2009 Hyundai Elantra

A STEADY "EPS" LIGHT CAME ON MY HYUNDAI ELANTRA 2009. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED WAS ABOUT 9/2018. THERE WERE NO NOTICEABLE MALFUNCTIONS WHILE DRIVING. A FEW WEEKS LATER, HOWEVER, THE LIGHT STARTED FLASHING WHEN I STARTED THE CAR, AND WHEN TRYING TO REVERSE FROM DRIVEWAY, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME VERY HARD AND I INITIALLY COULD NOT TURN IT. WHEN I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND ON, I WAS ABLE TO MOVE THE WHEEL AND THE LIGHT WENT OFF. HOWEVER, A WEEK OF TWO LATER, I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN, THIS TIME FLASHING, AND THE STEERING WHEEL KIND OF GOT STUCK. I COULD HARDLY HANDLED IT. THAT SITUATION WAS VERY SCARY. THEN, THE LIGHT BECAME STEADY, AND I WAS ABLE TO STEER THE WHEEL WITHOUT DIFFICULTY. BUT LAST WEEK, I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, AND SAME THING HAPPENED -THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME TOO HARD TO TURN. ON 12/15/2018, I TOOK THE CAR TO HYUNDAI SERVICE AND A DIAGNOSIS WAS DONE (PAID $128.00 REFUNDABLE ONLY IF REPAIRS WERE NEEDED AND DONE AT THEIR SHOP). MY CAR HAS 79,909 MILES, BUT I TOLD IT IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE IT IS PAST 60K MILES). THE DIAGNOSIS WAS AN "INTERNAL FAILURE OF MOTOR DRIVEN POWER STEERING MOTOR," WHICH WOULD COST $2,188.21 TO REPAIR. THIS CAR HAD BEEN RECALLED TWICE FOR POWER STEERING ISSUES (RECALL 127 ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING SOFTWARE AND CAMPAIGN "ELANTRA AND SONATA STEERING COUPLING". IN SEARCHING THE INTERNET, I HAVE FOUND MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS ABOUT POWER STEERING MALFUNCTIONS ON 2009 HYUNDAI ELANTRA AND LATER MODELS, AS WELL AS OTHER HYUNDAI VEHICLES, WHICH HAD ALSO INVOLVED MALFUNCTIONS WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS, LIFE-THREATENING MALFUNCTION, WHICH SHOULD BE PROMPTLY INVESTIGATED. I HOPE HYUNDAI AND BRAND/MAKER VEHICLES WITH THIS PROBLEM ARE RECALLED AND REPAIRED BEFORE A LIFE IS LOST DUE TO THIS MALFUNCTION.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WHEN THE GEAR WAS PLACED IN REVERSE. WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED, THE VEHICLE SURGED TO AN UNKNOWN HIGH RATE OF SPEED. WHEN PLACED IN NEUTRAL, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO DECELERATE. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT SIDESWIPED ANOTHER VEHICLE. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE DRIVER WAS NOT INJURED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AT THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE DUE TO THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

IN JANUARY 2017 I WAS INVOLVED IN A ACCIDENT. I HIT ANOTHER CAR IN THE REAR AT 65 MPH. THE AIR BAG FAILED TO DEPLOY I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET INFORMATION FROM HYUNDIA FOR OVER TWO YEARS AND THEY WILL NOT GIVE ANY INFORMATION THEY FINALLY LOOKED AT MY VEHICLE AND SAID THAT THE AIR BAG FAILED TO DEPLOY BECAUSE IT WAS NOT DESIGNED TO DEPLOY IN THAT TYPE OF ACCIDENT .I ASSUME THERE IS A MANUFACTURE DESIGN PROBLEM. I WAS TRAVELING ON THE FREEWAY AND A YOUNG GIRL CROSSED FOUR LANES OF TRAFFIC RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME AND I HIT HER DIELECTRIC IN THE REAR AT 65 MPH. HYUNDIA WOULD PROVIDE ME ANY DOCUMENTATION TO CONFIRM THERE ASSESSMENT I AM A TEXAS LICENSED INSURANCE APPRAISER AND HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE WITH ACCIDENT RECONSTRUCTION. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SERIOUS MANUFACTURE DESIGN PROBLEM AND SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED. I HAVE SAVED THE CAR FOR INSPECTION IF NEEDED. I WAS PERMANENT DISABLED IN THE ACCIDENT AND HYUNDIA WWILL DO NOTHING

I HAVE 2009 ELANTRA, SEPTEMBER 2017 I NOTICED A LAG IN THE SHIFTING ALWAYS AT 25-32MPH MOST OF THE TIME I HAD TO REMOVE MY FOOT FROM ACCELERATOR TO MANUALLY SHIFT. WHETHER I 'MANUALLY SHIFTED' OR STAYED ON THE ACCELERATOR, THERE WOULD ALWAYS BE A HARD JERK DURING THE SHIFTING OF THAT GEAR. ON DEACCERERATION, THE CAR WOULD ALWAYS JERK ON THE DOWNSHIFT ALMOST ALWAYS AT THE SAME 25-32MPH. I HAD TO AVOID HIGHWAYS DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS OF MERGING DUE TO THE LACK OF ACCELERATION. I DECIDED TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION SERVICED AT A HYUNDAI DEALER. THE DAY I PICKED MY CAR UP, I COULDN'T DRIVE OVER PARKING LOT SPEEDS. I IMMEDIATELY DROVE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP I PURCHASED AN EXTENDED SERVICE WARRANTY THROUGH AND MY TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED WITH A USED ELANTRA TRANSMISSION WITH 72,000MILES. THE CAR SHIFTED GREAT FOR FIRST 2MONTHS, NOW SECOND TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN DOING THE EXACT SAME THING AS ORIGINAL TRANSMISSION. I HAVE NOT REACHED OUT TO SERVICE WARRANTY COMPANY AS IT WILL JUST BE A WASTE OF TIME AND EFFORT. I CAN'T AFFORD TO BE WITHOUT TRANSPORTATION FOR 5-7DAYS AND THEY DO NOT OFFER RENTAL OR LOANER CAR, JUST TO GET YET ANOTHER USED TRANSMISSION JUST TO HAVE THE PROBLEM REOCCUR. I WOULD LIKE HYUNDAI'S ASSISTANCE TO GET A NEW TRANSMISSION THAT WILL REDUCE SAFETY ISSUES AND PROLONG THE LIFE OF THE CAR.

ON 09/17/2018 I WOKE UP AROUND 5 AM TO FIND THE ELANTRA FULLY ENGULFED IN FLAMES IN THE FRONT END. IT WASN'T RUNNING, NOTHING LEFT ON, IT HAD NOT BEEN RUN FOR 4 HOURS SO THE ENGINE SHOULD HAVE BEEN COLD. NO DRIVABILITY PROBLEMS BEFORE. POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDED, PUT THE FIRE OUT AND STATED THAT THEY SAW NOTHING SUSPICIOUS ABOUT THE FIRE AND THAT I SHOULD CHECK ON PROBLEMS WITH HYUNDAI. THIS CAR ONLY HAD 70000 MILES ON IT WITH A 10 YEAR 100000 MILE WARRANTEE .I WENT TO THE DEALER, THEY TOLD ME IT WAS NOT COVERED WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING AT IT. THIS CAR WAS COLD, PARKED, NOTHING ON, NO KEYS IN IT, I DON'T SEE ANY REASON IT SHOULD HAVE CAUGHT FIRE. IT WAS A TOTAL LOSS. THANK YOU.

