A letter to Hyundai:
On the morning of March 19, 2018 while on my way to work, something, presumably a rod bearing, gave out causing our 2012 Hyundai Sonata to decrease operating speed and make terrible metal on metal noises. I was able to drive the car about one mile until I found a safe space to pull off the main road. The moment I stopped the car, the oil light flickered, the engine light came on, and the engine immediately quit running. I had it towed to Broadway Auto Clinic in Menands, NY, where my husband Scott Carlone is the manager. Scott proceeded to order a replacement engine for the Sonata. The engine he ordered is out of a 2013 Sonata. It has 35,000 miles on it and comes with a six-month part warranty.
Prior to installing this motor, Scott decided to call Haddad Hyundai in Pittsfield. He spoke with a woman named “Marissa†in the service department. Marissa told him to bring the car to the dealership before doing any work as there were presently eight other Sonata’s on the lot with a similar problem. Scott spoke of the Sonata having 159,557 miles on it and asked if there was still the potential for something to be covered. She assured him it would be beneficial to have it brought there to be torn down, photos taken and sent out to see if Hyundai would cover anything toward repairs.
Friday, March 23, 2018, the Sonata was towed to Haddad Hyundai. “Bryan,†presumably a service manager, called me to discuss what was going on. I explained to him what the problem was. I was rather irritated by Bryan’s minimization of my concern. My understanding is that engine failure on 2011-2012 Sonatas is fairly common and the majority are happening outside of the extended warranty period. Perhaps what I found most frustrating is that Bryan made it seem that 159,000 was a ton of miles and that I should not be surprised it had suffered significant mechanical failure. In turn, I explained that I have purchased several used vehicles with 150,000 or more miles on them and they have all lasted me well above and beyond the 200,000 miles mark. To me, a vehicle with 159,000 miles on it in this day and age is in its infancy and when well-maintained, as our particular Sonata was, should last at least another 100,000 beyond that point. I expressed to Bryan that Marissa said there were eight other Sonata’s on the lot with a similar issue and that it bothered me he was presenting as if my problem was acceptable considering the car’s mileage and that it was 40,000 miles over the extended factory warranty of 120,000.
Our Sonata was inspected when the recall was issued for engine concern. The inspection was done at Carbone Hyundai in Bennington, VT. The Sonata had just shy of 100,000 miles on the odometer. The car passed. Bryan minimized this as well, saying “well that was what, 80,000 miles ago?†(I did not tell him it had 100,000 on it. He guessed and assumed it was done at approximately 80,000 miles). What disturbs me most about his statement is that there are likely hundreds of Hyundai Sonatas, model year 2012, sitting on lots of small car dealers or even maybe more nationally known ones, with 70,000-90,000 miles on them for sale somewhere between $8,000 and $10,000 that may or may not have already passed the inspection. The average person will take out a loan for a vehicle from three to five years. If a person were to take out a four-year loan on a 2012 Hyundai Sonata costing $9,500 and drives 15,000 miles a year, there is a chance that this car will suffer significant engine failure while the person still owes money on the car, as is my case and the case of many others in America. I fail to understand why this is acceptable or why this is a problem being minimized by Hyundai employees.
As this is corporate America, I hardly expect Hyundai to give back a penny toward repair to those of us who trusted that Hyundai would build a reliable piece of machinery that would outlast the life of a consumer loan. I expect that myself, along with several thousand other Americans will be forced to junk our vehicles or replace our mechanical failures with other mechanical failures waiting to happen. This is impractical for many Americans as we must continue to pay loans on vehicles that are no longer in existence or that are inoperable for many months while funds for the cost of a replacement engine and the labor to install one is saved.
In conclusion, I would like to thank you for your time. If there is nothing Hyundai is willing to do for its customers while knowing full well the responsibility for these engine failures lies in the majority with them I feel Hyundai will be losing many loyal and potential loyal customers. This was my first experience with a foreign manufacturer’s car. I am trying to keep the faith, based on Hyundai’s response to this letter, it will not be my last.
