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Hyundai Santa Fe Maintenance and Repair (2006 and earlier)

1931 messages,  Last post on May 10, 2013 at 9:18 AM

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Messages Page 155 of 194

#1537 of 1931 Hyundai Customer Service is TERRIBLE!!! by vegito1971

Feb 26, 2007 (5:36 pm)

I recently purchased my third Hyundai in the past 5 years. My first was a 2002 Santa Fe GLS 2.7L AWD, the second a 2005 Elantra GLS, and the third (and final) a 2006 Santa Fe GLS 3.5L AWD. Having bought three I obviously have had somewhat of a positive experience.
 
However the 2006 has already been to the shop 4 times now for the same problem! It only has 4,200 miles on it and I have owned it now for going on 8 months. The problem is that the lumbar support intermittently collapses. I know it's not an engine bursting into flames but it's still an option that does not work.
 
Round 1 at the dealership ended up with them stuffing some extra padding in between the lumbar bar and the seat cushion. What a high-tech fix! Seriously, does anyone else see this as "Jerry-rigging"? Ironically the lead mechanic at the shop's name is Jerry too.
 
Round 2 they looked at it. They decided to order all new innards this time for the seat back.
 
Round 3 they replaced the seat innards to no avail.
 
Round 4 they used their super-sensitive X-ray to look it over again. They couldn't find anything that looked out of wack and couldn't duplicate the problem. So they pretty much shoved it back on me and said tough luck.
 
They wanted me to leave the vehicle with them so one of their guys could drive it for a few days to try to replicate the problem. He lives about 25-30 miles from the dealership so he would only be putting 200-300 miles on it just to substantiate my claim. What a joke! It's funny how the dealership penalizes me for my mileage when I go to trade but they don't seem to mind racking up the mileage at my expense. If someone goes to a Cardiologist complaining of sharp chest pains a couple hours earlier, they expect immediate action. They surely wouldn't expect the physician to put them on a treadmill to try to duplicate the problem if the pains subsided. Obviously they don't believe me that it is still not fixed.
 
The dealership contact the Hyundai District Manager and he pretty much backed their lame stance.
 
I contacted Hyundai Customer Service and asked to speak with a manager. To no surprise he backed it too. He said that "unless we can duplicate the problem, the vehicle is operating as designed". So does this mean that the vehicle is designed to fail?
 
Within my immediate family and counting myself, we have owned 7 Hyundai vehicles in 5 years. We came from Honda and NEVER had a problem in the 10 owned across 20 years. My 1990 Accord had 305k miles on it and still ran fine without ever having a problem before I finally let it go for the 2005 Elantra. Once my parent's 2002 Odyssey had a rare quirk with the A/C and Honda brought in a group of Engineers from the factory to address the issue. Instead my Hyundai dealership calls in the big guns, Don's Trims. WHAT A JOKE!!!!
 
The bottom line is that Hyundai may claim to have the best warranty in the business but they won't back it up. It's just words! They also claim to value customer loyalty but this is just a ploy too. The suffer from paranoia and practice the art of deception. They question me trying to duplicate the problem in a claim I make while their CEO was indicted for deception. Anybody heard of Enron?
 
 

#1538 of 1931 Re: Hyundai Customer Service is TERRIBLE!!! [vegito1971] by blackexv6

Feb 26, 2007 (6:16 pm)

Replying to: vegito1971 (Feb 26, 2007 5:36 pm)
Funny coincedence...I'm looking at other manufacturers (Hyundai) because of Honda's refusal to fix a major design defect.
 
Hyundai isn't the only company that won't acknowlede design defects...Honda & Toyota both take a hard stance today. Mass production/high volume/cheaper materials is resulting in cars that are ruining the hard earned reliability reputations.
 
The problem free, 300k+ mile Honda & Toyotas of the past don't exist anymore. The new Camry/Avalon has several transmission & 4 cyl hesitation defects. Honda had high V6 transmission failures (maybe fixed since '05), droning defects, brake shuddering issues, fit/finish squeaks/rattles, & wheel vibrations (Pilot).

#1539 of 1931 Re: Hyundai Customer Service is TERRIBLE!!! [vegito1971] by pelican19

Feb 26, 2007 (7:11 pm)

Replying to: vegito1971 (Feb 26, 2007 5:36 pm)
"They surely wouldn't expect the physician to put them on a treadmill to try to duplicate the problem if the pains subsided." Sure, its called a stress test.
 
Seriously tho, Stuffing padding and wanting to keep your car for a few days is simply foolish. Your dealer clearly has no clue. There are several TSB's in print that cover this failure. The fix is simply using a plastic wire tie in some cases. This is clearly a design flaw and you should not be made to suffer. I have owned 01,03 and an 07 Limited Santa Fe's and 1 07 Entourage SE. NO MAJOR failures. Only little annoying ones like yours. The difference between us, my dealer goes out of there way to get it fixed and they are very well trained. Wait for it to fail again and find another shop.

#1540 of 1931 Re: Hyundai Customer Service is TERRIBLE!!! [pelican19] by vegito1971

Feb 27, 2007 (12:56 pm)

Replying to: pelican19 (Feb 26, 2007 7:11 pm)
Like you I too have suffered no major failures to date on any of the 3 Hyundai's I have owned. A failing lumbar support may not be a major concern. But if I am having this much trouble over a "petty" thing then what can I expect if I do have a major mechanical failure? It's more of a matter of principle at this point. "America's Best Warranty" on paper carries no merit if they refuse to honor it in practice. Obviously I am very frustrated with this lack of service from Hyundai.
 
