Hyundai owner told to ‘get used to’ faulty car

CASE STUDY Aparna doesn’t feel concerns over approved used Tucson are taken seriously

MANY second-hand buyers often fork out extra for an approved model that’s been carefully inspected by the manufacturer before sale, but even these cars may not be entirely fault free.

Aparna Samuels, from Upminster, East London, bought a 10-month-old Tucson from East London Hyundai in February, and got in touch with Auto Express after a problem she flagged with the dealer almost immediately was dismissed as a “characteristic” of the car.

Aparna told us: “When driving on the motorway for the first time, I found the car didn’t always accelerate properly between 50mph and 70mph.”

She added: “It was very unnerving, as a car behind suddenly catches you up as you’re going nowhere in a hurry.” Aparna said the Tucson’s electronic handbrake didn’t always release properly, either.

The car was booked in to be inspected, but East London Hyundai was unable to find any issues. Aparna said she was told she needed to “get used to the car” and that her driving style was to blame. She told us: “My problem wasn’t taken seriously enough.”

Aparna contacted Hyundai’s central customer service team, but didn’t make much progress here, either. “There was a lot of ‘us’ and ‘them’ and ‘contract with dealer’,” she explained. “It felt like customer services were toothless.”

At this stage, Aparna turned to Auto Express, and we asked Hyundai to investigate. It sent a technician to inspect the car and, after a test drive, a faulty turbo and handbrake were diagnosed. A company spokesperson said: “Hyundai Motor UK immediately instructed the dealership to arrange for that work to be carried out.”

By this point, however, Aparna had lost faith in the car, and told the company she wanted to reject it. Hyundai agreed, saying: “This is something that Hyundai Motor UK supports and we will be liaising with the dealer.”

Aparna told us: “It’s a shame it had to come to this, as the car is lovely to drive. But we got there in the end, and the dealer worked with Hyundai UK to get to a resolution that I was happy with.”

“Problem she flagged with dealer almost immediately was dismissed as a characteristic of the car”