NHTSA Complaint #11579258 — 2016 HYUNDAI SONATA

ENGINE LIGHT APPEARED ON MY DASHBOARD IN LATE FEB 2024. AT THE SAME TIME, THERE WAS A NOTED FLUID LEAK ON MY PARKING SKIRT SO I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED DRIVING IT. ON [XXX] I HAD CAR TOWED TO MIKE'S AUTOMATIVE SERVICE STATION IN SOUTH MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN. HE REMEDIED THE ENGINE ISSUE WITH 'LEAK STOP'. ON [XXX], I WAS TRAVELING AN [XXX] FROM MILWAUKEE TO OSHKOSH. AROUND HALF WAY, THE ENGINE LIGHT BEGAN FLASHING, THE OIL LIGHT WAS ON AND THE CAR LOST ABILITY TO ACCELERATE. I ENGAGED MY HAZARD LIGHTS GIVEN I WAS IN HIGH TRAFFIC AT THAT TIME AND 'LIMPED' CAR TO THE NEARST GAS STATION, TO AVOID BEING STRANDED ON THE HIGHWAY. IT WAS TOWED TO A NEARBY LOCATION, RICHFIELD SERVICE CENTER-RICHFIELD WI. BOTH THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER AND THE SERVICE STATION REP, SEAN, ADVISED THIS OIL-LEAKING ENGINE BUSINESS WAS A WIDESPREAD AND WELL-KNOWN MANUFACTURER DEFECT FOR THIS VEHICLE'S MAKE/MODEL/YEAR. THEY PERFORMED A BRIEF DIAGNOSTIC REVIEW AND ADVISED THE ENGINE WOULD NEED FULL REPLACEMENT TO CONTINUE DRIVING. I REPORTED THIS INCIDENT TO HYUNDAI'S CUSTOMER SERVICE ONLINE PORTAL THIS DAY, TOO AND HAVE REQUESTED THEY REPLACE THE ENGINE, GIVEN THE MILEAGE HAS NOT EVEN REACHED 77,000 MILES. I FOUND NO ACTIVE RECALL OR WARRANTY ON THIS VEHICLE BUT CAN PROVE I AM THE SECOND OWNER, HAVING INHERITED IT FROM THE ORIGINAL PURCHASER, THE LATE [XXX] IN 2016/2017 (UNSURE EXACT DATE). THE VEHICLE IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION AT THIS TIME. I FELT TRAUMATIZED BY THIS EVENT, PRAYING NOT TO BE RUN OVER ON THE HIGHWAY WHILE THE CAR MOVED AT A SNAIL'S PACE AND FEELING TERRIBLY UNSAFE IN PUSHING THE CAR TO THE CLOSEST GAS STATION. I FELT EVERYONE AROUND ME WAS IN DANGER OF NOT SEEING ME IN TIME TO STOP OR AVOID COLLISION WITH ME. NO OFFICIAL INSPECTION HAS BEEN COMPLETED BY MANUFACTURER, POLICE, INSURANCE OR ANYONE BESIDES THE MECHANICS AT THE RICHFIELD SERVICE CENTER LOCATIO IN RICHFIELD WISCONSIN, ON [XXX]. MORE DETAIL NOT AFFORDED IN TEXT SPACE HERE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)