NHTSA Complaint #11363994 — 2012 HYUNDAI SANTA FE

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, WITHOUT ANY WARNING, AN INTERNAL PIECE OF MY ENGINE SHOT A HOLE THROUGH MY ENGINE BLOCK. FIRE STARTED SHOOTING OUT OF MY ENGINE AND THANKFULLY I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER AND GET OUT WITHOUT THE FIRE GETTING WORSE. THE DRIVER BEHIND ME PULLED OVER AND TOLD ME THAT HE COULD SEE THE FIRE UNDER THE CAR WHILE DRIVING BEHIND ME. HE STOPPED TRAFFIC UNTIL WE CONFIRMED THAT THE FIRE WAS OUT. THE FIRE WAS STILL VISIBLE FROM THE UNDERSIDE OF MY VEHICLE FOR A COUPLE MINUTES BUT IT STOPPED WITHOUT THE WHOLE CAR IGNITING. I REPORTED THIS INCIDENT TO HYUNDAI USA. THEY ASSIGNED A CASE NUMBER TO ME BUT TOLD ME THAT THE HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP, THAT MY CAR WAS TOWED TO, DID NOT SEE EVIDENCE OF FIRE SO THEY DROPPED THE CASE. I TOLD THEM THAT I HAD A WITNESS, THE DRIVER BEHIND ME FROM THE NATIONAL GUARD, AND THEY TOLD ME THAT IT DIDN'T MATTER BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T SEE FIRE DAMAGE AND THEREFORE COULDN'T VALIDATE MY CLAIM REGARDLESS OF THE WITNESS. THE CAR HAD NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON, THE OIL WAS CHANGED REGULARLY, AND THERE WAS NO REASON FOR THE ENGINE TO SUDDENLY, WITHOUT WARNING, BLOW OUT THE BLOCK AND SHOOT FIRE. I CAN ONLY ASSUME THAT THIS WAS A VERY DANGEROUS AND POTENTIALLY DEADLY MANUFACTURING DEFECT. MY ATTEMPTS TO PRESSURE HYUNDAI TO CHECK MY ENGINE AGAIN HAS ONLY LED TO THEM TO TELLING ME THAT IN 30 DAYS THEY COULD GET SOMEONE ELSE TO LOOK AT THE ENGINE TO VALIDATE MY CLAIM.