NHTSA Complaint #10242449 — 2003 HYUNDAI SONATA

WHEN I REPLACED THE TIRES WITH THE SPECIFIED SIZE TIRE AFTER HAVING THE CAR FOR ABOUT 23,000 MILES, I HAD THE PROBLEM WITH THE HUBCAPS SHIFTING AND SHEARING OFF THE VALVE STEM. I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE TIRE DEALERSHIP (BF GOODRICH TIRES) AND THEY TRIED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THEY CALLED THE DEALERSHIP WHO TOLD THEM IT WAS THE TIRES, BUT THAT WAS ILLOGICAL. THEY WOUND UP PUTTING METAL STEMS ON ALL FOUR TIRES AS IT WAS HAPPENING ON THE FRONT TIRES BUT ROTATION WOULD REQUIRE METAL STEMS IN ALL TIRES. THIS KEPT THE HUB CAPS FROM SHEARING THE STEM, BUT THE CAPS WOULD SLIDE UP OVER THE STEMS SO AS TO MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO CHECK THE AIR IN MY TIRES. FINALLY AFTER ABOUT A YEAR AND HALF OF HEADACHE, I FINALLY BOUGHT NEW WHEELS FOR THE CAR. THIS COMPLETELY SOLVED THE PROBLEM. HYUNDAI WOULD NEVER ADMIT TO THE PROBLEM AND TRIED TO TELL US THAT THE TIRES WERE WRONG. LIKE OTHERS HAVE STATED, THERE IS NOTHING IN THE OWNERS MANUAL THAT STATES THAT ONE HAS TO BUY MICHELIN TIRES. WHEN I FINALLY BOUGHT THE NEW WHEELS, THE TIRE DEALERSHIP ATTEMPTED TO MOUNT THE NEW TIRES ON THE OLD RIMS THAT CAME WITH THE CAR AND THE TIRE COULD NOT BE MOUNTED ON THE RIM AND HOLD AIR. THERE VERY DEFINITELY IS A PROBLEM WITH THOSE WHEELS BUT HYUNDAI NEVER WOULD ADMIT IT AND ONLY OFFERED TO BUY A NEW SET OF HUB CAPS WHICH DID THE EXACT SAME THING. I LIKE THE WHEELS I BOUGHT BUT I SHOULD NOT HAVE HAD TO BUY THEM. HYUNDAI SHOULD HAVE REPLACED THE WHEELS ON THE CAR. I EXPERIENCED FIVE FLATS ON THE FRONT END OF MY CAR BEFORE THE METAL STEMS WERE PUT IN. VERY POOR DESIGN ON THE WHEELS. *TR