Владелец Hyundai IONIQ 5 с пробегом 128 000 миль обнаружил критическую утечку масла в редукторе

Most EV owners spend more time thinking about battery degradation than fluid lubricating their reduction gears. But after 128,000 miles in a 2022 Hyundai IONIQ 5 AWD, one owner decided to see what was actually happening inside both drive units. Reddit user bobjr94 shared his high-mileage findings with the r/Ioniq5 community, and the difference between what came out of the front and rear immediately caught our attention. “With 128k miles on our 2022 the oil in the front looked fine, but the front motor probably has 80% fewer powered miles than the rear. It was down 0.5L, I got about 2.8L from it and it has a 3.2L capacity. The rear was far worse, very black, and it didn't have the fresh sweet smell the front did. Most concerning part was that it was down about 1.2L. I only got 2.2L from it and it holds around 3.5L. If I hadn't done it soon it may have damaged the rear motor or drive unit. It uses this fluid for both cooling and lubrication. Someone said these are sealed units and don't need servicing, but they are not. They are vented like any transmission and if not they would build up pressure and blow a seal. Heating the oil like most fluids will cause evaporation and over time it will need more added. The manual says inspect fluid at 35k and 70k but never shows replace for normal conditions. It does say replace every 80k for severe conditions. I used Valvoline MaxLife Multi-Vehicle ATF Full Synthetic ATF, as their fluid finder said that was the correct fluid for this application and I also emailed them and they said the same thing. And no, I will not void my warranty as it's 28k miles past the warranty cutoff anyway. If you change your fluid under warranty it's up to you if you pay more for Hyundai fluid or not. So yes the Ioniq 5 should have oil changes. However with over 128k miles my past Subarus would have had about 20 oil changes, so this is still far less maintenance.” The photographs certainly make the difference between the two fluids difficult to miss. Before treating the dark fluid, drained volume, or maintenance intervals as evidence of anything wrong, Hyundai's own guidance deserves a closer look. Hyundai's Maintenance Schedule The IONIQ 5 may not have engine oil, but its reduction gears still require lubrication. Hyundai's official maintenance guidance calls for the IONIQ 5's reduction-gear fluid to be inspected at specified intervals just like Bob mentioned. Where things become more interesting is Hyundai's separate severe-use schedule. Hyundai specifies reduction-gear fluid replacement every 80,000 miles under certain severe driving conditions, and that can include repeated driving on rough or dusty roads, towing or carrying roof loads, and commercial use such as taxi duty. That distinction matters with a vehicle already sitting at 128,000 miles. Under normal conditions, inspecting the fluid does not necessarily mean replacing it, but each car must be evaluated separately based on use case. Looks Don't Tell Us Everything Putting the owner's two samples beside each other, we can see the difference is impossible to miss. Now fluid can darken due to various different reasons including age, use, contamination, or oxidation, and each material can influence its appearance as well. But the drained quantity also deserves caution. A component's published total capacity and the amount captured during a fluid change are not necessarily interchangeable measurements. Some fluid may remain within an assembly depending on its design and how it is drained. So while Bob says his rear unit was around 1.2 liters low, the 2.2 he collected alone does not necessarily prove exactly how much fluid was inside beforehand. Others Have Had a Much More Expensive Experience One response to the post shows why some IONIQ 5 owners are paying attention. Kuueon wrote: “Mine was underfilled and the reduction gear ended up snapping at 64k miles. Dealer required a whole new motor and some $12k to replace (that I didn't have to pay for luckily).” This isn't to establish that bobjr94's vehicle is heading toward the same outcome, but there's also some relevant history here although it needs an important distinction. Hyundai issued a service campaign covering certain 2023 and 2024 IONIQ 5s that may have received an incorrect amount of motor/reduction-gear oil during manufacturing. It matters because the reduction gear is part of the IONIQ 5's electric drive unit, helping transfer the electric motor's power toward the wheels at a usable speed and torque. An EV may not have a conventional multi-speed automatic transmission, but those reduction gears and their bearings still depend on lubricant, making Hyundai's campaign mechanically relevant to the same general drivetrain area Bob is servicing. There is one major distinction, though. Since Bob owns a 2022, his IONIQ 5 falls outside the model years covered by that campaign. The campaign gives us useful context for why the proper amount of fluid matters inside an IONIQ 5 drive unit, but it does not establish that Bob's reported fluid level has the same cause or represents an ongoing problem. Owners Are Starting to Think Differently About EV Maintenance Another commenter, Orangustang, focused less on failure and more on prevention. “Great post. Thanks for confirming and showing that it needs to be changed.” He went on to discuss capturing metallic wear material inside the reduction gear and the possibility of using magnetic drain plugs, but I would be more cautious about telling which cars may or may not need that, as each car is different. What it does show is that owners are beginning to think beyond batteries and tires as these cars accumulate serious mileage. We recently covered a Hyundai IONIQ 5 approaching 300,000 miles while still displaying more than 320 miles of estimated range. And it's important because much of the discussion surrounding high-mileage EVs has centered on battery degradation. If these cars can remain useful for hundreds of thousands of miles, eventually we also have to talk about the gears, bearings, lubricants, suspension and other mechanical components too. The IONIQ 5 Story Is Bigger Than One Dark Fluid Sample This also shouldn't become an argument that the IONIQ 5 is inherently troublesome. We've seen plenty of enthusiasm surrounding the IONIQ 5 at Torque News. One ownership experience we previously covered involved a family that liked its first IONIQ 5 enough to bring home another one just two days later. Bob's experience therefore interests me for a different reason. At 128,000 miles, his IONIQ 5 is giving us a glimpse into an ownership phase that more EV drivers will eventually reach. High-Mileage EV Ownership Is Becoming More Interesting From my perspective, the EV maintenance conversation needs to become more comprehensive. For years, longevity discussions have overwhelmingly focused on batteries and how much range they lose, how long they last, and how expensive replacement might eventually become. But it's still a machine. Removing the engine eliminates a huge amount of routine maintenance, but it doesn't eliminate gears, bearings, lubricants or mechanical wear. The owner's final comparison actually puts that into perspective. He says his previous Subarus would have gone through roughly 20 engine oil changes over the same 128,000 miles. That’s why it’s important to remember that less maintenance is different from no maintenance. What Owners Can Take Away From This IONIQ 5 - Check which maintenance schedule actually applies to your driving. Hyundai provides an 80,000-mile reduction-gear fluid replacement interval for qualifying severe use. - Do not diagnose a drive unit from fluid color alone. A dramatic visual difference can justify further inspection without proving something has failed. - Pay attention beyond the battery as mileage climbs. High-mileage EV ownership increasingly involves the conventional mechanical components surrounding the electric drivetrain. What About You? If you own an IONIQ 5, have you ever had its reduction-gear fluid inspected or replaced, and what did it look like when it came out? And once an EV crosses 100,000 miles, do you still primarily worry about the battery, or are drivetrain maintenance items like this starting to matter more to you? Let us know what you've experienced in the comments below. About The Author Aram Krajekian is a young automotive journalist bringing a fresh and analytical perspective to the evolving automotive landscape by reporting on real-world ownership experiences and providing industry analysis. Based in North Carolina, he covers electric vehicles, trucks, and broader automotive trends with a focus on contributing a balanced evaluation. His reporting cuts through brand bias to provide readers with grounded insight into how vehicles perform for everyday drivers beyond marketing narratives. Read more of Aram's work on his author profile page. You can also follow Armen here: Image Credits: The r/Ioniq5 subreddit. Set Torque News as Preferred Source on Google