NHTSA Complaint #10342200 — 2001 HYUNDAI SANTA FE

ON JUNE 30, 2010 AT APPROX 9:50 AM CDT, I SUDDENLY LOST CONTROL OF MY 2001 HYUNDAI SANTA FE WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY IN OKLAHOMA CITY, OK. MY VEHICLE BEGAN TO SWERVE AS IF ON A SHEET OF ICE. ROAD CONDITIONS WERE ACTUALLY OPTIMAL WITH NO WATER, ICE OR OTHER ADVERSE ROAD CONDITIONS. I WAS ABLE TO WRESTLE MY VEHICLE OFF THE HIGHWAY ONTO AN EXIT WHILE GENTLY APPLYING MY BRAKES TO GRADUALLY REDUCE SPEED. THE VEHICLE WAS CANTED ON THE ROADWAY (REAR END SIGNIFICANTLY DISPLACED TO RIGHT) AS I DROVE IT TO A NEARBY REPAIR SHOP. I WAS BASICALLY DRAGGING THE REAR END BEHIND ME. A FRIEND CONFIRMED THIS APPEARANCE AND THAT THE PASSENGER-SIDE REAR TIRE WAS ALSO DEVIATED TOWARD THE RIGHT AND THAT BOTH TIRES WERE ANGLED INWARD AS HE FOLLOWED ME TO THE REPAIR SHOP. AT THIS TIME, I WAS UNAWARE OF A SAFETY RECALL (NHTSA ACTION # EA08023, RECALL CAMPAIGN # 09V123000) THAT APPLIED TO MY VEHICLE. THE REAR TRAILING ARMS ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO CORROSION AND FAILURE. UNFORTUNATELY, ONLY OWNERS WHO HAD PURCHASED THAT VEHICLE IN A SALT-BELT STATE, OR WERE REGISTERED IN A SALT-BELT STATE AT THE TIME OF THE RECALL (APRIL 2009) WERE NOTIFIED OF THE DANGER. MY VEHICLE HAD BEEN PURCHASED IN OREGON AND I HAVE RESIDED IN OKLAHOMA FOR THE 4 YEARS. I DID SPEND 4 YEARS DRIVING THIS VEHICLE IN 2 SALT-BELT STATES, HOWEVER, EXPOSED TO THE CONDITIONS THAT ACCELERATED THE CORROSION OF THE FLAWED PARTS. AFTER I DISCOVERED THIS RECALL ON MY OWN ON 7/8/2010, I GOT THE VEHICLE TOWED TO EDMOND HYUNDAI IN EDMOND, OK AND BEGAN TRYING TO GET THIS RECALL WORK DONE. THE SERVICE MANAGER AGREED THAT BOTH REAR TRAILING ARMS HAD FAILED AND HAD SIGNIFICANT CORROSION. HYUNDAI AGREED TO REPLACE THE REAR TRAILING ARMS, BUT HAS REFUSED TO PAY FOR TOWING AND OTHER VEHICLE DAMAGES THAT RESULTED FROM THIS COMPONENT FAILURE. THEY ALSO REFUSED TO PROVIDE A VEHICLE WHILE MINE IS IN THE SHOP OR PAY FOR A COMPARABLE RENTAL VEHICLE. I HAVE ESCALATED THIS TO HYUNDAI'S NATIONAL OFFICE. *TR