NHTSA Complaint #10764160 — 2007 HYUNDAI SANTA FE

BACK IN 2011, MY DRIVER'S SIDE SUN VISOR FAILED (THE BRACKET BROKE AT THE ELBOW WHERE THE PLASTIC IS MOLDED AROUND THE BRACKET). IN LOOKING AT THE PART, I NOTED THAT THE QUALITY/GAUGE OF THE BRACKET WAS NOT VERY ROBUST. I WAS AN EMPLOYEE OF FIRST PRINCE AND THEN JOHNSON CONTROLS, AND AM VERY FAMILIAR WITH SUN VISORS AND THE BRACKETS THAT SUPPORT THEM. BASED ON MY OBSERVATIONS, THE DESIGN IS INFERIOR AND IS NOT ROBUST ENOUGH TO LAST THROUGH THE LIFETIME OF THE VEHICLE. THE REASON I'M WRITING TO YOU NOW, IS THAT MY PASSENGER SIDE VISOR ALSO FAILED RECENTLY, WITH DAMAGE IN THE EXACT SAME AREA. I AM ALSO NOTING THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE BRACKET IS STARTING TO WEAKEN, AS IT WILL FREQUENTLY NOT STAY IN A LOCKED UP POSITION. THIS WAS THE SAME SYMPTOM EXHIBITED BEFORE THE FIRST DRIVER SIDE VISOR FAILED. IN MY OPINION, THERE HAS TO BE AN EXCESSIVELY HIGH FAILURE RATE FOR THIS PART AND AS THE REPLACEMENT IS EXPENSIVE (APPX. $240), I FEEL THERE IS A RISK AND PERHAPS ALREADY OCCURRENCE OF A RISK OF THE BRACKET FAILING WHILE DRIVING AT HIGH SPEED, AND/OR A DRIVER WHO'S VISOR FAILED, HAVING VISION IMPAIRED BY THE SUN AND BECOMING INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. I BELIEVE YOU SHOULD LOOK AT THE REPLACEMENT RATE FOR THIS PART ACROSS NOT ONLY THIS MODEL, BUT ALL OTHER'S AS I NOTE THAT FREQUENTLY THE DESIGN OF AN ELBOW BRACKET CROSSES OVER MULTIPLE PLATFORMS.