NHTSA Complaint #10388928 — 2003 HYUNDAI SANTA FE

PURCHASED AS A USED VEHICLE WITH 30,000 MI. IN 2008 FROM A DEALERSHIP WITH OWNERS MANUAL MISSING. ON 8-1-2010 WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK, THE VEHICLE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING ON A BRIDGE ON A BUSY ROADWAY, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LOSE POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES. OTHER VEHICLES IN THE AREA HAD TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION CAUSING A IMMEDIATE HAZARDOUS CONDITION. UPON HAVING THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A REPAIR GARAGE, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE WAS THE RESULT OF A DEFECTIVE TIMING BELT THAT WAS A KNOWN ISSUE FOR THIS MODEL AND MAKE OF VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER RECOMMENDED CHANGING OF THE TIMING BELT WAS TO BE 60,000 MILES, THUS TELLING ME THE BELT SHOULD HAVE BEEN CHANGED IN 2007 AT THE 60,000 MILE MARK. AS YOU CAN SEE, I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE IN 2008 WILL 30,000 MILES ON IT (NO OWNERS MANUAL). I WAS TOLD I WAS TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COST OF THE REPLACEMENT MOTOR, WHICH OF COURSE WAS A USED MOTOR BECAUSE THEY REDESIGNED THE 3.5 LITER ENGINE IN 2005 WHEN THIS PROBLEM WAS EVIDENT AND THOSE ENGINES WOULD NOT FIT MY 2003. WHY WAS THERE NOT A RECALL THEN ON THIS FOR ENGINE FAILURE AT THAT TIME? THEY HAD REPLACED THE BELT WITH A NEW DESIGN TIMING CHAIN FOR THE NEWER VEHICLES. WHILE MY VEHICLE WAS UNDER REPAIR, ANOTHER 2003 SANTA FE WAS ALSO IN FOR THE SAME ISSUE. FORTUNATELY, I WAS NOT INJURED, BUT THE POSSIBILITY WAS THERE. A MINUTE EARLIER, I WAS TRAVELING DOWN A STEEP GRADE PRIOR TO THE ENGINE FAILURE. THIS LOOKS LIKE AN INHERENT PROBLEM FOR THE HYUNDAI 3.5 LITER ENGINE, THEY HAD TO GET MY REPLACEMENT ENGINE FROM TEXAS. WERE USED CAR BUYERS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM WITH THE HYUNDAI 3.5 LITER ENGINE MODELS PRIOR TO 2006? THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY VIOLATION. THE VEHICLE ENGINE FAILED WITHOUT WARNING! HOW ABOUT HYUNDAI REIMBURSING ME $4000.00?