2020 Hyundai Kona Electric

I am concerned about the safety of my car and have little faith that there are qualified mechanics who understand EVs and can properly service an EV car. Two times on April 9, 2024 (and on at least 4 other occasions in 2023) while drive at approximately 45 miles an hour on a RI State highway at a safe distance from any care in front of me, my vehicle went into the fail-safe mode while I was driving causing a sudden significant loss of power to the car and it appeared to be that it was going to stall. There was no warning sound indicating that I was going to crash into the forward vehicle (again, I was at a safe distance). In order to continue driving, I had to pull onto the road shoulder, shut off the car, which seemed to reset it. On this particular day/occasion, this situation occurred twice in the span of about 10 minutes. Had there been anyone driving right behind me, they would have hit my car. In addition, I brought my car to the dealer to address but the dealership did not know how to fix/address my problem. They did find "multiple codes" in the car history, deleted the codes, and test drove the car. They said if it happened again, to let them know. They also told me if it occurred again, then I should bring it in when the 1 and only technician, who knows anything about the EV cars, was working. I took a photo of the dashboard immediately after one of the episodes while the car was still running before I shut if off. I will attach it.

This has happened about 15 times since I bought my Hyundai Kona EV Ultimate new in February 2021: When a car in front of me slows very quickly, occasionally my car tries to help me too much. I have been in complete control of the situations, but my car beeps it's warning, adds it's efforts and the brakes lock up with tires squealing, and we stop with plenty of space in between myself and the car in front of me. This usually happens in freeway traffic. It is terrifying and I always immediately look in my rearview mirror to see if I'm going to get rear-ended. I haven't been hit yet, though I have been flipped off a few times. One of these days, people will be hurt, along with the damages to the cars. The first time it happened was only about 2 weeks after the purchase. I had my 5-year old twin granddaughters in their car seats. Just as described above, the brakes locked up and it really scared them (me too!). I took it back to the salesman I bought it from at Stevens Creek Hyundai and he said it was just a setting with the response time, so he changed it. But it kept happening intermittently. I brought into the Future Hyundai of Concord dealer and they test drove it, could not replicate it, and after checking with their computers, said that the "system is working as designed". Frustrated that I wasn't being heard, I contacted Hyundai Consumer Affairs. They supported me and I got a case number and another appointment at a different dealer, Dublin Hyundai. This time, I went on the test drive and the technician was able to replicate the situation. At first he said it was a setting, but I said that I didn't care what the setting was, this should never happen. It is very dangerous. He agreed and said he would need to contact "Techline" the next day. But when I tried to find out any information about this conversation, I got only silence. Then I got a message that I could come pick up my car and that "the system is working as designed". Help!

When starting the vehicle, the forward collision avoidance system is automatically on, this is the default. I must take the active step of turning it off every time I begin to drive, if I do not wish to use it. The issue is that the avoidance system has several times almost CAUSED me to have an accident and thrown me forward, through sudden and hard breaking if the car thinks I am too close to the vehicle in front of me. This is why I continually turn it off. I would like to point out that I have NEVER rear ended anyone in over 40 years of driving, so rather than truly avoiding any collision, the car causes me to come very close to having an accident, as the sudden and hard braking has caused me to swerve while preparing to pass another vehicle.

MY VEHICLE UNNECESSARILY ACTIVATED AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, LOCKING THE WHEELS AND CAUSING THE TRUCK BEHIND ME TO SWERVE ONTO THE SHOULDER TO AVOID CRASHING INTO MY VEHICLE. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS OCCURRED WITH THIS CAR. I WAS DRIVING IN THE SLOW LANE OF A LIMITED ACCESS FREEWAY. THE LANE WAS CONGESTED AND I ESTIMATE THE SPEED AT ABOUT 40 MPH. THE CARS AHEAD SLOWED AND BEGAN TO STOP. I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR AND MOVED TO THE BRAKE. AT THIS TIME I WAS THREE OR FOUR CAR LENGTHS BEHIND THE CAR AHEAD, AND COULD HAVE STOPPED EASILY WITH FIRM BUT NORMAL BRAKING. AS SOON AS MY FOOT TOUCHED THE BRAKE PEDAL, MY VEHICLE LOCKED ITS BRAKES AND SCREECHED TO AN ABRUPT STOP. OBJECTS ON THE PASSENGER SEAT WERE THROWN TO THE FLOOR. A TRUCK BEHIND ME HAD TO SWERVE TO THE RIGHT OF MY VEHICLE TO AVOID CRASHING INTO IT. THE DRIVER FOLLOWED ME HONKING FOR HALF A MILE UNTIL MY EXIT. THIS HAPPENED ONCE BEFORE, IN FEBRUARY 2020. FOLLOWING THAT INCIDENT, I TOOK THE CAR TO HYUNDAI DEALER SERVICE, WHO ADVISED THAT "THE CAR IS OPERATING CORRECTLY." SEE ATTACHED SERVICE REPORT. NOTE THAT NO VEHICLES CHANGED LANES IN FRONT OF MINE DURING EITHER INCIDENT, BUT NOTWITHSTANDING, THE DEALER SERVICE SUGGESTED THAT AS A CAUSE.