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Hyundai

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Hyundai • Brakes • Stalling • Transmission • "Just Everything" • Airbags • Engine Failure • Fires • Sludge Problems --- News • Lawsuit Says Hyundai Airbags Fail to Deploy • Feds Step Up Rusting Hyundai Investigation • Feds Study Hyundai Airbag Failures • Feds Investigate Suspension Failure in Hyundai Santa Fe • Rusting Hyundai Sonatas Prompt Federal Probe • NHTSA Probes Hyundai Air Bag Failure • Hyundai to Tap U.S. Sport Sedan Market • Hyundai Drops Back Into Minivan Market • Hyundai Drops Out of Minivan Market • Airbag Problems Plague New Hyundais • Hyundai Offers $85 Million to Settle Horsepower Suit • Hyundai Aces J.D. Powers Survey • Horsepower Overstated

Hyundai got a lot of good press when it extended its drivetrain warranty to 10 years or 100,000 miles. But those who owns these troublesome little rattletraps have many tales of woe about the warranty, not to mention the transmission, the engine and just about everything else. On top of that, the company now admits that it overstated the horsepower on more than a million Hyundai and Kia models.

More recently, Hyundai and Kia raised eyebrows when they finished unexpectedly high in the J.D. Powers Initial Quality Survey. The Powers Survey is highly regarded but perhaps "initial" quality isn't the problem? Check the complaints listed to the right and judge for yourself.

Here are a few recent arrivals:

Amy of Utica, NY October 28, 2009

I have a 2002 Hyundai Accent that is currently 7 years old and the vehicle has 98,000 miles on it. While driving my car, the transamission just went into safe mode and would not leave 2nd or 3rd gear, resulting in numerous DTC's. I broguht it to the dealer, but Hyundai would not honor thier warranty 10 years 100,000 mile power train warranty, becasue I could not show documentation.

I understand Hyundai's policy regarding maintenance and keeping reciepts. However, my transmission broke and i was denied warranty becasue i could not show documentaion that the engine oil was being serviced regularly, (i had all the oil changes done at walmart, but they could only print me reciepts for the past 40,000 miles. I explained to hyundai that i have had 3 different warranty items repaired on the engine, and i was never asked for reciepts. i further stated that my owners manual states that I did not need any transmission services, except to check the fluid levels.

i did provide reciepts that indicated around the late 80,000 mile early 90000 mile i had to change the transmission pan and therefore put in new fluid. I even went so far as to talk to the corporate warranty complaint center, who did nothing for me, except direct me to contact the hyundai representative. Which i did.

After trying to contact him 2 times over the period of 3 weeks. I gave up and can honestly say I will never buy a Hyundai again, becasue of their dishonesty about thier warranty, as well as, their lack of customer service. I have spent 1 month without a car, which has been an enormous inconvienance. Furthermore, i spent 100 trying to fix the problem, only to discover that one problem was an internal solenoid which i will not be able to fix myself

marvin of deerfield beach, FL October 28, 2009

Bad enough, after returning leased car, for one month after return, we were getting threatening letters to return car. On Oct.17, we got a bill for door scratch on returned vehicle which I acknowledged and sent a check on Oct. 19th. On Monday night 10/19 I got a dunning call from a collection agency. We have been consistently harassed by Hyundai for nothing we've done wrong. This after two leases and a recent purchase. The car is great but keep away from HFC 9Hyundai Finance Services unless you want an ulcer.

GREG of ELMHURST, IL October 22, 2009

Over the past 3 years when bringing my vehicle in for an alignment the repair shps have been unable to align the rear into the vehicle specs. They all told me that the bal joints (attached to the trailing arms) seem to be fine. I see a recall 9 which Hyundai has not contacted me and I am the origonal owner) on these specific parts and now realize the high probability and reason for the technitions to be unable to align the rear of my car to Hyundai specs. Please help!

Kevin of East Providence, RI October 21, 2009

Driving at a speed of about 15 miles while driving in a circle at a cul de sac, the front right end of my 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe suffered suspension failure resulting in the front passenger tire being at a 90 degree angle to the vehicle.

The resulting damage was the need to replace the tie rod ends, the front right ball joint, replacement if the sway bar links, an alignment, a new brake hose and brake system flush, and a new tire in order for the vehicle to be operable again. Recommended by the mechanic who preformed these repairs was the replacement of the front right strut assembly and CV shaft which I declined at the time. The repairs I did authorize resulted in 1,338.66 for parts and labor. The repairs that I declined at the time were qouted at 711.63 including parts and labor. I have documentation for all these repairs. I decided to submit this complaint after reading the article stating that similar problems had occurred to other drivers with the same vehicle as well as the Hyundai Sonata which is supposedly built on the same frame. I asked my auto mechanic what could have caused this as I had not been in any accidents, his reply that nothing should have caused that. I thank you for your time.

