NHTSA Complaint #11297877 — 2007 HYUNDAI SONATA

I WANT TO CREATE A SAFETY RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE IF NOT OTHER MAKES AND MODELS FROM THIS MANUFACTURER. THIS VEHICLE IS A FIRE HAZARD DUE TO CHRONIC CORROSION ON THE FUEL LINES. IT IS ALSO A SAFETY HAZARD DUE TO LOSS OF BRAKES AND STEERING DUE TO CHRONIC CORROSION OF THE BRAKE AND POWER STEERING LINES. OUR 2007 HYUNDAI SONATA NEEDED POWER STEERING FLUID AND BRAKE FLUID ON A REGULAR BASIS. MOST RECENTLY WE LOST BRAKES AND HAD THE CAR INSPECTED. THE INSPECTION DETERMINED THAT THE POWER STEERING LINES, BRAKE LINES AND FUEL LINES ARE SEVERELY CORRODED AND ALL LEAKING. THE BRAKE LINES HAD THE MOST SEVERE CORROSION BUT THE FUEL AND POWER STEERING HAD CORROSION DEEP ENOUGH TO CAUSE A LEAK. THESE LEAKS ARE NOT IN THE VICINITY OF FITTINGS OR CONNECTIONS. THE WORST LEAKS ARE IN THE VICINITY OF BRACKETS OR LINE RETAINERS. THIS CAR HAS BEEN SOLD AND OPERATED IN THE NORTHEAST SNOW BELT BUT THE CORROSION IS WORSE THAN MOST VEHICLES THAT ARE MUCH OLDER WITH HIGHER MILEAGE. CLEARLY THE LINES WERE MADE OF INFERIOR METAL CAUSING THE COMPONENTS TO FAIL PREMATURELY. APPARENTLY, INSTEAD OF USING A MORE COSTLY RUST RESISTANT METAL THE MANUFACTURER RELIED ON A PLASTIC COATING ON THE LINES TO PROTECT THEM FROM THE ELEMENTS. THIS COMPLETELY FAILED AS SOME OF THE LINES ARE COMPLETELY CORRODED ALONG THE ENTIRE LENGTH. THE PLASTIC COATING LIKELY ACCELERATED THE CORROSION AS IT RETAINED CORROSIVE MATERIALS IN CONTACT WITH THE METAL. I CONTACTED THE HYUNDAI DEALER AND THEY SAID THAT THERE ARE NO RECALLS ON THESE COMPONENTS AND I WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL PART AND LABOR COSTS. I OPENED A CASE WITH THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD LOOK INTO IT BUT INDICATED THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND WOULD NOT LIKELY PURSUE A SAFETY RECALL.