NHTSA Complaint #10717702 — 2011 HYUNDAI SONATA

WAS DRIVING HOME WITH MY 11 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER DURING RUSH HOUR WHEN THE CAR JUST DIED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. COULDN'T START IT UP, THEN IT STARTING TO SMELL LIKE FIRE AND A LOT OF SMOKE WAS COMING OUT OF THE ENGINE. HAD TO JUMP OUT OF CAR AND GET IT TOWED TO DEALER. THIS WAS AFTER A SIMILAR INCIDENT HAPPENED A WEEK BEFORE ON MY WAY TO WORK WHERE THE CAR JUST STALLED OUT AND STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. BROUGHT IT INTO HYUNDAI DEALER AND THEY SAID I HAD A "SLUDGE" PROBLEM. THEY RAN A DIAGNOSTICS TEST, BUT NOTHING CAME BACK. TOLD ME TO TAKE TO A REPUTABLE CAR REPAIR PLACE AND GET THE OIL CHANGED BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T WANT TO BE LIABLE. WHEN I TOOK IT TO FIRESTONE, THE GUY THERE TOLD ME IT WASN'T A SLUDGE PROBLEM AND THE OIL WASN'T AS BAD AS HYUNDAI MADE IT OUT TO BE. HE CHANGED THE OIL THERE, THEN A WEEK LATER THE ENGINE DIED AGAIN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MAIN ROAD AND STARTED SMOKING. I LOOKED IT UP AND SAW NUMEROUS OTHER SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME EXACT THING HAPPENING TO OTHER PEOPLE WITH 2011 SONATAS. THEY ARE TRYING TO TELL ME IT'S MY FAULT AND WILL PROBABLY NOT BE COVERED AND WILL COST ME ABOUT $6,000 TO FIX THE ENGINE. IF SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME ISSUE, THEN IT IS NOT MY FAULT, IT SHOULD BE A RECALL (A DANGEROUS LIFE THREATENING ONE) FROM HYUNDAI AS THE CAR CAN JUST STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY! MY DAUGHTER REFUSES TO GET IN THE CAR AGAIN. WAITING TO HEAR WHAT THEY SAY, BUT I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR A FAULTY ENGINE PROBLEM THAT HYUNDAI IS AWARE OF.