Hyundai owner in Ontario seeks accountability after her kids' car lost power on Highway 401

Jenelle Hughes says she worries every time her two older children take their car to get to Fanshawe College in London, Ont., from their home in Dutton.

On March 12, the widowed mother of three was “heartbroken” to hear the 2019 Hyundai Tucson suddenly lost power on Highway 401. Fortunately, the 20-year-old and 19-year-old weren't hurt, and were able to slowly get the car started again and get it back home, said Hughes.

She said she was later alerted by mechanics — who said it would cost thousands to fix the car — that she should contact Hyundai due to a transmission problem that came up in a special bulletin issued in the U.S.

But Hughes said the company hasn't offered to fix it and she can't afford to. She now shares another car with her kids, who drop her off at work before heading to London.

“It just makes me think that they don’t care about individual situations and they are all about their bottom line,” she said about the company. 

“I’ll never buy a Hyundai vehicle again after this.” 

Hughes said that when she bought the used car this past summer, it had only 40,000 kilometres on it and passed inspection "with flying colours."

But then came the Highway 401 incident.

She said two mechanics examined the car. They told her the transmission fault code that came up during a scan corresponded to a known error in more than 20 Hyundai models spanning 2006 to now, according to a technical service bulletin (TSB) issued by Hyundai Motor America in the United States. 

Hughes said the mechanics directed her to the company, so she took the car to Finch Hyundai in south London. However, she was disheartened when staff told her no such bulletin exists and she would be on the hook for the transmission replacement, a $10,000 job.

She also said mechanics have advised her not to drive the car for safety reasons unless the transmission is fixed.

A TSB is a communication from an automotive manufacturer that acts as a how-to guide for dealerships. Their contents could range from simple updates and improvements to repair guides for more serious, recurring issues like a faulty transmission, according to George Iny, president of the Automobile Protection Association.

Even then, it is not a safety recall. But the TSB that was provided to Hughes states that if the specified fault is found in the vehicle, the part is to be replaced under normal warranty. The dealer can also submit a request for “goodwill consideration” if the vehicle is out of warranty and the faulty part is “subject to callback” by the manufacturer. 

CBC News asked Hyundai Auto Canada about Hughes’s situation.