NHTSA complaint: 2009 HYUNDAI SONATA — STRUCTURE:BODY
THE DRIVERS SIDE INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE IS MADE OF ARTIFICIAL "CHROME". A FEW DAYS AGO, I OPENED THE DOOR AND GOT A SEVERELY LACERATED FINGER WHICH BLED A LOT. I WROTE TO HYUNDAI ABOUT MY INJURY. THEY SYMPATHIZED, BUT SAID THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. AS MY VEHICLE ONLY HAS 31,186 MILES ON IT AND IS HOUSED IN MY GARAGE, I DID NOT EXPECT TO BE INJURED BY A DEFECTIVE DOOR HANDLE ON A PRISTINELY MAINTAINED VEHICLE. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE, AS I HAVE FOUND HUNDREDS OF POSTS ON THE INTERNET ABOUT INJURIES FROM THIS HANDLE. NHTSA HAS PREVIOUSLY ISSUED A RECALL FOR EARLIER MODEL HYUNDAI'S WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM. HERE IS ONE OF THE MANY QUOTES THAT I FOUND.... "HYUNDAI IS RECALLING 91,000 SONATAS BECAUSE THE CHROME PLATING ON THE UPPER EDGE OF THE INTERIOR HANDLE MAY WEAR, "CAUSING CRACKING OR SEPARATION BETWEEN THE CHROME PLATING ON THE INBOARD AND OUTBOARD SURFACES OF THE HANDLE." NHTSA SAYS THE SHARP EDGE CAN CAUSE "LACERATION INJURIES TO ANYONE USING THE DOOR HANDLE." PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT CAN BE DONE BEFORE MORE PEOPLE ARE INJURED BY THIS DEFECT. THANKS SO MUCH! [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation