Adieu (or good riddance)





Some will remember that I had a scary incident last month whilst driving my 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe. I was driving west from Beneva on Bee Ridge Rd when the car developed a malevolent mind of its own and began a uncontrollable acceleration.

At a bit of a risk to myself and to cars being driven east on Bee Ridge I shot left into Nelson Ave, and then into the Church of the Palms parking lot where I turned off the ignition and applied the emergency brake.  I skidded to a halt, with no damage except to my rattled nerves.

This sudden acceleration has happened three or four times since, but it was not until my return from the U.K. that I was able to have the car checked at my local and totally reliable Sam's Auto Repairs on 17th St/Lockwood Ridge Rd.

The Manager (a really decent bloke) check various auto forum sites and discovered that this problem has happened to other Hyundai Cars; that there is no known fix; and that Hyundai has not ordered a recall, suggesting that this is an "operator problem".

See this from an auto forum I checked.


http://www.carproblemzoo.com/hyundai/santafe/car-accelerates-on-its-own-problems.php

My Santa Fe is a 2006 model which I bought in early 2007. It is now a potential dangerous vehicle.

It's probably worth no more than $500 in a trade-in after which its fate will be in a retired autos nursing home.

So off I'll set today, looking for a low mileage pre-owned car. Much as I hate the thought of monthly payments I cannot risk life and limb in my now unreliable Santa Fe.







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