NHTSA Complaint #10236785 — 2007 HYUNDAI SANTA FE

DRIVING FROM MY MOTHER'S HOME, WHERE I WAS VISITING, TO THE GROCERY STORE NOT THREE MILES AWAY MY 2007 HYUNDAI SANTA FE ALL OF SUDDEN LOST POWER AND STARTED OVERHEATING. I WAS ABLE TO PULL IT OFF THE ROAD AND CALLED ROADSIDE SERVICE FOR ASSISTANCE. THIS BEING THE FOURTH OF JULY LONG WEEKEND, THE ORLANDO DEALERSHIP WAS NOT OPEN. THE FOLLOWING DAY I SPOKE TO THE SERVICE ASSISTANT AT ORLANDO HYUNDAI. SEVERAL HOURS LATER, I WAS INFORMED THAT THE RADIATOR WAS DAMAGED AND NOT A WARRANTY ITEM, THE REPAIR WAS $700. BEING FROM OUT OF THE AREA I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO PAY THE MONEY AND GET THE CAR FIXED. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE, ACCORDING TO THE SERVICE MANAGER, WAS SOME ITEM DAMAGED THE RADIATOR AND USING HIS WORDS "PROBABLY ROAD DEBRIS" PASSING THROUGH THE GRILL. HE CONTINUED THE EXPLANATION THAT THERE ARE NOT BARRIERS THAT WOULD PREVENT SMALL ITEMS FROM PASSING THROUGH THE GRILL AND DAMAGING THE CONDENSER AND RADIATOR WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAYS. ASKING THE SERVICE MANAGER IF THIS COULD HAPPEN AGAIN, HE REPLIED YES. THE FAILURE OF HYUNDAI TO FORESEE, DESIGN AND PROVIDE ANY TYPE OF SCREEN BARRIER BEHIND THE GRILL ALLOWS ANY TYPE OF DEBRIS TO CAUSE HARM TO THE CONDENSER OR RADIATOR AT ANY TIME. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED ON JULY 5, 2008 BY ORLANDO HYUNDAI IN ORLANDO FL. I DISPUTED THIS CLAIM AS SUBJECTIVE TO HYUNDAI OF AMERICA AS SOON AS I RETURNED. THEY SENT ME TO MY LOCAL DEALER, JENKINS HYUNDAI OF BRADENTON. THE SERVICE MANAGER THERE TOLD ME HE COULDN'T DO ANYTHING. I WAS GIVEN THE RUNAROUND. I SUGGEST THE FOLLOWING SOLUTION, SENT IN BY ANOTHER COMPLIANT, SHOULD BE LISTENED TO. A SMALL AMOUNT OF HARDWARE CLOTH ATTACHED TO THE BACK OF THE GRILL WOULD DEFLECT MOST ALL DEBRIS AND PROTECT THE CONDENSER AND RADIATOR FROM DAMAGE WHILE STILL ALLOWING AMPLE AIR FLOW. TODAY, MY CAR OVERHEATED AGAIN! I WILL BRING IT TO THE DEALER TOMORROW WITHOUT CONFIDENCE IN THIS PRODUCT OR THE WARRANTY WHICH IS WHY I BOUGHT THE CAR IN THE FIRST PLACE. *TR