NHTSA Complaint #10374446 — 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE

ON 12/26/2010,MY HUSBAND AND 2 CHILDREN WERE RETURNING FROM NJ TO CT VIA THE GARDEN STATE PARKWAY, NEW JERSEY TURNPIKE AND THE GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE. FOUR TIMES DURING THAT TRIP, OUR HYUNDAI SANTA FE SUDDENLY LOST POWER. EACH TIME THE LOSS OF POWER OCCURRED THERE WAS NO PRECIPITATING EVENT, JUST A SUDDEN AND RANDOM LOSS OF POWER FOLLOWED BY THE ESC LIGHT ILLUMINATING ON THE DASH. HE HAD TO COAST THRU TRAFFIC, FIND A SAFE PLACE TO STOP AND TURN THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON AGAIN TO REGAIN POWER. WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE HYUNDAI DEALER IN MERIDEN CT AND THEY INTERROGATED THE COMPUTER. THE SERVICE TECH TOLD US THEY REPLACED THE TPS (THROTTLE POSITION) SENSOR. WE DID SOME AMATEUR RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND WITHIN 10 MINUTES OF RESEARCHING, CAME ACROSS DOZENS OF SANTA FE OWNERS WHO EXPERIENCED THE SAME EVENT. WE ARE WONDERING WHY THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALL ON THE SANTA FE MODELS THAT ARE AFFECTED. WE ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THE PROPER AUTHORITIES ARE AWARE OF THE SITUATION SO THAT NECESSARY ACTION CAN BE TAKEN. WE ARE SO FORTUNATE THAT THE DRIVERS NEAR US ALL FOUR TIMES WERE PAYING ATTENTION AND DIDN'T RAM US FROM BEHIND. THESE ARE HEAVILY TRAVELED ROADS WITH MANY TRUCKS, TRACTOR TRAILERS AND CARS, ALL TRAVELLING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED AND SOMETIMES FOLLOWING CLOSELY. THIS IS A POTENTIAL TRAGEDY FOR ANOTHER FAMILY WHO ISN'T AS LUCKY.