2009 Hyundai Accent

THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR LOCK STOPPED WORKING ABOUT TWO MONTHS AGO. CAN NOT UNLOCK THE DOOR MANUALLY INSIDE OR WITH A KEY OUTSIDE OR WITH REMOTE. DESPITE THE AGE OF THE VEHICLE OR WARRANTY, THIS IS WITHOUT A DOUBT A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE, AND THE, NHTSA, SHOULD HAVE ALREADY HAVE HAD ORDERED A MANDATORY RECALL, GIVEN HUNDAI MOTORS IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND HAS NOT ACTED ON ITS OWN. GIVEN THE,NHTSA'S RECORD ON RECALLS ( REACTIVE RATHER THAN PRO ACTIVE ) BASED ON THE NUMBER OF DEATHS REQUIRED, ANY MANDATED RECALL IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY...THE N IN NHTSA, BEST REPRESENTS NEGLECT!

STARTED OUT TO GO TO WORK, WHEN I STARTED THE CAR, I NOTICED THE "AIRBAG" WARNING LIGHT ON DASH WOULD NOT GO OFF WITH THE REST OF THE USUAL LIGHTING. AT THE SAME TIME I NOTICED THE "PASSENGER" AIRBAG LIGHT WAS "ON". I PUSHED ON THE CUSHION OF THE FRONT SEAT AND THE "PASSENGER" DASH LIGHT NOW READ "OFF". HOWEVER, THE "AIRBAG" WARNING LIGHT ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER REMAINED ON. TURNED THE CAR BACK OFF AND AFTER A FEW MINUTES, STARTED THE CAR AGAIN. AIRBAG LIGHT REMAINED LIT AND THE "PASSENGER" LIGHT ON DASH WAS READING "OFF". DISCONNECTING THE BATTERY CABLE FOR A FEW MINUTES DID NOT SOLVE,CLEAR CODES, EITHER. GLS MODEL WITH 143,800 MILES.

THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR POWER LOCK QUIT WORKING. THE DANGER IS THAT THE DOOR CAN'T BE MANUALLY UNLOCKED EITHER FROM THE INSIDE, OR WITH A KEY ON THE OUTSIDE. IF THE VEHICLE IS INVOLVED IN A WRECK, AND THE CAR CATCHES FIRE, THERE IS NO ESCAPE FOR THE FRONT PASSENGER. IF THE CAR RUNS INTO WATER, THERE IS NO ESCAPE FOR THE FRONT PASSENGER. IF THERE IS ANY LIFE THREATENING DANGER, THERE IS NO ABILITY FOR THE PASSENGER TO ESCAPE FROM THE CAR. LIKEWISE, NO ONE FROM THE OUTSIDE CAN GET THE PASSENGER OUT. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR TO THE SERVICE DEALER, MCCARTHY OLATHE HYUNDAI, I WAS TOLD BY THEIR SERVICE REP THAT THE LOCK ACTUATOR WAS DEFECTIVE AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. I WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYING $319.00. THE SERVICE REP WENT ON TO SAY THAT HE HAS SEEN THIS PART FAIL MORE WITH THE HYUNDAI SANTA FE'S. IF WHAT HE SAYS IS TRUE, THAT IS FRIGHTFUL. THERE IS NO WAY TO KNOW IF AND WHEN THIS PART WILL FAIL, BUT IF IT DOES, IT MAY END UP BEING A LIFE THREATENING DISASTER. THERE IS NO WAY I SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYING FOR A REPLACEMENT PART THAT CONSTITUTES THIS MUCH DANGER TO SAFETY. HOW DO I KNOW THE REPLACEMENT PART IS ALSO NOT DEFECTIVE? I STATED THAT IF THE LOCK ACTUATOR ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR ALSO QUIT WORKING, THE DRIVER WOULD EITHER NOT BE ABLE TO ESCAPE OR WOULD BE COMPLETELY LOCKED OUT OF THE CAR. IF LOCKED IN, YOU COULD DIE. IF LOCKED OUT, YOU WOULD NOT BE EVEN ABLE TO RELEASE THE FRONT HOOD, DUE TO THE RELEASE LEVER BEING INSIDE THE CAR. THE SERVICE REP INFORMED ME THAT THE SCENERIO OF THE DRIVER DOOR LOCK FAILING WOULD NOT LIKELY HAPPEN. IF THE PASSENGER'S DOOR LOCK FAILED, HOW DOES HE KNOW THAT THE DRIVER'S DOOR LOCK ALSO WILL NOT FAIL? I APPRECIATE YOUR PROMPT ASSISTANCE LOOKING INTO THIS AND GETTING BACK WITH ME. A COPY OF THIS EMAIL HAS ALSO BEEN FORWARDED TO CONSUMERAFFAIRS@HMAUSA.COM WHERE I HAVE ALREADY FILED A CASE NUMBER, 9157723.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HYUNDAI ACCENT. WHEN THE CONTACT TURNED THE IGNITION SWITCH INTO THE ON POSITION FROM THE START POSITION, THE POWER WINDOWS DELAYED IN DEACTIVATING. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT THE FAILURE MAY CAUSE A FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 62,000.

AROUND 75,000 MILES, VEHICLE IS 4 YEARS OLD, AIRBAG SENSOR WENT OFF (NO ACCIDENT OR ANYTHING). I BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT. CAME BACK ESTIMATING ROUGHLY $1,200 REPAIR TO REPLACE THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT. I TOLD THEM IT IS PROBABLY JUST A BLOWN FUSE AND TO CHECK FOR THAT, THEY REFUSED AND SAID THEY'VE SEEN THE PROBLEM BEFORE AND THAT THE REPAIR IS NOT COVERED UNDER ANY WARRANTY AND THAT IT WAS LIKELY MY FAULT DUE TO A SPILLED DRINK. I'VE NEVER SPILLED A DRINK IN THIS CAR OR EVEN LEFT THE WINDOWS OPEN. THEREFORE, THE PROBLEM IS MOST LIKELY DUE TO FAULTY WIRING. I REFUSED TO PAY THE $1,200 REPAIR. NOW I AM WRITING THIS BECAUSE I AM LIKELY TO FAIL INSPECTION AND WILL BE FORCED TO REPAIR IT. I WANT TO INCREASE VISIBILITY OF THIS ISSUE. *TR

1ST INCIDENT: CAR WAS PARKED AT STORE. WOULD NOT START AND COULD NOT MOVE SHIFT LEVER WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKE. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM DOWN. CALLED FOR TOW, MECHANIC JUMP-STARTED THE CAR. 2ND INCIDENT: SINCE THE ABOVE TIME, WE HAVE HAD TO MANIPULATE THE BRAKE PEDAL SEVERAL TIMES TO RELEASE SHIFTER, THEN FIRMLY MOVE SHIFTER INTO PARK, ALLOWING THE CAR TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE CAR WAS NOT IN GEAR, THEN THE CAR WOULD START. 3RD INCIDENT: APRIL 24TH, 2013. ENTERED THE CAR, HEARD CLICKING SOUND FROM THE DIRECTION OF THE INSIDE FUSE BOX. TRIED TO START THE CAR, NO POWER ANYWHERE, CAR WOULD NOT START. DEPRESSED THE BRAKE TO REPEAT THE SHIFTER STEPS AS IN INCIDENT 2. THE CLICKING STOPPED. THE CLICKING ONLY STOPPED WHEN I DEPRESSED AND HELD THE BRAKE WITH THE IGNITION SWITCH IN THE ON POSITION. STILL NO POWER AND CAR WOULD NOT START. AS I DEPRESSED THE BRAKE, THE ELECTRONIC ODOMETER DISPLAY WENT TO HALF-NUMBERS. WHEN I TRIED TO TURN ON THE FLASHERS, THERE WAS A "STATIC NOISE" FROM THE DASHBOARD. FLASHERS WOULD NOT WORK. RETURNED THE KEY TO THE LOCK POSITION, DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE ODOMETER READING FLASHED ON AND OFF SEVERAL TIMES, THEN CAME BACK FULLY. HAD TO HAVE THE CAR JUMP-STARTED IN ORDER TO GET HOME. *TR

THE BRAKE LIGHTS ALL FAILED AT THE SAME TIME. MY DAUGHTER WAS FOLLOWING ME AND NOTICED THEY WEREN'T WORKING. I CHECKED THE FUSE AND IT IS OK, SO THE NEXT COMPONENT IS THE SWITCH. I RESEARCHED PROBLEMS WITH MY MODEL AND NOTICED THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THE 2007 MODEL YEAR FOR THE SAME MODEL CAR FOR THE STOP LAMP SWITCH. MAYBE THE SAME PARTS ARE BEING USED IN LATER MODEL YEARS. *TR