NHTSA Complaint #11714033 — 2018 HYUNDAI TUCSON

The situation I’m about to explain has happened twice—once in December 2025 and again on January 22, 2026. In December, the roads were very icy, but there was no snow on the ground. As I made a right turn into a Walmart parking lot, I heard a loud metal-breaking sound while turning. I immediately got out and looked underneath my 2018 Hyundai Tucson SEL but didn’t see anything unusual. After finishing my shopping, I started the SUV to pull out of the parking space. The car was trying to move, but the rear tires were not moving at all. A man waiting for my parking spot noticed this and told me one of the tires wasn’t turning. As I drove home, I heard extremely loud metal noises coming from the back of the vehicle—sounds like metal twisting, breaking, and falling to the ground. At no point did any warning lights come on. I took the car to a highly rated mechanic, Premier Car Care, where they did a thorough inspection and found nothing wrong. After being reassured that the vehicle was safe, I continued driving it. Then on January 22, 2026, the same issue happened again. I was driving to my internship, and the roads were slushy. Suddenly, the Tucson became unstable, slid unexpectedly, and I heard the same metal twisting and breaking noises. This time, the ABS light came on briefly and then went off. The vehicle felt unsafe and unstable, even though I was driving very slowly—around 15 miles per hour. I was terrified and nearly hit someone. I had the car towed through Triple A back to the mechanic, but once again, they were unable to find the cause after inspecting it, and it is sitting in my driveway. I am reaching out because I am on disability, I have three children with autism, and I am also currently in school. I rely on this vehicle, and I truly need help investigating what is happening so this issue can be properly identified and fixed before someone gets seriously hurt.