Consumer Complaint Detail

HYUNDAI / ACCENT / 2000

Recalls
0 Injured
Investigations
0 Death
Complaints
No Fire
Components - Details
NHTSA Complaint Number: 004306777 Incident Date: Aug, 19 2004
Consumer's City: PEORIA Consumer's State: IL
Vehicle Transmission Type: AUTO Manufacturers Name: Hyundai Motor America
Model Name: ACCENT Model Year: 2000
Vehicle Involved in a Crash: No Component's Description: Engine and engine cooling
Vehicle Involved in a Fire: No Persons Injured: 0
Vehicle's VIN#: KMHCG45G8YU Date added to File: May, 25 2021
Date Complaint Received: Oct, 27 2004 Complaint Type: IVOQ
Incident Reported To Police: No Purchase Date: Feb, 25 2003
Was Original Owner: No Anti-lock Brakes: Yes
Number of Cylinders: 4 Date of Manufacturer: -
Was Vehicle Towed: - Description of the Complaints: We were driving the vehicle along and all of a sudden, with no warning lights or anything, the vehicle died. when we opened the hood, antifreeze had sprayed everywhere. we had it towed to a local dealer as requested by the warranty company. it took weeks for the warranty rep to inspect the vehicle. there was also a crack in the top of the radiator. the shop first told us that we caused the crack by being involved in a collision - which never took place. the warranty company wanted a tear down of the engine (which we ended up having to pay for) and decided to deny our claim. they stated that we allowed the engine to overheat once the thermostat (a warranty covered item) failed. we had no way of knowing of the thermostat problem and no warning lights ever came on and the temperature gauge stayed within normal range until the vehicle died. we stated that there was no way for us to know about the thermostat and thought that perhaps the temperature gauge was malfunctioning. the warranty company stated that since the rep turned it on and it went to the top that it worked fine...wrong b/c it didn't work at the time of the incident. however, the warranty company paid for the radiator replacement (which was only caused by the thermostat going bad). why would they pay for the secondary damage without paying for the original cause of the problem - the thermostat and temp gauge. in the end, we had to replace the engine on our own - but with the warranty company's radiator. i am very disappointed that i bought a warranty for purposes like this and yet was not treated fairly nor given a proper explanation.*ak