NHTSA Complaint #10681575 — 2013 HYUNDAI ELANTRA

I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 2013 HYUNDAI ELANTRA GL WITH HANKOOK OPTIMA MODEL 426 205/55R/16 TIRES. I DID ALL ROTATIONS AT 6000 MILES AND ALIGNMENTS ONCE A YEAR AS THE CAR MANUFACTURER SPECFIES. THIS VEHICLE IS ALSO EQUIPPED WITH A TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM (TPS). WHICH NEVER INDICATED ANY PROBLEMS WITH PROPER INFLATION. EVEN WITH FULL TREAD THESE TIRES HAD ALMOST ZERO TRACTION IN ANY WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE THERE WAS ANY ACCUMULATION OF RAIN OR SNOW. THESE ARE STATED AS ALL SEASON RADIALS AND THEY DO NOT PERFORM AS SUCH. MY TIRES WERE DOWN TO THE WEAR BARS 3/32' TREAD LEFT WITH 29791 MILES ON THE ODOMETER.THE MANUFACTURER LISTS THESE AS 50,000 MILE RATED TIRES. WHEN I QUESTIONED HYUNDAI THEY REFERRED ME TO HANKOOK TELLING ME THE MANUFACTURER KNOWS ALL ABOUT THE PROBLEMS WITH THE TIRE AND IS HANDLING ALL COMPLAINTS I CONTACTED HANKOOK CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 800-426-5665 AND SPOKE WITH [XXX] AT EXT. 616 I WAS FIRST TOLD ALL I NEEDED TO DO WAS HAVE A ONE OF THEIR LOCAL TIRE DISTRIBUTORS VERIFY TREAD DEPTH.I HAD THE TIRES REPLACED AT TOWN FAIR TIRES. THEN I ASKED THE MANAGER AT TOWN FAIR TIRES TO CALL THEM TO VERIFY. WHICH HE WAS HAPPY TO DO.THE STORY CHANGED TWO DAYS LATER THE MANAGER CALLED AND WAS TOLD THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT, HE CALLED ME I CALLED THEM AND THEN THEY REMEMBERED THE CONVERSATION AND SAID" THEY WOULD CALL HIM BACK". THEN HE WAS TOLD THEY NEEDED PICTURES EMAILED TO THEM OF THE TIRES. AN HOUR LATER I WAS TOLD BY HANKOOK THEY NEED THE ACTUAL TIRE SKINS. SINCE IT HAD BEEN THREE DAYS SINCE I HAD THE TIRES REPLACED THE DISTRIBUTOR'S RECYCLERS HAD ALREADY PICKED UP THE TIRES AND THEY WERE NO LONGER AVAILABLE. ALL I WAS LOOKING FOR WAS THE INDUSTRY STANDARD TIRE ALLOWANCE FOR LACK OF PERFORMANCE. WHICH NOW THEY ARE REFUSING TO DO FOR ME WITHOUT THE TIRES. CAN YOU HELP ME? THESE ARE DANGEROUS PRODUCTS ON OUR ROADS AND NEED TO BE REMOVED. *TR