NHTSA Complaint #10703815 — 2012 HYUNDAI SANTA FE

WHILE DRIVING AT FREEWAY SPEED, CAR SHUT DOWN UNEXPECTEDLY, AND RESTARTED. DURING INTERIM 20 SECONDS, ATTEMPTED TO PULL VEHICLE TO LEFT SHOULDER AS I WAS DRIVING IN FAR LEFT LANE. I FELT "ENGINE DROP" OR A FEELING WHEREAS THE CAR NO LONGER FELT POWERED, CUE THAT THE ENGINE HAD WENT OFF. POWER STEERING WENT MANUAL ALONG WITH OTHER POWER ASSIST DEVICES LIKE POWER STEERING. ON DIRT SHOULDER OF FREEWAY ATTEMPTING WITH MANUAL BRAKES AND STEERING TO BRING VEHICLE OFF ROADWAY. VEHICLE RESTARTED DURING MANEUVER. STILL MOVING AT SAFE SPEED ATTEMPTED TO MERGE BACK ONTO THE FREEWAY, HAVING NOT YET DECELERATED ENOUGH YET TO CONTINUE TO PULL OVER....CLEAR AND DRY CONDITIONS IN NORTH LA COUNTY. THIS VEHICLE HOWEVER HAS ALWAYS HAD "OVERLY RESPONSIVE" OR "VERY TIGHT" STEERING, FOR LACK OF BETTER TERMINOLOGY. I LEASED THE VEHICLE AND DID NOT FULLY REALIZE, UNTIL SOME TIME PASSED, WHAT THIS 'STEERING CHARACTERISTIC' WOULD MEAN IN THE FUTURE, IN AN EVENT REQUIRING ACCURATE AND RESPONSIVE STEERING COMBINED WITH THE ABILITY TO MAINTAIN CONTROL. THE SUDDEN ENGINE POWER RESUMING, COMBINED WITH, WHAT THIS WRITER WOULD DESCRIBE AS "TIGHT STEERING" TO BEGIN WITH, MADE THE VEHICLE ROLL. THE VEHICLE, WITH WHAT FELT LIKE A "HIGH CENTER OF GRAVITY" ALWAYS FELT LIKE IT WOULD ROLL IF ONE WERE TO HAVE TO MOVE QUICKLY TO AVOID SOMETHING IN THE ROAD FOR EXAMPLE. I DID NOT REALIZE THIS FEATURE DURING MY TEST DRIVE. BEING A LESSEE I WAS OBLIGATED TO KEEP THE VEHICLE FOR 3 YEARS. THE VEHICLE ROLLED SEVERAL TIMES WHILE CROSSING 3 LANES OF AN OCCUPIED NORTHBOUND HIGHWAY 14. A SUDDEN JOLT RESULTED IN A FRACTURE OF L1 VERTEBRAE. DURING ROLL, JACK BECAME UNDONE FROM WHERE IT WAS FACTORY MOUNTED UNDERNEATH LIFT UP COVER, AND HAD NEVER BEEN REMOVED. FLAILING AROUND IN THE VEHICLE NOW WAS THIS HEAVY SCISSOR JACK BOUNCING AROUND IN THE VEHICLE COMPARTMENT WITH ME. I AM GLAD TO BE ALIVE. *TR