First problem occurred in January 2014. Car less than 16 months old. Less that 20000 miles. Believed may have hit deep pothole and so I paid for repairs (under $1000 deductible).
Did hit a deep pothole in March 2014 swerving to avoid another car on my side of the road. Poor weather conditions at the time. Paid for that repair and received 12 month repair warranty. Only about 2000 more miles on car at that time due to very bad winter conditions in this area.
On June 10, 2015 noticed that the fender connectors had once again cracked off along with the bracket holding the bolt fastening the fender to the body. The fender opens out to the side leaving an open gap.This is a lousy design. The fender and front end are plastic. About 5-6 plastic "fingers" go into slotted brackets with a bolt and bracket at the end. All these connectors have once again cracked open or broken off. In each of the prior cases I was told that there was no "easy" repair, the the entire front end had to be removed, and the entire fender assembly and brackets replaced. The body language of the persons at the repair shop and the lack of any questions or surprise suggested that this was not a "new" problem to them.
Since receiving the car back from 2nd repair of this problem in April 2014 it has less than 14,000 miles. Some roads around here are bumpy (due to poor paving repairs), but nothing out of the ordinary. I am a very careful and cautious driver rarely going out at night. Never have had a major accident in 55 years and have not had a ticket in 15 years--and, that was a speed trap. Winter here was bad, but I do not drive in those conditions.
This is just a cheap engineering design using plastic to lighten the car due to the small engine. I've had 2 earlier Hyundais and many other cars and never had had such a problem--especially one that seems to recur every 12-14000 miles. It's hard not to believe that Hyundai and the dealer are not aware of this problem, but I suspect that since the repairs are lower than most people's deductible, most, like me, and just suck it up paying for the repairs themselves.
Should be a recall and a fix for the problem. Since it gets worse over time. I worry that the fender could come completely off at speed taking the tire with it or hit the cars behind me.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
First problem occurred in January 2014. Car less than 16 months old. Less that 20000 miles. Believed may have hit deep pothole and so I paid for repairs (under $1000 deductible).
Did hit a deep pothole in March 2014 swerving to avoid another car on my side of the road. Poor weather conditions at the time. Paid for that repair and received 12 month repair warranty. Only about 2000 more miles on car at that time due to very bad winter conditions in this area.
On June 10, 2015 noticed that the fender connectors had once again cracked off along with the bracket holding the bolt fastening the fender to the body. The fender opens out to the side leaving an open gap.This is a lousy design. The fender and front end are plastic. About 5-6 plastic "fingers" go into slotted brackets with a bolt and bracket at the end. All these connectors have once again cracked open or broken off. In each of the prior cases I was told that there was no "easy" repair, the the entire front end had to be removed, and the entire fender assembly and brackets replaced. The body language of the persons at the repair shop and the lack of any questions or surprise suggested that this was not a "new" problem to them.
Since receiving the car back from 2nd repair of this problem in April 2014 it has less than 14,000 miles. Some roads around here are bumpy (due to poor paving repairs), but nothing out of the ordinary. I am a very careful and cautious driver rarely going out at night. Never have had a major accident in 55 years and have not had a ticket in 15 years--and, that was a speed trap. Winter here was bad, but I do not drive in those conditions.
This is just a cheap engineering design using plastic to lighten the car due to the small engine. I've had 2 earlier Hyundais and many other cars and never had had such a problem--especially one that seems to recur every 12-14000 miles. It's hard not to believe that Hyundai and the dealer are not aware of this problem, but I suspect that since the repairs are lower than most people's deductible, most, like me, and just suck it up paying for the repairs themselves.
Should be a recall and a fix for the problem. Since it gets worse over time. I worry that the fender could come completely off at speed taking the tire with it or hit the cars behind me.
- Jack S., Newtown, PA, US