Hyundai Motor's mid-size SUV Santa Fe, which was launched in February last year, is at the center of a series of controversy over its poor quality.
There were constant noises from the facts that some vehicles had trouble climbing the hill in the lower gears due to problems with transmission control unit (TCU) at the beginning of their release, an intercooler hose was pulled out, and others.
Despite the poor quality, the Santa Fe was ranked as the best-selling SUV in South Korea last year as it exceeded 10,000 units in monthly sales as if it were showing off Hyundai's monopoly power in domestic demand.
Recently, some models equipped with a 2.2 diesel engine have been hit with serious vibrations in the status of a standstill. The scandal is spreading further as the issue is reported in the public TV news.
The vibration problem began earlier this year among some car owners, with the Santa Fe club at the center. The owner of a Santa Fe car equipped with a 2.2-liter diesel engine posted a message to the group saying, "The vibration is getting worse."
The magnitude of the Santa Fe diesel vibration measured by the seismometer app was as high as 5.0. The results of measuring other diesel vehicles using the same app were 3.0 magnitude and 2.0 magnitude, showing a wide difference, the Car Guy reported.
Members of the club agreed that Hyundai Motor should take an active role in solving the vibration problem.
As these results spread rapidly, Hyundai Motor gave an explanation to the association. "The seismometer app is not an accurate measuring device, so it is not suitable to measure vibration that occurs in cars. Even if the same vibration occurs, the width of the vibration varies significantly depending on the smartphone variant," said Hyundai Motor.
