NHTSA Complaint #10196640 — 2004 HYUNDAI SONATA

TIRE VALVE STEM FAILED ON 2004 HYUNDAI SONATA. THERE WERE DEFECTIVE WHEEL COVERS. ALL TIRES WERE REPLACED ON THIS VEHICLE ON 11-10-2006. MILEAGE WA S37,063. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER FOR TIRE ROTATION ON 6-21-2007. *AK ON 6-26-2007 WHILE TRAVELLING AT 70+ MPH ON THE INTERSTATE, I EXPERIENCED SUDDEN LOSS OF AIR IN THE LEFT FRONT TIRE. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE TO A SAFE STOP. TOOK THE TIRE TO THE VENDOR. DETERMINED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS A BROKEN VALVE STEM. VENDOR STATED THAT THEY HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE HYUNDAI WHEEL COVERS. AFFECTED TIRE WAS UNUSABLE DUE TO THE TIME IT TOOK TO GET STOPPED FROM 70+MPH AND WAS REPLACED. AFTER THAT EVENT, I BEGAN WATCHING THE WHEEL COVERS AND OBSERVED THAT THE WHEEL COVERS ROTATE ON THE WHEEL WHILE DRIVING, AND BEND THE VALVE STEM WITH SIGNIFICANT FORCE. I FREQUENTLY REMOVED AND RE-INSTALLED THE WHEEL COVERS TO RELIEVE THE FORCE ON THE VALVE STEM, ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT THE PROBLEM WOULD RE-OCCUR WITH LESS THAN 100 MILES OF DRIVING. I BECAME CONCERNED AND WORRIED TO DRIVE MY CAR AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS DUE TO THE POSSABILITY OF A POTENTIAL CRASH DUE TO THE RAPID LOSS OF AIR SHOULD ANOTHER VALVE STEM BREAK. CONSULTED THE INTERNET (GOOGLE) AND SEACHED FOR "HYUNADI SONATA VALVE STEM PROBLEMS." OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. ALSO, FOUND THIS PROBLEM BEING INVESTIGATED ON 2002 - 2003 HYUNDAI SONATAS. SEE NHTSA "PE05-059 2002 - 2003 HYUNDAI SONATA TIRE VALVE STEM FAILURES 07-NOV-2005 " NOTE: TODAY, I REPLACED THE ORIGINAL HYUNDAI WHEEL COVERS WITH FTERMARKET WHEEL COVERS PURCHASED FROM AUTO ZONE. THESE WHEEL COVERS HAVE A CLOSE APPARENCE TO THE ORIGINALS AND APPEAR THAT THEY CANNOT BIND THE VALVE STEMS. A $29.95 FIX. MY OPINION IS THAT THE FACTORY HYUNDAI WHEEL COVERS ARE IMPROPERLY DESIGNED AND REPRESENT A SAFETY HAZARD. HAD I NOT BEEN AN EXPERIENCED DRIVER AND PAYING ATTENTION TO MY VEHICLE, I COULD HAVE EASILY WRECKED AT 70 MPH.