Greensburg woman says her car has been at the dealership for months amid questions over recall

We've all dropped our car off at a body shop or dealership hoping for the best. But one Greensburg woman reached out to KDKA-TV saying she dropped her car off in January and still isn't back behind the wheel.

Maddie Fitzgerald says she thinks her 2014 Hyundai Sonata's highway breakdown is actually because of a safety recall issued on her vehicle. But she and the people who could fix it didn't seem to agree. 

Car owner thinks recall caused her breakdown

"It was actually the day after my birthday. So, Jan. 29 is when this happened. I was driving down the highway, down Route 30, and my car, just out of nowhere, started knocking and just completely stalled out on the side of the highway," she said. 

She says her Sonata first landed at an auto body shop, but that shop suggested a tow to a Hyundai dealership in Greensburg because of an outstanding safety recall.

Fitzgerald thinks her car failed because her engine bearing failed, just like the recall outlines on Hyundai's website for model years 2013 and 2014 Sonata vehicles.

It states, "Your Hyundai dealer will inspect, and if necessary, replace the engine. This inspection will be performed at no charge to you."

She said her local dealership disagreed.

"They just basically said that it didn't fall under the recall, even though we had the documents from their site, stating that my car year, make, model, and everything was included in the recall, and all of the symptoms that my car had fell into the symptoms of the recall," she said. 

Hyundai says dealership is waiting for parts

KDKA Investigates reached out to the dealership to ask what's going on. They said privacy laws prevented them from speaking, and they directed KDKA-TV to Hyundai corporate. 

After weeks of back and forth, a spokesperson from Hyundai corporate most recently said: "My understanding is the dealership is waiting for a part to complete the recall. According to the information I received, the part will arrive first of next week."  

Fitzgerald says the local dealership kept asking her for maintenance records, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reminds consumers they don't need to provide that.

KDKA-TV checked the data dashboard and discovered 572,000 vehicles are potentially impacted by this specific engine recall, with 72% of drivers getting it fixed so far.

Fitzgerald hopes a solution will arrive fast as her days as a case worker rely on four wheels.

"It's in our job description that we need a vehicle because I am driving to clients' houses. I'm driving to community appointments with clients to support them. It's just, it's very hard to do that when you don't have a reliable vehicle," she said. 

What rights do car owners have in recalls? 

Consumers need to remember their rights when it comes to safety recalls. 

You have the right to a remedy, meaning manufacturers are legally obligated to fix the safety defects, usually for free. 

You have the right to be notified about the recall. 

You have the right to seek reimbursement. If you already paid for repairs, you may be entitled to reimbursement. 

You have the right to seek legal counsel if you run into resistance, and lastly, you have the right to report any issue to the NHSTA to potentially trigger an investigation.

KDKA-TV asked Hyundai why it took six months to order necessary parts and why there was a back and forth, but we're waiting to hear back.