NHTSA Complaint #11093429 — 2008 HYUNDAI VERACRUZ

HIGHWAY TRAVELING AT 65 MPH WHEN OIL LIGHT GLOWS BUT DOESN'T COME ON FULLY. AS DRIVER SLOWS TO PULL TO SIDE OF ROAD, OIL LIGHT COMES ON FULLY W/CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND POWER STEERING QUITSALL AT ONCE, MAKING STEERING VERY DIFFICULT. IT WAS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION BECAUSE IT WAS ON A TURN ON I81. LUCKILY TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT AND THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT. THE CAR WAS THEN TOWED TO A SERVICE STATION. IN TERMS OF RELEVANT HISTORY, WHEN TRIP STARTED, NO WARNING LIGHTS WERE ON. BUT INCIDENT CAME A FEW DAYS AFTER THE OIL LIGHT HAD GLOWED (NOT FULLY LIT). THE OIL WAS A TAD LOW BUT NOT A FULL QUART. IT WAS TOPPED OFF WHICH TURNED THE OIL LIGHT OFF. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAD ALSO CAME ON BRIEFLY AT A DIFFERENT TIME FROM THE OIL LIGHT BUT AROUND THE SAME DAY AS THE OIL LIGHT. IT TOO HAD TURNED ITSELF OFF AFTER BEING ON BRIEFLY. SO THE DAY OF INCIDENT THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS ON AT ALL AND THERE HAD BEEN NONE ON EXCEPT FOR THAT BRIEF TIME I DESCRIBED ABOVE. PEOPLE HAVE SINCE SPECULATED THAT THE STEERING FAILED BECAUSE THE CAR HAD STALLED. I DID NOT THINK THAT THE CAR HAD STALLED. RATHER, IT JUST SEEMED AS THO THE POWER FOR THE STEERING HAD QUIT. ONCE THE CAR WAS AT THE SHOP, I WAS TOLD THERE WAS A BAD BANGING SOUND WHEN THE CAR ENGINE WAS ON AND THE MECHANIC SPECULATED THAT A ROD HAD BROKEN. UNTIL THIS HAPPENED, THE ENGINE APPEARED TO RUN WELL AND THERE WAS NO BANGING SOUND OR ANY OTHER NOISE WHILE THE CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN. THE SERVICE MECHANIC CONFIRMED THAT THE OIL WAS FULL BUT MENTIONED IT BEING ALL OVER. THIS COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT. I WAS VERY LUCKY.