Driving change: Take control of car complaints
Having trouble getting the dealership to take your car troubles seriously? Is the manufacturer giving you the runaround?
It’s easy to feel like you’re a voice in the wilderness when you’re being shunted from dealer to manufacturer and back again, each blaming the other – or you – for the vehicle’s faults.
Handle My Complaint CEO Jo Ucukalo says it’s an effective tactic, as most consumers simply give up.
Hyundai and Kia face new class actions over faulty engines in Australia
Hyundai and Kia are facing two class action lawsuits in Australia over allegations that the car manufacturers sold cars with potentially faulty engines that breached Australian consumer law. The lawsuits come after a series of recalls and safety concerns in Australia over the past few years.
On 15 February 2023, law firm Johnson Winter Slattery filed lawsuits against Hyundai and Kia, claiming that vehicles sold since 2011 were fitted with defective engines that violate Australian consumer law.
Vehicle recalls: Take the driver’s seat with safety issues
When you hear your vehicle has been recalled, it’s natural to go into panic mode. However, a recall is not necessarily a bad thing - it means the manufacturer is staying on top of safety regulations.
It becomes an issue when the manufacturers don’t communicate properly with vehicle owners or conduct repairs in a timely manner.
Fire victim joins Hyundai class action in fight for consumer rights
The fire was swift and silent. Anne-Maree Johnston still can’t believe how close she came to losing everything when her Hyundai caught fire in her garage without warning.
Removing road blocks to customer care
Saul Frank knows when he’s being given the run-around with customer care. And he would never do the same to his customers.
“I’ve been in business a long time and it’s just not the way you treat people,” he says.
Toyota paint peel proves power in numbers
When paint started peeling off his Toyota Corolla in great chunks, Chris McInerney thought maybe he had done something wrong.
But a little digging showed that he was far from alone. A problem with primer paint on several makes and models had even resulted in Toyota Canada extending warranties by up to 14 years.
Road danger: Hyundai owners warn of car failures while driving
Mandie Cowley was driving with her daughter on a busy regional highway in Victoria when her Hyundai started losing power.
“The only place I could pull over was on a bend and there was a lot of trucks. I was absolutely petrified that a truck was going to come up behind me and hit the car,” she said.
Michael Steele’s son, still a P-plater, was driving his Dad’s car at a similar high speed on a country highway in Queensland when it made a grinding sound.
"And it just came to a halt, nothing was working. He was very lucky to get it to the side of the road,” Michael said.
Nina Persin’s partner was driving at 100kmh on the Pacific Motorway, in south-east Queensland, roads still slippery from the floods, when his engine seized up.
“There was no warning light, nothing,” she said. “When the engine seized, the brakes stopped working, as did the steering wheel. My partner had huge difficulties steering the car away from the right-hand lane, avoiding the trucks on the road, towards the left lane.
“I don’t even want to imagine what could have happened."
Total recall: The rundown on car recalls in Australia
If you hear the words “recall” and your car make and model in the same sentence, it can send you into a spin. That's probably because car recall is almost always associated with negative thoughts, such as danger, the potential for accidents, and maybe even expensive repairs.
But are car recalls always bad? Is there ever a good time for a manufacturer to announce a recall?
Three top tips for safer shopping and home improvement
2020 has taught us that being safety conscious allows us to enjoy the finer things in life, like cafes, family reunions, weddings and (hopefully) travel. Home improvement projects have been extremely popular as we’ve spent more time at home than ever before. When it comes to shopping, all types of shopping, safety matters too. Each year Australia has about 650 consumer product recalls. But only about half of the affected products are returned to sellers. This amounts to about 1.7 million recalled products remaining in people's homes!