NHTSA Complaint #10202824 — 2003 HYUNDAI SONATA

THE CAR SEEMED TO BE DOING OK FOR A LITTLE WHILE. THEN.... I TOOK THE CAR TO GET THE YEARLY INSPECTION DONE AND IT FAILED. THE BACK PASSENGERS BRAKE LIGHT WAS ON NON- STOP. I AM GOING TO EXPLAIN EXACTLY WHAT I MEAN. THE BACK BRAKE LIGHT IS ON WHEN THE CAR IS DRIVING BUT WHEN YOU HIT THE BRAKES THE SECONDARY LIGHT IS SUPPOSE TO COME ON AND MAKE IT BRIGHTER. THE LIGHT BULB IN THE BRAKE AREA HAD BOTH LOW AND HIGH LIGHT ON. I CHANGED OUT THE BULB TWICE THAT DAY THINKING MAYBE THE BULB IS BAD. WHEN I LOOKED AT THE PART THAT HOLDS THE BULB IT LOOKED BLACK LIKE IT WAS BURNING. STILL THE TWO LIGHTS STAYED ON. I TALKED TO MY FRIEND IN MICHIGAN WHO IS A MECHANIC AND HE TOLD ME IT SOUNDS AN ELECTRIC PROBLEM. THEN THE CAR ALSO STARTED TO DIE AFTER DRIVING IT FOR A WHILE. I HAD TO HAVE IT JUMPED A COUPLE OF TIMES AND WHEN I HAD THE BATTERY CHECKED IT WAS FINE. I TOOK IT TO THE HYUNDAI DEALER AGAIN AND TOLD HIM WHAT WAS GOING ON, AND THAT THE CAR WAS HAVING ELECTRIC ISSUES. I TOLD HIM I CHANGED THE BULB TWICE AND THAT THE PART THAT WAS HOLDING THE BULB WAS BLACK AND LOOKED LIKE IT WAS BURNING. GUESS WHAT... THEY KEPT IT FOR TWO DAYS. I CALLED THAT SAME DAY AND THE NEXT AND WAS TOLD THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO GET TO IT BECAUSE THEY WERE TO BUSY. WHEN THEY FINALLY DID GET TO IT THE GUY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS JUST THE BULB. I ASKED HIM ABOUT THE BURNING PART AND WAS TOLD THAT WAS FINE. (CAR HAD ABOUT 59000 MILES ON IT) NOW PLEASE TELL ME HOW IT WAS JUST THE BULB WHEN I PUT TWO NOT JUST ONE BUT TWO IN AND IT DID NOT CHANGE. I ASKED IF HE HAD CHECKED THE ELECTRIC SYSTEM AND WAS TOLD ALL WAS FINE. HE ALSO SAID THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR AND THERE WAS NO REASON FOUND AS TO WHY IT WOULD NOT START.