First and foremost the dealership for being flat out incompetent. The "prove it and we'll believe you" attitude ranks right up there too.
 
Second the Hyundai District Representative for failing to intercede and take action. But I am also curious as to what information he was fed from the dealership too. They absolutely refuse to let me contact him directly. Surely the dealership wouldn't stretch the truth and twist things around so they come out looking squeaky clean? Hmmmmm.
 
Lastly Hyundai Customer Service for being flat out lame. The Customer Representative was friendly and courteous but it was quite obvious that she had no authority in the matter. She was little more than a bobble head collecting information and trying to diffuse the situation. When I did finally get through to a Manager, he sounded like a fresh college graduate and offered NO thoughts at all. Manager hah! I was trying to address an ongoing issue with my SUV, not order a pizza for delivery!
 
You referenced that "There are several TSB's in print that cover this failure". Where might I find this information? I hate to be a bother but I really need some help with this problem bad. At least then I could go back to Hyundai with something and MAYBE they will actually do something to resolve it.

#1541 of 1931 Re: Hyundai Customer Service is TERRIBLE!!! [vegito1971] by pelican19

Feb 27, 2007 (1:44 pm)

Replying to: vegito1971 (Feb 27, 2007 12:56 pm)
Hyundai WEBTECH
 
I had this problem with my Entourage SE. It has the same manual Lumbar support handle as you do on your 06 Santa Fe.
 
I would be driving along and boom, the lumber would stop supporting my back as if I lowered the handle. They followed the instructions within TSB 07-60-001. I know this TSB is for my Entourage but they have the same inards with respect to manual lumbar support. Here is the link to the Hyundai Webtech site. Just create an account and go to Service Information. Search for this TSB number. Let me know how you make out.
 
http://www.hmaservice.com

#1542 of 1931 Re: Hyundai Customer Service is TERRIBLE!!! [pelican19] by vegito1971

Mar 01, 2007 (1:26 pm)

Replying to: pelican19 (Feb 27, 2007 1:44 pm)
Hyundai's position is still the same. They cite that this TSB is specific only to the Entourage. Thus my position is still the same, "DON'T BUY A HYUNDAI". THEY DO NOT HONOR THEIR WARRANTY AND THE "CUSTOMER LOYALTY" CLAIM IS JUST A SALES PITCH.

#1543 of 1931 Re: Hyundai Customer Service is TERRIBLE!!! [vegito1971] by pelican19

Mar 01, 2007 (3:11 pm)

Replying to: vegito1971 (Mar 01, 2007 1:26 pm)
Your Hyundai Dealers position is still the same and that's very sad. I mentioned your issue to my service tech at our Hyundai dealer and he can not understand how your dealership stays in business. He said the linkage and various parts are different but the function is still the same. The guide bar that actually moves the lumbar padding in and out slips. Truly a design flaw. The wire tie keeps it aligned so it can function. He did admit however that they can not justify the work order until they can duplicate the failure otherwise they are not compensated for the work done. Its nothing more than BS Red tape and a good dealership who cares about the customer will get around it.

#1544 of 1931 Re: Hyundai Customer Service is TERRIBLE!!! [pelican19] by vegito1971

Mar 02, 2007 (4:46 am)

Replying to: pelican19 (Mar 01, 2007 3:11 pm)
I totally agree with you. I looked at the TSB and it doesn't look all that complicated. After all, it's just a simple little tie wrap inserted in just the right place. Perhaps I will give a try myself and see if it helps. I am still VERY disappointed in the service/support that I have received from Hyundai though. Most of the blame falls on the dealership but Hyundai Customer Service and the District Representative failed to step up too. But I still suspect that the dealership had something to do with "shaping" their attitudes when they spoke. One certainty is that I will NEVER step foot in that dealership again for any vehicle make or model!

#1545 of 1931 Re: Hyundai Customer Service is TERRIBLE!!! [vegito1971] by pelican19

Mar 02, 2007 (7:00 am)

Replying to: vegito1971 (Mar 02, 2007 4:46 am)
I dont blame you. My 07 Santa Fe Limited and 07 Entourage SE are my 4th and 5th Hyundais owned. I have had only little problems that were taken care of quickly. However, after reading all these issues on these vehicles including yours I am begining to worry. My wife wants to trade in the Entourage for a Veracruz when its available. We may reconsider now.
 
Good Luck with the truck. Please keep in touch and let me know how you make out...

#1546 of 1931 Re: Hyundai Customer Service is TERRIBLE!!! [pelican19] by vegito1971

Mar 03, 2007 (8:14 pm)

Replying to: pelican19 (Mar 02, 2007 7:00 am)
I don't mean to keep harping but this latest fiasco is just too funny to pass up. I came home Friday night and had a message on the answering machine. It was from someone named Karen with the dealership. She said that their stock on quality used cars was extremely low and they were looking for some high-quality trades or acquisitions. Of course she claimed that they would offer top dollar like they always do before the games begin. Totally unrelated? Maybe. But I do find it ironic and funny under the circumstances. IF I were to stay loyal to Hyundai, I CERTAINLY WILL NOT have anything else to do with this dealership. Right now I tend to think that I will go back to Toyota or Honda in the future. They may not be perfect but they are still rated highest amongst all of the auto makers, and for a reason I take it.

Messages Page 155 of 194

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