NHTSA Complaint #11255927 — 2008 HYUNDAI VERACRUZ

THIS IS MOSTLY FROM MEMORY WITH MOST RECENT DATA REPORTED. MY 2008 VERACUZ HAS HAD THE VALVE COVER GASKET REPAIRED OR REPLACED A MINIMUM OF 4 TIMES SINCE I PURCHASED IT ON 4/30/09 FROM O'BRIEN HYUNDAI. THE FIRST TIME WAS ABOUT 2 YEARS AFTER I BOUGHT IT. DEALER FOUND LEAK DURING OIL CHANGE AND ATTEMPTED TO SEAL WITH A SILICONE. THAT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL AND VALVE COVER GASKET WAS REPLACED. A YEAR PLUS LATER I WAS DRIVING HOME WHEN I COULD NOT GOT FASTER THAT 35 MPH. WHEN I DROVE INTO MY DEVELOPMENT, THE MAX SPEED WAS 10 MPH. I BARELY GOT INTO MY DRIVEWAY AND THE CAR STOPPED. IT TURNED OUT THAT OIL FROM A LEAKING VALVE COVER GASKET HAD SHORTED THE ALTERNATOR AND THE CAR HAD BEEN RUNNING ON THE BATTERY. CAR WAS TOWED AND BOTH THE ALTERNATOR AND VALVE COVER GASKET WERE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. IN 2014, THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THE LEAKING VALVE COVER GASKET PROBLEM AND MY CAR WAS REPAIRED AGAIN. IN NOVEMBER OF 2018, THE SERVICE TECH AT O'BRIEN HYUNDAI FOUND AN OIL LEAK DURING AN OIL CHANGE BUT WAS UNCERTAIN OF THE SOURCE. HE PUT A DYE IN THE OIL AND REQUESTED THAT I RETURN AFTER 2000 MILES SO HE COULD INSPECT FOR THE LEAK SOURCE. I TOOK IT BACK AFTER 2 WEEKS AND WAS TOLD THAT THE LEAK WAS FROM THE TIMING CHAIN COVER GASKET. HOWEVER, THE TIMING CHAIN COVER GASKET, THE VALVE COVER GASKET, THE WATER PUMP AND THE ALTERNATOR WERE ALL REPLACED UNDER THE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY. IN SEPTEMBER, THE "NEW" ALTERNATOR FAILED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED ALONG WITH A DRIVE BELT AT MY EXPENSE. THE FACT THAT THE VALVE COVER GASKET HAS BEEN REPLACED MULTIPLE TIMES IN MY VEHICLE MAKES ME CONCERNED THAT THE ENGINE DESIGN HAS A LATENT DEFECT WHICH CAN AND HAS RESULTED IN MY VEHICLE LOSING POWER WHILE IN USED CREATING A POTENTIALLY DEADLY SITUATION. A SEARCH ON THE INTERNET SHOWS ME THAT MY SITUATION IS NOT ATYPICAL AND SHOULD BE THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATED BY YOUR AGENCY.