Hyundai Quality

[ryansride2017]

I rotated the tires on my mother-in-laws 2009 Santa Fe yesterday. Unfortunately, the drivers' side front tire has severe, uneven wear to the point where the steel is ready to show on inner shoulder of the tire. Unexcuseable for only 13K miles on the odometer. The other front tire shows only slight wear on the inner shoulder. Hopefully the dealership will replace the tire due to the alignment issue.

I'm really surprised that such a significant alignment issue wouldn't be caught by QC at the factory. I was thinking about giving Hyundai my business (new Sonata) but this issue coupled with a co-workers transmission issues on his Sonata has me second-guessing myself. This isn't meant to be a flame thread...I'm just disappointed.

 

[pidster]

I have no doubt they'll take care of you on a 1 year old vehicle with only 13k. I've never owned a Hyundai but I think this was a one-off issue. Never heard of anything like this before.

 

[pidster]

Also, my sister mentioned some transmission issues on her 2 year old Ford Escape. Doesn't make me doubt the quality of my Ranger one bit, things happen, all automakers.

 

[Bill in Utah]

All brands come out of the box with alignment issues. If they don't have it from the factory then the guys who load them on the trains/trucks/stealership lot boys will screw it up left and right.

More interesting is how many times in 13k did the tires get rotated? If its wearing that much (and that is bad) when the 5k rotate was done reading the tires would have got the alignment fixed.

I've had issues with a few brands over the years and never owned a Hyundai... One did the same thing in about 8k miles! And the shocking thing was that it drove just fine! But inside rear tire down beyond the wear bars.

A alignment fixed it and the rest of the tires wore fine. And I did have to pay for the tire and alignment.

Take care, bill

 

[eljefino]

Let us know how this works out. I bet they'll step up to the plate.

 

[ryansride2017]

13K was the first tire rotation. I generally rotate tires around 15K or so. Hopefully this won't be an issue with the dealership. Or hopefully they won't start asking what was hit with the tire (she said she didn't hit anything). That would give them another "out".

 

[Bill in Utah]

WOW! Most MFG will go as long as 7,500 miles (so I've seen) between rotations. Personally depending on the vehicle I try to stay around 5k. With the Corolla since its all highway and wears the tires perfectly I do it every 10k.

Make sure you let us know what they say (or more important DO!)

Bill

 

[Hokiefyd]

Typically, alignment and tire balance issues are covered for the first 12 months or 12,000 miles. I don't know the details of Hyundai's warranty. It sounds like a number of factors may have been involved here.

One, the OEM tires are likely fast-wearing LRR (Low Rolling Resistance) tires that are probably more prone to wearing due to alignment problems than "conventional" tires, simply because of their quick-wearing nature. Two, the recommended tire rotation was likely not followed (usually every 5,000 miles). And three, it does sound like there may be a misalignment problem, but a problem that was likely aggravated by factors one and two above, and may not be as severe as perceived.

Do let us know what the alignment shows when they get it on the rack!

 

[GMBoy]

I'm sure the alignment was fine as it left the factory. If they are like my GM plant - the alignment equipment is computerized and will not pass a vehicle unless in spec. My bet is somebody hit a pothole or something and that threw the alignment off. The dealer may step in and help you, but I don't think that they are required to cover that after 13k miles and a ruined tire because it wasn't rotated. They have no way to know how the car got out of alignment. I, personally, would not cover it for you.

 

[ryansride2017]

I'm definitely not here to start an argument. I drive 40K miles a year. I've hit my fair share of potholes over the years, but my alignment has never been off to this degree to cause extreme tire wear at 13K miles. This is my MIL's vehicle so for her sake I hope they cover some of this. We will see.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: ryansride2017
I'm definitely not here to start an argument. I drive 40K miles a year. I've hit my fair share of potholes over the years, but my alignment has never been off to this degree to cause extreme tire wear at 13K miles.


I believe you (and agree). That's why I think that there's more at play than only the alignment. In other words, a different set of tires may have been able to put up with what may be a small alignment issue better than the OEM tires did. Hard to say at this point without numbers. Let us know.

