Tips on Buying Cars: Purchased acar but getting rattling from various areas inside the car.


Question
Hello Roger. I purchased a new 2016 Hyundai Sonata hybrid about 5 months ago and started experiencing rattling coming from two areas inside the vehicle. As it is a new car, rattling shouldn't even be an issue, but, it is. I've brought it to the dealership and they tell me that they can't do anything to stop the noise and it is something I'll have to live with. This rattling can be heard over the radio and while I'm at highway speeds. Is there anything that the dealership is obligated to do to rectify the issue? Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you, Jared C.

Answer
ahhhhhhhhhHHHHHH!!! Jared, I am so sorry this is coming at you late ...I am supposed to receive a text message and an email when a new question hits my que and your question didn't.

The short answer is YES THERE ABSOLUTELY IS ALOT of things they can do and that you can do as well. I will try to list these in order of importance and effectiveness.

1. This car is under warranty from Hyundai and the dealer is a factory authorized Hyundai dealer. I have never heard pf a dealer who's response to a service issue like this on a new car is just "sorry we aren't smart enough to fix it so guess you have to learn to live with it" That's just not a satisfactory answer.

cars that have repeated, unfixable problems. Every state has enacted some type of "lemon law" to help consumers who get stuck with these defective cars. In order to qualify as a lemon under most state laws, the car must (1) have a substantial defect covered by the warranty that occurred within a certain period of time or number of miles after you bought the car, and (2) not be fixed after a reasonable number of repair attempts. In most states, the lemon law only applies to new cars

In all states, the substantial defect must occur within a certain period of time (usually one or two years) or within a certain number of miles (usually 12,000 or 24,000). The defect must not be caused by abuse.

(1) The lemon Law - 3 Strikes and it's theirs!

You must allow the dealer or manufacturer to make a "reasonable" number of attempts to fix a substantial problem before your car is considered to be a lemon. Usually, you must meet one of the following standards to be protected under your state's lemon law:

- If the defect is not a serious safety defect, it must remain unfixed after three or four repair attempts (the number varies by state).
- If the vehicle is in the shop a certain number of days (usually 30 days in a one-year period) to fix one or more substantial warranty defects, it may fit the definition of a lemon.

(2) Call the area manager for the factory - Every automaker has a layer of people who oversee a geographic region of dealers. These are the guys who respond to dealer needs for inventory and any issues that manifest themselves between the dealer and the factory. Ask the dealer who their regional rep is and call that guy or guys since there is usually one for the sales side and another for the service side. Always be the reasonable party...never raise your voice or fly off the handle at them because it gets you no where quickly. Tell this person that you are an unhappy customer and you need their help.

to be cont'd when I get home