NHTSA Complaint #11685540 — 2023 HYUNDAI TUCSON

On [XXX], while driving a 2023 Hyundai TUCSON SEL, the steering wheel suddenly and completely detached from the steering column and ended up in the driver's lap. This sudden and absolute loss of steering control is a catastrophic failure of a primary safety system that placed the driver's life and potentially the lives of others in immediate and extreme peril. It was only due to sheer luck that the vehicle was brought to a stop without an accident or injury. Following the incident, due to fear and anxiety, the driver is now in treatment and has been unable to work. The vehicle was transported to Ron Marhofer Hyundai on the same day. The following day, the driver was met with a profound lack of respect and professionalism from the service advisor, Declan McCready. The driver and her mother were implicitly told they did not know what they were talking about and were treated with a profound lack of respect. The service advisor initially asserted there was no warranty coverage for the issue and that it would cost nearly $500.00 to fix. He also claimed his entire shop of mechanics looked at the car and found nothing was broken. However, the very next day, the dealership abruptly reversed their diagnosis and instructed the driver to get a rental car, stating they would now be fixing the vehicle under warranty. The repair order confirms the technician's findings: "verified concern steering column separated stopped bracket bent and separated replaced column housing operating normal". The vehicle had 14,479 miles at the time of the failure. There were no prior warnings or symptoms before the incident. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)