The i4, i5 and ix have a faulty heat changeover valve that can develop a coolant leak. Affected i4 models were built between May 2023 to January 2024. The leak tends to occur in freezing temperatures.
The first sign of failure is a loss of cabin heat. Then soon after you may see a drivetrain warning. The drivetrain warning happens when your heating units fail due to the lack of coolant
Despite claims of the existence of a coolant level sensor, there have been no reports of a low coolant warning before experiencing failures.
You can visually check by opening you hood and removing the plastic cover by pulling straight up. Green coolant will be seen under the valve if you have a leak. You can also check your coolant level by opening the coolant cap and peeking inside.
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Further down one person says that it drips onto the motor. I hope my drivetrain failure isn’t a damaged motor😩
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Moderator Edit:
This is a long discussion. @mlchem08 has picked out some key posts so people can get up to speed without reading the whole discussion. I have reproduced their post below. Thanks to @mlchem08 for this.
Post #1 (OP) describes the issue in detail. Post #69 and #84 are examples of where there is no leak. Post #73 shows how to open the bonnet under the hood to check for leaks. Posts #118, #162, #189, and #209 are a few of many examples of leaks. Post #698 mentions the production dates of vehicles involved in the recall. Unless something has changed again with the manufacturing of the affected parts since Jan. 2024, I don't believe there should be any new issues of this leak occurring in 2025 builds (or even builds after Jan. 2024).
The first sign of failure is a loss of cabin heat. Then soon after you may see a drivetrain warning. The drivetrain warning happens when your heating units fail due to the lack of coolant
Despite claims of the existence of a coolant level sensor, there have been no reports of a low coolant warning before experiencing failures.
You can visually check by opening you hood and removing the plastic cover by pulling straight up. Green coolant will be seen under the valve if you have a leak. You can also check your coolant level by opening the coolant cap and peeking inside.
Further down one person says that it drips onto the motor. I hope my drivetrain failure isn’t a damaged motor😩
Moderator Edit:
This is a long discussion. @mlchem08 has picked out some key posts so people can get up to speed without reading the whole discussion. I have reproduced their post below. Thanks to @mlchem08 for this.
Post #1 (OP) describes the issue in detail. Post #69 and #84 are examples of where there is no leak. Post #73 shows how to open the bonnet under the hood to check for leaks. Posts #118, #162, #189, and #209 are a few of many examples of leaks. Post #698 mentions the production dates of vehicles involved in the recall. Unless something has changed again with the manufacturing of the affected parts since Jan. 2024, I don't believe there should be any new issues of this leak occurring in 2025 builds (or even builds after Jan. 2024).
