NHTSA Complaint #11341345 — 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA

MY 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA RECEIVED A REPLACEMENT ENGINE DUE TO A RECALL FOR EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION. MY CAR DID NOT HAVE ANY OTHER PROBLEMS, EVERYTHING ELSE WAS RUNNING AS IT SHOULD. AFTER MY ENGINE WAS REPLACED, THE DEALERSHIP DID A TEST DRIVE AND SAID EVERYTHING WAS RUNNING WELL. I DROVE MY CAR HOME EVERYTHING SEEMED OK. I ONLY DROVE THE CAR TO MY LOCAL SUPERMARKET TWICE AND LASTLY, MY SON DROVE IT OUT TO A BEST BUY, WHICH WAS 40 MINUTES AWAY. EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL DURING THE DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAY AS WELL AS THE LOCAL STREET UNTIL HE PULLED INTO THE PARKING LOT. AS SOON AS HE MADE THE TURN IN, THE CAR STARTED TO REV IN AN EXTREME WAY-TAKING THE RPM NEEDLE TO 6 AND A LITTLE OVER- WITH VERY LITTLE APPLICATION TO THE GAS PEDAL AND VERY LITTLE MOTION FROM THE CAR. HE PARKED THE CAR THEN TURNED IT ON AGAIN, THE ENGINE TURNED ON OK, BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT GO FORWARD OR BACKWARDS. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND AFTER 4 DAYS WAS TOLD I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION. THERE WERE NO INDICATIONS, WHATSOEVER, OF ISSUES WITH THE TRANSMISSION, AND THE SUDDEN STOPPAGE IS VERY DISCONCERTING TO SAY THE LEAST. ARE THERE ISSUES WITH THIS MODEL'S TRANSMISSION, AS THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF DETERIORATION? MY CAR HAS 145,000 MILES ON IT. I CONTACTED HYUNDAI HQ CUSTOMER SERVICE AND A CASE WAS MADE, ONLY TO GET A CALL FROM THE CASE MGR. STATING THE TRANSMISSION IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. I UNDERSTAND I WAS GIVEN A REPLACEMENT ENGINE, BUT I FAIL TO UNDERSTAND HOW IT'S EVEN POSSIBLE OR EVEN COINCIDENTAL THAT MY TRANSMISSION WOULD COLLAPSE AFTER A MAJOR REPAIR. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT THE DIAGNOSTICS HISTORY SHOWS THERE WAS AN INCORRECT RATIO IN GEAR 3.WHY WERE THERE NO WARNINGS OR TELLTALE SIGNS? THIS COULD HAVE TURNED OUT VERY BADLY FOR MY SON HAD IT HAPPENED JUST A MINUTE SOONER WHILE HE WAS ON THE HIGHWAY.