Michelle of Woodridge, NY October 20, 2009

My husband and I purchased a 2007 Hyundai Sonata. For the most part we have been satisfied with the vehicle except for the warranty. We have had to have the brakes and rotors replaced four times. We have 97,000 miles on the vehicle and admittedly that is a lot of miles, however, the brakes seem to go every 20,000 miles or so which is awful. There is no warning that they are going and you wake up one morning and the brakes and rotors need to be replaced. This has been an ongoing problem. Now we have another problem, the car just lost power while driving the other day. My husband made it home but barely. We had to have it towed to the dealer. They have now told us the car needs an oxygen sensor and catalytic converters. We still have the warranty, however, we are told that it is not covered. There was no warning about this sensor and the dealer tells me that it melted from the heat of the catalytic converter and clogged the converter and that is why we have such an expensive repair bill.

This is just ridiculous, there are no warnings on any of the repairs that may need to be done, no lights, no sounds, just stop working and need expensive repairs. I will never buy another Hyundai product, I am done. I was told to get a Toyota or Honda and stayed away from them because they were so much more expensive and have only a 36,000 mile warranty, however, everyone I know that has those vehicles never seems to have a problem. What a mess. I am extremely angry. We still owe two years payments on the car and can't get rid of it at this point and now the addition of this very expensive repair. Warranty my a.., they don't cover anything.

cleo of Oklahoma City, OK October 13, 2009

I am Cleo, an injured party from a burned NEW 09 Hyundai Santa Fe. As a Disable Vet with PTSD, I was traumatized when my vehicle just blew up while I was driving under the steering wheel. This vehicle was purchased with 50 miles and only had about 1200 when the incident occurred. This is still under Manufactures Warranty and should be replaced Free of charge plus my injuries should be compensated... The replacement vehicle purchased on 10/02/09 had check engine light come on 2 days later and was discovered to have had a faulty Ignition coil that was arc-in to the engine. VIN: 5nmsg13d09h273218 Just retrieved from the shop on 10/12/2009. This could have been the cause of the other vehicle to burn up. I am being brushed aside by my insurance company GEICO as well as Edmond Hyundai in Oklahoma City. 1) Car Facts.com indicates 6 issues related to the vehicle prior to the incident... 2) Please work with me in GOOD FAITH as I have been doing. 3) This SHOULD BE taken care of in the manner as stated in the WARRANTY.

Strict liability -- Rather than focus on the behavior of the manufacturer (as in negligence), strict liability claims focus on the product itself. Under strict liability, the manufacturer is liable if the product is defective, even if the manufacturer was not negligent in making that product defective.

Consumer protection -- In addition to the above common law claims, many states have enacted consumer protection statutes providing for specific remedies for a variety of product defects. Statutory remedies are often provided for defects which merely render the product unusable (and hence cause economic injury) but do not cause physical injury or damage to other property; the "economic loss rule" means that strict liability is generally unavailable for products that damage only themselves. The best known examples of consumer protection laws for product defects are lemon laws, which became widespread because automobiles are often an American citizen's second-largest investment after buying a home.

Tom of Valrico, FL October 13, 2009

I heard an extremely loud sound while driving my 1999 Hyundai Sonata GLS coming from the front passenger side of the vehicle and all of a sudden the front of the vehicle dropped significantly. I immediately stopped the vehicle and got out to see if I had hit something or to see exactly what had happened. Upon inspection the front passenger side A-Frame had completely rusted out of the sub frame of the vehicle causing it to break completely off. Thankfully I was travelling at a low rate of speed or it could have caused a major accident or even further damage to the vehicle.

Upon research it was discovered that there is a NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 09V124000 that addresses this same issue prompting Hyundai to issue a recall 089, however, when I contacted the dealership they stated there was no recall for this vehicle. The factory recall campaign covers vehicles in the "salt belt" and this vehicle was originally titled in Missouri and we owned it in Illinois which are both considered part of the "salt belt" as salt is used to melt ice on the roads during the winter months.

Hyundai consumer affairs was absolutely no help and they did nothing but contact the dealership...which in turn looked up the VIN and told them it's not covered under the recall. I told consumer affairs that I need someone in Hyundai to explain to me why this particular vehicle is not covered and they told me to look in my owner's manual under "Alternative Dispute Resolution" which is absolutely of no use to me because that tells you to contact a third party for dispute resolution...why can't Hyundai answer my question, it's their vehicle and THEIR RECALL!!! I'm absolutely disgusted with Hyundai consumer affairs and I am appalled that they won't honor a safety recall!

Diane of Phoenix, AZ October 6, 2009

My Hyundai Owners Handbook tells me that I can contact you with a concern I am having with my Hyundai vehicle and dealer. I do have concerns. Terminology issue. Please find attached an email with specifics regarding a problem I experienced from the time I owned the vehicle and reported to the dealer many times, during the warranty period, and after the warranty period. Care and competence issues. Please note that, not being a mechanic, all I can do is describe symptoms. I have to rely on competent mechanics to understand the symptoms I describe, ask the necessary questions, assess what is causing it, and fix it.

