NHTSA Complaint #11362240 — 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA

WHILE DRIVING ON A BUSY INTERSTATE AT SPEED (APPROX 65MPH) ON 9/26/20, THE ENGINE ABRUPTLY SHUT DOWN. THERE WAS NO WARNING, THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING STRAIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE ONLY HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP IN THE AREA AND INSPECTED/ DIAGNOSED 9/29/20. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE ENGINE HAD SEIZED AND MUST BE REPLACED. THE ESTIMATED COST TO REPLACE (WITH A USED ENGINE WITH 40% MORE MILES) WAS 25% HIGHER THAN THE REPLACEMENT VALUE FOR THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER REPRESENTATIVE SAID THE VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED BY SAFETY RECALL 15V-568 RELATING TO 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA'S WITH THE 2.4L ENGINE. THE RECALL DOES NOT REFERENCE ANY SPECIFIC MODEL AND ONLY DISCUSSES THE FAILURE OF THE ENGINE WHICH IS COMMON ACROSS HYBRID AND NON-HYBRID MODELS. THE VEHICLE HAS ONLY 78,000 MILES AT THE TIME OF THE ENGINE FAILURE. ENGINES SHOULD NOT FAIL THIS EARLY, UNLESS THERE IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. WHICH IT SEEMS THERE IS A VERY WELL KNOWN DEFECT TO THIS VERY ENGINE THAT RESULTS IN THIS VERY OUTCOME. EXCEPT FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON THE KNOWN FAILURE WITH THE SAME ENGINE IN A HYBRID MODEL IS NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL.