NHTSA Complaint #745023 — 2001 HYUNDAI SONATA

ON APRIL 28, 2001 I AND THREE OTHER PASSENGERS WERE RIDING IN THE VEHICLE. I WAS TRAVELING DOWN A LONG GRADE AT 35 TO 40 MILES PER HOUR. TOWARD THE BOTTOM OF THE GRADE THE ROAD CURVES TO THE RIGHT AND AT THE BOTTOM THERE IS A TRAFFIC SIGNAL. WHEN I CAME AROUND THE CURVE I SAW THAT THE LIGHT WAS GREEN AND PROCEEDED TO ACCELERATE IN ORDER TO GET UP THE APPROACHING UPGRADE. WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE THE ENGINE REVVED VERY HIGH BUT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO SLOW DOWN. TANSMISSION HAD SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL ALTHOUGH THE SHIFTER STILL INDICATED THAT I WAS IN DRIVE. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT AUTOMATICALLY SHIFT OUT OF NEUTRAL. I HAD TO MANUALLY SHIFT INTO LOW GEAR. TWO DAYS LATER I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND, AFTER THREE DAYS, I WAS TOLD THAT THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG AND THAT THEY WOULD MAKE NO REPAIRS. ON FRIDAY MAY 4, 2001 I WAS CONTACTED BY THE HYUNDAI REGIONAL SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE WHO TRIED TO CONVINCE ME THAT THERE IS NOTHING THE MATTER WITH MY VEHICLE. HE TOLD ME THAT IT WAS THE VEHICLES "ADAPTIVE LEARNING" FEATURE THAT CAUSED THE SHIFT AND THAT WHAT I EXPERIENCED WAS PERFECTLY NORMAL. I FIND IT VERY HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THE NEW CAR I OWN WAS DESIGNED TO SHIFT AND STAY IN NEUTRAL WHEN IT IS IN A SITUATION WHERE ACCELERATION IS NECESSARY. BOTH THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTUER CONTINUE TO INSIST THAT THERE IS NOTHING THE MATTER WITH THE VEHICLE AND REFUSE TO MAKE ANY REPAIRS. ALSO, ONE WEEK BEFORE THE INCIDENT , MY WIFE AND I WERE ON THE SAME ROAD AND THE VEHICLE DID NEARLY THE SAME THING. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE WAS THAT AFTER ABOUT A SECOND OR TWO OF STEPPING ON THE GAS PEDAL TRANSMISSION SHIFTED ITSELF BACK FROM NEUTRAL INTO DRIVE. PLEASE HELP.*AK