A Hyundai driver said that the engine for his Elantra N recently malfunctioned—but the car manufacturer is refusing to help.
According to CTV News, the driver, 20-year-old Christian Matzoros, purchased his car two years ago. He said that he paid extra for an extended warranty, which was meant to cover his vehicle for seven years (or 140,000 kilometers). However, in June of this year, his new car gave up as it was driving on the highway. The Elantra had just over 28,000 miles on it.
“It just stopped. I was stepping on the gas pedal and it wasn’t moving,” Matzoros told CTV News, adding that the repair cost would be roughly $10,000. To make matters worse, Hyundai refused to help. That’s because after reviewing the car’s data through the engine control unit it was determined that the vehicle had been abused.
In a recent TikTok, Brian Mello (@realbrianmello), who shares daily automotive news, recapped Matzoros’s story. While Mello said that Marzoros is “probably SOL,” he asked viewers what they made of the debacle. As of Thursday, his video had amassed more than 5.5 million views.
Why is Hyundai refusing to help?
According to Mello, who cited reporting from CTV News and other outlets, the culprit for Matzoros’s engine failure was “excessive engine revving.” This apparently falls outside of the coverage of the car’s warranty, he explained.
Hyundai confirmed this in a statement to CTV News. “After reviewing the vehicle’s engine data… it was determined that the engine experienced conditions exceeding its designed operational limits,” a spokesperson for Hyundai Canada said in a statement to the outlet.
But Mello used another term to explain what happened. In his video, Mello said that “it sounds like [Matzoros] money shifted the car.”
@realbrianmello Hyundai Wont Fix Blown Engine! | #hyundaielantra #elantran #hyundai #cartok ♬ original sound – Brian Mello
What is money shifting—and why isn’t it covered under warranty?
According to Car Scoops, money shifting refers to when a driver attempts to go a gear up with a manual transmission, but instead goes down a gear.
While this can happen accidentally, of course, a redditor in the r/askcarguys subreddit explained that this happens most frequently when racing. The result is that the engine over revs. The term money shifting, however, refers to the high cost involved with fixing a botched shift.
According to CarBuzz, warranties often won’t cover money shifting since it’s believed to be a driver error.
“Warranties generally only cover vehicle defects… which are easily detected using the car’s ECU and onboard storage,” it explained. “The extent of the damage caused by a money shift will determine if it can be fixed and how much it will cost. In some cases, minor damage can be repaired by replacing specific components, such as bent valves or damaged pistons. However, if the engine block is cracked or the damage is extensive, a full engine replacement may be necessary.”
Viewers react to Hyundai’s decision
Because of this, many viewers agreed with Mello’s observation that Matzoros will likely have to pay for any repairs out-of-pocket.
“TikTok mechanics told me ‘money shifting’ is the customer’s fault,” one viewer wrote.
“If you money shift that’s your fault not the manufacturer,” another agreed. “I get everyone hating Hyundai but if you wreck your car they don’t replace it for you.”
“They guy money shifted. Why would warranty cover it,” a third user asked. “Skill issue.”
But according to CTV News, Matzoros still believes that Hyundai should cover the cost of his engine. Other viewers were more sympathetic to his plight and questioned whether Matzoros was really to blame.
“The fact that multi-billion dollar car companies are pulling data from your car you purchased from them to try and void your warranty is insane,” one person wrote.
“Never buying one of their cars,” another viewer said of Hyundai.
“To my ‘TikTok mechanics’ I’m p sure the engine wouldn’t fail after only ONE money shift,” a third person added.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Mello via TikTok comment and to Hyundai by email.
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