# Stock 2022 Hyundai Elantra had registration pulled by officer over noise **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 17, 2022, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stock-2022-hyundai-elantra-had-registration-pulled-by-officer-over-noise/973355 "2022-10-17T02:23:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stock-2022-hyundai-elantra-had-registration-pulled-by-officer-over-noise/973355/21 "2022-10-17T16:48:53Z")
For everyone’s reference, back in January YouTuber Doug DeMuro reviewed the Elantra N. Here’s his review cued up to the part where he demonstrates the different exhaust sounds: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/nn2-7jMkSGs/maxresdefault.jpg "The 2022 Hyundai Elantra N Is a Surprisingly Sporty Sedan") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn2-7jMkSGs) I forgot about how configurable it is. It has more than just generic eco/normal/sport/track modes like many performance cars have. You can actually create a custom mode, and one of the things you can configure is the exhaust sound. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stock-2022-hyundai-elantra-had-registration-pulled-by-officer-over-noise/973355/22 "2022-10-17T17:12:20Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > There are people ordered by the state to "fix"their car so you can’t start it without blowing into an alcohol tester. This guy is being ordered to fix his car so it doesn’t let him do the illegal thing he’s been doing. He can buy a different Elantra N tomorrow, register it and drive it, and the state would be perfectly willing to go along with the plan. They probably wouldn’t even notice, and nobody from the state would have any recourse to deny him his car even if they did. It’s just this particular car that the state is claiming requires repair, which it doesn’t. They aren’t claiming he’s a bad driver, they’re claiming that this particular car is unfit for the streets of California. Edited to add, this guy is annoying, not a danger to everyone around him. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stock-2022-hyundai-elantra-had-registration-pulled-by-officer-over-noise/973355/23 "2022-10-17T17:42:47Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I didn’t watch the video, but what’s wrong with the cops enforcing noise ordinances? I wish they would do it more often. Nothing. He should have been given a ticket for excessive noise. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > And it sounds like it can be “repaired” simply by changing the setting. That’s a repair. Maybe the guy is a dick, and intentionally drove on the streets in a mode not intended for street use. Yes, he would have had to change the settings from his touch screen. And the inspector who tested it would also have to change the settings. So what it comes down to is a catch-22 where the owner can’t certify it because there is a track mode setting. According to the video he passed the smog test in the track mode setting but not the noise level. As was pointed out above the car can exceed the speed limit yet the owner doesn’t have his registration pulled for speeding. They’re given a speeding ticket. Nothing needs to be re-certified. If the situation is accurately presented and it continues to gain in public awareness then this will affect the city of Riverside and it’s police department negatively. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stock-2022-hyundai-elantra-had-registration-pulled-by-officer-over-noise/973355/24 "2022-10-17T17:59:23Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > If the situation is accurately presented and it continues to gain in public awareness then this will affect the city of Riverside and it’s police department negatively. Conversely, if it continues to gain traction it may wake up the California government agency responsible for auto standards to start enforcing _on the manufacturers_ that cars sold into the CA market must meet CA noise standards in all driver-selectable modes. Including hidden modes that can be selected with a tuner chip or similar tool. Telling e.g. Hyundai that they’ve sold their last new car in California until they clean up their act would be _highly_ motivational. CA single-handedly dragged the USA into having air pollution standards on cars when the Feds refused to act back in the 1970s. They could easily do the same thing with deliberately noisy cars in the 2020s. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stock-2022-hyundai-elantra-had-registration-pulled-by-officer-over-noise/973355/25 "2022-10-17T18:01:50Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > > [@Magiver](#): > > > > If the situation is accurately presented and it continues to gain in public awareness then this will affect the city of Riverside and it’s police department negatively. > > Conversely, if it continues to gain traction it may wake up the California government agency responsible for auto standards to start enforcing _on the manufacturers_ that cars sold into the CA market must meet CA noise standards in all driver-selectable modes. Yeah. I don’t think this is going to spark as much outrage at the enforcement as you are expecting. I think Hyundai and the asshole driver who used that setting on the roads are going to get most of the blame. