NHTSA Complaint #10436455 — 2011 HYUNDAI SONATA

TPMS: TPMS LIGHT GOES ON, ALTHOUGH TIRES ARE CORRECTLY INFLATED TO 35 PSI. 4000 MILES ON THE NEW CA, 18" WHEELS AND HANKOOK OPTIMO H431 TIRES INSTALLED AS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. CAR PURCHASED IN PORTLAND OREGON (TOWN 'N COUNTRY) AND DRIVEN BACK TO ALBUQUERQUE, NM ABOUT 8/6/11. RAN 12 WEEKS WITHOUT INCIDENT, BUT THEN TPMS LIGHT INTERMITTENTLY CAME ON. SOMETIMES IN REGULAR WEATHER, SOMETIMES IN COLD, AND WOULD REMAIN ON THROUGHOUT DRIVE. TURNED CAR OFF, THEN RESTARTED, CONDITION PERSISTED. OTHER DAYS, NOT AT ALL. CHECKED PSI AND WAS AT FACTORY SPEC. TOOK VEHICLE TO LOCAL DEALER (SOUTHWEST HYUNDAI, ABQ, NM) WHICH CHECKED THE PSI AND CONFIRMED PROPERLY INFLATED. TESTED/CLEANED TPMS BUT CONDITION NOT RECTIFIED. THEN DEALER OVERINFLATED TIRES, CLAIMING THAT ALTITUDE AND TEMPERATURE AFFECTED TIRES AND TIRE PRESSURE. CLAIMED THAT OVER INFLATION RECTIFIED CONDITION. TOLD THAT THIS WAS A FREQUENT PROBLEM IN ALBUQUERQUE, THAT REGIONAL OFFICE HAD BEEN CONTACTED ON OTHER OCCASIONS, BUT NEVER RECEIVED AN ANSWER OR BULLETIN HOW TO HANDLE THE PROBLEM. PROTESTED, SINCE BOTH CAR AND TIRE MFGRS SPECIFY 35 PSI, AND TPMS LIGHT DID NOT GO ON FOR FIRST 12 WEEKS DRIVING AT THIS ALTITUDE; THAT OVER INFLATION AFFECTED TIRE CONTACT WITH ROAD, TIRE LIFE, AND COMFORT OF RIDE. CALLED HANKOOK TIRE MFGR WHO SAID THAT NEITHER TEMPERATURE NOR ALTITUDE COULD EXPLAIN PROBLEM. SAID LIKELY DEFECT IN TPMS SYSTEM. CALLED CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WAS INITIALLY TOLD THAT CONDITION HAD BEEN FIXED PER DEALER. AFTER REPEATED CALLS, CUSTOMER SERVICE HAD NO ANSWER AND REFERRED ME BACK TO DEALER. SPOKE WITH DEALER AGAIN AND SERVICE REP AGAIN CLAIMED THAT CONDITION IS DUE TO ALTITUDE AND/OR TEMPERATURE. MESSAGE PENDING FOR [XXX], SERVICE DEPT. MANAGER. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR