NHTSA Complaint #10936844 — 2014 HYUNDAI ELANTRA

THE TRANSMISSION RANGE SENSOR ON MY CAR DIED AFTER ABOUT 78000 MILES AND CAUSED THE CAR TO LOCK UP WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY. STAYED IN 3RD GEAR AND FOR A FEW WEEKS BEFORE WOULD LOCK UP WHILE IN PARK, NEUTRAL, REVERSE AND DRIVE (MOST COMMONLY WHILE IN PARK). THIS NEARLY CAUSED A COUPLE OF ACCIDENTS. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH ELANTRAS DATING ALL THE WAY BACK TO 2007 AND EVEN HAS CONTINUED PAST MY MODEL YEAR (2014) INTO 2015 MODELS. THE DEALERSHIP EVEN REFERRED TO IT ASO A FAULTY RANGE SENSOR WHICH TO ME SEEMS TO IMPLY THAT THEY KNOW ABOUT THIS ISSUE. I COULDN'T SHIFT AND HAD A MORE DIFFICULT TIME SLOWING DOWN AND SPEEDING UP THAN USUAL. THE PART IS RELATIVELY INEXPENSIVE BUT THE DIAGNOSTIC FEE PLUS LABOR TO REMOVE AND REPLACE THE FAULTY MECHANICAL PART WAS WELL OVER $150, RESULTING IN A TOTAL BILL OF $210. A PART FAILURE THAT CAUSES THE VEHICLES COMPUTER, TRANSMISSION AND DRIVETRAIN TO LOSE ALL CONNECTION TO ONE ANOTHER CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS, ESPECIALLY WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY. AT FIRST IT HAPPENED ONLY WHILE STATIONARY IN PARK, THE CAR WOULD LOCK UP WHILE SITTING WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING FOR A WHILE. I WOULD TURN OFF THE ENGINE AND RE-ENGAGE THE VEHICLE AND EVERYTHING WOULD OPERATE AS NORMAL. THEN IT OCCURRED WHILE BACKING DOWN THE HILL OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY, LOCKED UP IN REVERSE, I APPLIED THE BRAKES, SET THE PARKING BRAKE AND TURNED OFF THE CAR WHILE STILL IN REVERSE. (I LIVE IN A QUIET SUBDIVISION OF A SMALL TOWN OF 12,000, WHAT IF THIS HAPPENED IN A BUSIER OR MORE HEAVILY POPULATED AREA?) I WAS STILL ABLE TO START THE VEHICLE WHILE IN REVERSE AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER WHILE IN NEUTRAL. THEN TUESDAY MORNING WHILE ON THE INTERSTATE (I-95) THE GEAR AND DRIVE MODE INDICATOR ON THE TACHOMETER WENT BLANK, I WAS STUCK IN 3RD GEAR (LIMP MODE) AND MY CAR ONCE SLOWING DOWN HAD A DIFFICULT TIME ACCELERATING AFTER STOPPING.