NHTSA Complaint #11152279 — 2007 HYUNDAI ENTOURAGE

MY WIFE DRIVES A 2007 ENTOURAGE SE THAT CURRENTLY HAS 96,000 MILES ON IT. A SHORT TIME AGO THE BRAKE PEDAL GOT 'SOFT' OR WHAT SOME PEOPLE MIGHT CALL 'SPONGY' OR "MUSHY" ACCOMPANIED WITH GRADUAL 'LEAK DOWN'OR "FADING" OF THE BRAKE PEDAL. AS THIS IS NORMALLY A SYMPTOM OF A FAILING MASTER CYLINDER, I REPLACED THE MASTER CYLINDER. THIS DID NOTHING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. NEXT, I REPLACED THE REAR BRAKE PADS (ALTHOUGH THEY WERE PROBABLY ONLY HALF WORN) TO PUSH MORE FLUID BACK INTO THE RESERVOIR IN HOPES IT WOULD 'TIGHTEN UP' THE PEDAL FEEL. THIS ALSO DID NOT IMPROVE THE SITUATION. THE FRONT BRAKE PADS ARE RELATIVELY RECENT AND NOT IN NEED OF REPLACEMENT. I NEXT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE DEALERSHIP INDICATED THAT WHAT I WAS EXPERIENCING WAS A FAILURE OF THE ABS MODULE (PUMP AND CONTROL UNIT) THAT THEY DON'T SEE VERY OFTEN. BASED ON THE DEALERSHIP ADVICE, I REPLACED THE ABS MODULE. THIS HAD NO EFFECT ON THE PROBLEM. IN A FINAL EFFORT, I REPLACED THE VACUUM BOOSTER WHICH ALSO DID NOTHING TO CORRECT THE SITUATION. AFTER EACH OF THESE REPAIR EFFORTS THE BRAKES WERE BLED MANUALLY AND WITH THE "AUTO BLEED" FUNCTION OF A SCAN TOOL. NOTE THAT THERE ARE NO ABS, EBD OR ETC DIAGNOSTIC CODES PRESENT IN THE VEHICLES DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM. I'VE COME TO REALIZE IS THE VAN IS BASICALLY "UNREPAIRABLE" BY MERE MORTALS. PERHAPS A KIA/HUNDAI VEHICLE BRAKING SYSTEM DESIGNER WITH ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD, FOLLOWING THE 143 PAGES OF BRAKE SYSTEM DIAGNOSTICS PRESENT IN THE 2006-2007 SERVICE MANUAL MIGHT STUMBLE ON A SOLUTION BUT I DON'T KNOW ANYONE LIKE THAT. THUS, IT APPEARS THAT I'M GOING TO HAVE TO DONATE THIS VEHICLE TO A CHARITY FOR THE TAX WRITEOFF WITH FULL DISCLOSE THAT I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND IT BE DRIVEN IN IT'S CURRENT CONDITION. THIS IS A REAL SHAME AS WE'VE HAD THIS VAN FOR 10 YEARS SINCE IT'S 2008 PURCHASE AND IT LOOKS GREAT INSIDE AND OUT.