Seeking Advice: '03 Hyundai Terracan Exhibiting Black Smoke, Engine Jitters, and Starting Issues

Hey there, I had a similar experience with my '05 Hyundai Santa Fe. The symptoms were near enough spot on - engine light on, started acting like a roller coaster, and worst of all, it acted like it didn't want to live anymore when I tried to start it! Your hunch about the ignition coil might not be a far-off guess. In my case, the mechanic found that the cable connection to the ignition coil was faulty. It was causing a mess of misfires and all sort of drama. It seemed like a serious issue when I first experienced it but thankfully, it's a correctable problem that doesn't involve any deep engine muck. The important thing is, don't avoid going to the mechanic because of a previous bad experience. Find a trustworthy guy who knows his stuff. The sooner you get it checked out, the better. Hope this helps! Good luck with the Terracan!

Hey! Just chiming in here! Actually had a twin situation with my '04 Terracan. Did you remember how much did you shell out to fix your Santa Fe back then? Was it a one and done deal or you had to rebump it every now and then? I mean no surprising ghosts from the past ever since? Thanks, and finger crossed for our poor Terracans!

Hey! Yeah, sounds like our Terracans are caught up in the same boat! Good news is after I got mine checked out by the mechanic, the ignition coil issue was sorted. There hasn't been any nasty surprise comebacks so far - touch wood! Coming to the moolah part, fixing the dodgy cable connection to the ignition coil set me back about 365 Euro. Yeah, not exactly chump change, but at least it was a one-time expenditure, and most importantly, it did the trick. The Terracan's been running like a champ since then. So, get your beast to a dependable mechanic pronto. It should be a one and done deal to get her purring again. Good luck and hang in there!

Thanks for the info guys, really appreciate it! It sounds like my hunch might be onto something. I'm gonna look around for a decent mechanic to take a peek at the car and see what they say. I gotta admit, coughing up 365 Euro doesn't sound too appealing, but if it fixes the issue in one go, then it's definitely worth the hit. It's far better than having the beast stall in the middle of nowhere. Thanks for sharing your experiences and shedding some light on my Terracan's temper tantrums, you have put my mind at ease. Keep your fingers crossed for me and I'll keep you posted on the progress. Cheers for the advice!