NHTSA Complaint #10948737 — 2012 HYUNDAI SANTA FE

4/1/2016: DRIVING ON INTERSTATE I-40 WESTBOUND IN LAS CRUCES IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE, THE CAR ENGINE DIED, BUT I WAS ABLE TO GET TO SHOULDER. CAR TOWED TO AUTO REPAIR SHOP, BUT PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DIAGNOSED; CAR EVENTUALLY RESTARTED. 2ND ATTEMPT TO DIAGNOSE ON 4/11/16; NONE COULD BE FOUND. CAR STARTED TO MAKE OCCASIONAL LOUD ENGINE NOISE OVER ENSUING MONTHS. I CONTACTED HYUNDAI, AND IN OCTOBER 2016 WAS TOLD TO BRING CAR 100 MILES BACK TO LAS CRUCES, NM (BORMAN AUTOPLEX) FOR FURTHER DIAGNOSIS. BORMAN DIAGNOSED METAL SHAVINGS IN ENGINE (SIMILAR OR IDENTICAL TO PROBLEM FOR THE 470,000 SONATAS WITH METAL SHAVINGS IN THE ENGINE). A FULL ENGINE FAILURE AND ENGINE REPLACEMENT WAS RECOMMENDED. I CONTENDED THAT THE ENGINE SHOULD BE REPLACED FREE OF CHARGE, AS IT WAS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND THE VEHICLE DYING WITHOUT NOTICE WHILE BEING DRIVEN COULD PROVE DANGEROUS OR FATAL TO THE DRIVER/PASSENGERS. THE ENGINE FAILED FULLY, AND THE VEHICLE IS NOT DRIVABLE. AGAIN, ISSUE BEGAN 4/1/2016; ENGINE FAILED COMPLETELY 12/28/2016. *TR