2014 Hyundai Accent

TL* THE CONTACT CALLED ON BEHALF OF THE OWNER OF A 2014 HYUNDAI ACCENT. WHILE DRIVING 68-70 MPH, THE VEHICLE WAS STRUCK ON THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE WHEEL WELL BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE OWNER'S VEHICLE SPUN AROUND, CRASHED INTO A CONCRETE BARRIER, FLIPPED OVER THREE TIMES, AND LANDED ON ALL FOUR TIRES; HOWEVER, THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED A CONCUSSION AND A COMPRESSED SPINE, WHICH REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE OTHER DRIVER FLED THE SCENE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A COLLISION CENTER AND DEEMED DESTROYED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED, BUT THE CONTACT WAS PLACED ON HOLD AND THEN THE LINE DISCONNECTED. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,000.

THIS CAR AND ITS SEAT HAVE GRADUALLY ERODED BY LOWER BACK AND SPINE. THE SEAT IS SHAPED IN AN SUCH A WAY THAT IT FORCES THE SPINE INTO AN UNNATURAL POSITION. WHEN FACTORING IN THE FACT THAT EVEN MINOR BUMPS IN THIS CAR CAUSE ITS WEAK SUSPENSION TO SEND VIBRATIONS THROUGHOUT THE SEAT, MY BACK HAS SUFFERED LONG LASTING DAMAGE. NO AMOUNT OF BUILT IN LUMBAR SUPPORT OR ADDED CUSHIONS HAS RESOLVED THIS ISSUE. IN ADDITION THE ONLY WAY TO GET ADEQUATE LEG ROOM IS TO HAVE THE SEAT BACK BUT THE POSITION OF THE STEERING WHEEL PULLS THE SHOULDERS FORWARD. THIS HAS RESULTED IN A GREAT AMOUNT OF PAIN AND PUTS THE SPINE IN A FURTHER VULNERABLE POSITION TO BE SUBJECTED TO VIBRATIONS FROM THE ROAD AND FORCES AN UNNATURAL SITTING POSITION. IN THE ATTACHED IMAGES, PLEASE NOTE THE POSITION AT WHICH THE STEERING WHEEL IS IN RELATION TO THE SEAT. IT DOES NOT ALLOW FOR A NATURAL BEND OF THE ELBOW. IN STEAD IT FORCES THE DRIVER TO KEEP THEIR ELBOW POINTED UP. THIS SEAT IS A CLEAR SAFETY VIOLATION, NOT JUST FOR MY BACK AND PHYSICAL WELL BEING BUT FOR THE SAFETY OF MYSELF AND OTHER DRIVERS. THIS CAR DOES NOT ALLOW FOR ME TO PROPERLY SEE THE ROAD AND HANDLE THE CAR AS I AM DRIVING. THE PHYSICAL PAIN AND DISCOMFORT IT CAUSES MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO CONCENTRATE ON THE ROAD. I OFTEN FEAR THAT IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THIS RESULTS IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT.

ON 12OCT2018 WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY, I NOTICED A CHEMICAL SMELL COMING FROM MY CAR. WITHIN SECONDS, ALL OF THE DASH LIGHTS CAME ON. WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO BRAKE TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, I REALIZED THAT I HAD NO BRAKES AND THAT FLAMES WERE COMING FROM THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. UPON IMMEDIATELY EXITING THE VEHICLE, I NOTICED FLAMES UNDER THE VEHICLE AND COMING OUT OF THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE. MY CAR BECAME TOTALLY ENGULFED AND IS A TOTAL LOSS. FIREFIGHTERS WERE UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE.

