NHTSA Complaint #10549912 — 2011 HYUNDAI SONATA

COMPLAINTANT WALKED OUT OF HOME TO VEHICLE. UPON APPROACHING VEHICLE, COMPLAINTANT NOTICED THAT THE LEFT REAR BRAKE LIGHT HOUSING (DRIVER'S SIDE) WAS DETACHED, AND STICKING OUT ABOUT 1 INCH FROM THE VEHICLE. COMPLAINTANT CAREFULLY SLID THE HOUSING BACK INTO ITS CAVITY, WHERE IT STAYED. COMPLAINTANT THEN DEPARTED. ABOUT 3 DAYS LATER, COMPLAINTANT NOTICED THAT THE HOUSING WAS AGAIN DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE, AND AGAIN SLID IT BACK INTO PLACE. OVER TIME, THE COMPLAINTANT REPEATED RETURNING THE HOUSING INTO THE CAVITY THREE (3) ADDITIONAL TIMES. WHEN THE COMPLAINTANT WAS CONFRONTED WITH A 5TH EVENT OF THE HOUSING DETACHING FROM THE VEHICLE, COMPLAINTANT SHINED A FLASHLIGHT DOWN INTO THE CAVITY, AND SAW THAT THE HOUSING MOUNTING SOCKETS WERE FRACTURED/SHATTERED, AND NONE OF THE SEVERAL MOUNTING STUDS/BOLTS WERE ATTACHED. BUT, THE STUDS/BOLTS WERE STILL ATTACHED TO THE VEHICLE SHELL. THE ONLY THING HOLDING THE HOUSING ASSEMBLY ONTO THE CAR, WERE THE WIRES TO THE BRAKE LIGHT, BACK-UP LIGHT, AND TURN SIGNAL LIGHT. NO SURFACE SCRATCHES, NOR BODY DAMAGE EXPERIENCED. AFTER INSPECTING THE DEFECTIVE HOUSING, COMPLAINTANT SURMISED THAT HYUNDAI TAIL LIGHT HOUSING IS MADE OF HARD, BRITTLE PLASTIC, WHICH SHATTERS WHEN OVERLY TIGHTENED AT FACTORY, OR DUE TO THE VIBRATION OF THIS OVERLY HARD RIDING VEHICLE. ADDITIONALLY, COMPLAINTANT NOTICED WHEN VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW, THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE TAIL LIGHT WAS NOT FLUSH WITH THE REAR TRUNK GATE, AND WAS EXTENDED OUTWARD ABOUT 1/4 INCH. THE LIGHT ASSEMBLY ON THE RIGHT/PASSENGER SIDE WAS FLUSH WITH THE TRUNK GATE, AND HAS NOT PRODUCED A SIMILAR ISSUE, YET. COMPLAINTANT SECURED HOUSING TO THE VEHICLE CAVITY BY USING DUCT TAPE. COMPLAINTANT SCHEDULED VEHICLE REPAIR WITH HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP FOR TOMORROW. UPDATE TO FOLLOW. *TR