STEERING MAKES CLICKING SOUNDS, WHEN MOVED FROM A CENTER POSITION, EITHER LEFT OR RIGHT. STEERING SEEMS TO 'STICK' I.E. DOES NOT MOVE SMOOTHLY. THE CULPRIT IS A "STEERING COUPLING" MADE OUT OF PLASTIC THAT COUPLES THE STEERING MOTOR TO THE STEERING COLUMN. KNOWING THIS IS A DEFECT, HYUNDAI QUIETLY EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON ITS REPLACEMENT TO 100,000 MILES. HOWEVER THEY DID NOT SEND OUT A NOTIFICATION LETTER TO VEHICLE OWNERS. MYSELF AND MANY OTHER HYUNDAI VEHICLE OWNERS ARE VERY CONCERNED THAT THIS WOULD LEAD TO LOOSING CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING, LEADING TO ACCIDENTS AND LOSS OF LIFE. THIS IS CLEARLY A DEFECTIVE DESIGN, AND INCORRECT CHOICE OF COUPLING MATERIAL, WHICH IS BOUND TO GET WORN OFF OFTEN, SINCE IT IS A PLASTIC PART SITTING BETWEEN TWO METALLIC PARTS MOVING AGAINST EACH OTHER. THIS SHOULD BE A DEFECT THAT SHOULD BE FIXED REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE OF THE VEHICLE. INSTEAD NHTSA HAS APPARENTLY ALLOWED THE COMPANY TO JUST EXTEND THE WARRANTY ON FIXING THIS; SO IT DOESN'T NEED TO BEAR THE EXPENSES AS VEHICLES GO BEYOND 100,000 MILES. IT TAKES $400-$500 TO FIX MAINLY DUE TO LABOR EXPENSES, TO REPLACE A $5 PART WHICH IS HARD TO REACH. NHTSA HAS TO DO A BETTER JOB AT PROTECTING THE CONSUMERS AGAINST ISSUES WHICH ARE A RESULT OF DEFECTIVE DESIGN WHICH CAN LEAD TO ACCIDENTS AND LOSS OF LIFE. HTTPS://AUTOSERVICE.HYUNDAIUSA.COM/TXX7/MICROSITETEMPLATE/MICROSITETEMPLATEVINVALIDATE/2687

PASSENGER SIDE EXTERIOR HANDLE FELL OFF WHEN PASSENGER ATTEMPTED TO OPEN DOOR TO MY CAR ON AUGUST 10, 2018. I OCCASIONALLY DRIVE MY 92 YEAR OLD COUSIN TO CHURCH OR DOCTOR VISITS AND SELDOM HAVE ANYONE ELSE IN THE CAR WITH ME. I NEED TO HELP BUCKLE IN AS WELL AS UNBUCKLE MY ELDER COUSIN. I SEE THIS BROKEN HANDLE AS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN AS I AM 80 YEARS OLD AND NOT ABLE TO CRAWL AROUND THE INSIDE OF THE CAR TO OPEN THE DOOR WHEN THE HANDLE BREAKS. ELEVEN MONTHS AGO THE BACK PASSENGER DOOR HANDLE BROKE OFF IN MY HAND , THE REPAIR BILL WAS $125.00 AT THE LOCAL DEALER. MY CAR HAS 37,000 MILES ON IT AND I CANNOT AFFORD TO REPLACE IT. SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES MAY HAPPEN IF THERE IS AN ACCIDENT AND OUTSIDE HELP CANNOT GET THE PASSENGER DOOR OPENED FROM THE OUTSIDE BECAUSE THE HANDLE BREAKS OFF IN THEIR HAND. SO NOW IT WILL COST ME AGAIN TO REPLACE THE HANDLE AS I WAIT TO SEE WHICH HANDLE WILL FALL OFF NEXT! I HAVE CHOSEN MULTIPLE CARS OVER THE YEARS FOR MY SEVEN CHILDREN AND MYSELF AND NEVER BEFORE HAD A CAR DOOR HANDLE FALL OFF. PLEASE GIVE SERIOUS CONSIDERATION TO THIS PROBLEM AND DEMAND A RECALL FROM HYUNDAI SO THEY ARE REQUIRED TO FIX THIS CHEAP COMPONENT.

ESC SENSOR MALFUNCTION CAUSED ONE OR MORE BRAKES TO BE APPLIED AND THE ENGINE TO SHUT DOWN IN HEAVY FREEWAY TRAFFIC. ESC LAMP REMAINED ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. I WAS REQUIRED TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL WITH A FOOT ON THE GAS TO KEEP THE CAR RUNNING. THIS PROBLEM IS THE SAME EXPLAINED IN A RECALL OF LATER MODELS, THE 2011-2012 MODELS, RECALL #137. MY YEAR IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE RECALL BUT HAS THE SAME ISSUES.