high mileage reading on my odometer for unknown reasons.

I brought a Hyundai Sonata Car almost a year back (2011 Model) When I brought the car the Mileage reading was 72K but within 11 months of drive I noticed my Car Mileage reading to be 99k. I am bit surprised as I have driven long drives but not to this extent. Is there a concern I need to look into like the Speedometer being tampered or something ? Please advice.

Thanks
Vinu

Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
If the vehicle was register at 72K miles and then register at 99K miles after 11 months, that is 2,455 miles per month. If you are traveling on the freeways a lot and taking long trips that are 30 to 40 minutes away at highway speeds, then it is possible to get to this mileage per month. On your vehicle, if someone was to disconnect the odometer and try to make it read more would not be accurate and cause the check engine light to come on. It is possible that the mileage could have changed on the display. Check the data in the computer to see if the odometer matches. If it does not, then the dashboard gauge cluster needs replaced. If it does, then the mileage maybe correct. Take a note of the miles that you drive in a week and verify the length of time for each trip to cross reference your miles on the odometer. If you need further assistance with your odometer reading too many miles, then seek out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you.

How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?

Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced mechanics :

Any electronic interference or voltage spike can cause a stray signal, and yes, cause the odometer to skip a beat and/or alter mileage. The signal is called EMI (electronic magnetic interference). There are multiple electronic signals in the airwaves and some can cause all kinds of issues.
Check for physical signs of odometer tampering – Inspect the odometer to make sure that all the numbers are readable, there are no gaps between the numbers, and the numbers do not appear crooked. Any of those signs point to a high possibility that the odometer was rolled back.
Take a fuse removal tool and pull the fuse out. This should disable the odometer of your car. Examine attentively. Make sure that every other fuse is properly installed.
Odometer fraud is the disconnection, resetting or alteration of a vehicle`s odometer with the intent to change the number of miles indicated. NHTSA estimates that more than 450,000 vehicles are sold each year with false odometer readings. This crime costs American car buyers more than $1 billion annually.
Total mileage limit of the car

Sometimes the mileage discrepancy is caused because of the number of digits that can be displayed as the indication for the distance traveled. For instance, most of the cars have five-digit (99,999) or six-digit (999,999) odometers.

Of course, “resetting” an odometer is generally illegal in the United States. There is a Federal statute forbidding it and many states have laws outlawing it as well.
High mileage vehicles are at risk of developing numerous problems due to the fact that parts such as spark plugs, filters, and fluids tend to wear down after extended use. Further damage can occur if these components are not replaced regularly.
The dash module needs voltage when the motor is off to maintain temporary memory like your trip odometer. It acts like you disconnected the battery and resets itself. It could be a fault within the dash module as well. Most likely its a fuse.
The engine control unit counts all of the pulses and keeps track of the overall distance traveled by the car. This means that if someone tries to “roll back” the odometer, the value stored in the ECU will disagree. This value can be read using a diagnostic computer, which all car-dealership service departments have.
An engine replacement won`t reset your car`s odometer. In fact, your car`s odometer should never be reset, as it`s one of the foremost ways of tracking a car`s age and wear and tear.
“Odometers are considered accurate within 10 percent.” In other words, if you travel 100 miles, your odometer can be off by up to 10 miles. DMIs, however, are accurate to within one foot, Roberts said.
An engine replacement won`t reset your car`s odometer. In fact, your car`s odometer should never be reset, as it`s one of the foremost ways of tracking a car`s age and wear and tear.

Relevant Questions and Answers :

the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue

high mileage reading on my odometer for unknown reasons.
ANSWER : If the vehicle was register at 72K miles and then register at 99K miles after 11 months, that is 2,455 miles per month. If you are traveling on the freeways a lot and taking long trips that are 30 to 40 minutes away at highway speeds, then it is possible to get to this mileage per month. On your vehicle, if someone was to disconnect the odometer and try to make it read more would not be accurate and cause the check engine light to come on. It is possible that the mileage could have changed on the display. Check the data in the computer to see if the odometer matches. If it does not, then the dashboard gauge cluster needs replaced. If it does, then the mileage maybe correct. Take a note of the miles that you drive in a week and verify the length of time for each trip to cross reference your miles on the odometer. If you need further assistance with your odometer reading too many miles, then seek out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you.

My digital fuel mileage read out and is going up and down erratically
ANSWER : Most "fuel economy estimators" utilize the length of time the fuel injectors are open (we’re talking milliseconds here) during each revolution of the engine while driving. As a result, small periods of acceleration or other load factors will have temporary injection length periods far greater than a longer term average.

So you get wide swings on fuel mileage as you observe. On some models, you have the option for averaging fuel mileage calculated on a trip, or have it average "instantaneously". The behavior you describe sounds more like it is using the very short term, instantaneous mileage calculation. Time to get the owners manual out and reset for a longer term statistic if that is more meaningful to you. If you would like to have this scoped out in person, a qualified professional from YourMechanic can come to your car’s location to inspect the mileage problem and follow through with repairs.

I am considering buying a vehicle with high mileage, do you have an opinion about high mileage vehicles?
ANSWER : For a vehicle with this many miles you should have an inspection done on your end by a certified mechanic, like one from YourMechanic, to do a pre-purchase inspection to make sure you are not wasting money on a vehicle that could be falling apart. This will guide you in making an informed decision and not based on opinions without even looking at the vehicle in depth and going on reputation alone.

My odometer reading is gone. How can I bring it back? 2013 Nissan Versa.
ANSWER : There should be a small button on the dash that enables you to change what is displayed on the screen. I would recommend pushing this button until the odometer comes back. If this does not work, it is possible that a fuse has blown for your odometer reading. It is also possible that the vehicle speed sensor has failed. This would also be accompanied by an inoperative speedometer. I would recommend having your vehicle inspected by a qualified professional to determine the exact cause of this issue. Once this has been done, you can then have the vehicle speed sensor or the blown fuse replaced.

Sounds as if the car is not going into gear. I have RPM reading odometer, not sure what it should be reading when driving on freeway.
ANSWER : Hello and thank you for contacting YourMechanic. Watch the tachometer (rpm gauge) as the vehicle is in motion. When driving, you should see the tachometer go up and then go down a little when the transmission shifts gears. For 4 cylinder engines with a 4 speed transmission, the RPM’s will be at 3,000 when driving at 70 mph on the highway. This is a normal condition for your vehicle and you should be okay. If you are very concerned about the noise or begin experiencing drivability problems, have a professional, like one from YourMechanic, diagnose the car sound and determine if any adjustments are needed.

Returning Odometer setting to actual miles
ANSWER : Hello. On your particular vehicle it has a couple things which show on that screen such as Trip A, Trip B, the current vehicle mileage, and also the mileage until the next service is due. To toggle the screen you have to hit the odometer trip button to the left of the steering wheel on the dashboard. Keep pressing the button until you see the current mileage of the vehicle displayed.

How do I find the button to reset my odometer from trip to actual mileage on my Malibu
ANSWER : Hi there. Most GM vehicles from 2009 to current 2017 models utilize the Driver Information Center. A general introduction to this system can be found by watching this video, but your owner manual in the glove box should provide you with step-by-step instructions as well.

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ANSWER : Hey there thanks for writing in about your 2002 Hyundai Elantra GT. The high idle is likely a bad idle air control motor (or air leak in the intake system). The misfire also may be caused by the factory spark plug gap being too great (.045"). Gap your plugs to .032" instead. To have this checked, have a qualified mechanic inspect the high idling and misfiring problems in order to have this correctly repaired and addressed.