Complain about a product or service

Planet Hyundai

Las Vegas, NV

Janine of Auburn , WA July 22, 2010

I left to go on vacation with my 82 year old father on July 5, 2010. We were going to Oklahoma to see family and friends but my dad also wanted to stop in Reno and Vegas so we went on rather a long roundabout. We left from Auburn Washington.

My 2003 Hyundai Elantra almost made it to Reno Nevada. About 30 miles from Reno it lost power, sputtered, and refused to move again for awhile but it didn't die. I managed to get the car to Reno after turning it off and resting it for about 25 minutes. I took it to Auto Motion in Reno the next day. They gave it a complete diagnostic and said the only problem code that came up appeared to be one of the O2 sensors. It was about 100 for this diagnostic. They said it might need to be replaced for awhile since this was the first time it had acted up. The service man said it should last until the end of the trip. He gave me the diagnostic paperwork and said if the car had anymore trouble that I should give it to the next mechanic that worked on it. So we took off that same day and made it to about 25 miles from Tonopah Nevada.

My Elantra had troubles there again with the same symptoms but this time it died outright twice. The one mechanic in town said the problem wasn't the O2 sensor since the sensor can't make a car die. He said the problem was the fuel pump. He tried to overcharge me by about 300 to replace the fuel pump so I didn't have it done. He got 40 for just putting it up on the car rack and looking at it for 5 minutes. We had no choice but to spend the night in Tonopah at the Clown Motel. I was told by a resident of Tonopah that this mechanic was constantly overcharging travelers and ripping them off. He said that we should try to make it out of town or this mechanic would take us for everything we had. I believe the mechanics name was Mickey. By this time I had learned that if I gave my car about a half hour rest and let it cool down then I could drive it awhile until it broke down again. We left Tonopah very early the next day and drove to Vegas. I then took it to Planet Hyundai in Vegas.

When we got there I tried to give the diagnostic report from Reno to Doug the service man at this Hyundai shop but he refused to look at it or listen to what they told me. They performed another diagnostic and said that the O2 sensor needed to be replaced. I asked them to check other things as well but they were stuck on the O2 sensor. This cost 274.11. What was really a mistake on my part was telling them I was looking to buy another car soon. A sales person found this out and went out to appraise my car. He came back in with the story that my transmission was dead and that he would give me a 1000 trade in for my car. This astonished me since I had had not trouble with my transmission. The diagnostic performed in Reno had showed that the transmission in my car was fine. It also scared the heck out of me when the salesman said this to me. I sat there in terror for two hours only to have the service man come out and say that my transmission was fine and only the O2 sensor was bad. Well they replaced the sensor and the next day when we continued driving to Oklahoma the car broke down again close Flagstaff Arizona with the same symptoms. I called Doug back at Planet Hyundai and told him that the car had broken down again. He said he would try to find another Hyundai dealer near where I was and he would give me a call back. He called back a few minutes later and told me that he had personally called and talked to the service manager of the Diamond Hyundai of Flagstaff Arizona. He said that the service manager was informed of my problem and that he would be waiting for me when I could get my car to Flagstaff. About an hour later I made it to Flagstaff from 15 miles away.

I stopped on the freeway in Flagstaff to call Diamond Hyundai to ask then were they are located. Imagine my surprise when I found I was given a disconnected number. I tried to call back Doug but was only given his voice mail. I then went to a store in Flagstaff and asked them about Diamond Hyundai and was told there was no such place. I then went to a Goodyear tire store and was told that there had been a Diamond Dodge but it had closed down about a year ago. I spent about 30 minutes circling Flagstaff hoping someone could tell me were the Hyundai dealer was located. Confused I called Planet Hyundai again and talked to assistant manager Craig. He gave me another number for Diamond Hyundai which also turned out to be disconnected. Finally Craig admitted that they had made a mistake and Diamond Hyundai had closed over a year ago. I asked him how Doug had managed to talk to the service manager of a place that hadn't existed for a year. Craig said didn't know. He told me that I could go to Cottonwood Arizona Hyundai as that was the next closest place. From then on Planet Hyundai personnel would not answer my phone calls and either put me on hold or gave me their voicemail. Never once did any of them call me back to help me again. I rested my car again and drove to Cottonwood. This was about 125 miles out of my way.

