JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Ask Anthony team is staying on top of one of our most popular stories.
In March, Anthony Austin interviewed two people with one common problem. They both owned Hyundai vehicles and their cars were undrivable due to engine issues. Even though they had warranties or other protections, the car manufacturer denied their claims.
A World War II veteran saw their story and contacted the Ask Anthony team for help. In 2015, Melvin Garrett purchased a brand-new Hyundai Sonata from a Jacksonville dealership.
"I kept it as pristine as I could," Melvin Garrett added.
Last December, with 82,000 miles on the odometer, Garrett says the engine failed. He filed a claim with Hyundai. The car came with a 10 year/100k mile warranty.
"I didn't have 100,000 miles. I didn't have 10 years. When I purchased the car...that was one of the incentives," Garrett said.
Since his warranty was still valid, the 95-year-old thought his car would be repaired. However, that's not what the service advisor told him when he took it to the dealership.
"Right away, she says if you have sludge you may have a problem," Garrett explained.
The World War II veteran says his claim was denied due to sludge in the engine and the lack of proper upkeep.
"They said that they were not going to fix your car because it's your fault. You abused the car. They said I abused the car," Garrett said.
Garrett disputes those claims and showed me his service records.
"Even when I was leasing a car, I never used up the full mileage on it," Garrett responded.
In March, The Ask Anthony team interviewed Cody Evans. Last year, about a week before Christmas, Evans and his wife were driving down a Jacksonville highway when their SUV shut off.
Evans says he had his 2018 Hyundai Tucson towed to a local Hyundai dealership. He had a 100k mile warranty on his Tucson. The SUV was currently at 96,000 miles. He thought it was going to be repaired after speaking with his service advisor. But, he says a few weeks later, the claim was denied.
"Due to exceptional maintenance neglect after already being told there no signs of neglect. They already had my maintenance record. They already had my explanation and they had already tore apart the engine," Evans added.
Evans filed a civil suit in St. Johns County against Hyundai. He was awarded $8,000. According to court documents, a Hyundai representative never showed up to court. However, the car manufacturer is now appealing the judgment. He hasn't received a dime.
The Ask Anthony team also interviewed Wanda Burrow in March. She bought a 2016 Hyundai Sonata from a local dealership for her son.
"The car kept seeming to run out of oil," Burrow said.
Burrow said they only had the car for a few weeks when it started cutting off while her son was driving. She said the car was taken back to the dealership and she thought they would take care of the problem. But, they didn't. Burrow says she was told they were responsible.
"The driver's fault for lack of maintenance. We just bought this vehicle. We just brought it in for its first oil change. How can that be?" Burrow asked.
The Ask Anthony team had a lengthy conversation with Hyundai corporate about these issues in March. A representative told said there's two sides to every story and they stand by their responses to the customers.
For Garrett, there's a simple solution to this ongoing issue.
"I would like to see them fix the car," Garrett said.
Just this September, Hyundai recalled more than a million vehicles due to a fire risk. We contacted Hyundai's corporate office about Garrett's issue and they say they're looking into the problem.