I recently had a deeply frustrating and disappointing experience with Rick Case Hyundai in Plantation, Florida regarding my 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5. After only a couple of months of ownership and with just 1,700 miles on it, I had a major issue with the charging port electrically fusing to the charging handle. I took it to the dealership, expecting the problem to be addressed under warranty. Instead, I was hit with a $3,000+ repair bill and told, "It was physically damaged and Hyundai does not cover repairs for parts that are physically damaged."
The charging handle had electronically fused in the car's port and could not be removed. This situation was so severe that the electric charging company had to come out and physically cut the handle off the car. Despite my explanations and the clear signs that the issue was likely a manufacturing defect, Rick Case Hyundai refused to take any responsibility. They provided no substantial evidence or documentation to support their claim that the damage was due to misuse. It felt like they were more interested in deflecting blame than in helping a loyal customer.
This experience has been incredibly disappointing. I expected better from both Rick Case Hyundai and Hyundai Motor. Their unwillingness to stand by their warranty and assist customers with legitimate concerns is unacceptable. I urge potential buyers to think twice before choosing this dealership or even a Hyundai vehicle. The lack of support and accountability is not worth the headache and expense.
Anyone considering getting a Hyundai electric vehicle may want to really reconsider, as this situation could have easily resulted in a FIRE. Save yourself the trouble and consider other brands or dealerships that value their customers and honor their commitments.
Here is the car "plugged" in with the charge handle not being able to release because of the wires which were fused internally. This ordeal lasted over 3 hours.
After the field technician from EV Connect came out, he had no choice but to split open the charger handle then had to cut the wires to remove this from the car. The white wire in photo is what fused inside the charge port as you can see on next photo.
Burnt in wire
The charging harness that is removed from the car showing a clear sign where electrical wire burned.
Burnt electrical connection
The other wires that were cut were able be pulled out of the charge port...except the white wire which is fused in as you can clearly see.
The dealership attempted to shift the blame onto me, by asserting that the issue was due to my mishandling of the charger stating, charging port was forced out without releasing the internal lock.
In reality, this tab was not locked in place at all as you can see in this video. The wires had fused, preventing the charger from releasing. EV Connect the charging station manufacturer had to come out and cut the handle off the car. After being cut off, it was very clear that one of the pins had fused in the car.
There is no sign of handle locked in car. The wires are fused to the handle which the charging company had to disassemble. They had to split the handle and cut the wires to remove it from the car.
This is a video I made after car was repaired to show what a locked handle in the charge port looks like.
When compared to the video I took on the day the wire fused to my car, it is VERY obvious the lock was not engaged the day of the event.
test showing pin activating which locks the handle in car
This is the charger handle outside the building at Rick Scott Hyundai. I took this video while waiting 4 hours for an "inspection" to take place. This video is to show the simplicity of a charge handle. Five pins that slide into the respective holes in the cars charge port and a simply designed locking lever above. A small pin within the car pops out to stop it from moving upwards. You can see this on the video above.
Disappointed Customer Rant.
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