The service manager Pete there was very nice and gave me a good deal on everything he did. I asked him to check the fuel pump and he did. He told me it needed to be replaced. He charged me 185 for the fuel pump. He had also did another diagnostic and said that there was nothing else wrong with my car. This is also the first time I called Hyundai Customer Assistance. We had to spend the night in Cottonwood at the motel 6 since he had to order the fuel pump from Phoenix. He replaced the part the next day and we left. Well we got to Gallup New Mexico and the car died again with the same symptoms except now it died as I was going 72 MPH on the freeway. We were almost killed since I was in the fast lane on interstate 40 and I had a big truck on my right. It took some maneuvering to get my car over to the shoulder. I rested the car again and got it to a mall in Gallup. I called Pete and told him that the fuel pump replacement hadn't worked. He told me he would help me by calling up a Hyundai engineer friend of his and asking him what the problem with my car could be. Well after he hadn't called me back for an hour and a half I figured I was abandoned again so I called consumer assistance of Hyundai for a second time. The person I talked to (Mathew) told me that since my car is off warranty that I might not get any help from them. I told him that the problem wasn't the warranty but the incompetant mechanics I had working on my car.

Mathew promised that he would call the Albuquerque New Mexico Hyundai dealership and have an advisor waiting there the next day and they would tell me what they could do for me. My father and I had to stay in the Super 8 motel in Gallup that night. Well Mathew lied and he didn't call the Albuquerque dealer. I called Albuquerque Hyundai the next day and they didn't show any Mathew calling them. They told me I could bring my car in but I would have to leave it for a couple of days as it would take that long to figure out the problem. I said no as I could feel another rip off coming on. I drove my car home instead of going on with our vacation that had been cut short from 14 days to 6 days. I had wasted so much money fixing a car that still wasn't fixed and staying in motels that I hadn't budgeted in with our expenses. I had to stop my car every hour and a half for about an half hour so I wouldn't overheat and die again as each time the car died it was worse and more violent. My Dad and I were lucky to make it home at all. We had to sleep in a rest area in Idaho since we had run out of money. We were both nervous wrecks since we were not sure we were going to make it home or be killed on the highway by my suddenly dying car. This scared us terribly when we went through the larger cities like Salt Lake City since they didn't have much shoulder area to pull over on.

It is now the 21 of July. My car was running worse than before I had the O2 sensor replaced. I basically shelled out a bunch of money to have a car that runs worse than it did before and for us to be driven crazy by a group of incompetent mechanics. I have talked to several people (four) at Hyundai Customer Assistance. The last one I talked to (Jamie) said she would call both Hyundai service managers at Vegas and Cottonwood and then get back to me. Well that was two days ago. Guess that won't happen. I am at my wits end trying to get reimbursement of some kind for the car parts that were replaced and didn't need to be. My father and I saved up for months for this trip and we were ripped off the whole way. I feel so crappy about watching my dad suffer so badly. He is in fragile health (as well as legally blind and half deaf) and all he had to look forward to was going to visit family in Oklahoma. All Hyundai does is say they are sorry and that's it. They aren't sorry in the least. Two of their customer service people just outright lied to us and their mechanics are just stupid. I will never ever buy a Hyundai again.

Debra of Las Vegas, NV July 8, 2010

I purchased a 2006 Hyundai Azera. New, right off the Lot. Within 3 months of ownership I had to take the car in for electrical repairs. First the Head Light, then the trunk latch, then the door latch. This continued every 3 months for the next 4 years.The seat broke, the back windows didn't roll down, on and on the repairs went. I would take it into the Dealer ship and would be met by the service rep. who would assist me with the trouble. I would get a ride back to work, but then had to figure out how to get back to the dealership after work. Sometimes i would be late for work waiting for the van to take me to work. And other times the car would not be finished and I would have to wait at the dealership causing problems as I needed to pick up my daughter from swim classes.

