NHTSA Complaint #10545750 — 2012 HYUNDAI VELOSTER

AFTER ONLY 18 MONTHS AND 28,000 MILES OF LEASING MY CAR FROM HYUNDAI I COULD HEAR THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE WHEEL WAS MAKING SOME KIND OF CLICKING SOUND. AFTER INSPECTING THE TIRE, WHICH IS A KUMHO BRAND, I NOTICED THAT THE INSIDE OF THE TIRE HAD A LONG NARROW THREAD OF RUBBER HANGING FROM IT. I CALLED FOR THE CAR TO BE TOWED TO MY LOCAL HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP (VALENCIA HYUNDAI). WHEN THE MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT ([XXX]) TOLD ME THAT BOTH FRONT TIRES WERE VERY WORN AND NEED REPLACING I EXPECTED AFTER SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME THAT THEY WOULD BE COVERED BY THE WARRANTY. APPARENTLY, THEY ARE ONLY COVERED BY THE MANUFACTURERS WARRANTY. I CALLED KUMHO TIRES WHO INFORMED ME THAT THE WARRANTY ONLY COVERS DEFECTS AND ACCORDING TO HYUNDAI THERE WAS NO DEFECT JUST WEAR AND TARE. THE POINT I'M TRYING TO MAKE IS THAT MAYBE HYUNDAI SHOULD NOT BE USING KUMHO TIRES IN THE FIRST PLACE AS THEY ARE OBVIOUSLY NOT VERY GOOD TIRES. I MADE A COMPLAINT TO HYUNDAI AND SUGGESTED THAT THEY OUGHT TO AT LEAST GO SPLITS WITH ME ON THE COST OF THE REPLACEMENT TIRES, ALTHOUGH I THINK THAT WAS TOO GENEROUS OF ME, I THINK THEY SHOULD REPLACE THEM FOR FREE. SO NOW I'M WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM THE COMPLAINTS DEPARTMENT. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR