NHTSA Complaint #10513467 — 2012 HYUNDAI ELANTRA

CAR WILL PERIODICALLY NOT START - ALL WARNING LIGHTS COME ON AND THERE IS A HUMMING SOUND. OFTEN OCCURS WHEN WHEEL IS ON AN ANGLE. CAR WILL TYPICALLY NOT START 4-5 TIMES IN A ROW. OVERHEAD LIGHTS WORK AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE. A FEW MINUTES LATER, AFTER MUCH JIGGLING OF THE STEERING WHEEL WHILE TURNING ON IGNITION, IT STARTS FINE. ONE TIME IT STARTED AFTER EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS RELEASED AND THE CAR ROLLED A BIT. BROUGHT TO DEALER WHO COULD NOT REPLICATE PROBLEM BUT ACKNOWLEDGED THIS PROBLEM HAD OCCURRED WITH OTHER ELANTRAS. DEALER WAS ABOUT TO RELEASE CAR WHEN DRIVER DEMONSTRATED THAT GEAR SHIFT WOULD NOT MOVE OUT OF PARK. DEALER FOUND CODE C1513 BRAKE SWITCH SHORTED. BRAKE SWITCH WAS REPLACED. DEALER KEPT CAR A FEW DAYS WITH NO REPLICATIONS. 7 DAYS LATER, STARTING PROBLEM RECURRED AT DRIVER'S HOME AND AGAIN AFTER A DAY AT WORK. IN BOTH CASES, WHEEL WAS NOT IN "12 O"CLOCK" POSITION. IN CONVERSATION WITH DEALER, WE DISCUSSED THAT WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL IS LOCKED (NOT SURE OF DEFINITION), CAR SHOULD NOT START. HE RECOMMENDED JIGGLING THE WHEEL WHILE TURNING IGNITION. HE ALSO EXPLAINED THAT THE GEAR SHIFT WILL ONLY MOVE OUT OF PARK IF 1) IGNITION IS IN ON POSITION AND 2) FOOT IS ON THE BRAKE. WHY IS STEERING WHEEL LOCKING SO OFTEN? *TR