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stock-2022-hyundai-elantra-had-registration-pulled-by-officer-over-noise/973355/26 "2022-10-17T18:13:32Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Hyundai’s cars should not come with an “illegal settings” button on the touchscreen. What if it is legal in the other 49 states and DC? ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stock-2022-hyundai-elantra-had-registration-pulled-by-officer-over-noise/973355/27 "2022-10-17T18:20:50Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > And the inspector who tested it would also have to change the settings. So what it comes down to is a catch-22 where the owner can’t certify it because there is a track mode setting. Does California law require that the test be carried out in the “most aggressive” mode, or however you want to describe it? It certainly seems plausible to me that they would. > [@Magiver](#): > > According to the video he passed the smog test in the track mode setting but not the noise level. Does California also measure the noise level as a standard part of the smog test? Or was this just done specifically because he got a ticket for excessive noise? I’ve never really paid much attention to exactly what they were testing when I took my car for a smog check, but I’ve never owned a particularly noisy car, either. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stock-2022-hyundai-elantra-had-registration-pulled-by-officer-over-noise/973355/28 "2022-10-17T18:21:01Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Conversely, if it continues to gain traction it may wake up the California government agency responsible for auto standards to start enforcing _on the manufacturers_ that cars sold into the CA market must meet CA noise standards in all driver-selectable modes. If we followed that logic then literally all cars would fail because they are capable of speeding. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stock-2022-hyundai-elantra-had-registration-pulled-by-officer-over-noise/973355/29 "2022-10-17T18:28:50Z")
A Hyundai??? Really??? ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stock-2022-hyundai-elantra-had-registration-pulled-by-officer-over-noise/973355/30 "2022-10-17T18:30:30Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > What if it is legal in the other 49 states and DC? They can sell them there. California has strict emission standards. If a car came with a “Non California Emissions” button right there on the dash, California should tell the Mfg that they can’t sell their car in California. California does not have a maximum speed standard. If they did, such as “all cars must have a governor so as not to exceed 75mph” and Chevy gave their cars a “disable governor” setting, then yeah, California should bar those cars from being sold or operated. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stock-2022-hyundai-elantra-had-registration-pulled-by-officer-over-noise/973355/31 "2022-10-17T18:30:53Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > If we followed that logic then literally all cars would fail because they are capable of speeding. If you follow almost any line of argument to its “logical conclusion” you end up in an illogical place. You’re certainly logically correct. But that doesn’t mean we (i.e. society) have an obligation to actually go to that extreme. Nor does the existence of an extreme (in either direction) imply that any movement (in either direction) is _per se_ wrong or evil. I live in an area where deliberately loud cars, trucks, and motorcycles are commonplace, stylish even. Generally the owners’ attitude seems to be “Hey everybody! Look at meeee!” coupled with “I love vandalizing other people’s lives; I relish the warm selfish feeling it brings out in myself.” As a former gearhead, I admire a nice engine note as much as the next guy. But when every green light triggers a roar from multiple vehciles heard a half-mile away across densly populated urban/suburban residential areas, that’s an awful lot of gratuitious noise pollution being spewed for scant benefit to the spewer and material total harm to the society as a whole. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stock-2022-hyundai-elantra-had-registration-pulled-by-officer-over-noise/973355/32 "2022-10-17T18:35:05Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > They can sell them there. Like textbooks, cars are made for all 50 states and DC. That’s why with so many tight emission standards and even states adopting California’s, all the car manufacturers just go with making it CA compliant. Car manufacturers will not make a second version for one state if all you have to do to make it legal is turn a dial. MAYBE make a software fix if California presses the issue. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stock-2022-hyundai-elantra-had-registration-pulled-by-officer-over-noise/973355/33 "2022-10-17T18:39:53Z")
