NHTSA Complaint #11094148 — 2017 HYUNDAI SONATA HYBRID

ABRUPT AND TOTAL LOSS OF ACCELERATION AT FULL THROTTLE AT OR NEAR HIGH RPM SHIFT POINTS. THIS BEHAVIOR CAN BE RELIABLY REPRODUCED BY "FLOORING IT" (ALL THE WAY, INCLUDING KICKDOWN) AND NOT LETTING GO - AS IF ONE IS EXECUTING A PASSING MANEUVER. THE POWER LOSS WILL OCCUR AT THE NEXT SHIFT POINT AFTER KICK DOWN, AND WILL NOT BE CLEARED UNTIL THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS RELEASED AND RE-APPLIED - OR AFTER APPROXIMATELY 15 TO 20 SECONDS AFTER THE OCCURRENCE IF THE DRIVER DOES NOT RELEASE THE PEDAL. IN CASES WHERE THE PEDAL IS NOT RELEASED AFTER THE POWER LOSS, THE VEHICLE WILL SURGE SUDDENLY AFTER THE CONDITION HAS CLEARED AND REPEAT THE BEHAVIOR DESCRIBED ABOVE. THIS BEHAVIOR CAN BE REPRODUCED IN ANY DRIVE PROGRAM MODE (ECO, NORMAL, SPORT, ) AND IN BOTH AUTOMATIC AND MANUAL SHIFT SELECTION MODES, AND IS ESPECIALLY PREVALENT AT SPEEDS ABOVE 45 MPH WHERE SUDDEN FULL THROTTLE COMMAND CAUSES KICKDOWN. THE DRIVETRAIN SHOULD RESPOND RELIABLY WHEN IT IS COMMANDED FULL-THROTTLE. A SUDDEN POWER LOSS AT A SHIFT POINT DURING A FULL THROTTLE MANEUVER IS UNSAFE: (1) IT DISORIENTATES THE DRIVER AND; (2) CAUSES UN-COMMANDED, UNEXPECTED, AND RAPID CHANGES IN DRIVING FORCE, WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION, FRICTION, AND REACTION FORCES WHICH COULD LEAD TO A LOSS OF CONTROL.