Ongoing problem since car purchase. In this particular issue, the “problem” started nearly as early as when I purchased the car new. I reported the problem to the dealer for the first time on April 7, 2004, while the vehicle was still under warranty. I was told that since the problem could not be replicated at the dealer, it could not be fixed. The problem continued, intermittently since I first owned the vehicle.

Professional assessment. On September 9, 2009, the intermittent problem escalated, the car would simply not start (see attachment e-mail). A tow truck came and started it. I drove the car to Costco for a new battery, but Costco recommended I go to Sears for installation (I left the car running while at Costco). I drove to Sears, just a few yards away, and turned off the engine. The engine could not be restarted, however, THIS TIME, a mechanic WITNESSED the problem. I had him call David A at Hyundai and describe to him the problem.

From a mechanic to another, I thought the explanation might be coming more clearly. I was somewhat disappointed. The Sears mechanic minced his words when speaking to the Hyundai mechanic, like a guy not wanting to tell the other guy what to do. The Sears mechanic said a lot more to me, most of which I did not understand because I do not have the reference education for it. One thing was clear though: the battery, only one year old, was perfectly fine and did not need to be changed. The Sears mechanic, who had WITNESSED the “problem,” indicated to me (only) that he believed that the “problem stemmed from something electrical between the starter and the battery, but that it was not the battery.” The Sears mechanic did not tell his conclusion to David A. of Hyundai.

Hyundai dealer. On September 10, 2009, I took my car to the dealer. This time, equipped with the knowledge passed on to me by the Sears mechanic, I was able to give a full explanation of what the Sears mechanic had told me about the problem (including what he had told me but had not told David A. of Hyundai, that he believed that the problem “stemmed from something electrical between the starter and the battery, but that it was not the battery”). Curiously, some time later during that Sept. 10 visit, the Hyundai dealer then diagnosed a faulty clutch switch.

Doubt issue. So, basically, it took a Sears mechanic, to tell a Hyundai mechanic what was wrong with my Hyundai car, before the Hyundai mechanic could assess the problem and fix it! Does that seem right to you? How can I trust the Hyundai mechanics and the Hyundai dealer again?

Trust and good-will issue. Since the problem existed since I purchased the car new, since I reported the problem several times during the warranty period and after, to the best of my ability, not being a mechanic myself, I cannot but ask that the problem and its repair be considered under warranty and all moneys paid towards it refunded to me with no hard feelings. But the Hyundai dealer said it will not consider this repair to be under warranty, because it was repaired after the warranty had expired. Yet, while under warranty, the Hyundai dealer could not find what was wrong with the car. Do you see the dilemma?

The fact that the Hyundai dealer says that: 1) it could not reproduce the problem which did exist, 2) that the dealer found a defective electrical clutch switch only after I informed Hyundai of the Sears mechanic’s diagnosis…does raise suspicion…not to mention questions of competency, truthfulness…

Conclusion. In addition to 1) doubting whether I can trust that the Hyundai mechanics ever really did do their job right, 2) that the relationship with the Hyundai dealer has been deeply damaged, and 3) that I now feel less trusting towards Hyundai about the future, there remains the fact that ONE I did experience that starting problem with that car since I own it, and TWO I first reported the problem to Hyundai while it was under warranty.

Request. This issue has now escalated not only to a mechanical issue, but to a warranty issue, and furthermore, to an issue of trust. I hope you can see that. While this mechanical issue seems to be fixed for now, I am not satisfied that the warranty was respected. Trust has been broken. Future dealings with this dealer are compromised. I would welcome your feedback and I hope that all this can be resolved kindly to our mutual satisfaction.

Rosemarie of National Park, NJ October 6, 2009

Took my car in because I could not put any gas in my car through gas pump. I have to put gas in a gas can to put gas in my car. At the pump the pump keeps shutting off. The dealer told me that it was due to a purge valve and a purge filter that needed to be replaced and said that this was not covered under my warranty because it is part of maintenance. What is this? I have also read about this problem with many Huyndai cars and not just the sonata which is what I drive. My dealer said he has never heard of this happening before. I have seen this in many blogs. I do not know why I even bothered getting an extended warranty since this is the second time I brought my car in for a major repair which just so happens is one of the 10% that is not covered on my car. I think that this is a major problem and Hyundai needs to take a look at this problem and make sure that this is fixable under warranty!!!

Raymond of Pittsburgh, PA September 24, 2009

After the suspension went on my 2001 Hyundai santa fe. Swerving off and on the interstate. I called Hyundai and I asked if this has happened to anyone else. They said no, after some further investigation she said oh yes there is a recall and I would have to have it towed to a dealer for pictures. I was never notified. I am the original owner have never moved or changed phone information.

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