NHTSA Complaint #10470765 — 2000 HYUNDAI ELANTRA

MY WIFE PURCHASED A 2000 HYUNDAI ELANTRA VIN#[XXX] FROM BROWN HYUNDAI OF TOLEDO OH. ON 4/18/05 SHE BROUGHT THE CAR TO BROWN HYUNDAI AT 63,000 MILES DUE TO A NOTICE ABOUT POSSIBLE FOR CRACKS FORMING IN THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD, SPECIFICALLY TSB 05-01-001. NO REPLACEMENT WAS MADE AT THAT TIME. RECENTLY, I NOTICED AN EXISTING CRACK IN THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD AND PERFORMED SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET ABOUT THE PROBLEM. I AM SURE YOU ARE AWARE HOW COMMON OF A PROBLEM THIS HAS BEEN AS THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON VARIOUS AUTOMOTIVE FORUMS, THE NHTSA, AND VARIOUS STATES' DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER PROTECTION. I HAD THE VEHICLE RECENTLY (10/08/12) INSPECTED AT VOSS HYUNDAI OF CENTERVILLE OH WHO HAS CONFIRMED THE EXISTING CRACK. AT 125,000 MILES THE CAR IS PASSED ITS POWERTRAIN WARRANTY. SIMPLY BECAUSE IT WAS NOT VISIBLY EVIDENT IN 2005 DOES NOT MEAN THE MANIFOLD WAS UP TO HYUNDAI'S QUALITY STANDARDS. EXHAUST MANIFOLDS ARE CAST IRON OR STEEL AND ARE NOT A MOVING PART SUBJECT TO FRICTION. THEREFORE, I CANNOT ACCEPT THAT THIS CURRENT PROBLEM IS THE RESULT OF STANDARD OR EXPECTED WEAR-AND-TEAR BUT CAUSED BY A PRE-EXISTING DEFECT THAT HAS SURFACED OVER TIME. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR