NHTSA Complaint #10425412 — 2006 HYUNDAI AZERA

SEVERAL WEEKS AGO I TOOK MY CAR TO THE HYUNDAI DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT FOR WARRANTY WORK. OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS, WHILE PARKED AND UNATTENDED, THE BACK OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT, ON ITS OWN, READJUSTED ITSELF ALL THE WAY FORWARD. THIS HAPPENED ALMOST DAILY. THE DEALER SAID EVERYTHING LOOKED OK AND THEY COULD NOT DETERMINE A CAUSE. ON 9/12/11 I SAT IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT AS I WAS PREPARING TO LEAVE WORK, AND THE SEAT BACK READJUSTED ITSELF WITH ME IN IT (CAR HAD NOT YET BEEN STARTED). IT PUSHED ME FORWARD AND UP AGAINST THE STEERING WHEEL. I WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE MOVEMENT OR READJUST THE BACK UNTIL THE SEAT BACK COMPLETED ITS TREK ALL THE WAY FORWARD. AFTER THE FIRST TIME, I READJUSTED THE SEAT AND STARTED DRIVING ON THE BWI PARKWAY AT 55 MPH WHEN THE SEAT BACK DID IT AGAIN, AND AGAIN, AND AGAIN. I HEADED STRAIGHT FOR THE DEALER AND DURING THE 15 +/- MILES TO THE DEALER, I WAS COMPRESSED AGAINST THE STEERING WHEEL ABOUT 20 MORE TIMES. I AM 6 FEET TALL AND HAVE LONG LEGS, AND DURING THE TIMES I WAS DRIVING AND COMPRESSED AGAINST THE STEERING WHEEL, IT WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO MOVE MY FOOT FROM THE ACCELERATOR TO THE BRAKE. AS A RESULT, AS SOON AS I WOULD FEEL THE SEAT START TO MOVE FORWARD, I HAD TO PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDER OF THE PARKWAY UNTIL THE SEAT STOPPED AND I COULD READJUST THE BACK. THANKFULLY, THIS TIME WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT, THE SEAT COMPRESSED THE SERVICE ATTENDANT WHILE HE WAS SITTING IN MY CAR, SO HE COULD SEE THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM! SEVERAL MONTHS AGO WHEN I FIRST NOTICED THE BACK READJUSTING ON ITS OWN, I GOOGLED THE PROBLEM AND DISCOVERED THAT THIS ISSUE WITH AZERAS HAS BEEN ONGOING FOR QUITE SOME TIME. I HOPE THAT IT WILL NOT TAKE SOMEONE GETTING SERIOUSLY HURT OR KILLED BEFORE SOMETHING IS DONE TO MAKE HUYNDAI ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM. THEY THINK IT IS A SWITCH. WE WILL SEE! *KB