I searched this forum but found nothing, hope not a rehash! Drove my Accent for abt 100 miles west to east and back yesterday on relatively straight roads(flat terrain) with 40-50 mph winds from the south! Very scary trying to maintain 55 mph limit and some 65 limits! Embarrassing also as the followers had to think I was tipsy!! Every gust moved the car nearly a half lane width north or south, causing constant white-knuckle gripping of wheel and correcting. I like a car that needs some "driving" but this proved very tedious. Has anyone experienced this and what was done to correct, if anything?

 

Heavy cross winds will do that to a light car.

 

Well, of course, but I just found a review by a auto mag editor that says "great little car" BUT there is "something" that was Not done properly(or could have been done Better!) in the steering design that could have prevented all of this up front when the car was completely redesigned for the 2012 model year. With that, he said he probably wouldn't be buying an Accent! I was watching similar sized vehicles from other manufacturers while struggling to keep my car on the road and DID't see any wandering. Had the roads been icy, this could have been the orig. drive from Hades! I had hoped perhaps Hyundai had recalled or offered some "add on"(stabilizer?) or something I had not heard about! I predict some accidents due to this to become a legal 'issue' down the road!

 

Ok, so one guy complains in one magazine and now it's a "legal issue"?

You predict some accidents? Really? Just now, 4 years after the first of the 2012 redesigned models hit the roads? So what have all those drivers been doing for the past 4 years that have prevented those accidents?

Have you seen this problem before in the 4 years you've owned your Accent? If you have, why complain now? If you haven't, then how can you say it's a problem with the design of the car?

Maybe, instead of blaming the manufacturer claiming it's their fault, why don't you take the car to get looked at? It's very possible that maybe something has broken or worn out and that issue is the cause of the wandering. Maybe the sway bar end links (plastic) have broken or the bushings have worn out. Maybe the tires are worn, or incorrectly inflated causing the lack of grip needed to prevent the wind from affecting your car.

 

I've got an 02 that reacts Exactly the same way......was thinking.....this things as bad as my bike in heavy winds.ha-ha. You'll get used to it.....Embrace it as a New Adventure

 

Being a retired(38 yr career) mechanical engineer, I know there is nothing wrong, broken or changed/worn out, with the car which I've owned since it had 600 miles on it. It now has only 33K miles. If there was worn or broken parts, the car would wander on the highway all the time, not just in strong crosswinds. Apparently, I've never encountered the exact conditions I described in my original post in the previous four years. I have new ice/snow tires on all four wheels(I worked for a major tire manufacturer my entire career.) Until now, I have had zero complaints or issues and have done routine maintenance on the car(oil, changes, oil and air filters). It has not needed any repairs. My purpose in starting this thread was to see if anyone has had this problem(wandering in high winds), and if there was something done(successfully) to facilitate the problem.(My truck has a 'steering stabilizer' on it as an example.) As far as potential lawsuits, if there was a designed steering system that could have been added prior to release of this model, that would eliminate loss of control in high winds, this could be viewed as negligence. I know there have been lawsuits over much less serious based issues.

 

I can't find any TSB's or campaigns regarding this issue. Have a good one!

 

So, this problem doesn't happen all the time. Only in those "exact conditions" you mentioned. Sounds like a serious problem. Good thing you're a "retired(38 yr career) mechanical engineer" and here to solve that issue for us. Looking forward to you finding what hundreds of currently working Hyundai engineers couldn't find.

 

I was under my 02 accent the other day & was surprised to see it had a sway bar in the rear. It still gets pushed around in cross wind but my 95 Olds does too....though not as exaggerated. You might want the dealer to take another Looksi. I remember my f-150 had a slight front end issue that a shop was unable to find but after going to a 2nd shop they located the problem...a worn bushing.