 

[Spazdog]

Could just be the OE tires.

OE tires seem to come in two varieties. Very good and very bad.

I've sold and purchased Goodyear tires. I have a set on my car now. They are good tires. But the Goodyear Eagle RS/As that came on our PT Cruiser or it's predecessor, an Eclipse, were absolute garbage. With 5000 mi rotations, all 8 were done by 20,000 miles.

Not only did they wear fast, but they didn't stick to anything. I put a set of Kumho 711s on the Eclipse and even that relatively low grade Kumho totally transformed the car. It would grip in corners. You could actually drive in inclement weather.

Same thing with the PT.

 

[ryansride2017]

That's exactly how the tires on the Santa Fe look. Even though this is the first rotation at 13K miles, the tread across with tire is worn down to a point where there is no way we will get 25K out of the whole set of 4. I rotated the tires on the back to the front, but at this rate they just won't make it to 25K miles.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

the Soft OEM tire on the cars Ive bought lately have been absolute garbage. Toyota, Suzuki, Hyundai - whatever. Never ot more than 25 K on any of them and some only going 15K!. The Giant bridgestone tires on my wifes Forester are pretty much toast with 35K miles. This is such a scam by the OEM tire makers with the low treadwear rating on new cars. OEM tires 180- 220 treadwear means their toast in 2 years.

 

[The Critic]

LRR is going to compromise treadwear. Period. They were intended that way.

Rotations need to be done every 5-10k. 10k tops. Vehicles driven in-town will need more frequent rotations than those driven on the highway with little cornering.

Most OEMs have a 1/12k adjustment period for alignment. It is unlikely they will do anything for you as it is simply your fault for not rotating the tires more frequently and noticing sooner. And yes, a few potholes can and will knock the alignment off badly.

 

[ryansride2017]

The things you get into when your just trying to help another.

 

[ChrisD46]

Cheap insurance is to get a tread depth gauge from an Auto parts store and track each tire's wear pattern using a notebook to record the readings . A tread depth gauge used once a month can detect uneven wear patterns long before you can spot same with your eyes . Tow in / tow out , under / over inflation and bad shocks all leave a distinct wear pattern on tires. Knowing what to look for plus having a tread depth gauge will help you catch problems early . If this sounds like too much - just remember to rotate tires and have alignment checked every six months or 6K miles.

P.S. In my family I have to be the "C.S.I. of Tires Investigator" ...my wife has blown out not one - but two sidewalls without ever leaving the neighborhood (go figure...) , then I have two teenage drivers who I believe search out pot holes rather than try to avoid them ...replacing good quality tires is expensive so I'll do what I can to ensure they have a chance at long life )

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
the Soft OEM tire on the cars Ive bought lately have been absolute garbage. Toyota, Suzuki, Hyundai - whatever. Never ot more than 25 K on any of them and some only going 15K!. The Giant bridgestone tires on my wifes Forester are pretty much toast with 35K miles. This is such a scam by the OEM tire makers with the low treadwear rating on new cars. OEM tires 180- 220 treadwear means their toast in 2 years.


Yeah, the OEM Bridgestone tires on my Corolla (380 rated) were nearly gone by 16k miles, and I replaced them. Conversely, the Michelin Energy MXV4 S8s on my Camry (with a 440 rating) looks like they'll go an easy 40,000 miles. I have 5,200 miles on them now with virtually no wear.

 

[Ursae_Majoris]

OEM GY Integrity on my Isuzu were gone by 20K. Replaced with all-season Nokian WR. 40K miles and 6 years later I still have 5mm of treat left (10mm to begin with).

OEM GY Eagle RS/A on Kia were replaced at 16K with all-season GY Triple-Tread. So far so good, and traction in snow is great.

 

[JTK]

Tire life doesn't have a thing to do with Hyundai, but if that vehicle smoked the front left tire in only 13K miles and ONLY that tire, there has to be a serious alignment issue with that vehicle. I guess I've been lucky with that. I haven't had a need to get a vehicle "aligned" in over 25yrs. As a stand-alone procedure anyway. I've never kept one beyond ~120K miles though.

Joel