NHTSA Complaint #11361578 — 2020 HYUNDAI SONATA

FOLLOWING A FIRMWARE UPDATE TO THE OBC FOR A RECALL, THE VEHICLE TRANSMISSION NOW HAS A SEVERE DELAY RESPONDING TO DRIVER INPUT. THE TRANSMISSION IN THIS VEHICLE HAS ELECTRONIC SHIFT WITH PUSHBUTTONS. PREVIOUS TO THE FIRMWARE UPDATE, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD RESPOND INSTANTLY TO DRIVER INPUT FROM THESE BUTTONS. FOLLOWING THE FIRMWARE UPDATE, THE TRANSMISSION TAKES TWO SECONDS TO RESPOND. THIS DELAYED ACTION PROHIBITS DRIVER EMERGENCY SHIFTING, CREATING SEVERE RISK OF AN ACCIDENT. IN MY VEHICLE, I RECENTLY WAS ALMOST INVOLVED IN A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT WHEN THE DELAYED RESPONSE FROM THE TRANSMISSION CAUSED MY VEHICLE TO REVERSE INTO THE OPPOSING LANE OF TRAFFIC AS ACCELERATION WAS ATTEMPTED THINKING THE VEHICLE HAD SHIFTED INTO DRIVE. UPON ENTERING THE ACTIVE OPPOSITE LANE OF TRAFFIC, EMERGENCY ACCIDENT AVOIDANCE WAS PROHIBITED BY THE DELAYED RESPONSE OF THE VEHICLE SHIFTING INTO 'DRIVE' IN ORDER TO MOVE THE VEHICLE FROM THE OPPOSITE LANE OF TRAFFIC. PREVIOUS TO THIS INSTANCE, THERE HAVE BEEN DELAYS IN VEHICLE SHIFTING WHICH HAVE NEARLY CAUSED AN ACCIDENT WHEN THE DRIVER ATTEMPTS TO PLACE THE VEHICLE IN 'PARK', BUT THE DELAY CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO MOVE FORWARD AS THE DRIVER REMOVES THEIR FOOT FROM THE BRAKE, AND THE CAR MOVES FORWARD TOWARD STATIONARY OBJECTS AND PEOPLE. THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED TO HYUNDAI AND THEY HAVE NOT RESPONDED YET. FURTHERMORE, OTHER OBVIOUS FIRMWARE ISSUES IN THE VEHICLE HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED, ONE IN A DIFFERENT SAFETY SYSTEM.