Hyundai Repair: rpms spiking without acceleration, torque converter clutch, throttle position sensor

Question
Hi I have a 2004 Hyundai Accent 3dr hatchback, and lately when I reach speeds of 60 or higher the rpm's spike from 2,600 to 3,000 by itself, this is new and happens without me accellerating any more. The idiling rpm's also seem to be running higher. I took it in for a check today and they said it is just the car getiing older, that because it has 57,000 miles on it it's gonna run a little higher. But this just started, and my warranty will expire at 60,000. Can you give us some help here. Thanks,Roger

Answer
Vehicle age and mileage has no normal consequence on engine rpm.  Period.  If this was your dealer telling you this, you should either speak to the service manager or find another dealer.  If this was someplace other than the dealer, you should take it to the dealer to be checked-- you are indeed looking to have the problem repaired, hopefully covered by your new vehicle warranty.

It's possible that what you're describing is normal, however.  Without driving the car and witnessing what's happening, it's impossible for me to tell.  One of the possibilities (if you have an automatic transmission) is that the transmission control module (TCM) has turned off the torque converter clutch for some reason.

Of course it's also possible that there's an actual problem, possibly with your throttle position sensor or transmission fluid temperature sensor, along with several other items.  For the shop to reach a reasonable conclusion, you may even need to drive the car while the technician rides with you so he can experience what's happening and learn how to make it occur.