NHTSA Complaint #11320353 — 2006 HYUNDAI SANTA FE

ON MARCH 4, 2020, HEADING HOME AT NIGHT ON A CURVY MOUNTAIN ROAD MY CAR (2006 HYUNDAI SANTA FE) SUDDENLY JERKED, STARTED TO ACCELERATE TO OVER 80 MILES HOUR. AT THE SAME TIME HALF OF THE PANEL LIGHT BEHIND PART OF THE RPM'S AND HALF BEHIND THE MPH WENT OUT; THE REST OF THE PANEL WAS STILL LIT UP; I WAS HEADING DOWN THE CURVY ROAD ACCELERATING HEADING QUICKLY TOWARDS AN 18 WHEELER WHEN I TRIED TO BRAKE, MY BRAKE PEDAL WOULD NOT MOVE AND MY CAR KEPT ACCELERATING (I WAS NOT STEPPING ON THE GAS PEDAL). I QUICKLY DROPPED MY CAR INTO LOW GEAR AND MANEUVERED AROUND THE 18-WHEELER AND TRYING THE BRAKES, THE EMERGENCY BRAKES, AND AS QUICKLY AS IT STARTED UP, IT STOPPED, AND MY CAR STARTED TO DRIVE NORMAL (EXCEPT THE PANEL LIGHTS). ON MY WAY HOME (MARCH 5TH), IT HAPPENED AGAIN WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE CURVY MOUNTAIN ROAD AT NIGHT! AS I BEGIN DESCENDING THE CURVY ROAD (DRIVING 40MPH IN THE RIGHT LANE), MY CAR SUDDENLY BEGAN ACCELERATING AGAIN UP TO 90MPH! THERE WERE NOT AS MANY PEOPLE ON THE ROAD, SO I WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER IT BY DROPPING DOWN INTO LOW GEAR AND AS I BEGAN ASCENDING THE MOUNTAIN ROAD, THE UNINTENDED ACCELERATION STOPPED, AND THE CAR DROVE NORMAL. EACH INCIDENT LASTED ABOUT 5 MINUTES. ON MARCH 6, 2020, I TOOK MY CAR TO THE MECHANIC AND RAN A DIAGNOSTIC AND DID NOT FIND A CAUSE. HE TOLD ME TO CALL THE HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY RECALLS. THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED ME TO CONTACT HYUNDAI HEADQUARTERS, WHICH I DID. I REPORTED MY ISSUE AND MADE A CLAIM ON MARCH 6, 2020. I WAS TOLD TO TAKE MY CAR TO CAPITAL HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP AND HYUNDAI HEADQUARTERS WOULD SEND A FORENSIC ENGINEER OUT TO INVESTIGATE THE ISSUE. THEY TOLD ME TO NOT DRIVE MY CAR AND HAVE IT TOWED. I RECEIVED A CALL FROM HYUNDAI HEADQUARTERS INFORMING ME THE DEALERSHIP RAN A DIAGNOSTIC ON MY CAR AND DID NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE UNINTENDED ACCELERATION.