Small correction – many automakers have made [“California Emissions” packages](https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/file/buying-a-vehicle-from-out-of-state-can-you-register-it-in-california-ffvr-29-pdf/), so in a sense they _do_ make a 2nd version of their cars just for CA. Sometimes, at least. New cars that are sold in CA must meet CA emissions standards, whether by default or via the addition of such a package, and new car _buyers_ are not allowed to leave the state to buy a non-CA certified version of the same vehicle just to bring it back into the state. None of this, however, applies to _used_ vehicles. So you can buy a “used” car with 300 miles that’s being sold as used that doesn’t meet CA emissions standards and bring it into CA no problem. I can certainly see California making Hyundai remove the “race” mode from new N models sold in the state, or at least neutering the exhaust modes. But I don’t see how they can simply refuse to register such a car. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stock-2022-hyundai-elantra-had-registration-pulled-by-officer-over-noise/973355/34 "2022-10-17T18:49:48Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > this guy is annoying, not a danger to everyone around him. Not in the sense that he’s about to kill or immediately maim somebody, no. But excessive noise does maim people. It destroys hearing. Even when it’s not loud enough to do so instantly, the cumulative damage can be considerable. He’s not likely to maim anybody all on his own; but enough people doing this over time will maim a lot of people, not all of whom volunteered for it. (Excessive noise also significantly increases stress for many people, which also has health consequences, though they’re harder to pin down.) ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stock-2022-hyundai-elantra-had-registration-pulled-by-officer-over-noise/973355/35 "2022-10-17T18:51:26Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Car manufacturers will not make a second version for one state if all you have to do to make it legal is turn a dial. It’s a design standard, not a design option. The point of the regulations is to ensure that cars sold abide by the standard, not to ensure it is theoretically possible for the cars to meet the standard. Hyundai is capable of abiding by California’s standards, and they should be held to that. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stock-2022-hyundai-elantra-had-registration-pulled-by-officer-over-noise/973355/36 "2022-10-17T19:07:39Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Even when it’s not loud enough to do so instantly, the cumulative damage can be considerable. He’s not likely to maim anybody all on his own; but enough people doing this over time will maim a lot of people, not all of whom volunteered for it. And even if it’s not maiming people, we absolutely pass laws about quality-of-life. Unless a poster is arguing that noise ordinances are unethical or unconstitutional or something, “he’s not a danger” would be a canard even if it were true. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stock-2022-hyundai-elantra-had-registration-pulled-by-officer-over-noise/973355/37 "2022-10-17T19:15:20Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Not in the sense that he’s about to kill or immediately maim somebody, no. Just trying to suggest that a chronic drunk driver, who requires an interlock to be allowed in a car, is a whole different class of problem than a guy whose car is too loud. The danger justifies a much more rigorous solution, like having to alter an otherwise functioning car. Jerky McLoudcar shouldn’t be forced to make a multi-thousand dollar custom alteration to his new car because he selected Hyundai’s backfire special mode. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stock-2022-hyundai-elantra-had-registration-pulled-by-officer-over-noise/973355/38 "2022-10-17T19:20:25Z")
> [@](#): > > Would we be dumping it on the driver if Hyundai had a “fuck the Earth” setting that bypassed the catalytic converter? Yes, because there are many people in this country who would buy a car SPECIFICALLY for this setting (see: the “Rolling Coal” crowd). ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stock-2022-hyundai-elantra-had-registration-pulled-by-officer-over-noise/973355/39 "2022-10-17T19:27:09Z")
Just to ground the discussion, California’s muffler laws are here: [California Vehicle Code Section 27150](https://california.public.law/codes/ca_veh_code_section_27150) The laws basically say you can’t register a car with an exhaust that is too loud when tested according to the California Highway Patrol test procedures (Secs. 27150 and 27200) and that no person shall modify the exhaust system so as to make it louder and fail the test (Sec. 27151). The CHP is supposed to use test standards that take into account standards from the Society of Automotive Engineers, which is essentially a car manufacturer’s trade and standards group. The driver seemingly violated Sec. 27151(a) by pushing a bunch of buttons on his car to make it excessively loud. This would be a violation of 27151(a) but for the carve-out in Sec. 27151(b). 