NHTSA Complaint #10237254 — 1999 HYUNDAI SONATA

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THERE WAS A LOUD THUMP AND IT BEGAN PULLING SEVERELY TO THE RIGHT. I DROVE IT STRAIGHT TO MY MECHANIC. HE TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE FRAMES ON HYUNDAI SONATA VEHICLES, AND THAT MINE EXHIBITED THE SAME KIND OF PROBLEMS THAT OTHERS HAD REPORTED. HE SAID I WAS LUCKY I WAS NOT TRAVELING ON A FREEWAY, AS I COULD HAVE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE FRAME WAS BADLY RUSTED AND. IN HIS WORDS, "THE FRAME WAS SO BAD I COULD NOT GET BOLTS OUT OF CONTROL ARM, HAD TO CUT FRAME APART AND PRESS OUT BUSHINGS, REPLACE SWAY LINK." THE CONTROL ARM WAS BARELY ATTACHED AFTER THE FRAME FAILED. HE REPLACED THE COMPLETE CROSSMEMBER ASSEMBLY (PART #'S 62405-38101, 54561-38000, 265-2197) AND SUGGESTED I FOLLOW UP WITH HYUNDAI, SINCE THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM. THE REPAIRS WERE FINISHED ON 7/2/2008. I CONTACTED HYUNDAI, PROVIDED ALL THE INFORMATION THEY REQUESTED AND I WAS TOLD THEY WOULD GET BACK TO ME WITHIN A WEEK. I HAVE TALKED WITH THEM SEVERAL TIMES, AND EACH TIME I HAVE BEEN TOLD A DIFFERENT STORY ABOUT WHY I HAVE NOT BEEN REIMBURSED YET. I HAVE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD THEIR CARS REPAIRED BY HYUNDAI, OR BEEN REIMBURSED FOR REPAIRS, AND PROVIDED ONE PERSON'S CASE NUMBER AS AN EXAMPLE. AS OF 8/6/2008, I HAVE YET TO TALK TO THE SAME PERSON TWICE AT HYUNDAI, AND I HAVE NOT BEEN REIMBURSED. THE CASE NUMBER WITH HYUNDAI'S CONSUMER DEPARTMENT IS 3340021. *TR