NHTSA Complaint #11355600 — 2012 HYUNDAI ELANTRA

SEVERAL MONTHS AGO THE CAR ALARM WENT OFF FOR NO APPARENT REASON (THE CAR WAS SITTING IN OUR GARAGE AND NO ONE WAS ATTEMPTING TO STEAL IT). WHEN IT WENT OFF IT WAS VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING...LIKE 2 OR 3 AM. WE TRIED EVERYTHING WE KNEW TO TRY TO SHUT IT UP...FINALLY DISCONNECTING THE BATTERY. WE TOOK IT TO OUR LOCAL HYUNDAI DEALER WHERE WE WERE LATER TOLD THAT ONE OF THE MANY SENSORS HAD GONE BAD AND THEY WOULD ORDER A REPLACEMENT PART. THAT SEEMED TO TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM INITIALLY...BUT A FEW MONTHS LATER THE ALARM WENT OFF AGAIN AT 2 OR 3 AM FOR NO APPARENT REASON. WE CALLED THE DEALER AND WERE TOLD THEY HAD NO AVAILABLE APPOINTMENTS FOR TWO WEEKS. WE WAITED THE TWO WEEKS WHILE THE CAR SAT UNUSED AND DISCONNECTED FROM THE BATTERY AND THEN BROUGHT IT BACK TO THE DEALER. THIS TIME THEY HAD THE CAR FOR MOST OF A WEEK SAYING THAT THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE ALARM DISCHARGING. WE FINALLY JUST PICKED UP THE DEFECTIVE CAR...AND THAT VERY SAME DAY...AGAIN AT 2 AM, THE ALARM WENT OFF AGAIN. MY HUSBAND TRIED EVERYTHING HE WAS TOLD TO TRY TO SHUT IT UP...NOTHING WORKED. SO, HE WENT TO AGAIN DISCONNECT THE BATTERY...BUT THE DEALER HAD TIGHTENED THE CABLES TO THE BATTERY TOO TIGHTLY. AFTER SPENDING AN HOUR AND HALF A CAN OF WD40 WE WERE ABLE TO DISCONNECT ONLY THE POSITIVE CABLE TO THE BATTERY...AND THERE IT HAS SAT FOR NEARLY A MONTH...UNUSED AND DISCONNECTED. I CONTACTED HYUNDAI DIRECTLY AND THEY SEEM UNABLE MUCH ADVICE OTHER THAN 'TAKE IT TO ANOTHER DEALER OR BACK TO THE SAME DEALER AND ASK THEM TO TRY AGAIN.' WE WOULD LIKE TO JUST GET RID OF THIS CAR BUT COULD NOT SELL IT IN GOOD FAITH WITH THIS CURRENT PROBLEM...SO IT IS BOTH UNUSABLE AND NOT WORTH MUCH AS A TRADE IN.