NHTSA complaint: 2013 HYUNDAI SONATA HYBRID — SERVICE BRAKES
ON OCTOBER 28, 2017, I WAS INJURED IN AN AUTOMOBILE COLLISION, WHICH WAS CAUSED SOLELY BY A MALFUNCTION BY MY 2013 HYUNDAI SONATA. ON THAT DATE, I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE SAFELY AND CAREFULLY, LIKE I ALWAYS DO. I WAS PROCEEDING SLOWLY IN MY CAR, AND TRAVELING BETWEEN 10 MILES PER HOUR. I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND TRIED TO BRING MY VEHICLE TO A COMPLETE STOP. HOWEVER, WHEN I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE BRAKES WOULD NOT ENGAGE, AND THE CAR KEPT MOVING FORWARD AND THE SHIFTING GEARS GOT STUCK. DESPITE MY MULTIPLE EFFORTS TO APPLY SUFFICIENT FORCE TO THE BRAKES, THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP. I THEN TRIED TO DISENGAGE THE TRANSMISSION BY PLACING THE SHIFT SELECTOR TO 'NEUTRAL,' BUT I COULD NOT MOVE SHIFTER OR MOVE THE SHIFTER FROM 'DRIVE' TO 'NEUTRAL.' DESPITE PRESSING FIRMLY ON THE BUTTON AND SHIFTER, I WAS UNABLE TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL, AND IT PROCEEDED FORWARDED UNTIL IT STRUCK A STREET SIGN, WHEREUPON MY VEHICLE CAME TO REST. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME I HAD THESE PROBLEMS WITH MY CAR. I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE ON OR ABOUT OCTOBER 15, 2014 FROM MISSION HILLS HYUNDAI ('DEALER'), AND HAVE ALWAYS HAD IT SERVICED THERE. EARLIER THIS YEAR, ON OR ABOUT MAY 18, 2017, I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THE BRAKES AND TRANSMISSION INSPECTED AND SERVICED. AT THAT TIME, I EXPLAINED TO THE DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT I WAS HAVING DIFFICULTY WITH THE BRAKES AND SHIFTER WHEN PUTTING THE CAR INTO REVERSE.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation