NHTSA Complaint #10783063 — 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA

IN OCTOBER 2014, I HAD AN INCIDENT WHERE MY CAR COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN WHILE DRIVING STRAIGHT ON THE FREEWAY (PLEASE SEE ATTACHED HYUNDAI PAPERWORK) WITHOUT WARNING. MY CAR WAS AT THE HYUNDAI DEALER IN NORTH PALM BEACH FOR 3 1/2 BUSINESS DAYS BEFORE FINDING OUT MY CAR WAS "FIXED" AND READY TO GO. THE FIRST TWO CONSECUTIVE DAYS MY CAR WAS THERE, I WAS CALLED BY THE SERVICE MANAGER ROB AND WAS TOLD THAT "THE ENGINE WAS COMPLETELY LOCKED UP, AND THEY HAD TO RUN A SERIES OF DIAGNOSTIC TESTS PRIOR TO REPLACING THE ENGINE" WHICH WAS UNDER WARRANTY (UNDER 60,000 MILES AT THE TIME). HOWEVER, I WAS CALLED ON DAY 3 WHERE ROB STATED THAT MY "ENGINE WAS RUNNING SMOOTHLY AND NO DIAGNOSTIC CODES WERE SHOWING UP." MY PAPERWORK FROM HYUNDAI STATES THAT THE ONLY PROBLEM WAS THE NEED TO TIGHTEN THE BATTERY TERMINALS AND RECHARGE THE BATTERY. CHECKING THE BATTERY IS ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS A CAR MECHANIC CHECKS WHEN A CAR DOES NOT START, SO OBVIOUSLY THERE WAS A MORE SIGNIFICANT UNDIAGNOSED PROBLEM IN THIS CASE THAT WAS SWEPT UNDER THE RUG SO TO SPEAK. A LITTLE OVER A MONTH AND APPROXIMATELY 1000 MILES LATER, MY CAR STALLED OUT COMPLETELY ON THE FREEWAY IN SIMILAR FASHION (ONLY THIS TIME, THERE WAS INTERMITTENT ENGINE SHAKING PRIOR TO THE CAR SHUTTING DOWN). HOWEVER, I WAS IN MARTIN COUNTY WHEN I BROKE DOWN AND MY CAR WAS TOWED TO THE HYUNDAI DEALER IN STUART PER PROGRESSIVE CAR INSURANCE TOWING POLICY. I HAD PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED ALL MY SERVICES AT THE DEALER EXCEPT THE LAST OIL CHANGE. I AM APPALLED THAT THE DEALER DID NOT TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE RECENT CAR PROBLEMS AND PLACED THE CAUSE 100% ON THE LOCAL OIL CHANGE FACILITY. AN ENGINE DOES NOT LOCK UP COMPLETELY AND GET FIXED BY TIGHTENING TERMINALS AND RECHARGING THE BATTERY. OBVIOUSLY, THERE WAS A SEVERE PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE BOTH THE FIRST AND SECOND TIME I WENT TO THE DEALER.