NHTSA Complaint #10205851 — 2003 HYUNDAI ELANTRA

ON MARCH 4, 2006 I PURCHASED A PRE-OWNED 2003 HYUNDAI ELANTRA WITH 33,855 MILES FROM BUHLER & BITTER DODGE LOCATED ON ROUTE 35 IN HAZLET, NEW JERSEY. AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE I WAS ADVISED THAT ALL USED CARS ARE CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED VEHICLES AND ARE PUT THROUGH A 135 POINT CHECK PRIOR TO BEING PUT ON THE LOT. THE HYUNDAI THAT I PURCHASED PASSED THIS 135 POINT CHECK AND STILL HAD THE REMAINDER OF THE FACTORY WARRANTY WHICH WAS 5 YEARS OR 60,000 MILES. THE BALANCE OF THIS WARRANTY WOULD BE TRANSFERRED TO THE NEW OWNER. THE CAR RAN GREAT AND LIKE ALL OF OUR CARS IN THE PAST IT WAS GARAGE KEPT AND SERVICED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SERVICE SCHEDULE ISSUED TO US FROM THE DEALER UPON PURCHASE. ON AUGUST 22, 2007 I DROVE TO STATEN ISLAND FOR A DOCTOR?S VISIT. ON MY WAY HOME- WHILE TRAVELING ON THE GARDEN STATE PARKWAY-THE CAR APPEARED TO BE LOSING POWER AS IT RELATED TO MY ABILITY TO MAINTAIN SPEED OR ACCELERATE. FOR MY SAFETY I BEGAN TO MOVE OVER TO THE SHOULDER AND PROCEEDED TO SHUT OFF THE CAR. UPON RESTART NOTHING OCCURRED SO I TURNED THE IGNITION OFF AGAIN. THERE WAS NO SIGN OF TROUBLE ASIDE FROM THE LACK OF POWER (I.E. NO INDICATOR LIGHTS ILLUMINATED, NO SMOKE OR NOISE WAS COMING FROM THE CAR), IT JUST WOULDN'T START AND THEN SLOWLY EVERYTHING APPEARED TO SHUT OFF INCLUDING THE ELECTRICAL POWER. AT THAT POINT, I SAT AND WAITED FOR HELP TO ARRIVE. A GENTLEMAN FROM JULIAN?S GARAGE NAMED SCOTT ARRIVED WITH A TOW-TRUCK AND AFTER TRYING TO START THE CAR HIMSELF STATED THAT THE EITHER THE TIMING BELT WENT OR THE HEAD GASKET FAILED. BASED ON EVERYTHING SHUTTING DOWN, IT APPEARED THAT IT MOST LIKELY WAS THE HEAD GASKET. HE THEN TOWED ME TO A GAS STATION NEAR MY HOME. ALTHOUGH DISTURBED BY THE SITUATION AND THE FACT THAT IT WAS CLEAR I WOULD BE WITHOUT A CAR FOR A FEW DAYS, I KNEW THAT I HAD THE WARRANTY AND WAS COVERED. *JB