A consumer says that late model Hyundai vehicles are equipped with wheels that wear out far sooner than expected due to a severe vehicle defect in a class action lawsuit filed Friday.
Lead plaintiff, Mary O’Riordan, wants to represent other Hyundai vehicle owners who were saddled with the allegedly defective vehicles. She accuses Hyundai of knowing about the defect in the wheels, but equipping vehicles with them despite the problems they caused, including unsightly discoloration, delamination, and peeling of the wheel surface.
O’Riordan says that she purchased a 2017 Hyundai Veloster with just over 50,000 miles on it in June 2018. She claims that the wheels on her Hyundai vehicle suffered significant damage within the first three years of ownership. The plaintiff says that she asked for Hyundai to pay for the repairs, but the automaker refused, forcing O’Riordan to pay out of pocket.
“The circumstances causing Hyundai’s vehicles to have the wheel surface peel off is attributable to a defect that existed at the time of the original factory manufacture and appears to be caused by a defect that prevents the protective surface coating on the wheel from properly adhering to the underlying metal,” explains the Hyundai vehicles class action lawsuit.
The plaintiff points out that Hyundai “heavily” advertises its warranty, claiming that it is one of the best in America. Despite these claims, the automaker refuses to acknowledge or pay for the defective wheels it puts on its newer Sante Fe minivans and Veloster vehicles, claims the lawsuit.
O’Riordan points to numerous complaints online from consumers who say that the wheels on their late model Hyundai vehicles wear out prematurely. The defect is not only annoying and unsightly, it reduces the value of the vehicle, according to the class action lawsuit.
The plaintiff accuses Hyundai of hiding the defect from consumers. Breach of warranty and violating New York consumer protection laws. O’Riordan wants to represent a nationwide Class of Hyundai vehicle owners and lessees who experienced the alleged wheel defect.
The plaintiff is seeking damages on behalf of the Class and a court order forcing Hyundai to acknowledge the allegedly defective wheels.
Do you own a 2017 or newer Hyundai vehicle? Have you had issues with the wheels wearing out? Tell us about it in the comment section below!
The plaintiff is represented by Donald S. Burris of Burris & Schoenberg, LLP, and Eugene Y. Turin of McGuire Law, PC.
The Hyundai Vehicle Defective Wheels Class Action Lawsuit is O’Riordan v. Hyundai Motor America, Case No. 2:21-cv-05970 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
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62 thoughts onHyundai Vehicles Come With ‘Severely Defective’ Wheels, Alleges Class Action Lawsuit
I have a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fee and the wheels have been delaminating for two years. It is unsightly and if I had known of the defect, I would have chosen a different vehicle.
The rims are peeling on my 2019 sonata. i notice the peeling sometime ago but was unaware of what was causing the problem. I googled the particulars and I discovered that the problem was caused during the manufacturing process. I went to regional hyundai where in Tulsa, ok where i purchased a total of three new cars from this delership. They took pictures and was told later that my concerns were denied because five years had passed.
Hi I have a 2023 Hunday Elantra months ago my son was going to the hospital as part of his school program when he call my husband that one of the tires when flat thanks God my son is fine but he was scare. If you see the tire it is a perfect square piece that came off the tire you can clearly see this is a defective tire. We went to the dealer but they denied any responsibility so we went off to buy a new tire. I totally doubt they even documented the problem because I have a 2016 Sorento that we keep having problems with like trunk door getting stuck, side mirrors won’t open or close at times, specially the ride side. The top sunroof glass didn’t want to close all the way about 3 times so we stoped using it. Sometimes we notice a shake on the SUV when is on, WHEELS are peeling!!! OMG so many things and dealer don’t do anything 😩 we even paid for extended warranty bumper to bumper and they said they don’t keep records of vehicles sold so they can’t see our warranty… really??