THE ENGINE 1ST STOPPED 2 WEEKS AGO AT A RED LIGHT. I SAY "STOPPED" BECAUSE THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT IT DID "STOP," NO WARNING LIGHT OR SIGNAL. IT SIMPLY STOPPED. HAD TO GET PUSHED OFF THE ROAD. STARTED AFTER 15-20 MIN. TOOK IT TO MECHANIC, FOUND NOTHING WRONG. SENSORS, GAS, ELECTRIC. "I CANT DO NOTHING, NO SYMPTOMS." 2ND TIME IT STOPPED WHILE DRIVING. STILL ROLLING, I GUIDED THE VEHICLE OF THE ROAD. STARTED AFTER 10-15MIN. 3RD TIME AT A CONVENIENCE STORE CALLED THE FIRST MECHANIC HE SAID TO CALL HIM WHEN IT STOPPED AGAIN. HE COULD USE A PORTABLE GAGE WHILE IT WAS IN THE "STOPPED" STATE. BUT IT STARTED AGAIN BEFORE THE MECHANIC GOT THERE SO HE COULDN'T USE THE GAGE. I CALLED TO THE COMPANY WHERE I BOUGHT THE CAR. HE SENT ME TO THEIR LOCAL MECHANIC WHO DID THE SAME CHECK AS THE FIRST; SAW NO PROBLEM. LASTLY, IT STOPPED MULTI PAL TIMES IN 1 DAY. EVEN WHILE TURNING ONTO A TWO- LANE SIDE- STREET, IN HIGH TRAFFIC! OTHER CARS HAD TO STOP RIGHT BEHIND ME IN A TURNING POSITION AND GO AROUND. AGAIN HAD TO GET PUSHED OUT OF THE ROAD. I DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE. THE COMPANY.. I BOUGHT IT WENT BEYOND THEIR POLICY AND HAD THEIR MECHANICS TO CHECK IT, STILL NOTHING. THIS IS THE 3RD WEEK. I DON'T TRUST THIS VEHICLE TO DRIVE IT SO, THE COMPANY IS SENDING IT TO A HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP TODAY. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO OR EXPECT FROM THIS WHOLE ISSUE. I AM NOT SAFE IN THIS VEHICLE AND TO PAY ANYTHING OUT OF POCKET IS UNTHINKABLE. AS IT IS ONLY 4 YRS OLD. I GOT IT WHEN IT WAS 2 YRS OLD. THE WAY THE VEHICLE STOPS IS UNUSUAL. I DON'T KNOW CARS WELL BUT I HAVE NOT HEARD OF ONE TO "STOP" WITHOUT, "WARNING BEFORE HAND". IT STOPS AT INOPPORTUNE TIMES. THERE IS NO WAY OF TELLING WHEN OR WHERE IT WILL STOP. IT STOPS WHENEVER AND WHEREVER WITHOUT WARNING. CITY STREETS, HIGHWAYS. NOT SURE FREEWAYS; BUT IM NOT TAKING ANY CHANCES.PLEASE INVESTIGATE! THIS IS MY FIRST TIME BUYING A CAR. YUCK!

TAKATA RECALL WHILE DRIVING THE CAR I WOULD NOTICE THAT THE STREERING WHEEL WOULD SWAY TO THE RIGHT OR LEFT INSTEAD OF BEING FIRMLY IT SEEMED AS IF IT WAS NOT STABLE ENOUGH. I WENT TO THE DEALER ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS BUT, THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. IN NOVEMBER 2016 THERE WAS A CRASH FROM A DUI INDIVIDUAL AND THE CAR WAS TOTALED. FOR THE LEVEL OF IMPACT; ALL THE AIRBAGS ON THE LEFT SIDE SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED. BUT, THEY DIDN'T. I DID FILE A COMPLAIN WITH THE CAR MANUFACTURER BUT, THEY SAID SINCE THE INITIAL IMPACT WAS NOT VELOCITY TO DEPLOY THE AIRBAGS, THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.

WHILE DRIVING MY CAR ONE MORNING I HIT A PATCH OF ICE GOING 35MPH IN A 40MPH ZONE. UPON HITTING THE ICE MY CAR SWERVED AND I OVERCORRECTED, CAUSING THE CAR TO JERK OFF OF THE ROAD AND FLIP ONTO ITS TOP, ALL WHILE TAKING OUT A TELEPHONE POLE IN THE PROCESS. THANKFULLY NO ONE WAS INJURED AND THERE WAS NO PROPERTY DAMAGE OTHER THAN THE CAR AND TELEPHONE POLE. HOWEVER, NOT A SINGLE AIRBAG IN THE 2014 HYUNDAI ACCENT DEPLOYED DURING THE ACCIDENT. EVERY SINGLE ONE WAS INTACT WHEN THE CAR CEASED MOTION. AGAIN, I TOOK OUT A TELEPHONE POLE, SO I EXPECT THAT MY AIRBAGS WOULD HAVE BEEN THERE TO BUFFER HAD I BEEN JERKED FORWARD OR SIDEWAYS. TO MY UNDERSTANDING AIRBAGS DEPLOY GENERALLY BETWEEN 16 AND 30 MPH SO I FIND IT ODD THAT THEY DID NOT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 HYUNDAI ACCENT EQUIPPED WITH GT RADIAL TIRES, TIRE LINE CHAMPIRO UHP 1 (N/A), AND TIRE SIZE 195/50/R16 (N/A). THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN. THE CONTACT THEN HEARD A LOUD NOISE AND THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND SWERVED AS THE REAR PASSENGER TIRE EXPERIENCED A BLOWOUT. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CONTACT SUFFERED BACK AND NECK PAIN AND MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS REQUIRED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE TIRE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE PLACE OF PURCHASE WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TIRE DID NOT HAVE WIRE AND WAS PURE RUBBER, WHICH CAUSED THE TIRE TO FAIL AND SUFFER A BLOWOUT. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE TIRE WAS A REPLACEMENT TIRE. THE TIRES WERE REPLACED. THE APPROXIMATE VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000 AND THE APPROXIMATE TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25. THE DOT NUMBER WAS NOT AVAILABLE. NP