NHTSA Complaint #10889146 — 2012 HYUNDAI ELANTRA

I PURCHASED THIS CAR NEW FROM A HYUNDAI DEALER IN MARCH 2012 PROBLEM 1. SINCE EARLY ON, THE CAR ALWAYS EXHIBITED A SERIOUS INSTABILITY IN THE REAR END. SPECIFICALLY SPEAKING, WHEN DRIVING ON ANY SMALL BUMP FOUND ON ANY NORMAL ROAD, THE CAR REAR SUSPENSION WILL NOT ABSORBE THE BUMP LIKE ANY NORMAL CAR WOULD BUT INSTEAD SEVERELY JUMPS AND THEN 'DARTS OR SHIFTS' LATERALLY. EVEN IN DRY PAVEMENT. HAVING LIVED IN THE NE AND ILLINOIS NOW, I AM A VERY EXPERIENCED DRIVING IN SNOWY CONDITIONS. DRIVING THIS CAR IN EVEN 1/2" OF SNOW IS DOWNRIGHT TERRIFYING. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO REAR END CONTROL AND TOTAL INSTABILITY NO MATTER HOW CAREFUL YOU DRIVE. I HAVE FOUND MYSELF NOT KNOWING IF I WAS GOING TO MAKE HOME WITHOUT GETTING INTO AN ACCIDENT. THE PAST TWO WINTERS I HAD TO USE OTHER VEHICLE EVEN IF THE WEATHER FORECAST CALL FOR SNOWN FLURRIES. I HAVE NEVER DRIVEN A CAR SO UNSTABLE IN MY 45 YEARS OF DRIVING. BY THE WAY, LOADING UP THE CAR WITH PASSENGERS OR ADDITIONAL WEIGHT HAS ZERO IMPACT REDUCING THE SEVERITY OF THE PROBLEM. PROBLEM 2 THE REAR TIRES WEAR OUT VERY FAST. EVEN THOUGH I ROTATE THEM EVEN 5K MILES, THEY WEAR SO BADLY THAT THEY PRODUCE A LOUD ROAD NOISE FROM UNEVEN WEAR. I AM ON MY THIRD SET OF TIRES AND THESE NEED REPLACEMENT NOW. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO TO HYUNDAI, THEY CHECKED ALIGNMENT AND SAID THERE IS NOTHING WRONG AND THE PROBLEM MUST BE THE TIRES. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH, I LEARNED THESE CARS HAVE A SOLID , NON-ADJUSTABLE REAR END WITH A FIXED TOE-IN AND CAMBER. I AM CERTAIN THAT BOTH PROBLEMS I LISTED ARE CAUSED BY HYUNDAI'S REAR END DESIGN. THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM AND HYUNDAI REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT. IT IS A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE ACCIDENTS WITH LOSS OF LIFE WILL OCCUR. WHAT AM I SUPPOSE TO DO THIS COMING WINTER? .A NEIGHBOR WITH A 2013 ELANTRA COMPLAINED ABOUT THE SAME INSTABILITY.