NHTSA Complaint #10920457 — 2009 HYUNDAI SONATA

CAR STARTED AS USUAL AND I WAS DRIVING ON A CITY STREET GETTING READY TO GET ON THE HIGHWAY. ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR WOULD ONLY GO ABOUT 20 MPH AND REACH 1000 RPM. IT DIED SHORTLY THEREAFTER ON THE HIGHWAY FRONTAGE ROAD. ALL OF THE LIGHTS FOR ABS, BRAKES, CHECK ENGINE ETC. CAME ON BUT THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS WOULD NOT WORK SO I HAD TO KEEP PUMPING THE BRAKES SO NOBODY WOULD RUN INTO THE BACK END OF MY CAR. IT WOULD NOT RESTART SO I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE DEALER. DEALER STATED VALVE COVER GASKET HAD LEAKED OIL ONTO THE ALTERNATOR AND RUINED IT. THAT IN TURN RUINED THE BATTERY. CAR WAS REPAIRED FOR $1400 INCLUDING THE TOW AND A RENTAL CAR. AFTER LOOKING AT HYUNDAI RECALLS, I NOTICED THE ONE FOR THE 2009 VERA CRUZ (NHTSA# 14V415000) IN WHICH 61,122 UNITS WERE RECALLED FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM. IN RESEARCHING THE AFFECTED VALVE COVER GASKET, I FOUND THE SAME ONE WAS USED ON MY 3.3L ENGINE THAT WAS LISTED AS DEFECTIVE ON THE 3.8L VERA CRUZ ENGINE. IF THAT PART WAS DEFECTIVE ON THAT VEHICLE, WHY WAS THE SCOPE OF THIS RECALL NOT EXTENDED TO COVER ALL POSSIBLE VEHICLES THAT COULD BE AFFECTED? I WOULD LIKE THE COST OF REPAIRS REFUNDED TO ME SINCE HYUNDAI OBVIOUSLY KNEW THIS PART WAS DEFECTIVE BUT DIDN'T ISSUE A RECALL TO COVER ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES. *TR