NHTSA Complaint #10939072 — 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA

CLUNKING SOUND BEGAN TO COME FROM THE STEERING WHEEL AT LOW SPEEDS WHICH JUST KEPT GETTING WORSE. AFTER ABOUT A MONTH THE STEERING BECAME LOOSE AND IT FEELS LIKE SOMETHING IS GRINDING INSIDE THE COLUMN. TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID IT WOULD BE $120 JUST TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH TURNED UP THE PROBLEM IS EXTREMELY COMMON WITH SONATAS AND IS THIS LITTLE THREE DOLLAR PLASTIC WHEEL THAT APPARENTLY GRINDS UP AND FALLS APART. THE DEALERSHIP STILL WANTED $120 TO DIAGNOSE WAS WAS WRONG DESPITE ME TELLING THEM AND THEN WANTED $360 TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THE CAR HAS ONLY 49,000 MILES ON IT BUT IS FOUR MONTHS OUTSIDE WARRANTY. THE DEALERSHIP DID AGREE TO SELL ME THE THREE DOLLAR PLASTIC WHEEL THING BUT WHEN I ASKED IF THEY MADE ONE OUT OF METAL OR SOMETHING THAT WON'T BREAK THEY APPARENTLY DO NOT. I GUESS I CAN HAVE A SHOP PUT THE NEW WHEEL IN BUT I WILL JUST HAVE TO KEEP REPLACING IT SINCE ITS THE SAME CHEAP PLASTIC AND WILL BE GROUND UP BY NORMAL USE AND LEAVE ME WITH AN UNSAFE, CLUNKING AND LOOSE STEERING WHEEL.