NHTSA Complaint #10840182 — 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA

NOV. 2014 WHILE ACCELERATING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 70MPH THE MOTOR OF MY 2012 SONATA SUDDENLY SEIZED WITHOUT WARNING. NARROWLY AVOIDING AN ACCIDENT! AFTER HOURS ON THE SIDE OF THE RODE IT WAS FINALLY TOWED TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP WHERE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED. NOTE THIS HAPPENED AT 104,000 MILES, HYUNDAI CERTIFIED MECHANICS STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THAT THE"SEIZED ENGINE" WAS DUE TO LACK OF MAINTENANCE (WHICH WAS A BLATANT LIE) THEY INFORMED US THAT IT WOULD COST BETWEEN 5-6K FOR A NEW ENGINE OR OFFERED TO BUY THE CAR FOR A FRACTION OF WHAT WAS OWED ON IT; WHICH WAS A JOKE. AFTER MONTHS OF THE CAR SITTING IN MY YARD AND DOING NON-STOP RESEARCH, I NOTICED THAT THERE WERE OTHER PEOPLE IN THE SAME BOAT AS ME. I CONTEMPLATED ON BUYING A USED ENGINE FOR THE CAR BUT THAT WOULD'VE JUST PUT ME IN THE SAME SITUATION DOWN THE ROAD. MY MECHANIC STATED WE COULD REBUILD THE MOTOR AFTER GOING THROUGH THE OIL PAN AND SEEING WITH OUR OWN EYES THE #2 BEARING SEIZED ONTO THE CRANK/ROD. I KNEW THERE WOULD EVENTUALLY BE A RECALL DUE TO HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE; SO, I OPTED ON PATCHING THE ENGINE WITH A NEW BEARING WITH THE SAME DAMAGED CRANKSHAFT, ROD, AND CAP AND WAIT FOR THE RECALL. SURE ENOUGH A YEAR OR SO LATER I GET 2 LETTERS INFORMING ME THERE WAS A RECALL CAMPAIGN 132 AND THAT I NEEDED TO BRING IT IN FOR THE "SOUND" TEST IN WHICH IT PASSED????!!! NOW HYUNDAI IS REFUSING TO REPLACE THE DAMAGED MOTOR SAYING THEIR HANDS ARE TIED AND THAT THEY DID EVERYTHING NHTSA REQUIRES THEM TO DO... THE ONLY WAY TO PROPERLY TEST THAT MOTOR IS BY REMOVING THE OIL PAN AND VISUALLY INSPECT EVERY MOVING PART THAT COULD'VE BEEN DAMAGED BY THE METAL LEFT IN THE ROD BEARING JOURNALS. WHAT BLOWS MY MIND IS THAT HYUNDAI HAS PROOF THAT THIS ENGINE WAS DAMAGED BY THE RECALL BUT REFUSES TO STAND BEHIND THE RECALL AND/OR THEIR PRODUCT ESPECIALLY WITH IT BEING A SAFETY ISSUE