NHTSA Complaint #10298813 — 2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA

I'VE OWNED MY CURRENT 2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA SINCE 2002 (I'M THE ORIGINAL OWNER) AND MY PREVIOUS CAR WAS ALSO A HYUNDAI. I'VE TOLD MANY PEOPLE WHAT GOOD CARS THEY ARE. LAST WEEK I NOTICED SOME "PLAY" IN MY WHEEL AND PLANNED TO GET AN ALIGNMENT DONE THIS WEEK. ON THURSDAY NIGHT ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK MY CAR SPUN OUT OF CONTROL AND MY WHEELS WENT IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS. LUCKILY I WAS TURNING DOWN A ROAD VERY CLOSE TO MY HOME SO I WAS ONLY GOING ABOUT 15 MPH, MY 6 AND 3 YR OLDS WEREN'T WITH ME, AND NO OTHER CARS WERE COMING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OR THIS COULD HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO THE LOCAL GUY WHO INFORMED ME THAT MY LOWER CONTROL ARMS WERE BAD (ONE RUSTED AND BROKEN, THE OTHER WITH HOLES) AND THAT THIS WAS LIKELY A RECALL ITEM AND I SHOULD CONTACT MY DEALERSHIP RATHER THAN PAY HIM FOR REPAIRS THAT MIGHT BE COVERED (VERY NICE GUY). I FOUND OUT THIS IS A RECALL ITEM. BOTH HYUNDAI CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND GRAPPONE HYUNDAI LET ME KNOW I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYING FOR THE TOW (IT WAS $125) TO GET MY CAR THERE, AND FOR A RENTAL VEHICLE WHILE MY CAR WAS OUT OF COMMISSION. I HAD THE CAR TOWED THERE ON FRIDAY AS QUICKLY AS I COULD. I CALLED THIS MORNING AT 9AM TO FIND OUT HOW LONG I NEED TO GET A RENTAL FOR AND AFTER WAITING FOR ABOUT 20 RINGS SOMEONE FINALLY PICKED UP THE PHONE AND LET ME KNOW THAT NOBODY WOULD EVEN LOOK AT MY CAR UNTIL MONDAY AND THAT I SHOULD PLAN ON PAYING FOR A RENTAL FOR AT LEAST A WEEK. THIS WILL BE THE LAST HYUNDAI I OWN AND I'M VERY UNHAPPY WITH THE FACT THAT A DEFECT THAT COULD HAVE KILLED ME (I TAKE THE HIGHWAY HOME MOST NIGHTS AND JUST LOST A SISTER IN A CAR ACCIDENT IN JUNE) NOW IS GOING GO COST ME HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS. I NO LONGER FEEL SAFE IN MY HYUNDAI AND AM VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT A DEFECT IS COSTING ME SO MUCH TIME AND MONEY. *TR