Each time i brought the car in We would discuss why this car was having so many electical problems and the service rep. would tell me sometimes these cars have glitches. Well my car has more then glitches. One evening while leaving a friends home, I put my grand kids in the back seat, buckled them up, it was raining and dark. I took the freeway, as I always do. I was traveling at the speed of about 60mph and, half way home the lights turned off, the windshield wipers stopped and the dash board lights went out! Are you Kidding me!! In the Rain. On the Freeway no lights and not wipers??? Then shortly afterwards, there was a small flicker or click i heard from the dashboard and everything turned on again. I could have been in a very serious accident. What if this had happened on a service street going thru a signal light and the cars could not have seen me coming. What then?

I was traveling thru town one day and it was 105 degrees outside. I live in Las Vegas, Nv where it gets really hot. The flicker in my dash began and poof just like that the air conditioner went out. There I sat in traffic with my daughter with no air conditioning. I have taken this car back to the dealership over and over again, I have a file 2 inches deep with repair bills that all lead to electrical issues. I have contacted the dealership that wont help me, I have tried all type of means to get this car fixed or repaired or replaced. Now my warranty is about to expire and just today I finelly reached someone in the Corporate office in California after hours upon hours of constant phone calls to get somekind of help.

As of this date 07-08-2010, Corporate office sent me a letter telling me that they will issue me a check for 700.00 for the inconvience this car has caused me. Are you kidding me?? That wont even take care of my deductable when this car gets in an accident. And it will, one day it will happen. Are they looking for a Law Suit after a person is killed because of a faultly electrical system? I asked them this. They told me to send all my records and the history of this car to them. I did. They told me to wait 5 more days ( it has been 3 weeks ) and they would give me an answer. This car is a death trap. I am afraid to drive it, especially at night. I pray everyday that somehow this problem will be taken care of.

Why dont I sell this car or get rid of it, you may ask? Well, I am a sigle mom, low income, and with the umemployemnt in Las Vegas, NV, i dont have a choice to work anywhere else, nor the means to make a new car payment. I want the world to know, this car is a LEMON and not a pretty one at best.

Sherman of Chehalis, WA June 4, 2010

When we returned to Chehalis Washington we found out we had to pay for sales taxes. Over 1,300.00 May 24th So I called Tobby the salesman and he gave me Erine. Erine said he would check into refinance on the loan and send me a check for the taxes. Erine was to call back but did not. May 26th I called again and Erine ask how much the taxes were and I told him. He said Carlos or I would call you back. They never called back.

June 1st I called again, Erine said Carlos has not called you back yet? I will make sure he calls you. No one called. June 2nd Erine was not in, so I talked to Tobby told him I was getting tired of the run around. He said he will check into it and someone will call me back. No one called me back.

June 4th Called Erine he gave me to Carlos. I ask Carlos what he has found out. He said he did not know what I was talking about and to give him the story again. I told him the story again and he said sorry he don't add taxes or refinance after the deal is done. I ask him if there was some else I could talk to he said no. I ask him if I could talk to the owner or the person above him. Carlos told me he was the highest and there is no one higher.

June 4th I called back and found out Carlos lied me that Jason T and Don T were in charge. I now have a call into Jason. *I would like to know why no one called me back. I did all the calls. *I would like to know why Carlos lied to me about no ahead of him. *I would like to know why Carlos lied to me and said this is first time he heard about this. Both Tobby and Erine told me they have told him the story.

Also on the night that we signed the papers I was insulted by Stacy. Angela and I were talking. Stacy butted in said hey your dad flew all the away down here to co sign for these papers. Angela laughed and Stacy said you know they have names for girls like you. Also some of the paper work was wrong so she had to do it again. She called Erine and ask who make the mistake then she get off the phone and said the mistake was ours. Also she called everyone that walked by to tell them she had to do the paper work again. I told Tobby about this they next day. Please can someone check into this.

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