NHTSA Complaint #10156704 — 2006 HYUNDAI SONATA

REAR SUSPENSION HAS ANNOYING AND LOUD THUMPING NOISE WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS UNDER 40 MPH. STARTED NOTICING NOISE WITHIN 1000 MILES AFTER PURCHASING VEHICLE, WHICH WAS ON 10/26/05. MANUFACTURER HAS ADMITTED THE PROBLEM IN A BBB ARBITRATION HEARING, CASE NO. HYU0641565 DATED 04/27/06 AND STATED IT AS A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE VEHICLE. ALSO IN A TELEPHONE CONVERSATIONS WITH A REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND OTHERS AS A PROBLEM. TOOK THE PROBLEM TO DEALERSHIP, WHO COULD NOT FIND THE CAUSE AND DID NOT PUT IT ON THE WORK ORDERS. THEREFORE, I LOST THE ARBITRATION HEARING, EVEN THOUGH THEY TOLD ME PERSONALLY THAT HYUNDAI TOLD THEM NOT TO DO ANYTHING, BECAUSE THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN TERMS OF THE THUMPING. WHAT AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURER WOULD INCORPORATE A NOISE IN THEIR VEHICLES AS A SELLING FEATURE AND STATE IT'S A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE VEHICLE? IF HYUNDAI DOES NOT KNOW THE CAUSE OF THE REAR SUSPENSION NOISE, THEN THEY DO NOT KNOW IF A SAFETY FACTOR IS INVOLVED. THE SUSPENSION COULD AND PROBABLY IS DEFECTIVE IN SOME WAY. *NM