NHTSA Complaint #10676155 — 2009 HYUNDAI GENESIS

WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY, THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT NEARLY TO THE FLOOR BEFORE THE CAR BEGAN TO DECELERATE. IT WAS CLEAR THAT THE CAR COULD ONLY SLOW MODERATELY REGARDLESS OF HOW HARD I PRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, AND THERE WAS NO BRAKE ENGAGEMENT AT THE TOP OF THE PEDAL TRAVEL. AT HOME, I TOOK PHOTOS OF THE PEDAL DISPLACEMENT RELATIVE TO THE FIREWALL AND CAN PROVIDE THEM. PHOTO 1 SHOWS THE STATE OF THE PEDAL WHEN I ARRIVED HOME. IMAGINE THE AMOUNT OF PEDAL FORCE YOU MIGHT USE WHILE PARALLEL PARKING OR SLOWING FOR AN OFF RAMP ON THE HIGHWAY. WITH THAT AMOUNT OF FORCE, THE PEDAL WAS WITHIN ~2" OF THE FIREWALL. PUMPING THE BRAKE PEDAL LED TO INCREASED "FEEL" AND RESTORING BRAKE EFFECTIVENESS. PHOTO 2 SHOWS A LARGER GAP TO THE FIREWALL AFTER 5 PEDAL REPETITIONS, AND WITH INCREASED FORCE APPLIED. PHOTO 3 SHOWS AN EVEN LARGER GAP AFTER ~20 PEDAL REPETITIONS AND EVEN HIGHER FORCE APPLIED. THE FINAL PHOTO SHOWS THAT AT MAXIMUM FORCE, I COULD ONLY GET THE PEDAL TO ~3" FROM THE FIREWALL. THIS WAS SIMILAR TO THE STATE THAT THE VEHICLE WAS IN THIS MORNING, AND FELT "NORMAL" IN TERMS OF PEDAL EFFORT AND TRAVEL. TO REITERATE: DURING THE FAILURE, THE PEDAL WOULD PUSH TO WITHIN 2" OF THE FIREWALL WITH MINIMAL EFFORT, AND WITH LITTLE BRAKING EFFECTIVENESS. I COULD NOT HAVE PERFORMED A PANIC BRAKING MANEUVER IN THIS STATE, AND ONLY CONTINUED TO DRIVE DUE TO THE LACK OF TRAFFIC AND PROXIMITY TO MY HOME. AFTER SUBSEQUENT PEDAL CYCLING IN MY DRIVEWAY, I COULD ONLY GET THE PEDAL TO MORE THAN 3" FROM THE FIREWALL WITH MAXIMUM EFFORT, AND THE BASE BRAKING FUNCTION APPEARED TO BE NORMAL. TO DATE, THE DEALER HAS BEEN UNABLE TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM AND THUS UNABLE TO GAIN AUTHORIZATION FROM HMA TO PERFORM ANY REPAIR. I CONSIDER THE CAR UNDRIVEABLE. THIS VEHICLE WAS ALREADY SERVICED FOR THE HECU/BRAKE FLUID RECALL. HECU PASSED THE SCREENING AT THAT TIME. *TR