27151(b) says an exhaust system complies with the law as long as it passes when tested in compliance with a particular SAE engineering standard (Standard J1169 May 1998). If you want to read that standard, you have to pay $74 to the Society of Automotive Engineers. My hunch is that the engineering standard permits Hyundai’s exhaust to have an unreasonably loud mode as long as it also has a default quiet mode. The driver is saying that the car meets the California law because it’s stock and meets the quiet test when tested according to the engineering standard. The regulators are saying if you push the buttons, it’s too loud. Driver is responding that the engineering testing standard doesn’t allow the regulators to push the buttons they are pushing when they test it. Since I can’t read the standard to be sure, I can only guess who is right. I suspect that it’s the driver because I also suspect that Hyundai understands this law better than a cop on the street. Other manufacturers have selectable exhaust bypasses like Hyundai, including Corvette and Porsche and I suspect they too know what they are doing. > [@Magiver](#): > > I’m wondering if this guy was a constant nuisance in Riverside and they decided to make an example out of him. Me too. The cop didn’t just say it was too loud and issue a ticket. He made particular statements about what the driver’s remedy would be that suggests he had looked into this before the stop. I think he happens to be wrong in this case but it seems to show this was not the result of an impulsively issued ticket or completely uninformed judgment. > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > It sounds like the driver could have a legal car if he changed the mode so it is not a lemon. It’s the driver being an ass. Yup. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > And it sounds like it can be “repaired” simply by changing the setting. That’s a repair. Maybe the guy is a dick, and intentionally drove on the streets in a mode not intended for street use. Or maybe the dealer sold it in that mode, and the owner doesn’t know how to fix it. Either way, there seems to be a solution. I believe, if the car is stock, he has to choose to be an obnoxious asshole by picking Track mode every time he turns it on. It will default to a quieter mode when he restarts it. > [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Hyundai’s cars should not come with an “illegal settings” button on the touchscreen. Would we be dumping it on the driver if Hyundai had a “fuck the Earth” setting that bypassed the catalytic converter? As noted, every car can be operated illegally if the driver so chooses. > [@Magiver](#): > > > [@puzzlegal](#): > > > > I didn’t watch the video, but what’s wrong with the cops enforcing noise ordinances? I wish they would do it more often. > > Nothing. He should have been given a ticket for excessive noise. Oddly, California doesn’t seem to have a law that prohibits operating a car that generates excessive noise. They have a law that prohibits registering excessively loud cars but they seem to have (probably inadvertently) created a loophole big enough to drive an unmuffled truck carrying a Veloster N through. > [@WildaBeast](#): > > Does California law require that the test be carried out in the “most aggressive” mode, or however you want to describe it? It certainly seems plausible to me that they would. As noted above, I can’t read the actual SAE standard but based on the summary, it requires testing in a “steady state” and I suspect it requires testing only in a default mode. This is the peril of allowing special interests to write the laws that will govern them. > [@WildaBeast](#): > > Does California also measure the noise level as a standard part of the smog test? Or was this just done specifically because he got a ticket for excessive noise? The noise level was tested because he was cited in some fashion for excessive noise. > [@Cheesesteak](#): > > It’s a design standard, not a design option. The point of the regulations is to ensure that cars sold abide by the standard, not to ensure it is theoretically possible for the cars to meet the standard. Hyundai is capable of abiding by California’s standards, and they should be held to that. My hunch is that the car meets the standard but the standard did not actually require what California thought it did when they adopted it. > [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Jerky McLoudcar shouldn’t be forced to make a multi-thousand dollar custom alteration to his new car because he selected Hyundai’s backfire special mode. No, but he should probably get an excessive noise ticket for being a jackass. Unfortunately, he might not in this case. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stock-2022-hyundai-elantra-had-registration-pulled-by-officer-over-noise/973355/40 "2022-10-17T19:50:56Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Jerky McLoudcar shouldn’t be forced to make a multi-thousand dollar custom alteration to his new car because he selected Hyundai’s backfire special mode. Maybe not. But he should certainly be forced to quit using that mode unless he’s on a racetrack that’s got permits for that sort of noise level. And if he won’t do that, then whatever penalty is necessary to make him quit doing it, up to and including confiscating the car (but not, say, drawing and quartering) seems to me to be fairly applicable. If his claim is that he never uses the loud mode except on a properly-permitted racetrack, that would be different; but it doesn’t seem to be what’s happening in this case. A ticket might be appropriate for a first offence – but do we know that this is a first offence? (I haven’t watched the video, but I doubt that information’s available in a video of the traffic stop.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stock-2022-hyundai-elantra-had-registration-pulled-by-officer-over-noise/973355.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stock-2022-hyundai-elantra-had-registration-pulled-by-officer-over-noise/973355.md?page=3)