NHTSA Complaint #10652573 — 2011 HYUNDAI SONATA

IN MAY 2014, WHILE DRIVING AT ABOUT 40 MPH, MAYBE 1200 RPM, MY ENGINE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED TO 4500-5000 RPM, WITHOUT A SIMULTANEOUS RISE IN SPEED. A WEEK OR TWO LATER, THE CAR DID THE SAME, UNDER ABOUT THE SAME CONDITIONS. THE DEALER COULD FIND NO FAULTS OR CODES, AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE OCCURRENCE; NOT SURPRISING SINCE IT WAS SPORADIC. THE PROBLEM CONTINUED, WITH CONSIDERABLY MORE FREQUENCY; ALMOST DAILY. AGAIN I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER IN LATE JULY (MCCAFFERTY HYUNDAI, LANGHORNE, PA), AND WHILE A TECHNICIAN WAS DRIVING WITH ME, THE ENGINE RACED AGAIN. THEY TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS A TECH BULLETIN ON THIS PROBLEM, AND THEY WOULD REPAIR THE CAR. THE PROBLEM WAS IN A MODULE AND NEEDED RECODING. AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT THEY SAID. THAT REPAIR SEEMED TO CURE THE PROBLEM, UNTIL SEPTEMBER, WHEN A SINGLE OCCURRENCE HAPPENED. I THOUGH THIS WAS MAYBE A FLUKE, BUT THE PROBLEM HAPPENED SEVERAL MORE TIMES IN THE FOLLOWING WEEKS. TODAY, 11/4/14, AFTER SEVERAL DAYS IN THE DEALER'S SHOP, AN INSURANCE SERVICE TECH SAID HE COULD FIND NO PROBLEM. I AM NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS CAR. WHILE THE CAR DOES NOT ACCELERATE, MAYBE IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME WHEN THE RACING ENGINE WILL CAUSE SEVERE ACCELERATION AND A SUBSEQUENT ACCIDENT. *TR