NHTSA Complaint #10725125 — 2005 HYUNDAI SONATA

8 JUNE 2015- NEW TIRES AND BRAKES INSTALLED ON CAR. 11 JUNE 2015- UPON ARRIVAL AT HOME, HEARD LEAKING SOUND FROM LEFT FRONT TIRE. SAW VALVE STEM LEAKING DUE TO WHEEL COVER PRESSING AGAINST STEM. CHECKED RIGHT FRONT TIRE, IT ALSO HAD THE COVER PRESSING AGAINST THE VALVE STEM. ALTHOUGH IT WAS NOT LEAKING. TWO REAR TIRES WERE OKAY. I ASSUMED THE MECHANIC HAD INSTALLED THE FRONT COVERS IMPROPERLY. 12 JUNE 2015- PUT SPARE ON LEFT FRONT AND DROVE TO THE GARAGE, HAD THE MECHANIC WHO INSTALLED THE TIRES CHECK OUT WHAT HAPPENED. HE WAS NOT SURE WHAT CAUSED THE PROBLEM. HE REPLACED ALL THE VALVE STEMS AND CORRECTLY REINSTALLED THE WHEEL COVERS.ALL SEEMED WELL. 13 JUNE 2015- WIFE AND DAUGHTER DEPARTED ON TRIP TO MAINE VIA INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS. ON NEW HAMPSHIRE INTERSTATE THEY HAD THE LEFT FRONT TIRE GO FLAT AND THE RIGHT FRONT BEGAN LEAKING AT 65MPH. UNABLE TO SAFELY PULL OVER, THEY CONTINUED ON TO A SAFE AREA, LEFT FRONT TIRE AND RIM DESTROYED. THEY CALLED AAA AND WERE TOWED 91 MILES TO THEIR DESTINATION. THE AAA MECHANIC IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM AS THE WHEEL COVER SHIFTING, ON BOTH FRONT WHEELS, PRESSING THE VALVE STEMS OVER AND CUTTING INTO THEM. THEY ARE NOW HOPING TO FIND A PLACE WHICH CAN REPLACE THE TIRE AND RIM ON A WEEKEND. THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO RETURN MONDAY WHICH NOW LOOKS DOUBTFUL. CHECKING ON LINE, I FOUND THIS HAS BEEN A REPORTED PROBLEM BEFORE. THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM, THEY ARE LUCKY THEY DID NOT CRASH. I DO NOT SEE WHERE HYUNDAI HAS EVER ACKNOWLEDGED THIS AS A SERIOUS PROBLEM. BESIDE THE MONETARY BURDEN THIS HAS CAUSED US, WE ARE THANKFUL THAT THIS DID NOT TURN INTO A TRAGEDY. I SINCERELY HOPE THAT YOU CAN HAVE THIS SITUATION RESOLVED WITH HYUNDAI BEFORE SOMEONE GETS INJURED OR KILLED. FOR NOW THE WHEEL COVERS WILL REMAIN OFF. *TR