NHTSA Complaint #10731794 — 2004 HYUNDAI SANTA FE

CAR SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING, LOSING POWER STEERING AND BRAKES, WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED OR BRAKING DOWN A WINDY CANYON ROAD. PROBLEM INCLUDES INTERMITTENT JERKING, JUMPING, HICCUPPING - WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT, IT'S NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. FIRST MONTH, AFTER BRAND-NEW NY DEALERSHIP PURCHASE, I REPLACED MY THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR 3 TIMES. TROUBLE WITH MY CURRENT PROBLEM BEGAN AT 4 YEARS, WELL UNDER 30,000 MILES. FOR A YEAR I HAD TO FEAR FOR MY LIFE EVERY TIME I DROVE, NEVER KNOWING IF THIS TRIP WOULD KILL ME OR OTHER MOTORISTS. WHY DID I HAVE TO DRIVE IT? BECAUSE THE HYUNDAI DEALERSHIPS IN LOS ANGELES COULDN'T DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM IF THEY COULDN'T CAUSE IT TO HAPPEN AND THERE IS NO ERROR CODE WHEN TESTED. A YEAR OF FEAR. JUST THE HESITATION JERKING IS SCARY ENOUGH WHILE DRIVING, BUT WHEN IT ACTUALLY SHUTS DOWN? WHEN YOUR RPM INDICATOR DROPS FROM 2,000 TO 0 AND YOU'RE FIGHTING FOR YOUR LIFE TURNING THE STUCK STEERING WHEEL AND PULLING UP THE EMERGENCY BRAKE HOPING YOU DON'T CAREEN OFF A WINDING CLIFF OR COAST HEAD ON INTO UNSUSPECTING TRAFFIC OR CLICKING YOUR HAZARDS ON AND PRAYING NO ONE HITS YOU ON AN OILY RAIN SLICK PAVEMENT AT NIGHT ON THE 101 FREEWAY - THAT IS WHEN IT REALLY MAKES YOUR HEART JUMP OUT OF YOUR CHEST. AFTER 11 MONTHS OF SHUTTING OFF, IT GOT SO BAD IT WOULDN'T TURN ON AGAIN AND FINALLY MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THEY WERE ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE CRANK SHAFT SENSOR. IN THE PROCESS OF FIXING, THEY MADE A LEAK IN MY POWER STEERING HOSE AND DAMAGED MY PUMP. BECAUSE IT WAS DAYS AFTER MY WARRANTY, THE VAN NUYS DEALERSHIP CHARGED ME FOR THE CRANK SHAFT SENSOR AND OTHER DAMAGE! 33,000 MILES ON MY CAR. WELL, THAT WAS NOVEMBER 2009. IT'S NOW 2015 (70,540 MILES) AND ONCE AGAIN, I'M OKAYED TO DRIVE MY UNSAFE CAR. THE PERFORMANCE OF THESE VEHICLES PUT DRIVERS AT AN UNREASONABLE RISK OF ACCIDENT AND SINCE THERE IS NO ERROR CODE, HYUNDAI WILL DO NOTHING.