may eventually try one of these.

 

@deec I wonder if you managed to solve this and/or what the dealer had to say about it (if you've reached your next service yet)? I've just hit seemingly exactly the same situation on mine, at a similar age.

 

Just to come back on this, we were in with the dealer today. The camera is being replaced under warranty (in a few weeks). Our eNiro turned 5 years old in July this year

 

We're booked in with the dealer in September (aircon not working [again]), planning to bring it up with them then, so no resolution yet.

 

I don’t see why the reversing camera would not be covered. Had mine replaced under warranty at 2.5 years, same issues, but a blue screen displayed.

And have just had the AC regassed (again) after having new condenser fitted in July 2024. No evidence of leaks - holds pressure when tested - yet system completely empty of refrigerant when initially inspected.

 

I saw some mentions of some dealers stating it's part of the "Audio and navigation units" system, which is covered for the first of 36 months / 60k miles.

Though I'm also surprised about your AC regas because they also state "The air conditioning refrigerant charge - this is also covered for 24 months" as another warranty exception.

 

We had the condenser replaced in October 2024 (along with the controller). In Scotland, we didn't have any reason to use the aircon until June this year when we discovered it wasn't working. My understanding is that it's a sealed system so assuming no leaks I don't understand where the gas can have gone to.

 

I had exactly the same discussion with my local dealer who did the work. They have no better idea to me how the gas could leak and the system then test and hold pressure again once empty. And the machines they use for the filling process do test for leaks before filling, and will not put gas into a leaking system.

So I’ll be keeping a close eye on the system again and checking to see if performance starts to drop off again.

 

AC systems need to be used regularly else the seals dry out and refrigerant will be lost. So even in winter give it a blast from time to time.

 

Does this hold for cars with heatpumps? My niave understanding is that the heatpump runs both heating and A/C. If the heating is running all winter does this suffice for running the A/C or are they separate systems?

 

I think the heat pump extracts warmth from the traction battery and the air, I would guess the A/C is a separate unit

 

The reversible-cycle heat pump is just like those found in homes, however there are several differences.
a) The cabin air path has separate heating (condenser) and cooling (evaporator) units. That means it can do dehumidification by using both.
b) There is just one compressor whose input and output is configured with valves as required. Because the compressor is electric it's a sealed unit like in a fridge, there's no shaft seal to fail like on an ICE car. That said, Hyundai-Kia seem to have found a way to make them break occasionally.

c) The battery has a dedicated coolant chiller (comprising an expansion valve and heat exchanger) which cools the coolant circulating in a loop through the pack.
d) The battery also has a dedicated PTC resistive heater, used for heating the 'coolant' as required. I think it's about 2.5 kW.
e) The cabin has a PTC resistive heater (not shown in the image below, about 3.5 kW) to supplement the heat pump when it's de-icing, or when it's just too cold to be effective. When you smell a hint of burnt dust, that'll be the PTC stepping in.

When driving there's no significant warmth to be had out of the battery or any other component. To heat the cabin you need multiple kilowatts and that quantity just isn't available from anything other than the outside air.

When DC charging the battery heater kicks in when under about 20°C, drawing power from the charger up to about 2.5 kW. It warms it at about 1°C per minute. When driving with Winter Mode on it heats the battery (reportedly) when under -5°C to avoid the BMS imposing power restrictions that might happen from under about -20°C (approx).

When minor battery cooling is needed, typically for higher-level AC charging, the battery is cooled 'passively' using coolant circulating through the radiator.

The complicated schematic is for the Kona but it's all the same for the eNiro as best as I'm aware. I've marked it up as best as I understand it.