NHTSA Complaint #11582480 — 2017 HYUNDAI SANTA FE

The car started making a very loud knocking noise while driving and became un-drivable due to the engine knocking and sputtering. Safety was compromised due to not being able to safely drive the vehicle the appropriate speed as this began suddenly. The car was taken to the dealership where the determined that it had rod bearing failure and the engine needed replaced. There is a recall for the same make, model, and year of the car, but the VIN number is different. The recall that is out for other VIN of the same car and engine states that there is rod bearing failure due to a faulty crankshaft. This has been confirmed by the dealership. There were no warning lights or indications that the car was not in proper mechanical shape prior to the issue. The dealership and corporate are unwilling to work with us to have this issue repaired under the recall, even though it is the same issue, since it is 17,000 miles over the warranty and that the recall “does not affect our VIN number.” The engine that the car needs is not available unless it is a used engine as there are so many issues with said engine, which then makes the engine extremely expensive and difficult to locate.